America and Russia Have Responsibility To Stabilize the World

Published in Nikkei
(Japan) on 17 June 2021
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Eric Stimson. Edited by Gillian Palmer.
To prevent unexpected conflict, the first thing rivals facing a breakdown in relations do is discuss places where they can cooperate. That must be the analysis.

President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva for the first time as two heads of state. During their summit, they agreed to reinstate their ambassadors who were previously recalled and establish a new framework for dialogue addressing the reduction of nuclear forces and cyberattacks.

At a press conference after the summit, Biden said that the Russian-American relationship “has to be stable and predictable.” Putin noted that “we have our differences but [Biden] wasn’t hostile.” We welcome the leaders’ candid exchange of opinions and their intention to improve the worst relations between their countries since the Cold War.

Now for the problem. The parties have decided to pursue a bilateral “Strategic Stability Dialogue” on military administration, including nuclear arms reduction, but the countries must produce results quickly.

The Stockholm Peace Research Institute estimates there are 13,080 nuclear warheads in the world as of January, and roughly 90% of these are Russian or American. Both countries are said to be replacing their decaying missiles with new models.

Both heads of state should realize that as long as they do not proceed with nuclear disarmament, they will encourage nuclear stockpiling among the likes of China and North Korea, which will further destabilize the world.

Concerning repression of human rights, such as Russia’s treatment of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the Russian government’s involvement in cyberattacks using ransomware, interference in democratic elections, the Ukraine issue, etc., America and Russia’s concerns ran alongside each other and the parties did not reach any compromise.

Biden said he would continue to raise issues. There are many points of contention, and bilateral relations are brittle, but the countries must not break off dialogue. It is also imperative for the world to keep watch and apply pressure to ensure that Russia does not veer toward aggression.


ほとんど絶交状態だった競争相手同士が予期しない争いを防ぐため、とりあえず協力できそうな分野から話し合いを始める。そんな評価だろう。

米国のバイデン大統領とロシアのプーチン大統領がジュネーブで会談した。両氏が首脳として対面で会うのは初めてだ。会談では互いに一時帰国させている大使を復帰させ、核軍縮やサイバー犯罪について新たな対話の枠組みを設けることなどで合意した。

会談後の会見でバイデン氏が「(米ロ関係は)安定して予想可能なものでなければならない」と発言。プーチン氏も「相違点はあったが敵がい心はなかった」と述べた。両首脳が率直に意見交換し、冷戦後最悪と言われる両国関係に歯止めをかける姿勢を示したことは歓迎したい。

問題はこれからだ。核軍縮など軍備管理を2国間で協議する「戦略的安定対話」を新たに始めることが決まったが、まずここで早期に結果を出す責任がある。

ストックホルム国際平和研究所(SIPRI)によると、今年1月現在、世界の核弾頭数は推定1万3080発あり、うち米ロだけで約9割を保有。ともに老朽化した核弾頭の代わりに新型を配備しているという。

両国の核削減が進まないことが、中国や北朝鮮などの核増強を促し、国際情勢の不安定化につながっていることを両首脳は認識すべきだ。

ロシアで収監されている反体制指導者ナワリヌイ氏の処遇などを巡る人権弾圧やランサムウエア(身代金要求ウイルス)を使ったサイバー攻撃におけるロシア政府の関与、民主選挙への介入、ウクライナ問題などでは互いの主張は平行線で、歩み寄りはなかった。

バイデン氏はこれらの問題を「取り上げ続ける」と述べた。対立点が多く、もろい両国関係だが、対話を途切れさせてはならない。国際社会としてもロシアが強硬路線に傾かないよう監視し、圧力をかけることが不可欠となる。
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