More Russian Voices Oppose Karaganov’s Call for Moscow To Use Nuclear Weapons in Europe

June 19, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)—RT reported June 17 on the strident opposition of various leading Russians against Professor Sergey Karaganov’s proposal for Russia to launch a preemptive nuclear strike in Europe to restore “the fear of atomic escalation” and thus “save humanity from a global catastrophe.” The four Russian think-tankers and “philosopher” Alexander Dugin cited in this report, all reject his proposal.

The sharpest rebuttal came from Elena Panina, a former State Duma deputy, who now is the director of the Institute of International Political and Economic Strategies. She mocks Karaganov’s use of the “streamlined formulation ‘use of nuclear weapons,’ ” writing:

“Is there a line before which ‘use of nuclear weapons’ is not nuclear war, and after which it is? Is it not clear that the first use of nuclear weapons will immediately trigger a retaliation of much greater force? Nuclear weapons are the last resort on the chessboard. When all other means have been exhausted, all resources expended, and defeat is inevitable....”

Three of the five cited, including Dugin, generally known as a hardliner, question Karaganov’s credibility. It is well known that Karaganov was a member of the Trilateral Commission for many years. As Dugin put it, such people are curious; “one day they are glorifying Western civilization, in his case for decades, but the next they become extreme Russian patriots. They go full-on in both personas, and they don’t show consistency. We have not exhausted all the possibilities of talking about nuclear weapons, but we must not forget what use would mean. Everyone should understand that it would be the last resort.”

Panina went one step further, suggesting that Karaganov’s proposal may have come from Russia’s enemies in the West.

“The West is very much in favor of such Russian behavior. So why does the author suggest doing what is in the West’s interest? ... The U.S. and NATO are pumping equipment and ammunition into Europe. They are increasing their involvement in Ukraine. They desperately need a move by Russia to isolate it on the world stage. And then, like an egg delivered on Easter Sunday, comes Sergey Karaganov’s article. Coincidence or part of a pattern?”