Today’s POLITICUS in the New York Times tries to fathom the extent to which NATO and the Western powers really trust Russia to cooperate in putting pressure on Iran, regarding its nuclear programme.  Whilst certain recent moves by the West suggest an element of confidence in the Kremlin’s good nature, such as the Mistral deal, and, depending on who you read, the scrapping of the missile defence scheme, others imply a latent distrust. 

How much trust do — or should — the Western allies accord Russia in attempting to get its cooperation to stop Iran’s drive for nuclear weapons?

And while good faith is the issue, what practical Western steps or accommodations are understood in NATO Brussels’ home-office line that the allies owe Moscow recognition of its “security interests”?

The slithers of answers that are emerging look contradictory.

On
one hand, a report published last week rated the U.S., British and
French belief in Russia’s reliability low enough so that, for fear of
Moscow informing Tehran, they refused for months to tell the Russians
of their strategy relating to a secret Iranian nuclear site in Qum
before its public disclosure in September.

Going in the other
direction, Adm. Igor Burtsev of the Russian Navy indicated to Russian
media over the weekend that France was now ready to sell it a
helicopter-carrying assault ship and a license to produce four similar
advanced vessels. They are the warships that the Russian Navy’s
commander in chief, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky, said, glowingly, would have
allowed his forces to complete its tasks in the 2008 invasion of
Georgia in 26 minutes instead of 40 hours.

Although the French
have confirmed negotiations but not a sale, the purchase would be the
first ever of such technological magnitude — and strategic comfort –
involving a NATO member and Russia.

Keep reading here.

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