Rumors of My Demise: Three Recent Resurrections

Officially, perhaps, the Cold War is dead and gone. That’s the official line, and for all intents and purposes, perhaps that is true. Having a nice, neat cut-off date to point to is certainly a handy thing to have, for many groups, including the media and for academics.

However, a simple glance at the wider world outside the doors of academia will give even the casual observer pause to wonder how dead dead really is.

Perversely, three recent news stories took me back to the “good old days.” News item number one takes a look at sinking of the Russian nuclear submarine Kurske. The truth behind what happened to sink the 154-meter long Antey-class guided missile submarine will almost certainly never be answered, at least for the general public’s satisfaction. And in the same vein, whatever is discovered in post-accident autopsies will stay firmly behind closed doors.

Did the Russian government’s refusal to immediately call for help in the rescue attempts (Britain and Norway were brought in far too late) kill the crew? Or were they dead as soon as the explosions breached the double-hulled vessel?

Recently, a diving team was sent down to try and recover some of the Russian navy bodies, and this party, for the sake of appearances more than anything else, included one American diver. As was decided, the American was not allowed to enter or even look into the hull once it was cut open with their equipment. Upon breaching the hull, the Yank ascended to the dive ship. Then, after a few bodies were recovered, our boy helped to seal the hull of the Kurske against, I suppose, accidental tourists ... or maybe spies.

Whatever the Russians have to hide, they will attempt to hide it forever, no doubt about that. New weapons or communication’s technology? Improvements in their sonar systems or propulsion systems? Better warheads or torpedoes? The submarine was armed with nuclear weapons, including, if she was typical of her class, Granit cruise missiles and Veder torpedoes.

Anyway, if you really want to know, try and ask the Russians. One fact is certain: the hull of the Kurske now lays on the bottom of the Barents Sea, a tomb in a very real sense.

News item number two, which perhaps proves that there is nothing new under the geopolitical sun is the revival of the, I thought, long-dead partnership between Russia and Cuba. Talk about a blast from the past, eh?

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