Russia needs us
Sir: Christopher Bellamy in his article 'Struggle for the heartland' (15 March) explains Russian preoccupation with Nato's expansion into Eastern Europe in the con- text of the writings of the British political geographer Sir Halford Mackinder. In doing so, he explains the mystery of why the Russians are so preoccupied with Europe rather than China. When Mackinder wrote, China was hardly the power it is becoming today. Mr Bellamy makes passing reference to the Mongol invasion of 1238, and the subsequent 250 years of 'Tartar yoke', but points out that the enemies to the west were always considered as more dangerous.
In the late Sixties, I asked my father, the economist and demographer ColM Clark, what our response should be to a Sino-Rus- sian war. He had published in 1940 and sub- sequently updated Conditions of Economic Progress, which contained the first attempt
LETTERS
to make an estimate of the economic output of the world. Subsequently in 1967 he pub- lished Population Growth and Land Use, which was a similar comprehensive survey of its subject. He had no doubt that we would have to ally ourselves with Russia. What was evident to my father 30 years ago is surely self-evident today, given China's economic, military, political and population growth and Russia's relative decline in the intervening time. If it is necessary for us to ally ourselves with the Russians to counter a Chinese threat, then it is a fortiori necessary for the Russians to ally themselves with us. I think they should be told.
David Clark
35 Acfold Road, London SW6
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