Russia Takes Aim at America's Achilles Heel

A prominent Russian academic has suggested his county should aim to "capture" the one U.S. state that is not covered by NATO's Article 5 collective security guarantee, in an apparent reference to Hawaii.

Andrey Sidorov, dean of world politics at Moscow State University, made the comment during an appearance on the primetime 'Evening with Vladimir Solovyov' show on the state-owned Russia-1 on Wednesday.

The suggestion follows calls from a number of political scientists for NATO's Article 5, which obliges the alliances 32 members to respond in unison if any one is attacked, to be extended to include Hawaii in a bid to deter a Chinese assault on Taiwan.

During the show Sidorov said: "NATO covers all but one U.S. state. That's the one to capture. That's what I've always said."

Notably Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, which requires signatories to come to each other's aid if they are attacked in Europe or North America, doesn't apply to Hawaii as it is situated in the Pacific Ocean. This makes Hawaii the only U.S. state that could be attacked without requiring 31 other countries to come to America's aid.

Newsweek has contacted the press secretary of Hawaii Governor Josh Green for comment by email.

Sidorov made his remarks during a conversation about whether Russia needs a "sanitary zone" to protect from Ukrainian drone attacks, following an audacious hit on a target in the Tatarstan region more than 1,000 kilometres from the border of Ukraine.

During the discussion Sidorov suggested the "sanitary zone" should end at the Carpathian Mountains, which extend across central and eastern Europe.

Solovyov, possibly in jest, replied "come on, the Atlantic Ocean" before Sidorov suggested making a move on the one American state not in NATO.

In an interview with Newsweek Alan Mendoza, who heads the London based Henry Jackson Society, suggested the western alliance would be strengthened by extending Article 5 to cover Hawaii.

He said: "Although NATO was established as a North Atlantic treaty, Hawaii's exemption was provided before it became an integral part of the U.S.A. as one of the 50 states.

"Given NATO's expansion to fellow democracies not directly bordering the North Atlantic but connected to it regardless, it would make sense to at least consider the idea of extending NATO to include Hawaii at a time of increased need to show Alliance solidarity.

"With the Free World under renewed threat, all measures that increase ties between free and democratic countries should be encouraged."

A similar call was made by John Hemmings, a senior director at the Pacific Forum think tank, during an appearance on CBS News.

Hemmings said: "This is where Pearl Harbor happened. This is where we were attacked that brought us into the Second World War, and – by the way – this is what also led to us to help liberate France.

"For Americans, there is a direct link between this state and our involvement in the Second World War and ultimately our help in contributing to the victory over the Axis."

In February Donald Trump, who is the presumptive Republican 2024 presidential candidate, sparked controversy by saying he would "encourage" Russia to "do whatever the hell they want" to NATO allies that fell short on their contributions to the alliance. NATO recommends its members spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense though many do not and this is not obligatory for the alliance.