The Kremlin and the World - Part Three

Almost two decades have passed since the end of the Cold War but it seems like an unexpected chill has hit world relations.

In this four part series, Tim Whewell looks at the recent conflict of issues that could re-draw the old fault lines that once divided East and West.

Russia has fallen out with its western counterparts over the murder of former spy Alexander Litvinenko.

There are also fears about energy supplies and talks of a new arms race.

Allegations of spying against the US and UK have decreased the chance of negotiation even further.

Could a new confrontation with Russia be on the horizon?

With the Russian presidential elections approaching in March, Tim speaks to Kremlin insiders and key players in Europe and America.

He finds out what has gone wrong and why it has become so hard to dance with the Russian Bear.

Part Three - Military Manoeuvres

The Cold War is supposedly over but Russian warplanes are probing Western airspace and the US is intending to site a missile defence system in Central Europe.

With a missile base in Poland and a radar installation in the Czech Republic.

In the third part of the Kremlin and the World, Tim Whewell discovers why Russia and the US are in danger of embarking on a new arms race.

He travels to the Czech Republic where the majority of locals are in fear that a US military base could reignite the Cold War giants clashing over their country.

Tim also speaks to Kremlin insiders who accuse the US of meddling in their back yard and from key players in Washington who insist that Russia is just being paranoid and flexing its military muscle unnecessarily.

Russia has been forced to watch the steady expansion of Nato, their old adversary, to include countries which were once part of the old Soviet Union.

Tim looks at why Europe is forming an alliance that excludes Russia - the second greatest military power in the world.

He also finds out if there ever was a realistic chance of Russia joining NATO, or did the neo-cons have another agenda?

President Putin has already announced huge plans for a new generation of nuclear weapons and has this month declared that an arms race is underway.