A new Cold War

Last Saturday Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev commented, "We have slid into a new period of Cold War." Medvedev then claimed, "Almost every day we are accused of making new horrible threats either against NATO as a whole, against Europe or against the U.S. or other countries."

The prime minister's comments bring back memories of the constant tensions and frequent incidents between the Soviet Union and the NATO countries. The Cold War of the 1950s, '60s and '70s was a period when threats of conflicts were made under the shadow of nuclear weapons. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the end of the Cold War and a reduction in the threat of nuclear war. The death of Soviet communism raised the hopes for a democratic country with less aggressive actions.

Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have decided to recreate the international relations of the Cold War. Medvedev's comments ignore the fact the "accusations" are based on the reality of Russia's actions under Putin. The Putin-led Russian invasion and occupation of Crimea and the subsequent military aggression toward Ukraine recall Soviet actions in Eastern Europe. According to washingtonpost.com, Putin's past reveals he was recruited by the KGB, the Soviet secret police, while in college. Later, in East Germany, he was a KGB major responsible for recruiting spies for the Soviet Union. Putin's patriotism seems to be more supportive of the Soviet Union than of Russia itself. I believe his early KGB recruitment helped make Putin a dedicated communist intent on restoring Russia as a super power.

One mark of past international communist military actions is an apparent disregard for civilian casualties. This has returned in Russian air attacks in support of the Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria. News reports from Monday tell of two hospitals and a school targeted and destroyed by Russian war planes. There are other reports of Russian aircraft, in violation of international law, targeting civilians.

It is past time for NATO to show courage, return to Cold War defensive measures and make a united effort to oppose Russian aggression and disregard for international law. With no opposition there is no incentive for Putin to change course.

Jack Dragoni attended Boston College and served in the U.S. Army in Berlin and Vietnam. He lives in Chaffee, Missouri.