Nunn-Lugar’s war against WMD Friday, Sept. 7, 2007V14 N4

By BRIAN A. HOWEY ODESSA,Ukraine-Achaoticprimarysequence,the

issueevolution(orlackthereof)onnationalsecurityandenergy,whetheranInternetcampaigncouldtrumpa$100millionwarchest,thedemograph-ictargetingbycableTVcompanies,theemergenceofpersonalcandidatefoibles...thesearesomeofthetopicsinthemindofNuclearThreatInitiativeChairmanSamNunnashepondersanindependentpresidentialrunin2008. NunnwasapproachedbyHamiltonJordan,aformeraidtoPresi-dentCarter,andDougBaileyasthey

“Chemical weapons were first discussed five years ago with Sen. Lugar and nobody believes Rus-sia would be willing to destroy its chemical weapons, but it’s hap-pened.” - Russian Federation Agency for Atomic Energy Minister Sergei Kiriyenko

See Page 3

Historic act carvesup chemicals & nukes,but as Moscow rises,how long will it last?By BRIAN A. HOWEY LONDON–TheSovietUnionwasahumanitarian,demographic,eco-nomic,political,socialandenvironmentaldisasterofepicproportions.Evenwithitsimplosion16yearsago,theprofoundfalloutisstillbeingdealtwithtodayinwaysthatwillcontinuetosendoutseis-micaftershocksthroughouttheworld.ItwillcontinuetoimpactRussia,EuropeandtheUnitedStatesfordecadestocome. TravelingwithU.S.Sen.Rich-ardLugarandformerSen.SamNunnbetweenAug.26andSept.2,thewakeoftheSovietUnioncreateswavesinallthesespheres.TheessentialgoalistosecuretheuninventoriedstockpilesofSovieteranuclear,

Nunn mulls ‘08 dialogue

SAM NUNN

Sen Richard Lugar and Nuclear Threat Initiative Chairman Sam Nunn (right) in a confer-ence at the Albania Defense Ministry. The two have been on a 15-year mission to save humanity from WMD. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

Page 2 Friday, Sept. 7, 2007

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ponderedavirtualInternetconventionforwhatwouldbetheUnity2008partysometimeearlynextsummer.Nunnstillusesaphrasehe’susedbefore-“apos-sibility,notaprobability”--indiscussing2008.ThefactthathisoldfriendJordanhasbeenbattlingcancerhaslimitedtheirdiscussions.ButapresidentialcampaignwasonNunn’smindasheponderedthepossibletwistsandturnsatahotelinYekaterinburg,RussialastThursdaynightandthenagainduringanHPRinvterviewsomewherebetweenOdesssa,Ukraine,andTirana,Albania,onSaturday. HPR: Tellmeaboutyourthoughtprocessfor’08? Nunn: I’mgoingtolookverycarefullyatwhatbothpartiesaredoing.I’mhopingthatwe’llhavesomemean-ingfuldebate.Itdoesn’thavetobeagreement.ButithastobemeaningfuldebateanddiscussiononthekeyissuesfacingAmerica.Frommyownperspec-tive,thesecurityissueisrightupfront.Iputtheglobalizationissuesandthepeoplewhoaregettingleftbehind(asapriority).Ithinkwehavetobasicallyaddressthoseissues(and)lettingpeopleknowwe’vegottocompeteintheworld.We’regoingtohaveglobaliza-tion.We’renotgoingtorollbacktime.Wealsohavetodealwiththatissueintermsofitsaffectonhumanbeings.Alongthatline,Ithinkwehavetodealwiththehumancapitalsideofthis.Whatarewegoingtodotomakeourpeoplereadytocompetewithpeopleintheworld?We’vegotalotofskilltraining;we’vegotalotofeducationalemphasisandalso,Ithinkwe’vegottohaveamuchmoremoderninfrastructure.Notsimplyroadsandbridgesbutthewholedigitalinfrastructure. HPR: Howimportantwillenergyissuesbein2008? Nunn:That’sanotherissue–ahugeissuethatwediscussedlastnight–theenergyissue.Ithinkwe’vegottoaddressinameaningfulwaytheenergyissue.Ihearpeoplesaywe’vegottobeenergyindependentin10yearsandIsaytomyself,theydon’tknowwhatthey’re

talkingabout.Theyhaven’tanalyzedit.They’vegottohaveameaningfuldebateaboutwhatouroptionsareonenergy.Wehavetounderstandwe’regoingtohavetodosomeconservingofenergy.Usetechnology,dosomeconserving,andwe’regoingtohaveto

addressthecarbonproblem.Ithinkifwe’regoingtofaceuptothat,we’regoingtohavetosomesortofcarbontaxthatcanberefundedbackintosome

kindofmeaningfulrelieftothosewhogethitwithit.We’vegotsomeseri-ousissuesintheentitlementprogramsandhealthcare.Thosethingsmustbediscussed.SomyjudgmentonwhetherIactuallyrolloutthereisgoingtobewhollydeterminedbythecandidateswhoemergeasthenominees–whattheystandforandwhatIthinkwehaveareasonablechanceofsomebodygo-ingtotheWhiteHousewhocanreallygovernthecountryandbuildcoalitionsthatcanreallyaddresstheproblems.Sothat’swhereI’mat. HPR: Youmadesomecom-mentsthatthetwo-partysystemmayhaveservedAmericawellforthepast160years,butisnotdoingsotoday.Tellmealittlebitaboutyourthoughtprocessonthat. Nunn: Well,IbelieveithasservedAmericawellandanytimeyouchallengesomethinglikethat,you’vereallygottodohardthinking.Ithinkinthelastseveralelectionswe’venotbeenwillingtoconfronttherealissues.Ithinkwe’vegotgoodcandidatesoutthere.I’mnotcriticalofthecandidatesontheRepublicanorDemocraticside.Godblessthemforgettingoutthereandrunning.Butthesystemitself–theearlyprimariesinotherstates,thefactthatonlyalimitednumberofpeopleparticipateinchoosingthetwonominees,thefactthatalltheincen-tivesformoneyraisingaddresswhatIcallthenicheissuesthatappealtoonlycertaingroups--thosefactstomeareleadingmetoatleastcometoatentativeconclusionthatthesystemis

NTI’s Sam Nunn (left) with Sen. Lugar and HPR’s Brian A. Howey during an in-flight briefing follow-ing a tour to Mayak on Thusday. (HPR Photo)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 Page 3

Nunn-Lugar: From page 1

biologicalandchemicalweaponsscatteredinthousandsofsitesacross11timezones. EverywheretheLugarandNunndelegationtrav-eled,wefoundenviron-mentalandweapondisas-ters.Chernobylisonlythemostpublicizednucleardisaster.Asourplaneap-proachedtheChelyabinskairport,Icouldn’thelpbutnoticethemanylakeswhichinAmericawouldbesurroundedwithcottagesorextravaganthomes.Buthere,thelakesweredumpsofnuclearandchemicalmaterial. Catching a fish in oneofthemsetsoffAmeri-cansensorsmonitoringthepotentialtheftofplutoniumandhighlyenrichedura-nium. The15thanniver-saryoftheNunn-LugarActwasinvariablyseenthroughaprismofterrorismandtheexpansionofWMDtoroguestates.ThefactisthatthebombingoftheWorldTradeCenterin1993andalQaeda’sEastAfricanembassybomb-ingsin1998werenotthecatalyticfactorsinsecuringtheSovietstockpiles.

