Abstract
What has come to be known as the ‘Murmansk Initiative’ — launched by Mikhail Gorbachev in a speech in that city on 1 October 1987— is but one in a series of wide-ranging proposals for regional security in areas neighbouring the Soviet Union that have been made by Gorbachev since assuming power, and that have become a hallmark of his foreign policy. Thus, the Murmansk speech was preceded by a similar one dealing with the Asia—Pacific region made in Vladivostok the previous year; and followed by one in early 1988 in Belgrade, dealing with problems of Mediterranean security. The three ‘initiatives’ share certain elements of similarity, in particular the emphasis on measures of naval arms control, which is receiving increasing prominence in Soviet arms control diplomacy more generally. The Murmansk initiative seems a particularly appropriate subject for discussion by a Canadian commentator, given the continuing intense Canadian interest in all things Arctic, including: arms control; the magnitude of the Soviet Union’s own stake in Arctic affairs; and the fact that this review falls precisely on the first anniversary of Gorbachev’s call for an ‘Arctic Peace Zone’.
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Notes
As broadcast on Moscow Radio, 14 August 1959, in US Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Historical Office, Documents on Disarmament 1945–1959, Volume II: 1957–195?, Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office, 1960, p. 1438.
‘Gorbachev’s Award Ceremony Speech in Murmansk’, Moscow Television Service, 1458 GMT, 1 October 1987, in Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Worldwide Report — Arms Contro? (hence-forth FBIS—AC), 14 December 1987, p. 75.
Ibid.
Ronald G. Purver, Arctic Arms Control: Constraints and Opportunities, Ottaw?, Canadian Institute for International Peace and Security, Occasional Paper?, no 3, February 1988, p. 17.
Gorbachev (see note 2 above).
Moscow Tass in English, 1836 GMT, 13 November 1986, in FBIS Daily Report— Soviet Unio? (henceforth FBIS—SU) 14 November 1986, p. G9.
For a discussion, see Purver (see note 4 above, p. 21). In all fairness, the longer-range missiles here (such as the SS-20) are now in the process of being dismantled under the terms of the INF Treaty, thus increasing the salience of the ‘operational—tactical’ missiles mentioned by Ligachev and, later, by Gorbachev in Murmansk. Still, this does not take away from the point that even longer-range missiles (i.e. ICBMs) can be targeted on the Nordic countries from anywhere in the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev (as note 2 above).
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Ibid.
‘Koivisto on Gorbachev’s Speech: Far-Reaching Spirit of Cooperation’, Helsinki Hufvudstadsblade?, 3 October 1987, p. 3, in FBIS Daily Report —Western Europ? (henceforth FBIS—W?) 7 October 1987.
‘Swedish Minister on Gorbachev Proposal’, Moscow Tass in English, 0845 GMT, 3 October 1987, in FBIS—S?, 5 October 1987, p. 39.
Tony Banks, ‘Caution over Northern Seas Suggestion’, Jane’s Defence Weekl?, 17 October 1987, p. 877.
‘Gorbachev Wants Arctic Proclaimed “Zone of Peace”’, Ottawa Citize?, 2 October 1987, p. A6.
‘US “Cold-shouldered” Talks on North Region’, Moscow Tass in English, 0801 GMT, 3 October 1987, in FBIS—S?, 5 October 1987, pp. 7–8; and ‘Strengthening Security’, Moscow Pravd?, 4 October 1987, 2nd ed, p. 4, in FBIS—S?, 5 October 1987, p. 14.
‘Clark, Beatty skeptical of Soviet peace-zone proposal’, Ottawa Citize?, 3 October 1987.
Joe Clark, ‘Speech ... to the Norway—Canada Conference on Circum-polar Issues, Tromso, Norway, 9 December 1987’, Ottawa, Secretary of State for External Affairs, Statemen? 87/72.
Ibid, p. 7.
Ibid.
Moscow Television Service in Russian, 1800 GMT, 17 December 1987, in FBIS—S?, 18 December 1987, p. 30.
For background on the Swedish position vis-à-vi? the Baltic, see Purver (as note 4 above, pp. 15–16).
For a discussion of the work of these bodies, see ibid, pp. 19— 20.
‘In Atmosphere of Mutual Understanding’, Moscow Pravd?, 13 January 1988, 1st edn, pp. 4–5, in FBIS—S?, 14 January 1988, pp. 31–2.
‘Stay in Norway’, Moscow Pravd?, 16 January 1988, 2nd edn, p. 4, in FBIS—S?, 19 January 1988, p. 52.
‘Lebedev Interviewed on Northern Europe Limits’, Moscow New? in English no 3, 17 January 1988, p. 5, in FBIS—S?, 25 January 1988, pp. 9–11.
Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish, 1700 GMT, 13 January 1988, in FBIS—W?, 14 January 1988, pp. 15–16.
Ibid.
‘Address to Parliaments and Parliamentarians of the North European States, the USA and Canada’ (unofficial translation provided by the Soviet Embassy, Ottawa) p. 3; see also ‘Appeal to Parliaments and Parliamentarians’, USSR Embassy (Ottawa) Press Releas? no 10, 12 February 1988.
