and its allies step up pressure on the syrian regime with calls for more sanctions the country set for referendum on a new constitution to end single party rule the vote in the water own country said sunday some opposition groups going for a boycott of. america's intelligence committee rules out allegations that iran is building nuclear weapons conclusion at sixteen separate agencies agree on iran is under heavy international pressure of its nuclear program which it insists is peaceful. also no war against iran and resisting foreign pressure over syria action prime minister but not enough lines a key policy issues as he prepares to run for the country's top job next week. now with modern warfare changing considerably over recent decades the russian army has a much work ahead to adapt to new challenges up next we discuss for the ideas on how this job can be done.

hello again the welcome to spotlight the interview show all right to have all we love and today we're talking about national security matters the concept album modern warfare has changed a lot you know the last few decades there's no more evident super powers faceoff and the biggest threats part terrorism and extremism rather than hostile neighbors and the russian army has a big job ahead to adapt to new circumstances to prime minister and a presidential hopeful when a poet who expressed his opinion of how this job has to be dealt with in another article seen by many as his election that if asked will discuss what his proposals would go to look at that of in chief of russia and global affairs and james brooks the moscow will based correspondent for the voice of america.

putin has been outlining his vision of russia's future in a series of articles written for the country's major dailies in the run up to next month's presidential election the latest one in total being strong national security guarantees for russia focuses on the prime minister's ideas for developing russia's defenses putin promises seven hundred sixty eight billion u.s. dollars will be invested in the modernization of russia's armed forces over the next ten years stressing he does not intend to militarize russia's budget only to make up for the years when the army and the navy were regularly underfunded put indwells in detail upon ways to make a military career in russia more attractive seeing wages in the fields will grow as for the us need a missile defense shield being built in eastern europe prime minister of the. the country will respond to it actively and symmetrically.

so when this when this article appeared on monday many people compared it to the munich speech. put in a couple of years ago so how would you characterize the author of this recent article is he a hawk and dove or in the middle is a moderate well i think it is pretty hawkish but you have to keep in mind the elections are in ten days so this is a pre-election statement now every society has to decide the right formula between guns and butter if you look at his numbers he will be doubling the percentage of g.d.p. going to military from three to six over the next decade that's a lot of money and that was the reason why finance minister cooder and quit last fall over the excessive what he saw as an excessive military spending coming down the river which is so hard from the american point of view from europe when. i want

to call it hawkish in a way it's not more hawkish than before so he didn't say anything new i would rather stress interesting details for example he's talking about how to modernize how to transform military industry which seems to become one of key issues for the next president the next mandate and looking at conflicts all the time about between our me and me their industry which prism is really of try to address so putin was very clear in saying that the military industry basically should be private and it was interesting that well let's hear what mr putin says about why a country needs and especially strong military muscle these. in a world of economic and other our people there is always the temptation to resort one's problems at another's expanse to crash course it's no surprise that samak

calling for sources of global significance to be freed from the exclusive sovereignty of a single nation. this issue will soon be raised as a matter of course. well do you agree that we really live in a time in a world where major powers are ready to fight for resources were military means through pressure and force as political puts it well i want to say big powers are ready to fight for resources director so because this formula means maybe that the ready to fight each other what is your sense and of the called war and this is a paradox that the readiness to use military force is much higher now than twenty five years ago and this is what. talking about and generally i fully agree with his initial stands that today's war the extremely risky extremely risky and

unpredictable which means that any country should be prepared for any threats. in a time when resources become become very very important and this is and this well isn't yes i do believe as putin obviously does that russia a country so rich was resources is at higher risk than many other countries i don't really believe if you look at the relationship between russia and china which is pretty unique and i know russians don't like the comparison but a little bit like between the united states and canada that china is a major trip russia is a major treasure house of resources and exporter and china is a major importer of resources they worked out a good relationship i don't see the chinese posing a direct immediate military. ret i think it's been handled through diplomacy very similar way relationship with canada has been well russia russia china relationship compared to the us canadian it's an interesting thing i never heard that before but

there is a major difference the first about anglo-saxon countries russia and china are very different what would you start thinking in that direction. frankly not because i think the the major difference is the us canada is a very clear. clearly u.s. is politically leading power kind of the snow compassion of canadian political activities in russia china relationship steel now russia is politically leading maybe not forever but still politically leading china is leading economically and talking about resources the part of the ox is that what we describe is what. you should be but china is not the bigger. consumer of all of russian resources here anyway. james put in doesn't mention

any any enemies in any actual threats but he doesn't mention the united states the i think is the only country that he does mention in this big article about building up will truly. muscle well this is that bother you or would you say that it's the usual russian pre-election anti american as well it is i mean one level makes for great to be just like the russian routine i mean really we do have the election coming up. the cost free thing is who attacked the u.s. you know can attack china you don't want a voice that way and for russians traditionally the threat has come from the west and after the cold war that's a quick hit there's been two or three months of pretty tense times for the kremlin politically. we need an enemy and the using are now the question is will the reset survive this or is the kremlin delivering x. blows to the us russian cooperation and i think it is

a setback did you feel at ease in this role of being an enemy for the job even though the couple of weeks is not really because i'm not sure that'll do for back i've seen surveys were people think that twenty five percent of people think the united states is behind the opposition protests and forty five percent are quite sure which adds up to seventy percent so you're changing russian public opinion or russian public opinion can change back and has gone back and forth but for now we're living through a fairly officially sponsored anti-american phase the russian global affairs this is the name. that you read it in can you tell us there are real threats for russia from abroad from somewhere well except terrorism extremism and well that. actually there's a unique moment in russian history when we cannot identify any major power to threaten russia to to pose a real trip and including the united states i would disagree.

