Eurasia Insight, 2 Apr 08: Russia and NATO: A Meeting of the Minds on Afghanistan?
During the run-up to the NATO summit in Bucharest, expert attention has tended to focus on the differences between Russia and members of the Atlantic alliance, specifically on Kosovo’s independence, a Central European anti-missile shield and Georgia’s and Ukraine’s gravitation toward Brussels. But there is one important area where interests are converging -- in Afghanistan.

Both Russia and Washington have become alarmed by the revived Islamic radical insurgency in Afghanistan. And both countries want to stamp it out. Of course, there is no way that Russia will deploy troops to Afghanistan. For one, NATO would not consent to it. And, more importantly, the Soviet legacy of brutalization, left behind after the 1979-89 occupation, precludes such an option.

Still, Russia is interested in doing what it can do to help the United States and NATO keep Islamic radicalism at bay in Central Asia....