Sven Svensson, ‘Supreme Soviet Told “No”’, Stockholm Dagens Nyhete?, 26 March 1988, p. 12, in FBIS—W?, 4 April 1988, p. 6.
Sven Svensson, ‘One-Sided Soviet Initiatives’, Stockholm Dagens Nyhete?, 24 March 1988, p. 12, in FBIS—W?, 28 March 1988, p. 10.
Thorkild Dahl, ‘Nordic Agreement on “No” to Soviet Initiative’, Copenhagen Berlingske Tidend?, 26 March 1988, p. 3, in FBIS—W?, 5 April 1988, p. 1.
C. A. H. Trost, ‘Northern Seas Are Vital for NATO’s Defense’, Long Island Newsda?, 28 March 1988, p. 50.
Moscow Tass in English, 1319 GMT, 26 May 1988, in FBIS—S?, 27 May 1988, p. 9.
Col. Yu. Soldatenko, ‘West Has Declined To Send Observers to Military Exercises’, Moscow lzvestiy?, 24 August 1988, morning edn, p. 4, in FBIS—S?, 30 August 1988, p. 5. While official military observers from the non-Warsaw Pact Baltic states were absent, there was a contingent of Western journalists. In addition, Soviet sources later complained that Danish and West German warships had been sent into the area of the exercises (‘Exercises of the Baltic Fleet and Soviet Maritime Doctrine’, USSR Embassy (Ottawa) Press Bulleti? no 182, 9 September 1988, pp. 3–4). For a Swedish explanation of its refusal to attend, see ‘Soviet Criticizes Non-participation in Exercise’, Stockholm Domestic Service in Swedish, 1600 GMT, 8 September 1988, in FBIS— W?, 12 September 1988, p. 11.
One of the agreements established a mixed Soviet—Norwegian commission for cooperation in environmental protection, which held its first session in Oslo at the end of August 1988.
‘International Cooperation in Arctic Science’, Newsletter from the Commission for Scientific Research in Greenlan?, no 17, June 1988, p. 4.
Author’s interviews with Soviet Foreign Ministry officials in Moscow, September 1988.
Moscow Tass in English, 2003 GMT, 11 August 1988, in FBIS—S?, 12 August 1988, p. 11; and Moscow Tass in English, 2000 GMT, 12 August 1988, in FBIS—S?, 16 August 1988, p. 3.
Since these words were written, the author has learned of one exception to this statement. On 3 October 1988 a delegation from the Nordic parliamentary committee looking into a Nordic NWFZ, led by Danish MP, Anker Jorgensen, met with members of the foreign affairs commissions of the USSR Supreme Soviet, as called for by Premier Ryzhkov in Stockholm in January (‘Meeting with Delegation of Committee of Nordic MPs’, USSR Embassy (Ottawa) Press Bulleti?, no 201, 5 October 1988, pp. 3–4.
This was hinted at by Premier Ryzhkov in his 14 January 1988 dinner speech in Oslo when, in the context of discussing the arms control elements of the Murmansk Initiative, he noted: ‘An active political dialogue and, chiefly, practical deeds ...[are] the most realistic way to seek a solution to a problem such as the demarcation of sea spaces and the continental shelf in the Barents Sea’ (Ryzhkov, see note 27 above, p. 53).
For a review of Soviet proposals of this nature, see Ronald G. Purver, ‘SSBN Sanctuaries for Submarine Stand-off Zones: A Possible Naval Arms Control Trade-off’ (paper prepared for the 52nd Pugwash Symposium on ‘Naval Forces: Arms Restraint and Confidence-Building’, Oslo, Norway, 23–6 June 1988; revised, October 1988), pp. 3–8.
For a review of this subject, see Ronald G. Purver, ‘Cruise Missiles and Arms Control’ (paper prepared for the ‘Conference on Maritime Security and Arms Control in the Pacific Region’, Institute of Inter-national Relations, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, 19–20 May 1988) especially pp. 19–28.
See, e.g., Olav Trygve Storvik, ‘Holst Seeks Proposals From Moscow on Northern Regions’, Oslo Aftenposte?, 13 February 1987, p. 4, in FBlS-W?, 18 February 1987, p. P2.
See, e.g., ibid.
Their initial failure to include the Barents Sea within the zone of confidence-building measures, for example, did lasting damage to the credibility of the proposal in Western eyes.
A lowering of Soviet expectations was also evident in a speech by Foreign Minister Shevardnadze in Copenhagen on 21 September. Referring to naval arms control measures, he repeated the ‘call on all NATO countries to start substantive discussions’, but went on: ‘If NATO is not prepared to begin with military subjects, we could first discuss cooperation in ecology and Arctic research’ (‘Shevardnadze’s Speech in Danish Boersen Club’, USSR Embassy, Ottawa, Press Bulleti?, no 193, 22 September 1988, p. 4).
For an elaboration of this proposal, see Purver (as note 45 above).
Two other possibilities - an aerial stand-off zone and a partial demilitarization of the central Polar Basin - are discussed in Purver, (as note 4 above, pp. 54–8 and 71–2).
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© 1989 Carl G. Jacobsen
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Purver, R.G. (1989). Arctic Security: The Murmansk Initiative and its Impact. In: Jacobsen, C.G. (eds) Soviet Foreign Policy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-11341-5_11
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