An empire implodes TheNunn-Lugarprogramcameaboutviarelation-shipswithSovietscholarsandthemilitarythetwosenatorshaddevelopedsincethemid-1980sandparticularlyafterGeneralSecretaryMikhailGorbachevcametopowerin1986.LugarremembersvisitingadachabeforetheSovietimplosionwithaMoscowacquaintanceandhearingaboutthecomingchanges.“ThegistofwhattheseRussiansweresayingtouswasthatwe’reintransition,”Lugarsaid.“Therecouldbeindividualsoldierswhomightbeinstatesofdesperationduringthistransitionhopingtosavetheir

families.Iranwasinsearchofthesematerials.TheRus-sianshadlostthecohesionoftheCommunists.Thesenseoffearhadprovidedthissecurityandnowtheyhadnomoney;thearmywasnotgettingpaidandwe’regoingtoneedyourhelp.” Lugaradded,“Wehadspent$6trilliontryingto

containtheSovietUnionandnowit’sallgoingtocomeloose.” Nunnliterallyfoundhim-selfawitnesstotheunthink-able:thecollapseoftheSovietUnion.HewasattendingaconferenceinHungarywhenacoupd’etathadcapturedGorbachev.“OneofmySovietfriendsgotontheplaneandwentbacktoMoscowinemer-gencywhenGorbachevwastakencaptive,”Nunnsaid.“HecalledmethedayGorbachevwasreleasedandwewerestillattheconference.Hesaid,‘Sam,youneedtocomeimmediatelytoMoscowandRussia.’Hedidn’tsay‘SovietUnion,’hesaid‘Russia’andthatwasatipoff.Hesaid,

‘You’vegottogetoverhere.Bigthingsarehappening;greatopportunitiesandhugedangers.’” Nunnsaidhedidn’thaveavisa.TheRussianambassadorwasinhishotellobby30minuteslaterwithavisa.NunnwouldspendhalfadaymillingaroundtheRussianWhiteHousewhereBorisYeltsinhadmadehisstand.“ItalkedtoalotofmilitarypeopleandItalkedtoalotofpeoplewhoexpressedtomeverygraveconcernsaboutwhatwasgoingtohappentotheweaponsbecausetheysawthisasthebeginningofthebreakupoftheSovietUnion.”IntheDuma,Nunnsatfortwodaysandwatchedthedebate. “IcombinedthatwithhavingbeensoinvolvedwiththeVietnamWarandknowingwhathappenedwhenacountrylostawar.IsawthatRussiawasunravelingandmultiplied it by a hundred because we lost one conflict thatwasdevastatingtoourpsycheandmilitary,”Nunn

nolongerworkingtoproducetheverybestgovernmentwecanproduce.Thatmeans…I’mnotsureathirdpartyistheanswer,butthereareDemocratsandRepublicanswhosharethatfrustrationandtheyreallywanttoseethecountrypulltogether;theywanttoseriouslyconsidersomealternativein2008.That’swhyIwaswillingtotalktotheUnity2008peopleandaskfortheperspectivetheyhave.IhavenotconcludedwhatIwilldo,butIcertainlyamopentothinking

aboutit. HPR:SothekeytimeframeissomewherebetweenFebruaryandApril? Nunn:Ithinkthatwillbethekeytimeintermsofseeingwhatwe’vegotinthenomineesandwhattheystandfor.Ibelievewe’llhavegoodpeoplenominated.Thequestioniswhatdotheystandforandwhethertheycangetbacktothecenterandgovern.v

Sens. Nunn and Lugar with U.S. Ambassador William Burns at Spaso House in Moscow on Aug. 27. It was Burns’ father - Gen. John Burns - who helped get the Nunn-Lugar Act from “concept” stage to actual implementation in Russia. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 4

explained.“Itcreatedallsortsofconflicts with the military, caused allsortsofdrugproblems.Wehadallsortsofalcoholproblems.Iwentthroughthatinthe‘70sinAmerica.Isaidtomyselfonthewayback,‘Thisisalotmoreseri-ousthanwhatwewentthrough.’Andyet,you’vegotalltheseweaponsspreadover11timezones.” Intheautumnof1991,itwasNunnwhosoughttogetAmericanfundingtohelpsecuretheSovietarsenalsfromroguestateslikeIran,LibyaandNorthKorea.ThatledhimtoSen.Lugar.“Iwenttoseehiminhisoffice and I said, ‘We’ve got to do this,thisyearinanotherbillandIneedaRepublicanpartner;theonewhohasthemostcredibilityandyou’vegotit.’” WhathadbeguninSeptember1991endedwiththeNunn-LugarActthatDecember.“Thepartnershipwastheonlywaythatitcouldhavebeendone,”Nunnsaid.“DickLugarandIhavebeenthekeytoit.” WhenNunnandLugarspokeatSpasoHouseinMoscowcelebrating200yearsofU.S.-Russianrelations,thepraisetheyhadforeachotherwaseffusive.LugarsaidofNunn,“AsaleadingvoiceinU.S.defensepolicy,hehasat-tainedalevelofcredibilityandrespectthatfewAmericansinourhistoryhaveevermatched.” WhenNunnlefttheSenatein1996--thesameyearLugarsoughtthepresidency--Lugarcalledita“di-lemma.”Heexplained,“I’mgoingtohavetohandlethisannualbattle(forfunding)notbymyself,butwithoutmypartneratmyside.” AtSpasoHouse,NunnsaidLugar,“Morethanany-oneIknowhasworkedeffectivelyforalongtimetoservetheUnitedStatesofAmericabyimprovingthesecurityofandwellbeingofpeopleallovertheglobe.Andhe’sdoneitwithremarkableeffectiveness.InbaseballintheUnitedStates,wehaveaselectionwhatwecalltheMostValuablePlayer.It’sdoneeveryyear.Inmybook,overalongnum-berofyears,DickLugarhasbeentheMostValuablePlayerintheUnitedStatesCongress.Ithinkhecontinuestobetoday.” AtSpasoHouse,Lugarsummeduptheirwork:“IhaveneverconsideredNunn-Lugartobemerelyaprogram,orasourceoffunding,orasetofagreements.Rather,itisaconceptthroughwhich,weasleaderswhoareresponsibleforthewelfareofourchildrenandgrand-childrenattempttotakecontrolofaglobalthreatofour

ownmaking.Itisanengineofnon-proliferationcooperationandexpertisethatcanbeappliedtomanysituationsaroundtheworld.” Lugardescribedtheevolutionofpoliticsandterror.Nunn-Lugarasconceivedontheeveofthe1992presidential election found the first Bushadministrationpossessinglittleinterestinnon-proliferation.“WhentheClintonpeoplegottheirgovern-mentorganized,”Lugarsaid,itwaswith(DefenseSecretary)BillPerryandAshCarter,withwhomheandNunnhadlongworkingrelationships.Thatresultedina“periodofsomeenthusiasm”forNunn-Lugar. TheideaofIslamicJihadistsget-tingtheirhandsonSovietaircraft,submarinesandnuclearwarheadswasjust“aninterestingfootnote,”Lugar

