The U.S. decision to expel 50 Russians for "activities incompatible with their status as diplomats" -- spying to the layman -- is being roundly decried as a sign of the Cold War mentality that dominates the administration of President George W. Bush. But it is far from it. The suspicions of those days may be back, but the wary respect each side used to afford the other is not -- and that is the dangerous part of the new policy.
The size of the Russian intelligence contingent in the United States had alarmed security officials in Washington for some time. The arrest of FBI agent Robert Philip Hanssen on charges of spying for Moscow provided the new administration with the excuse it needed to crack down. Mr. Bush ordered the expulsion of 50 Russians, and Russia promptly retaliated by expelling 50 U.S. officials.
The tit-for-tat maneuvers are reminiscent of the Cold War. The last big expulsion of spies from the U.S. was back in 1986, when then President Ronald Reagan showed 55 Soviet officials the door. U.S. officials note that there has been a marked increase in the number of Russian spies in the U.S. since 1997 -- doubling in size to Cold War levels. This is thought to reflect the mind-set of President Vladimir Putin, himself a product of the security apparatus. His outlook is matched by that of a new U.S. administration that has no sentimental or personal attachments to Russia or its leaders.