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   Editorial:

Putin's war of nerves with NATO

   Formula One Grand Prix of Russia
   Formula One Grand Prix of Russia
   Srdjan Suki, EPA

   Russia President Vladimir Putin seems to be testing the limits of
   what NATO will accept.

   Russia President Vladimir Putin seems to be testing the limits of
   what NATO will accept.
   (Srdjan Suki, EPA)
   Editorial Board
   Putin tests the NATO alliance, and its members need to up their game.

   The Russian Bear is no longer the tame teddy it seemed after the end of
   the Cold War. President Vladimir Putin has seized Crimea from Ukraine,
   bombed insurgents fighting the government of Syrian President Bashar
   Assad and announced the addition of 40 intercontinental ballistic
   missiles to his nuclear arsenal.

   He seems to be testing the limits of what NATO will accept. His
   military has carried out exercises within miles of the Baltic states,
   which once belonged to the Soviet Union. His fighter jets have zoomed
   through Turkish airspace. It's the biggest challenge the Western
   alliance has faced in more than two decades.

   So far, NATO is not handling it well. The annexation of Crimea spurred
   members to pledge a boost in their military outlays, which had been on
   the decline. The plan was for each country to move toward spending 2
   percent of its gross domestic product on defense. Making such
   increases, NATO thought, would be a strong signal to Putin.

   Putin has indeed gotten a signal, but not a strong one. NATO reported
   in June that total defense spending by the allies would not rise this
   year but would fall — by 1.5 percent, in inflation-adjusted terms. And
   that comes after a 3.9 percent reduction in 2014. Wrong direction.

   This even as the Russian president has chosen to intensify his war of
   nerves with the West. In recent days, Russian planes have twice crossed
   into Turkey, a member of NATO, and Russia's radar has locked onto
   Turkish jets patrolling their country's border with Syria. Moscow said
   the airspace incursions were accidental, but they fit into a
   provocative pattern.

   The New York Times reported "a number of other instances recently of
   Russian military flights entering the airspace of NATO members or
   coming very close, prompting interception by Western military
   aircraft." The number of such incidents has tripled in the past two
   years. The Royal Air Force intercepted Russian warplanes in February —
   off the coast of England.
   Putin in Syria: a blast from the past
   Putin in Syria: a blast from the past
   Condoleezza Rice and Robert M. Gates

   One can hear the disbelief in capitals from Washington to London to
   Berlin to Ankara and beyond. How can Vladimir Putin, with a sinking
   economy and a second-rate military, continually dictate the course of
   geopolitical events? Whether it's in Ukraine or Syria, the Russian
   president seems always...

   One can hear the disbelief in capitals from Washington to London to
   Berlin to Ankara and beyond. How can Vladimir Putin, with a sinking
   economy and a second-rate military, continually dictate the course of
   geopolitical events? Whether it's in Ukraine or Syria, the Russian
   president seems always...
   (Condoleezza Rice and Robert M. Gates)

   Putin doesn't want to set off a shooting war, but if he can make the
   alliance look hesitant or ineffectual in the face of Russian military
   power, he gains prestige points in the region and around the world.
   Over time, he may hope to erode NATO's resolve by putting repeated
   stress on it.

   What should NATO do? This is no time for the alliance members to invite
   further bullying by shirking their military commitments. Only five of
   the 28 governments are expected to meet the alliance spending target
   this year — the United States, Britain, Greece, Poland and Estonia. The
   number should be 28, and if not this year, next year. If gravely
   indebted Greece can do this ...

   As for Turkey, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg responded
   appropriately by saying NATO is ready to send 13,000 rapid-response
   troops there. "All of this sends a message to NATO citizens: NATO will
   defend you, NATO is on the ground, NATO is ready," declared
   Stoltenberg. NATO also has beefed up its presence in the Baltics.

   It might also make sense, as Ankara suggested, for the U.S. and Germany
   to reverse their decision to withdraw Patriot missiles from Turkey. But
   first, someone ought to ask President Tayyip Erdogan why Turkey has
   fallen short of that 2 percent defense spending threshold.

   No NATO state should be expected to face the Russians alone. But
   neither should any expect allies to do what it declines to do for
   itself.
   Copyright © 2016, Chicago Tribune
     * Europe
     * Russia
     * Middle East
     * Crimea
     * NATO
     * Vladimir Putin
     * Ukraine Crisis (2013-2014)

     * [70x70]
    Syrian troops advance on insurgents as Putin defends airstrikes

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