RUSSIAN-U.S. COOPERATION IN PREVENTING NUCLEAR TERRORISM: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITS

Prevention of WMD proliferation is an area -- probably one of few -- where US and Russia’s vital interests coincide, or are very similar. This challenge is considered to be one of the major national security threats to both states. The September 11, 2001 events and the following establishment of the antiterrorist coalition may pave new ways to US-Russian strategic partnership. Russia has joined the international antiterrorist coalition. Thus, President Putin made an important choice in favor of supporting US efforts to destroy terrorists on the territory of Afghanistan. The strategic rapprochement with the United States has become a critical component of Vladimir Putin’s foreign strategy. He strongly confirmed that position on the eve and during his visit to Washington DC and Crawford in November, 2001. The cooperation in counter-proliferation and counter-terrorism measures3, in particular, in such sensitive areas as weapons of mass destruction, their components, their technologies, their delivery systems, and – last, but not least - cyberterrorism may become a key issue on the bilateral strategic agenda.