Ex-Russian General: America Must Be Kept at Gunpoint

By Paul Joseph Watson

Retired Russian General Leonid Ivashov told Pravda in a recent interview that America must be held at gunpoint by means of of tactical nuclear weapons which “should constantly be aimed at the United States.”

Ivashov was former chief of general affairs in the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Defence before becoming vice president of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs.

“Tactical nuclear weapons that are constantly threatening the United States must become the factor that will deter large-scale aggression.

Holding it at gunpoint – this is the deterrent,” Ivashov told Pravda.Ru editor-in-chief Inna Novikova.

Ivashov went on to explain that Russia remains suspicious of China as an ally because Beijing continues to make decisions with the United States behind Russia’s back, but that China and Russia remain the primary targets of America’s geopolitical aggression.

“In America, it is all vice versa. On October 18, 2003, Bush signed a directive on the concept of Prompt Global Strike. A priority was not a first massive nuclear strike, but a strike with the use of high precision technologies.

Glide bombs then finish it off and a country is presented with an ultimatum. If this country does not agree, it will repeat all over again. It is clear that the first target for this potential attack is Russia. But Russia – accidentally or not – may launch its strategic nuclear arsenal,” said Ivashov, explaining how both Russia and China will struggle to repel a U.S. attack.

“To attack China or Russia, cruise missiles will be used. A third of them come with nuclear warheads. Nowadays, four-class “Ohio” submarines, the largest American subs, that had 24 intercontinental ballistic missiles on board, are being reequipped. They remove the ICBMs and replace them with 158 cruise missiles on each sub.

The same thing happens to “Virginia” subs. They develop a strategic cruise missile, the range of which will be not less than 5,000 kilometers. Its speed will be equal to two sonic speeds. It will be the type of arms that no one will be able to destroy – neither Russia, nor China or anyone else,” he said.

Ivashov went on to argue that Russia’s only deterrent to the threat of a U.S. attack were tactical nuclear weapons that, “should constantly be aimed at the United States,” suggesting Cuba as a potential site for such weapons, an alarming throwback to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, which marked the closest moment that the world came to World War III and a potential nuclear holocaust.

The former General expressed the need for Russian leaders to “reformat the world” in a different mould to the Anglo-American model in order to avoid a “disastrous scenario” that would be “catastrophic” for the planet.

Ivashov called for the UN Security Council to be expanded as a counter-balance to American hegemony, adding, “The next step is to develop the Euro-Asian continental union, which includes Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Mongolia within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.”

In essence, Ivashov is re-iterating the call for a multi-polar world to replace the ‘new world order’ model led by America, Britain and NATO powers.

However, his call for that model to be enforced by tactical nuclear weapons aimed squarely at the United States is sure to stoke concern amongst military leaders in the west.