said.TheideathatsomeonelikeOsamabinLadenwouldseekHEUorweaponizedanthraxwasthestuffof“sophisti-catedjournalsandspymagazines,”Lugarsaid.“Itwashor-rible but it was still in a sense a science fiction dilemma.” EvenwhenAmericandiplomatAndyWeberwaswitnessingthehugeSovietanthraxproductionfacilitiesoftheBiopreparat(at13differentlocations)orthesprawl-inganthraxfacilityatStepnogorsk,Kazakhstan,weretheremomentsofalarm? “Surprisingly,no,”Lugarsaid.“Butthereshouldhavebeen.Thiswasseenasinterestingbutnotlifethreat-ening.Thepreoccupationwasthewaycitieswereblownupandwithourpublic,thefearthatNewYorkmightbeoblit-erated.”DidSept.11snapeverythingthingintocontext? “Well,”saidLugarinhisclassicunderstatedstyle,“it made a difference. In my talks with Russia, the first half hourwasalwaysaboutChechnya.ItwasonlylaterthatwegottoOsamabinLaden.Terrormeantdifferentthingstodifferentpeople.Ultimatelyafter2001andthecurrentsitu-ationandthebombingoftheembassies,formostmem-bersoftheSenate,learningaboutalQaedawasentirelynew.” As you will read in the following dispatches filed fromRussia,Ukraine,AlbaniaandGreatBritain,theworldhasshifted.TheUnitedStateshassignedthechemicalweaponsconvention.Lugar’snewpartner--U.S.Sen.BarackObama--expandedNunn-Lugarintoconventionalweapons.AndnoonecanpredicthowRussiawillbehave.

Moscow: Issues so hugethey are difficult to grasp MOSCOW-Therearesomeissuesthatareso

Nunn and Lugar reunite at the Moscow Marriott Hotel on Aug. 26. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 5

huge and difficult to grasp thatwelosetrackoftheirsignificance. Many Hoosiers haveheardSen.LugarsaywhathedidhereonTuesdayattheCarnegieMoscowCenter:“WeaponsofmassdestructionremainthenumberonenationalsecuritythreattotheUnitedStatesandRussia.Ournationscontinuetolack even minimal confi-denceaboutmanyforeignweaponsprograms.” ManyofushaveheardofthesuccessesoftheNunn-LugarCooperativeThreatReductionProgram:the6,982Sovietstrategicnuclearwarheadsdeacti-vated,653intercontinentalballisticmissilesdestroyed,485ICBMsiloseliminated,101ICBMmobilelaunchersdestroyed,613submarinelaunchedballisticmissileseliminated,436SLBMlauncherselimi-nated,30nuclearsubmarinescapableoflaunchingballisticmissilesdestroyed,155bomberseliminated,906nuclearair-to-surfacemissilesdestroyed,355nuclearweaponstransporttrainshipments,12nuclearweaponsstoragesitesecurityupgrades,and9biologicalmonitoringstationsbuiltandequipped. “Perhapsmostimportantly,”Lugarnotes,“Ukraine,BelarusandKazakhstanarenuclearweaponsfree”asaresultofNunn-Lugar. OnAug.28weheardfromthemanwhohashisfinger on the button: Russian Gen. Eugeny Maslin, who is astrongadvocateoftheprogram.WithNunnandLugarlookingon,Maslinaskedaquestionhehasheardfromhisowncountrymen:“CouldRussianothaveresolvedthisis-suebyitself?” Heanswered,“Yes,Russiaiscapableofresolvinganysituation.WiththedissolutionoftheUSSR,Russianscouldhavedonethis.But,itwouldhavehappenedmuchslower.Thiswouldhavebeendoneinamuchmoredan-gerousmanner.” Gen. Maslin noted that during the first Chechen War,theAmericansbeganasking:“DidtheChechenshavenuclearweapons?Couldtheystealnuclearweapons?” AndGen.Maslintoldaroomofnuclearexpertsfromaroundtheglobe,“Iamsayingthatthethreatoftheftofnuclearmunitions,radioactivematerial...thishasalwaysexistedanditwouldbe.Itisourprimarytasktorelievethisthreat.” Ofcourse,weallknowwhatSept.11couldhavebeenifinsteadofterrorpilotsturningairlinersintomissiles

--orifTimothyMcVeighhadfoundpluto-niuminsteadofgas,fertilizerandatruck--thenumberofvictimsinNewYorkCityorOklahomaCitywouldhavebeenmultipliedbythethousands.Gen.MaslinworriesthattheUnitedStatesistheonlycountrywhichhasnuclearweaponsoutsideofitsborders.“Thesebasesarebaitfornuclearterrorists.” Andthesoberingcommentsbegancascadingfromtheexpertsatthisroundtable.Gen.Maslin:“OsamabinLadenhassaid he would try to hit the infidels with nuclearweapons.” Nunn,whochairstheNuclearThreatInitiativeandisapotentialindepen-dentpresidentialcandidatein2008,asksevenmoredisturbingquestions:“IfanuclearstrikehitsNewYorkCity,MoscoworLondonorNewDelhi,orTokyo,whatarethethingswewishedwehaddone?” Orhowaboutthisdoozy:“Whatcouldwehavedoneifacomputerhacker

takesoveraNorthKoreannuclearweapon?”NotingthatPresidentBushandPresidentPutinhaveamere15min-utestoreacttoapotentialnuclearstrikeaccident,Nunnasks,“WhatwouldwehavewishedwehaddonetogivethepresidentsoftheUnitedStatesandRussiamoretime?Giveusawarningtimeofanhour,oraday,oraweek.” Andalmostasanafterthought,Nunnnotesthatthethreatofbioterrorismgrows.ItwasundertheNunn-Lugarprogramthatvastarsenalsofknownweaponizedanthrax,MarburgandEbola--some,Lugarnotes,underthesecurityofrustypadlocksorstringandwaxintheyearsfollowingthecollapseoftheSovietUnion--werelocatedandaddressed. TheLugarandNunnvisitcomesatatimeofColdWar-stylesaberrattlingbyPutin.He’scomparedtheU.S.totheNazis,resumedintelligenceflights over Guamandplant-edaRussianflag at the North Pole.Speakingatthe200thAnniversaryof

Gen. Eugeny Maslin, the Russian with, literally, his finger on the button. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

James Reid, policy director for the Penta-gon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction Program, is often the key man on the ground for the U.S. and, subsequently, Nunn and Lugar. He is shown here during a press briefing be-tween Chelyabinsk and Shchuch’ye Chemical Weapons Destruction Facility. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

U.S-RussianrelationsatSpasoHouseonMonday,Lugarnotedthat“somecommentatorshavequestionedwhetherournationsarereturningtoaColdWarfoot-ing.”Headds,“Wecannotaffordtosuccumbtopessimism.TheUnitedStatesandRussiahavetoomuchatstakeandtoomanycommonintereststoallowourrelationshipto drift toward conflict.” JamesReid,thepolicydirectorfortheCooperativeThreatReductionProgram,reassuredmethat“day-to-day,thereisnointernaldispute”betweentheAmericansandRussians.Thenextday(Aug.29)ReidwouldwatchLugarandNunnpushabuttonanddestroyaSovieteraSS-25missile.“Thetransparencyisbetterthanit’severbeen,”Reidsaid.Lugaraddsthat“Putinisbasicallysaying,‘We’reback.’Thewilderandwilderstatementsarepointsindomesticpolitics.” ButLugardescribestheNunn-Lugarprogramasa“windowofopportunity...weneverknowhowlongthatwindowwillremainopen.” AndonepredominantthoughtIhearrepeatedlyfromRussiansandAmericans:wearedamnedluckythatwehaven’thadtoaskthetoughquestionsNunnposedonweaponsofmassdestruction. Andyet,thehauntingspecterexists:WMDaimedatoneofourcities.It’shardtograsp,butit’soutthere.

