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And the limits of the US diktat
UK was the first country to expel Russian diplomats when Sergei and Yulia Skripal were poisoned with the nerve agent novichok in Salisbury, UK. Later, the US expelled 60 Russian diplomats. In a Trump inspired coordinated effort Canada, several European countries and Australia have either expelled Russian diplomats or have announced the intention to do so. An eight nation “coalition of the unwilling” inside the EU has however expressed unwillingness to follow suit. Israel, Turkey and Japan have condemned the nerve gas attack without expelling diplomats. There has been no sign of solidarity for the US from the Asia Pacific region or the oil rich Arab countries underlining the limits of the US diktat.
The US 2018 National Security Strategy (NSS) sees Russia as a threat. However both countries give key importance to strategic arms control for bilateral relations. In September the United States and Russia held a first round of strategic stability talks in Helsinki, reportedly agreeing to continue implementing the nuclear weapons limits under the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) It is encouraging however that Russia still maintains that it is open to strategic stability talks with Washington.
There are genuine fears that the escalation of tension between the two countries could endanger peace in regions where strategic cooperation between the two is required. Most importantly the rivalry must not be allowed to have a negative outfall on peace efforts in Syria and Afghanistan. Unless this is ensured, the misery of the Syrian and Afghan people would be prolonged. In Syria veiled threats of direct military conflict have been exchanged between the US and Russia. There is a need for both countries to use the positive experience gained through the Amman format which was meant to stabilise the situation in Southeastern Syria. In Afghanistan the US has accused Russia of supplying weapons to the Afghan militants which the later has denied. On Tuesday 20 countries and international organisations initiated parley on Afghan peace in Tashkent. Multilateral, trilateral and bilateral talks to resolve the Afghan conundrum can only fructify if the two major powers agree to work together in the region despite their differences.