The purpose of the new Russian military doctrine is to provide general
guidelines for agencies and ministries involved in national security
decisionmaking in order to avoid ''one-ministry'' or ''one-man'' polic
y and to ensure an integrated and consistent course for the Russian st
ate. Russia does not concede that its security interests should be lim
ited by its boundaries, since there is no feasible alternative to Russ
ian peacekeeping activities in unstable areas like the Caucasus and Ce
ntral Asia. Russia relys more on a doctrine of nuclear deterrence, thu
s, the absence of no-first-use obligation. Still, the new doctrine lea
ves open the possibility for unprovoked military buildup. The Russian
government must act swiftly to foreclose such a possibility.