A bilateral nuke shield LugarandNunncalledfortheextensionoftheSTARTTreatyduringaconferenceTuesdayattheCarnegieMoscowCenter.“TheUnitedStatesandRussiamustextendSTARTtreaty’s verification and transparency elements,whichwillexpirein2009,”Lugartoldtheconferenceofnuclearexpertsfromaroundtheglobe.Theoriginaltreatywassignedin1991. Nunnsaidthetwopowersneedto“takeadeepbreath,”adding,“WecouldstumbletotheprecipiceofstrategicdangerifweandourRus-sianfriendsplayafoolishzero-sumgamewithmissiledefense.Inourmodernage,consideringtheexplo-sionoftechnology,know-howandterrorism,anyplanforglobalpeace

andsecuritythatdoesnotfeaturetheRussiansandAmeri-cansworkingtogetherisnotlikelytobesuccessfulforeitherofusortheworld.” WhenconfereesnotedthatelectionswillbringtwonewleaderstotheU.S.andRussiain2008,LugarinsistedtherewasplentyoftimeforPresidentsBushandPutintoworktowardasolutioninsteadofwaitinguntil2009. LugaralsourgedtheU.S,andRussiatotakeup“veryvigorousdiplomacy”ontheissueofPakistan’sexport-ingofnuclearcentrifugetechnology“atthepresidentiallevelorthesecretaryofstatelevel.” LugarwasawareoftheKremlin’sconcerns.“IamconcernedbyreportsthatU.S.-Russiannegotiationsdonotincludediscussionsofalegallybindingtreatyorthecontin-uation of a formal verification regime. The current Russian-

Americanrelationshipiscompli-catedenoughwithoutintroducingmoreelementsofuncertaintyintothenuclearrelationship.”

Luch and Geodeziya: Destroyingwarheads under a Russian rainbow GEODEZIYA,Russia–AgentlerainbegantofallonU.S.Sen.RichardLugarandthedelegationsofAmericansandRussiansastheyheadedintothecrudecementandcinderblockchamberwheretheywouldbearwitnesstohistory.

Sen. Lugar is briefed prior to his trip to Rosatom and a meeting with Minister Sergey Kirilyenko on Wednesday by Kenneth A. Myers III of the Senate Foreign Relations staff at the delegation’s control room at the Moscow Marriott. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 Page 7

BeforethemstoodanSS-25missilemotor,preparedfordemise.Outsidethischamberabout18milesfromMoscow,therainstoppedandabrilliantrainbowappearedwiththefullspectrumofcolorsvividlyondisplay.Afewminuteslater,LugarandNunn,alongwithSergeyNikolayovichShevchenko,whoheadstheGeodeziyafacility,traveledamileawayanden-teredastrangeroomwithapeagreentint,smellinglikeanewshowercurtain.Twotelevisionmonitorssatonatableatthefrontoftheroomascloseto50peoplegathered. “Havethereeverbeenthreebuttonpushers?”Lugaraskedatonepoint,referringtothethreeboxeswithredknobsinfrontofthem.Shortlyaf-ter5:30p.m.Aug.29,Americantrans-latorArkadyMorguliscouldbeheard:“Please prepare to put your fingers on thebuttons.” Andat5:34p.m.Lugar,NunnandShevchenkodidjustthat.Aloudroarcouldbeheardoutside,akintoanairlinertakingoff.Thewallsrumbled.Thesenatorssat,transfixed. The pitch and tenor of the roar grew, began to fade, grew once more, and then finally faded away with the rainbow.Insidethechamberamileaway,thetemperaturegrewto1,000degreescentigradeastheSS-25’spropel-lantsburned,destroyingthemissile.OneoftheTVmoni-torsgrewbrightwiththekindoflightRobertOppenheimermight have first felt in the first split seconds at Trinity in 1945.Itlastedabouttwoandahalfminutes. For the first time in history, Americans had de-stroyedaSovieteramissileonRussiansoil.Someonepro-claimed,“Happyanniversary,”astheNunn-Lugarprogramcelebratedits15thyearofexistence.Nunnasked,“We’regoingtoviewit?” About20minuteslater,thedelegationreturnedtotheburnsite.Thecinderandcementwallswerestillwarm.TheysawthehollowshellofthemotorthatcouldhavetransportedtheSS-25intoanAmericancity. “Thisusedtobecarriedbyrail,”Lugarsaid.“ItcouldnotbepinpointedbyourbomberslikeanICBM.Thisistrueprogress.” ByDecember,internationalobserverswillreturntoGeodeziyatoinspecttheburnedoutshellsofsome12otherSS-25s. Afterthepost-burntour,thedelegationreturnedtoanearbybuildingwheretheyfeastedonsmokedsalmon,caviar,turkey,hamandfruit.Thereweremorethanahalfdozentoastsasbottlesoflocally-madevodkawereopened.Lugarwouldonlytakeasmallsip(probablyofwater).Helaudedthe“patrioticRussians”whoworkedwiththeNunn-

Lugarprogramtodestroythismissileandmorethan100likeitinthecomingmonths. Nunn noted that the fissile material removed from theSS-25andothermissilesisprocessedintoalowergradeuranium.“Twentypercentofourelectricityisfueledbynuclearpower,”hesaidofU.S.energyneeds.“Fiftypercentofthatfuelcomesfromthehighlyenrichedura-niumthathasbeenblendeddownintoenergyproducingfuelthatwasonceontheendofawarheadthatwasaimedat America. So, by definition, 10 percent of the electricity inAmericacomesfromwarheadsthathavebeendeacti-vated.” Nunnadded,“Themostimportantpartisthefoundationthathasbeenbuiltontrustandpartnership.Ifwewouldworktogetheraswedonow,wecanpreventcatastrophicnuclearterrorism.” Earlierintheday,theAmericansvisitedtheLuchRosatomfacilityatPodolsksouthofMoscow.In1992,aworkeratthefacility–LeonidSmirnoff–stole1.5Kgofhighlyenricheduraniumandsoughtouttheblackmarket.When the first of $25 million Nunn-Lugar funds came into playatLuch,thefacilitywassurroundedbyawoodenfence.Today,itissecure,itsstoragereducedfrom28sitesto five. Workers with access have been reduced from 1,600 to300.AseriesofdetectorspreventanyonefromstealingtheHEU.Theplantnowprocesseshighlyenricheduraniumfrom11countriesastheRussiansandAmericansseektopreventterroristsfromaccessingthematerialthatcouldeasilydestroyacity. Dr.IvanFedik,whoheadstheLuchfacility,said,“Wearegratefulthatinadifferenttime,youcametoourassistance.Thisassistancehasallowedustoconductworkwith fissile material in a more safe fashion.”

Sens. Nunn, Lugar, and Sergey Nikolayovich Shevchenko prepare to push buttons that will burn a Soviet-era SS-25 motor. U.S. Ambassador William Burns watches at right. (Photo courtesy of the Russian Federation)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 8

Nunnwouldsay,“TheOldTestamenttalksofconvertingswordstoploughsharesandthat’swhatwe’redoing.” OnWednesday,theydiditunderaRussianrainbow.

