Oops, Russia Getting Carried Away....
George W. Bush was quite taken with Vladimir Putin the first time they met. Nice fella, he said, he could see the humanity in his soulful eyes. They could do business together, make the world a more stable, safer place. After all, wasn't the United States investing cold hard cash in helping Russia rid itself of its masses of nuclear waste? Just being a concerned and helpful neighbour; after all, the world is getting more integrated, interdependent and cozier as time goes by.What a sea change since then. George W. Bush took a page out of Ronald Reagan's presidency and adopted a Star Wars agenda, and Vladimir Putin was definitely unimpressed. Star wars, that's like up there in the vastness of the universe, the sky above, and aren't the two countries sharing a massive effort in equipping, enlarging, modernizing the International Space Station, sharing funding and expertise and good fellowship, and scientific knowledge?
Oops, no, we're speaking of the installation of anti-ballistic missiles, here. On Russia's doorstep, so to speak. Aiming not at Russia, needless to say, but elsewhere, where the world's current threat emanates from the Middle East. Mind, Russia isn't entirely thrilled with the steady erosion of her hegemonic persuasion in her backyard, with Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia former comrades all, joining the European Union and NATO.
And Russia's growling is now menacing Ukraine and Georgia, lest they too flee the communist coop. Which they are determined to do. And which determination infuriates Moscow no end. And while the European Union, particularly France and Germany, seek to appease Moscow - mindful of their dependence on Russia's friendliness in supplying them with oil and gas, particularly throughout the long, hard winter months - the general consensus appears to be anti-irridentist.
No surprise there, a country's sovereignty is sacrosanct. If one country's borders and internal geographic possessions can be breached, then what's to stop the viral disease from spreading? Like, after all, with Serbia and Kosovo, and, as a result, Georgia and South Ossetia. Can't we all be friends? urges Germany's foreign minister in addressing his country's relationship with the United States, responding to Moscow's snarling.
And now look, what's this? A convoy carrying the Georgian and Polish presidents close to the Russian-protected 'border' of South Ossetia fired upon? How very positively uncivil. And who knows who might have been responsible? After all, both Russia and South Ossetia deny involvement. "Frankly I didn't expect Russians to open fire. I thought they clearly saw that this was an official cortege, this was a high delegation", complained Georgian President Mikheil Saskashvili.
To which Russia's foreign minister peevishly responded, "When the president invites people to some kind of celebration in Tbilisi and then takes a car and takes him to another state, is it not a provocation? Of course it was," Sergei Lavrov said conclusively. What an outrage, that Polish President Lech Kaczynski - he of the "Rose Revolution", hauling Ukraine further from Russian dominance - had the unmitigated gall to show his face alongside that of President Saakashvili.
Russia is simply not about to countenance such spiteful arrogance.
posted by Pieface @ Monday, November 24, 2008
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