Hobson mistaken; Putin not fearing NATO attack

My friend and former colleague, Art Hobson, wrote two opinions in this paper (the latest one on Feb. 1) showing much understanding for the Russian position in Ukraine. I value his opinion and generally agree with him, but I am afraid he is seriously mistaken in this case. To me, this is the kind of mentality that made Yosif Stalin, one of the bloodiest dictators in history, who killed more people in concentration camps than Adolf Hitler, the beloved “Uncle Joe” in leftist intellectual circles in the 1930s and ’40s.

First, Putin cannot be seriously afraid that NATO will attack him militarily. Changing the standard typeface on NATO documents would take years of negotiations. NATO is a purely defensive organization, if only by sheer inertia. The countries bordering Russia are mortally afraid that Russia will reestablish its hegemony in Eastern Europe; this is why they were and are eager to join NATO. Indeed, Putin stated publicly that the dissolution of the Soviet Union was the greatest catastrophe of the 20th century. His goal is obviously to restore it by military force in smaller steps.

The characterization of Russia as an innocent victim of invasions is also one-sided. Russia conducted an expansionist policy in Europe from the 17th century, occupying ultimately Finland, the Baltic states and Eastern Poland. It occupied the sparsely populated Siberia and a number of entities in the Caucasus and Central Asia; these now form nine states. The only unprovoked invasion into Russia was Napoleon’s. It is difficult to consider the Crimean War as invasion when the area was invaded by Russia not so much before.

Art Hobson’s main argument, the Nazi attack on the Soviet Union in 1941, was preceded by the joint invasion of Poland and the Baltic countries by Germany and the Soviet Union according to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact. Prior to that Russia invaded Finland and, despite heroic resistance of the Finns, took Karelia. It also occupied Bukovina and Bessarabia. In the post-war period, the Soviet Union put down militarily the Berlin uprising, the Hungarian revolution and the Czech reform, and invaded Afghanistan.

What makes Putin afraid is the stagnation of Russia. Are there any Russian products for sale except oil, gas and weapons? Are there any Russian ideas? Have you seen a Russian-made car, cell phone, toy, shoe or coat? As a scientist, I often review papers sent to scientific journals. I cannot remember the last time I saw a paper from Russia. There are outstanding Russian researchers in my field but they all work in the West. Russia is kept afloat only by its vast natural resources, mainly oil.

PETER PULAY Fayetteville Roger B. Bost distinguished professor of chemistry, emeritus, at the University of Arkansas