Shchuch’ye: 2 million chemical warheads YEKATERINBURG,Rus-sia–ImagineyourselfattheRCADomeforaColtsgame,orWrigleyField,orNotreDameStadium,orevenHinkleFieldhouse. ThesearefarplacesfromtheShchuch’yeChemicalWeaponsDestructionFacilityonthewesternedgeofSiberia.ButtheUnitedStatesundertheNunn-LugarCooperativeThreatReductionprogramisspendingmorethan$1billionhere. Why? WiththeRussianeconomynow flush with oil and natural gas revenues,whyshouldAmericansbeherespendingthiskindofmoney? PaulMcNelly,programmanagerfortheChemicalWeaponsDestructionFundattheShchuch’yefacilityhasananswer.“AllitwouldtakeisoneofthesesmallshellsputinabacksackstrappedwithC4plas-ticexplosivesgoingintoastadium,”McNellybegan.“Dependingwhichwaytheplumewent,youcouldkill10,000to20,000people.Andtherearetwomillionofthesethingssit-tingouthere.” ThereisaphotoofU.S.Sen.RichardLugarposingwithoneofthe85mmshellswhichhadbeenplacedintoabriefcase.McNellynoted,“Thatwasaliveround”whichbroughtasmatteringoflaughteronthebusheadingtothesite.“Nowhetellsus,”saidKennethA.MyersJr.,RepublicanstaffdirectorontheSenateForeignRelationsCommittee. ButbackwhenthiswasdiscoveredfollowingthecollapseoftheSovietUnionin1991,itwasn’talaughingmatter.TheSovietsmadesomuchofthesedeadlyagentsandkeptnoinventory.Oncetheystarted,theydidn’tstop.Findingthemwouldhavebeenadreamcometrueto

someonelikeOsamabinLadenandal-Qaeda. McNellysaidthevaststockpilesofSoviet-eranerveagents–sarin,VX,GBandsoment–werestoredindecrepitbuildingswhereyou“couldseelightcomingthroughthewalls;comingthroughtheceilings.”Woodenfencesguarded

theplaceandeventheywerefallingdown. Nunnsaid,when he first sawtheSo-vietstoragefacilities,“The

shellswerestackedattwotothreetimestheheightofthisbus”asheandthedelegationthatincludedLugarheadedtoinspectthesite. “Takinginven-torywouldhavebeenextremely difficult,” Nunnsaid.“Itwouldbeveryhardforthemtoknowonewasmissingiftherewasacleverinsidejob.” WhentheShchuch’yefacilitygetsupandrunningin2008and2009withmonetaryassistancefromGreatBritain,Canadaandseveralothercountries,the

facilitywilldestroy1,600metrictonsoftheseshellsayearforthefollowingfouryears. Aholewillbedrilledintothemunition,thenerveagentdrained,theshelldecontaminated,deformedandscrapped.Theagentwillbedrainedintoareactiontank,thenneutralizedandmixedwithabituminousmaterialand“storedforeternity.” Beforethedestructionprocessbegins,theshellshavebeensurroundedbydoubleandtriplefences,withbreachmonitors,guardtowers,andcameras.

Lugar (top photo) views some of the 2 million 85 mm chemical weapons canisters stored in a drafty barn at Shchuch’ye early in the Nunn-Lugar program. One of the barns could be seen from the road on this trip (center photo). In the bottom photo, Nunn and Lugar tour the facility that will destroy all 2 million chemical shells over the next five years. (Nunn-Lugar and HPR Photos)

Page 9 Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 BoththeRussiangovernmentandtheU.SCon-gressdraggedtheirfeetforthreetofouryearsonthisproject.Inthemeantime,theRussianFederationwentfrominsolvencytoplushwithoilandnaturalgasrevenues.ButJamesReid,theprojectmanagerfortheCooperativeThreatReductionProgram,saidthattheU.S.hadmadeacommitmentinexchangefortheRussiansagreeingtothechemicalweaponsconvention.AndwhenRussianPresidentPutin first met President George W. Bush, he specifically askedforhelpindestroyingtheSovieterachemicalmuni-tions. “Iamconvincedthattheweaponsdestroyedheremustbedismantledquicklyandsafely,”Lugarsaid.“Ilookforward to the day when the last of these horrific weapons areeliminatedandadirethreattheyposetoallnationsisremoved.Progressonthisprojecthasbeenaparticularfocusofmineforthelastsevenyears,seekingamend-mentstopermitconstructiontocontinueandmakingsuremycolleaguesintheCongressunderstandthenecessityofthiswork.” LugarcalledhisvisitwithNunnonAug.28“animportantmilestone”because“theweaponsdestroyedherearehighlyportableandattractivetoterroriststheworldover.” TheirdestructionwillhelpensurethattheonlybombthrownattheRCADomecomesfromthehandofPeytonManning.

Mayak: The mystery, the riddle,the enigma of U.S.-Russia ties YEKATERINBURG-Iftherewasapointwhere reality met fiction and the mysterious Soviet pastmettheAmericanpresent,itwashereinandaroundthecityofYekaterinburg.HereaCzarandhisfamilywereslainandthegreatestweaponizedbio-logicalaccidentoccurredin1979withanthrax.ThiswastheoblastthatproducedBorisYeltsin,theonlyRussianleaderwhohasvoluntarilygivenupthereinsofpower.TheMayakFissileMaterialStorageFacilityneartheclosednuclearcityofOzerskwasthemostimportantstopfortheNunn-Lugardelegation. Flyinghereyouaregreetedfromtheairbyhundredsoflakes...withnohomesonthem.It’sbecausetheSovietsusedtodumpnuclearmate-rialinthem.Muchofthearea--largerthanthataroundChernobyl--iscontaminated. Twodaysbefore,whentheNunn-LugardelegationvisitedRosatom--theRussianatomicagencyheadedbyformerPrimeMinisterSergeyKiriyenko--itannouncedahugeresettlementdealforthecitizensofMuslyumovoonthebanksoftheglowingTechaRiver.From1949to1953,Mayakdumpednuclearwasteinlakesandinoneinfamousfield where it spontaneously combusted. Nunn observed, “The first time we went out, they werestoringthatplutoniuminbucketsandtherewasonly

onelockonthedoor.Youcouldpickthebucketsup,itwasthatbad.” JimReidadded,“Itwasscary.” ThenexttimeNunnvisitedMayakin2002hefoundawarehousethat could have fit acoupleoffootballfields. But it was empty.TheU.S.governmenthaspaidforhardening

ofdoors,wallsandwindows,installingintrusionsensors,alarmsandclosed-circuittelevisions,andentrycontrolpoints. Today,Mayakistheburialsiteforatleast25tonsofthe100tonsofplutoniumextractedfromwarheadsliketheSS-25s.Nooneisquitesurewheretherestoftheplutoniumisbeingstored,orwhatwillhappentotherestoftheHEUtheRussianshave. WhilereporterswerebarredfromvisitingMayakwithsenators,Lugargaveadescription:“Westartedthroughtheentrycontrolpart.Essentiallythevehiclegoesin,thedoorcloses,sothatyouhavesecurityagainstter-rorists.Youmoveonto7,intoanunloadingroom.What-everisinthevehicleistakenoutofit.Atthispoint,asJim(Reid)hassaid,beginningthisprocesswheretheyputcodenumbersonanythingthathappens,whetheritisaboxorbag.Thereissomehistoryofwhateverisinthere.

