Acting Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to put more might in the Russian military.
Putin has announced that he wants to modernize the Russian military by increasing spending some 50 percent on new weapons and equipment. He explains: "The army has been underfinanced for several years, which has entailed negative consequences for the nation's defense potential."
Putin plans to buy more weapons by reducing spending in other areas, although it is not clear which areas will be cut. Because the government has not been able to fully fund the military in recent years, it may take several years to equip the army with modern weaponry. Even so, American leaders must keep a watchful eye on this movement, which appears to be more hawkish than Putin's predecessors.
Putin insists that his policy statement is not at all linked to Russia's stalled campaign in Chechnya. Keep in mind, however, that Putin, former head of the domestic security service, has built much of his popularity on an uncompromising stand in hunting down Chechen rebels and portraying himself as a tough figure bent on restoring firm central authority in the post-Soviet era.
Yet, Putin's public statements suggest he is committed to proceeding with a market-oriented economic change and has vowed that a dictatorship would never take hold in Russia. He appears focused on many of the same goals as Boris Yeltsin, but his leadership style, thus far, appears far more aggressive. Perhaps that is precisely what Russia needs during its transition to a market economy.
But the Cold War is not a distant memory, and neither the United States nor Russia has made considerable progress in destroying their missile stockpiles as they had mutually agreed to do. Relations are considerably warmer these days, but both nations must commit to an ongoing dialogue that builds greater trust.
While it is certainly prudent for the United States to support Russia's transformation to a free-market economy, it is in this country's best interest to continue to do so with eyes wide open.
Thus far, Putin has given American leaders confidence that he will further Yeltsin's policies. When he was appointed nearly a month ago, guarded American officials described him as someone they could work with. We hope that spirit of cooperation and mutual respect will continue, because Putin very likely will be elected president of Russia.