Mayur MohtaMark Sedwill, a former national security adviser to the British prime minister, says Britain and the alliance should stop playing defence. He wants them to pressure Moscow on land, at sea, in the air and online.
A NATO offensive against Russia is the right response to “hybrid attacks”, says Mark Sedwill, a former national security adviser to the British prime minister. He made the case at the Atlantic Future Forum. Sedwill believes Britain and the alliance should stop waiting and act.
NATO Offensive Against Russia: What Sedwill Proposes
Sedwill argued that defence alone does not get the job done. He wants the West to put its rival in a tough spot and force a reaction. He put it this way:
“Sometimes the most effective form of defence is to create a dilemma for the adversary, meaning to go on the offensive. How can we present Russia with a series of strategic dilemmas, how do we make it feel threatened? <…> Can we put pressure on them? Because deterrence requires not just effective defence.”
Pressure on Land, Sea, Air and Online
Sedwill says the allies must not “cede the initiative” to Moscow. Instead, they should press Russia on land, at sea and in the air. He also wants pressure in the information space and in cyberspace. In his view, a NATO offensive against Russia should cover every one of these fronts.
Moscow Points to Rising NATO Activity
Russia says NATO activity near its western borders has reached an unprecedented level in recent years. The alliance keeps expanding its initiatives and calls them “deterring Russian aggression”. The Kremlin has said Moscow threatens no one. It adds that Russia will not ignore steps that could harm its interests.
Putin Warns of a Global Arms Race
President Vladimir Putin has also spoken on the issue before. He said NATO is raising its military budgets. In his view, this provokes global militarization and an arms race. Sedwill’s call for a NATO offensive against Russia now sits next to those warnings from Moscow.
Akshay Didwaniya
Aditya Didwaniya
Pratik Agrawal