Mayak official Igor Konyshev (top photo) and David E. Hoffman of the Washington Post (center, bottom photo) locked horns over access and transparency at Mayak. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey and Andy Fisher)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 Page 10

Weproceedthroughthetransportcontrolareato347.Wewalkedourwaythrougheachofthesesituations.Wewereinregularclothinguntilwemadeourwayhere.” Donningwhitegownsandcaps,thesenatorsfoundthemselves outfitted with a monitoring device, “for how muchradiationwemightpickup.” “Today we were taken to a top floor that is on top ofallofthis,”Lugarsaid,wherematerialcontainersarefitted inside a basket and four baskets go inside a shroud and two shrouds are fitted into a tube and capped with a manhole cover. “It’s a half an acre football field,” Lugar explained.“Beforeitwasblank.Eachoneofthesesectorshavelittleholesinthem,whichisforventilationorwhatev-erisrequired.Inanyevent,wewereontop.Thatiswhatwedid.” WhilethesenatorswerevisitingMayak,aMayakofficial (and possible FSB official) named Igor Konyshev and twocolleagueswerebeinggrilledbyreportersinYekaterin-burg.“CanyoupleasetelluswhyMayakhascontinuedtorefuseAmericansaccessforthreeandahalfyears?”askedWashington Post foreigneditorDavidE.Hoffman. Andwhyhasn’ttherebeenatransparencyagree-ment?Whereistheuraniumbe-ingstored?And,askedDouglasBirchoftheAssociatedPress,isn’t97percentoftheworld’spoloniumsupplykeptatMayak? Thepolonium-210questionconnectsadotofextraordinaryinternationalintrigueafterAlexanderLit-vinenko,alieutenantcolonelintheFSBandpronouncedcriticofRussianPresidentPutin,diedofexposuretotheisotopeinLondon.AmericansourcessaythatpoloniumwasoftenusedbytheKGBandsuccessorFSBtomarkmoneyinvolvedinespionage. Ifpolonium-210couldbesmuggledoutofMayak,mightthathappenwithplutonium? Konyshevansweredwithaseriesof“Icannotcon-firm or deny” styled answers. Hoffmansummeditup:“Yourstatementatthebeginningofthepressconferenceisthatyouseekinterna-tionalcooperation,butthenyoutoldusyoucan’texplainwhy the fissile storage facility is closed; you can’t explain thekindofisotopesyouproduce;youcan’teventelluswhatprotectionissuessuchas(the)poloniumcase;soitreallyraisesthequestionofwhetheryouareinterestedininternationalcooperation.” Konyshevresponded,“That’saone-sidedeclara-tion.”Headdedthattheissuesoftransparencywouldbe“developing.”

Lugaracknowledgedthat25tonsofplutoniumis“likelytobestored”atMayak.“Theywillnotuseitforuranium.Theyoriginallyweresupposedtohave400tonsofHEU.TheymadethepointtheywillnowhavethespaceforalltheplutoniuminRussia.Thatwhichcouldbetrans-ferred. “TheRussiansalwaysthoughtplutoniumwasworthawholelotmoreanddidn’twanttodestroyit.Itwasalmost like the feeling there might be a fire sale some day andyoumightgetmorevalueoutofthisstuff,thatwe’dfurnishtheplaceandatsomepoint,theymightbeabletocashin.” Asforthetransparencyissue,LugarwroteKiriy-enkolastJunehopingforatransparencyagreementbythistrip.Thereportersweretoldonemightbeputforthbytheendoftheyear.“Weaskedaboutthetransparencyagreement,”Lugarsaid.“Thatwaspartofourdiscussion.Mr.Kiriyenko,raisedittheotherday.Itcameuphere.Weraised it with the officials again today. There is a disagree-mentabouttheamountofinformationwerequireandtheamountatthispointtheRussiansarepreparedtogive.”

Despite the flow of infor-mationorlackthereof,Lugarsaidthevalueofthiskindoftripisforrelationshipbuilding. NunngaveanexampleofthisinthebiologicalsphereoftheNunn-LugarAct(thoughthisparticulartripdidnotintersectwiththatfront).“Oneofthemosten-couragingmoments,wewereinabiologicallabandIwasintroducedtoayoungmanpluggedintohiscomputereverydayandhewasworkingonanewvaccineforsmallpoxdirectlywithNIH(NationalInstituteofHealth)inWashington,”Nunnsaid.“Heandhiscounterpart

inWashingtonfelttheyweremakingsubstantialprogress.” Asfortheissuethatcreatedsomeconsternationonatripthatotherwisewasmarkedwiththetrappingsofcooperation,Nunnexplained,“15yearsagowhenthisprogramgotstarted,therewasapsychologyintheformerSovietUnionthattheCommunistsystemwasthesecurity.Theclosedsocietywasthesecurity.Therehasbeenatre-mendousshiftinthat. “Thisisnolongeraclosedsocietyinthesenseitwas,”Nunncontinued.“Closedcitiesaremuchmoreopennow.Ithinkthere’sbeenanevolutionhere–somemightsayarevolution–workingwiththeAmericans.Securityhasbecomethesecurity,nottheclosedsocietythatservedtoprotecttheweaponsandsoforth.Inotherwords,therewasn’tthiskindoffocus.Thatisoneofthemainadvan-tagesofthewholecooperativeeffort…oftheshiftthatsecurityhasbecomethesecurity.Ithinkit’sbeenamajor

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 11

change…forthebetter.”

Albania: A former pariahrids itself of chemicals

TIRANA,Albania-IftherewasanyaspectoftheNunn-Lugarprogramthattendedtoproducescoffandchuckles,itwasAlbania. Buthere’swhyit’snotsofunny,andwhy,infact,ithasbecomeoneofthemostremarkableaspectsoftheprogram.Twentyyearsago,thiswasapariahnation,alignedwithRedChina.ItfearedaSovietinvasion. Today, it has become the first nation to cedeallofitschemicalweapons.AfterdecadesofdespoticandparanoidrulebyFirstSecretaryEnverHoxha,Albaniahastransitionedfromcom-munism,tosocialism,toarecentlyelecteddemo-craticgovernment.ItscapitalTiranaisparchedandsubjecttoelectricblackoutsduetoitsrelianceonhydro-power.OntheroadfromtheairportintoTirana,onecanseethebizarrebunkers(below)thatHoxha,fearinginvasion,con-structedthroughouttheland.Theycontainedthousandsofconventionalweapons,butevenmoreperverse,16,000metrictonsoftheblisteringagentLewisiteandAdamsitethatwhenbreathed,destroythehumanlungsresultinginagonizingdeath.AswasthecaseatShchuch’ye,thecom-munistregimeskeptnoinventory.TheNunn-Lugarpro-gramalsofound79MANPADs,shoulder-heldmissilesthathavetheacutepotentialofbringingdownacivilianairliner.Thisisthetypeofweaponryal-Qaedadreamsofobtaining.

CheckoutAlbania’sgeographyanditiswithinthearmsreachofal-Qaeda.“ThethingaboutAlbaniaisitsalwaysbeen a terrific smuggling culture,” said Lugar communica-tionsdirectorAndyFisher.“It’sapoorcountrywithmuchlawlessnessandifanybodycouldhavegottentheirhandsonthem,theyalmostcertainlywouldhaveendedupontheblackmarket.” AlbanianDefenseMinisterFatmirMediunotes,“InaremotecornerofSouthwesternEurope,theU.S.andAlbaniahadaquietvictoryinthewaragainstweaponsofmassdestruction.” Lugarcalledita“majorcontributiontoglobalsecu-rity.” TheenlightenedAlbanianleadershiphadsought

outtheU.S.toriditselfoftheseweaponscaches.It’samazingthatacountrywithapastlikeAlbaniacouldevenproducethekindofleadersithastoday. Lugarexplained.“TheU.S.actedpromptlytomeettheAlbanianrequestforassistance.Thatexpertisewasneeded.Destroyingthisdeadlystockpileofchemicalsprovedtobeadangerousandcomplexoperation.Itwasdeterminedthatitwouldbeunsafetotrytotransporttheweap-onsagentsdownfromthemountainsfromwheretheywere first discovered. Thus, adestructionfacilityhadtobebuilton-site,inveryruggedterritory,asIcan

From top, one of Hoxha’s weap-ons bunkers. Hoxha’s maso-lium in Tirana still welcomes President Bush. At right, Lugar meets with Alba-nian officials.

