The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance between 31 member-states, froze a Cold War-era security pact on November 7, 2023, after Russia revoked ratification of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. In the first week of November 2023, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a bill, revoking Moscow’s ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. He said that the move was required to establish parity with the US.

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry blasted the US and its Western allies for the move, as well as the West’s allegedly “destructive position” on the treaty. The ministry stated: “We left the door open for a dialogue on ways to restore the viability of conventional arms control in Europe. However, our opponents did not take advantage of this opportunity.” Earlier, the Putin Administration hinted that it would no longer be a party to an arms control treaty signed during the Cold War.

It may be noted that NATO member-countries had signed the key Cold War-era security treaty in order to prevent the US and the erstwhile Soviet Union from a massing force at or near their mutual borders. On November 7 (2023), they froze their participation in the Treaty of Conventional Armed Forces in Europe. The development has raised fresh questions about the future of arms control agreements in Europe. However, NATO said that its members would remain committed “to reduce military risk and prevent misperceptions and conflicts”, adding that the alliance would continue to “consult on and assess the implications of the current security environment and its impact on the security” of the Euro-Atlantic region.

In fact, a number of NATO member-countries wanted to maintain the arms control agreement in an attempt to avoid a Cold War-like situation (with Moscow). However, it was not possible because of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War. Meanwhile, defence experts fear the return of the Cold War days of the 1960s and 1970s, amidst Russia-NATO conflict. It is also feared that the threat of a Nuclear War may intensify in the coming days.

Vladimir Vladimirovich: His Life & Times, And…
Earlier, President Putin was heard mentioning that he would no longer hold the post of President after 2024. However, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine has prompted the 71-year-old Russian strongman to change his decision!

The Telegraph daily of Britain reported in the second week of November (2023) that Putin would contest the next Presidential Election scheduled to be held in March 2024. If he manages to win the election, he shall stay in the Kremlin till 2030. However, Dmitry Sergeyevich Peskov, the Press Secretary of the Russian President, has stressed that any decision in this regard shall be officially announced only when it is final.

Putin has been ruling Russia since 2000. He had served as the Russian President from May 2000 to May 2008 after winning two consecutive elections. As per the Russian law at that time, the President could not serve more than two terms. Hence, Putin became the Prime Minister in 2008, replacing loyalist Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev as President. In 2012, he became the President for the second term (winning his third Presidential Election) and held the office for six years. He was re-elected in 2018.

Putin, the former KGB official, amended the law in 2021 to run for more than two consecutive Presidential terms. A fifth Presidential term (third consecutive time in the second term) could see Putin in power until 2030. Most of the Russian political observers believe that his victory in the 2024 Presidential Polls is almost certain. In other words, the Russian strongman is all set to break the record of two leaders of the former Soviet Union! Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin and Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev were in power in the Kremlin for 24 consecutive years. And in terms of enjoying ultimate power for the longest period of time, only Stalin (29 years; from 1924 to 1953) is ahead of Putin.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das