with james about. so the say the election character of this american is putin i'm afraid is not that simple because of course election campaign everywhere including russia including the united states is a special time and there's an easy way to to get some good support but my feeling is unfortunately the mr putin is jeannine the very very much suspicious united states and this is not because of his called war past as many people in the west used to say this is because of his personal experience with americans with george bush administration into silence and he started to actually as a very much pro western and pro-american guy and he offered to a lot of things to europe and particularly the united states he closed the. russian military for. cuba and vietnam he opened. for terrorism and so and what he got in return from his point of view so he wouldn't turn very

aggressive expansion of american interest in the. so. part of being of this. american rhetoric what you're seeing is actually in his deeds has been a pretty pro american president well pro russia u.s. friendship little disappointed. i think that's true and i think first impressions are often the most important. i think. has really neglected to focus on the obama administration has not by political reasons the obama counterpart obama inherited two wars he wrapped up iraq as far as we're concerned got all the troops out about six weeks ago they're speeding up their withdraw from afghanistan afghanistan is going to be russia's baby probably in about two years along with. pakistan i mean you know we will be out of there and so that he was

probably scarred by the bush years he felt maybe tricked or something but i think he's neglected to focus on the last three years with obama who inherited these two active fighting wars and has gotten out of one and is getting out the other and the american taxpayer would like to see afghanistan in the rearview mirror very quickly well if. reelected that we may be looking at having some quality time together. just reminds of the. magazine and james. are here in my studio spotlight will be back. in just over a minute so stay with us don't. wealthy british style homes that's not on the title of.

markets why not come to. find out what's really happening to the global economy with max concert for a no holds barred look at the global financial headlines tune in to kaiser report on our.

welcome to the future keep the peace of the looking glass at what will be the homes of the future where the walls might just be smarter than the residents every day trash protects you from the elements outside and the whole system works to save you money to shine the spotlight on the latest building projects all around russia technology i'm doing here on r.g.p. . listening church. welcome back to spotlight i am al gore and often just a reminder that my guests on the show today are further lucky enough the editor in chief of russia and global affairs magazine and james brook chief of the the away in class co's bureau jim and while we've been discussing. the recent article by vladimir putin we came to

a conclusion in the past fifteen minutes that that this is pre election rhetoric but it is sort of hawkish and that the at least the american side may be afraid if this out issued is imposed and continues after the election so let's hear what the prime minister says about the things that help when the international moral law is neglected here's the quote. we continue to see new areas of instability and deliberately managed to pay off there also are purposeful attempts to provoke such conflicts even within the directorate city of russia's and its allies borders the basic principles of international law one being degraded and eroded especially in terms of international security under these circumstances russia cannot pull back on diplomatic and economic matters alone it should resolve

conflicts. so there you disagreed with james when he said a bad put in being hard but this this deliberately managed chaos and the erosion of international law this does sound sort of sort of munich. yeah and some sort of munich and putin actually munich was almost five years of fires ago was here two thousand so and they're exactly fantasy exactly like. them and that is quite consistent and then saying such things so that's why why why i think it's not pre-election by the way pre-election i think it's about he is the belief in how today's world functions and of course about deliberate organized maybe too much but it's all too almost everybody now that he is no normal country including the biggest one i have has

a capacity to to govern what is going on everybody must only on react to coming to risk well you know if james you have noticed staying here in moscow monitoring the situation that the election situation here from moscow for some reason their relations with the united states are becoming a very big issue in this election campaign in russia which may be strange for the united states and. i have heard an opinion about one of the talk shows recently from one of the candidates that i ve said i've been to the united states americans don't care about russia i mean they really don't care they have other things to do so so and and it seems that russia the russians and all the russian kandice really do care about the united states what they're thinking what they're planning do you see some consolation here between the how that use of us of us and them in the us you know it is a conflict and i had the chance to ask

a question to the candidate. thursday and he said you know we are a great country talking about russia and good point you know we are a very great country and we will not be pushed around or affected by what an ambassador does or not so basically he was able to come put it into perspective and mental eyes and i think there's been a lot of historical stuff in the russian media and on this question on the web somebody is very outrageous videos attacking the u.s. ambassador and the problem is when you attack someone fall he was approved by the u.s. senate only two months ago by voice vote goes straight back to the senate he worked for three years in the white house and go straight back to the white house so you know we're going to the point where is the reset mortally wounded. what kind of reception will prime minister putin like to present what kind of reception he get in chicago in mid may when he goes for the g. eight meeting. allow me to ask you

