The New Caribbean Crisis? The New Cold War? Alarmists are constantly adding fuel to the fire after the recent missile strikes on Syria. Comparisons with the Cold War of the current tensions between the West and Russia are constantly emerging after Russian troops annexed the Crimea. But is this comparison fair? This is written by the German edition of Die Zeit.

The greatest fear in those days was the possibility that two superpowers could exchange nuclear strikes, destroying each other and the rest of the world. When it comes to the new Cold War, there are often calls for the West to begin a policy of "detente" in relations with Moscow in order to prevent the worst scenario of events.

But the world today is not at all like a quarter of a century ago, when the West confronted the USSR. Competition between two economic and ideological systems that tried to expand their influence in the world and replace each other, is no more. The Soviet planned economy was replaced by "state capitalism". Moscow does not currently have a state ideology, but it is trying to create a narrative that would declare liberal democracy a hypocritical invention of the West, which is not suitable for the world. This narrative is based on nationalism and conservative values, with the help of which the Kremlin is trying to win over to its side the "right" populists, even in the West.

Today there are no military blocs that existed during the Cold War. Hungary and Turkey are still members of NATO, although Victor Orban and Rajep Tayyip Erdogan can hardly be called supporters of liberal democracy. Modern alliances arise often situationally and for tactical reasons. The boundaries between friends and enemies can vary. In turn, Russia is not capable of becoming the center of a new "eastern bloc". Moreover, many countries generally try to stay away from confrontations.

"And even in Syria for influence, not so much the US and Russia are fighting, like Russia with Turkey and Iran," reads the article.

The economy of Russia is smaller than the Italian. China is about to select the economic primacy of America. The backlog of Moscow from the West in the technological dimension is much larger than in the times of the USSR. It clearly can not be compared with the US military force in the measurement of conventional weapons. Russia is highly dependent on energy supplies to the West, and Russian companies are listed on the stock exchange in London.

"But at the same time, comparisons with the Cold War are actively promoted over the past few years, primarily by Moscow. Since Vladimir Putin returned to the Kremlin in 2012, he has chosen a clear path of isolation and confrontation with the West. He began to apply severe repression against the opposition, then annexed the Crimea, unleashed a war in the East of Ukraine, arranged cyber attacks against the US. Nuclear threats have become heard, which are becoming more and more loud, "the newspaper notes, reminding how during the address to the Federal Assembly the Russian president demonstrated new missile systems and nuclear military development, declaring their readiness to strike back,.

And all this contrasts very much with how the Russian military reacts in Syria. Just like a year ago, recently they did not use their air defense systems to intercept American missiles. When Turkey hit a Russian plane in 2015 or when in February the US military smashed Russian mercenaries, Moscow did not give a military response.

"The nuclear arsenal is the only constant since the Cold War. He is the only one that puts Russia on the same level as the United States. And that is why so often the Russian authorities remember it as an argument. Russia would gladly become the USSR of the times of the Caribbean crisis. But this is not possible except for the theoretical ability to destroy the world with nuclear weapons, "reads the article.

Nuclear deterrence is the only way that is available to Moscow. And it is from this point of view and it is worth considering every terrible story about the end of the world, which sounds from Moscow. This is only an attempt by a weak state to realize its interests through nuclear blackmail.

The New York Times wrote that the Cold War has not yet begun, but the relationship between the West and Russia has become violent. Unlike the leaders of the USSR during the Cold War, Putin does not follow a certain ideology or rules, but he is ready to pursue any "predatory policy", despite taboos if it helps to undermine the existing order in Europe. And at the same time, he will insist that it is Russia that is the victim, not the aggressor. Therefore, from a certain point of view, the current situation is even worse than during the Cold War.

Source: ZN. UA.