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 Page 12

personallyattest.” In Lugar’s first of three visits to Albania, the moun-tainousroadstothesiteweresoroughthathisvehicleblewoutatire. “ThisworkbeganquietlylastyearandtheAlba-niangovernmentannouncedlastmonththatallofitschemicalweaponsstockpileshadbeende-stroyed,”Lugarcontinued.“Thisisatrulyremarkableachieve-ment. This marks the first time inhistorythatanynationhascompletelyeliminateditsstock-pileofchemicalweapons.Inlightofthefactthattheprolif-erationofnuclear,chemicalandbiologicalweaponsisthemostseriousnationalsecuritythreatweface,thisisanimportantmilestone.” And,Lugarwarns,“Albania’ssecretstockpilemaynotbethelast.WecanandmustbepreparedtoaddresssimilarrisksintheMiddleEast,Asiaandanyplaceelsewheresuppliesofweaponsofmassdestructionmaybelocated.”

Dodging Bullets: ‘We don’t know ….’ HowimportantareSen.LugarandNTIChairmanSamNunn? EverywheretheywentinMoscow,toYekaterin-burg,toOdessa,toTirana,theywerehailedasvisionaries.TheywerewarmlyreceivedbyRussianForeignMinisterLavrov.TheywereAmericanswillingtolendahand.Theydon’tactunilaterally,astheBushadministrationhasbeenaccusedof.Theyhavemultiplepartners. KennethB.Handelman,principaldirectoroftheDOD’sCounternarcotics,CounterproliferationandGlobalThreats,explained,“Basically,noLugar,noprogram.BothontheHillandintheexecutivebranch,youdon’tjustpassalawandtheexecutivebranchimplementsit.It’sactu-allyveryhardtospendmoney.There’sacontinuedneedforactiveinvolvementfromCongress,andthepresenceoftheauthororpeoplewhoareinterestedinthesuccessfulimplementationofthelaw.There’saphysicalforcethatcontinuestoemanatefromCapitolHillthatholdsyouac-countable.” OfLugar,hesaysfromthePentagontotheArmedServicesCommittees,“Theyknowthey’vegotLugarwatch-ing.HehasverygoodrelationshipswithCarlLevin,JohnMcCainandJohnWarner.”ThePentagon’srelationshipswithLugarstafferslikeKennethA.MyersJr.,theRepublican

staffdirectorfortheCommitteeonForeignRelations,areexcellentandproductive. “We’reheldaccountable,”Handelmansaid.“It’sprovedtobeareallygreatpartnership.Evenwiththedif-ficulties in Russia, these guys (Russians) are interested in

makingitwork.” Didmankinddodgeabullet? Handelmananswers,“Inmybusi-ness,therearealwaystwochalleng-es:balancingwhat’smostdangerousagainstwhat’smostlikely.YouguyssawwhenwewenttoShchuch’ye.TherearealotofchemicalweaponsinRussia.Wewentafterthestuff...themostdangerousstuffwhichwasnerveagent,inthesmallestcontain-ers.It’scounter-intuitivesometimes,youknow,weneedtogoafterthehugebulkcontainers.Butnerveagentismostdangerous,butthelikelihoodishigherwhenit’sinsmallercontain-ers.That’soneeternalchallenge.” Handelmancontinued,“There’sanothersortofaknowntruth:itiswedon’tknowwhatwedon’tknow.Sodidwedodgeabul-let?Yeah.Anytimewetakesome-

thingoffthemarketorweeliminateadeliverysystemorapieceofinfrastructure,asfarasI’mconcerned,it’smoneywellspentbecausesomedaysomeguycouldputitinhisprocesschain.I’magoodsleeper,soIdon’tlosesleepatnight,butIdon’tknowwhatIdon’tknow.InpushingNunn-Lugar,we’vegottogowherewearen’tnow.NowNunn-Lugaraddressesthenon-stateentities--theterror-ists--that’sthenextchallenge.PoundforpoundIworrymostaboutnukesandbio.” Didwedodgeabullet? Nunnanswers,“Therehasn’tbeeninhistorythiskindofcooperation;thiskindofaddressingsecurityprob-lemstogetherbybitterenemieswithoutmilitarydefeat.”

Postscript IsatwithauthorJohnShawinanoutdoorpubjustoutsideRedSquare,drinkingGermanbeerwhilelisten-ingtoTheClash.Moscowhasbecomeoneofthemostexpensivecitiesontheglobe,butitseconomyhasbarelyintegratedwiththecommunityofnations.Theadministra-tionofPresidentVladimirPutinhasbecomethereassertionoftheintelligenceservicesoverthedemocraticprocessthatruledthroughtheblood-soakedsoilsof80yearsofcommunism.Amiddleclasshasbarelyemerged.Thebirthrateisindecline.AftertouringRedSquareandtheKremlinonabalmyAugustevening,Iwasstruckbythemassesofyoungpeople.IntheshadowsofSt.Basil’sCathedral,whichbarelyescapedStalin’swreckingball70yearsago,

Sens. Lugar and Nunn meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lugar described the meeting as cordial. (HPR Photo by Brian A. Howey)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 13

therewerevirtuallynobabiesincarriages.Theyouthhavelittleincentivetoprocreate.Thiswillbeadilemmaforde-cadestocome. Moscowwentfromadrab,graycity20yearsagotoonewithmorebillboardsthananyother.AMcDonald’scanbefoundjustoutsidetheKremlinwalls. Westernobserversbraceforthepoliticalbattlesof2008,whenPutinissup-posedtostepaside.New York TimesbureauchiefChrisChiversbelievesthereisa“40percentchance”hewillactuallydoso.HPRenvisionsascenariowherePutincitesanationalcrisisandstays;orhandpicksasuccessorwhoresignsshortlyaftertakingof-fice, restoring Putin to power. Thereare100,000youthintheNashiwhoareharassingforeigndiplomatsasPutintriestostaveoffan“OrangeRevo-lution”thatsnatchedUkrainefromdespotismearlierthisdecade.ItisbeingfundedbyPutin’sKremlin.YetdemocracyistenuousintheformerSo-vietbreadbasketanditmaysplitup.SomebelieveMoscowwillattempttoreacquireitsformerrepublics. Americansaregenerallytreatedincordialfashion,thoughtheIraqWarevokespoliticalhostility.Inthepress,thereisanactivedebateabouthowthe“WestLostRussia,”withMoscow Times columnistGordonM.Hahndeclar-ing,“Russiaisbackasaglobalplayeranditisnolongerastarry-eyedadmireroftheUnitedStates.” RussiansworryabouttheNATOexpansionintoUkraineandGeorgia,militaryinstallationsintheCzechRepublic,andtheunilateralmissileshield.“ThesearethebitterfruitsoftheWest’s--andinparticulartheUnitedStates--mistakenpoliciessincetheendoftheColdWar,”Hahnwrites.“InsteadoftreatingMoscowmagnanimously...theWestde-claredvictory.Allopinionpollsnowshowthata...majorityofRussiansregardtheUnitedStatesasthegreatestthreattoRussiaandtheworld.IthastranslatedintoaburningdesireamongtheRussianelite and public to finally show the West that it would regretitspoliciesonceRussia‘gotupfromitsknees.’Thattimehassurelycome.” Despitetherhetoric,LugarandNunnremainoptimistic. InhisSpasoHousespeech,Lugarpaidtrib-utetothemanwhoheldhisSenateseatacenturyago--U.S.Sen.AlbertJ.Beveridge--oneoftheforemostRussianexpertsofhistimewhotraveledacrossthe11timezonespriortotheRusso-Japanese