a personal question you as the bureau chief for the v.o.a. for the voice of america. wouldn't it be easier and more fun for you to work if they bury the reset. you need really said oh it would be a lot like professionally better for you because that was the golden times of the vo way in russia when the said he i mean down the call was. a person of enjoying life. without a lot of tension and i'm going to mess it like. see the relations between both countries for a shit ok well another quote putin says we are being pushed into action by the united states and nato missile defense policy is a global balance and forces can be guaranteed by their by building our missile defense shield or by developing the ability to overcome any missile defense system and protect russia's retaliation potential which is far more effective well this is

pretty hard to to understand but for me what it means is that the trillions of rubles that put this way to allocate to the military would go to two to the rebuilding of the nuclear potential is that right is that what he means yes that's right and i think it's answer on this question is not option one to build the russian missile defense system which i think is very good decision because we're the second is far more effective the second is far more effective and the first is far more expensive because we already had this arms race with the united states which ended up with the collapse of the soviet union so it's very good that russian leadership understands reality but as for strengthening our nuclear potential that's what will happen and why i'm sure the in the current situation when the russian army is in deep in the transformation process nuclear potential will be the main equalizer and guarantee for us and saw

a need to which means by the way about the russian american relationship i don't think they're. after election in the united states obama or another candidate but we will be interested to continue our talks and to russia is not exempt to the economic problems faced by mimic countries in the world many countries of europe so do you think russia can afford really being hockey's today. that affords it's my deep conviction and vagary with the former finance minister couldn't russia cannot afford the kind of allocation of money which is promised including in points article i'm absolutely sure the real investment will be much more modest but of course to to pay for their defense it's necessary little bit put in another put inside the. industry so

to see the driving force for russian modernization again as it was in the soviet union i don't believe the army and their industry is in the capacity to do that but . something should be done because it should be much more effective and i think that for me no military industry will be as important for an ex-president as army reform was important for me to get james you mention of the macphail he you recently said something like i can personally guarantee that this missile shield will not be used he used against was something that i can give you guarantee do you think that maybe some find out word from the ambassador and maybe maybe surprise well i know on the russian side like to get things in writing but let's put it in context you know if i mean trucks you know we do away with where they want to get things in writing i can just remind you that when you started like well about ten years ago. they said we will never move nato closer to the russian borders

this twenty years ago i think they said that and it was not put in writing what it was there were you know i didn't keep them so that i mean the kremlin. said it was going to talk over. i think the people running russia cut their teeth in the brezhnev or when ronald reagan was pushing star wars sort of which is going to be a whole continental you know missile defense system i think if you. look at the anti iran missile defense system it's much smaller but once again the generation that is currently in the kremlin is thinking star wars i think they have to put in context of the american taxpayer boring individual on the right one hundred million and they pay the taxes and they pay the bills does not want to launch on a huge missile defense program this is very targeted very specific it's hitting a bullet with a bullet the maybe six bullets somewhere in the czech republic romania hoping to

knock down one strain iranian missile it is not going to take on two thousand russian missiles period paragraph end of story oh well let's move on let's and now here what how in the view let me put in at rearmament the modernization of the army will boost economic growth in russia. the huge resources invested in the renewal but defense industry and even the rearming program must facilitate the modernization of the entire russian economy they must serve as a major incentive for quality growth state spending creates jobs facilitates market demands and signs. well here we are present that it has been talking for years about modernization skulk of nanotechnology and so on now then you can says that that the military industrial complex is going to be the locomotive modernization and well your

reaction to that so i again i just said that i don't believe that made it into so complex is ready to become. the problem is how to make it at least more efficient because since soviet time we didn't get much new but we still exhaust the soviet resource so that technology will resource so unfortunately it was not very successful with the. style of skolkovo modernization i don't believe that putin style military modernization will be much more efficient because one of the countries that has always capitalized on war and military that's the common so do you believe do you believe that that we can modernize the country move it ahead through the military using the military short answer no no. but america has done that to me has been a useful part of the industry of the economic scene you have to look at look at

syria where russia has sold a lot of weapons but they had to cancel seven billion dollars in loans so these are almost i won't say gifts but. russia i don't think is making a lot of money you know they're financing these things and selling them and it helps to keep the industries going and once again it's a perfect pre-election. statement because they're quarter million guys who work building rockets and tanks and armored personnel carriers and submarines and they want to hear this ok thank you gentlemen thank you very much and full gently we're running out of time i have to say goodbye to. the editor in chief of russia global affairs magazine and james abruptly chief of the the awake bureau out in moscow and that's it for now from all of us here the spotlight will be back with more first hand comments on the was going on in and outside russia until then stay on r.t. and take care.

on the money with the business of russia. as washington and its allies step up pressure on the syrian regime with calls for more sanctions the country said progress for random on a new constitution to end single party rule. america's intelligence community.