Mr. Oberg, a researcher in the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, believes the currently deteriorating relations between Russia and the west must be seen in the light of the last 20 years history. The Georgia crisis is just the last example of the West’s failure to understand Russia, the researcher argues in a comment to EUobserver.com. For example, Oberg writes, “Russia is increasingly being seen as the great new threat from whom NATO will protect us, despite the country having military expenditure that is roughly five percent of that of NATO, seven percent of that of the United States, and 13 percent of that of the EU.” Meanwhile, Georgia has been boosted its military budget 50 times over the period from 2002 (US$18 million) to 2008 (US$900 million), reaching almost nine percent of Georgia’s GDP. The country has been the one in the work with the strongest increase in military spending, he argues. Additionally, it would be helpful if Western mainstream media would stop re-cycling the Cold War stereotypes of an ever-aggressive Russia and disseminating, Pravda-style, only what Western militarist elites say. The Russians have now said: This far, but no longer. It would be wise of the West to listen to the warning. It is not in its own best interest to continue bullying and humiliating Russia, the researcher concludes.