Warin1905.“Hewasaninsightfulobserverofhistimes,”Lugarsaid,“buthecouldnothavepredictedthetwistsandturnsofthe20thCentury,anymorethanwecanpredictwhatwillhappen100yearsfromnow.” Lugarnotedthe“commonalities”betweentheAmericanandRussianpeopleandthepotential“strong

bondsiftheywereallowedtodevelop. “BothnationswerelinkedcloselytoEurope,butpos-sessedindependentculturalidentitiesthatsupportrichliterary,musicalandartistictraditions.Thenationalex-periencesandmythologiesofbothnationswereprofoundlyinfluenced by the develop-mentofvast,resource-richwildernesses.Ourculturesdeeplyvalueexplorationandtechnicalachievement,epito-mizedbyourspaceprograms. “Wecannotaffordtosuccumbtopessimism.The

UnitedStateshastoomuchatstakeandtoomanycom-monintereststoallowourrelationshiptodrifttowardconflict.” WhetherNunn-Lugarrepresentsahigh-watermarkoranenduringfoundationwillbeastoryleftforanotherday,perhapsanotherera.ButforoneweekinRussia,UkraineandAlbania,thereislittledoubtastohowextraor-dinarythesecurrentchaptersareintheannalsofhumanhistory.v

Russo-American mirrors: Sen. Lugar (right) meeting with Russians at the Luch Central Storage Facility outside of Moscow on Aug. 28. Watching U.S. - Russian relations has long been tricky and you don’t always know what you’re seeing. The photo at the top of this page is St. Basil’s Cathe-dral on Red Square. (HPR Photos by Brian A. Howey)

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007Page 14

ductionsthatareaquestionofconsti-tutionality,”saidGomeztagle,whorunsa nonprofit awareness group known as OperationTEN(TaxEducationNow).Thisnewlawsuit,amongotherthings,assailstaxabatementsandotherbreakstypicallygiventobusinessesattheexpenseofothertaxpayers,includinghomeowners.Gomeztaglesays those benefits are “arbitrary and capricious”andseemtoviolatetheIndianaConstitutionclausecallingfora“uniformandequalrateofpropertytaxassessmentandtaxation”--thefulcrumforhissuccessfullawsuit.ButGomeztaglegoesastepfurtherthanthecurrentlawsuit,arguingthatthewholespectrumoftaxexemptions,includingthe$45,000homesteaddeductionforhomeowners,shouldbedoneawaywith,sotheeveryonepaysthesametaxrate.

Henry offers cooperativebuying program FORTWAYNE-DemocraticmayoralnomineeTomHenryhopestosavetaxpayermoneybyworkingwithothergovernmentstopurchasemate-rialssuchasroadsaltandtires(Fort Wayne Journal Gazette).HenryonThursdayannouncedhisplanforstartinganortheastIndianapurchas-ingnetwork.Hesaidbycombiningthepurchasingpowerofmultiplegovern-mentagencies,pricesshoulddrop.“ThecitizensofFortWaynedeservethebestdeals,too,”hesaid.“Coop-erativepurchasingjustmakessense.”

St. Joe Commissionerpays off tax warrants SOUTHBEND-Someoftheoutstandingstatetaxwarrantsthathavebeenaboneofcontentionbe-tweenSheriffFrankCanarecciandthecountycommissionersapparentlywereowedbyCountyCommissionerBoardPresidentSteveRoss(South Bend Tribune).Ortheywere,atleast,untilthisweek.Rosssaid--andtheIndiana Department of Revenue office here confirmed Thursday -- that all of

theoutstandingwarrantsagainsthisbusinesseshavebeenpaid.AccordingtoRoss,hebroughtthewarrantsuptodatethisweek,afterbeingques-tionedaboutthembyTheTribune.“Iadmitmyguilt,”RosssaidThursday,acknowledgingthathecansometimesbedisorganized.

State to spend $90 millionon Keystone Avenue CARMEL-Gov.MitchDanielsannouncedThursdaythatthestatewillpayCarmel$90milliontotakecontroloftheroadway,pavingthewayforMayorJimBrainard’svisionofbuildingsixroundabout-styleinter-changesonKeystoneAvenuenorthof96thStreet(Indianapolis Star).PoliticalfoesofBrainardandDanielscriticizedthedeal,butthegovernorandmayorcalledthepactawin-winthatwillbringaninnovativesolutiontooneofthearea’smostseveretraf-fic headaches. “This allows us to do somethingthatwillbewonderfulforourcitizens,anddoitinawaythatwillbringsomenoticetoCarmel,”Brainardsaid.“MitchDanielshasproventhattheMajorMovesmoneyisnothingmorethanhispersonalslushfund,”saidDemocraticChairmanDanParker.

Rokita alleges votefraud in Clark County JEFFERSONVILLE-Stand-ingatopthestepsoftheCity-CountyBuildinginJeffersonville,IndianaSecretaryofStateToddRokitatoldreportersThursdaythathebelievedvoterfraudhadbeencommittedinClarkCountyinrecentyears(News-Tribune).However,citingapotentialcriminalinvestigationthatcouldbeintheworks,hereleasedveryfewdetailsofwhatmayhavetakenplace,andClarkCountyProsecutorSteveStewarthasn’tcommented.Rokitawouldnotsayhowthefraudhap-pened,whatmunicipalitiesmayhavebeeninvolved,whotheplayerswereorevenwhichpartyv

Suit filed challengingproperty tax system INDIANAPOLIS-AgroupofIndianataxpayerschallengedthecon-stitutionalityofthestatepropertytaxsystem in a lawsuit filed Thursday. The petition filed inIndianaTaxCourtquestionsstatewideassessmentmethods,theuseoftaxabate-mentsandotheraspectsofthestatesystem(Evansville Courier & Press).ItarguesIndiana’staxstructuredoesnotcomplywithastateconstitutionalrequirementfora“uniformandequalrateofpropertyassessmentandtaxa-tion.”Multipletaxingdistrictscanleadtovastlynonuniformbillsforpeoplelivinginthesamecountyiftheyareindifferentschooldistrictsortownships,thesuitclaims.“Thisisastatewideissue,”saidJohnR.Price,aCarmel,Ind., attorney who filed the lawsuit onbehalfof11taxpayersandseventaxpayerassociations.Pricesaidmanyofthelawsuit’splaintiffswouldliketoseepropertytaxesabolished.“Thiscasecouldultimatelybeusedtohelpacceleratethat,”hesaid.

Gomeztagle says lawsuitfiled Thursday too broad ST.JOHN-Joe“Taxes”Go-meztagletookonIndiana’spropertytaxsystemandlivedtotellaboutit(Times of Northwest Indiana).This one, filed Thursday in Indiana TaxCourt,attackspropertytaxesonseveral fronts, including a few specific toMarionCounty.Gomeztaglesaystheplaintiffswouldbebetterofftakingonpropertytaxeswiththeprecisionofascalpel,ratherthanthecleaverapproachapparentintheirbroadlegalchallenge.“Youneedtofocusonwhathascausedthisproblem,andtheproblemwithMarionCounty,andtheentirestate,istheexemptionsandde-