FROM RUSSIA, WITH LOVE
Well, it looks as though the bloom is off the rose. After years of post Cold-War civility between the States and our dubious partners on the other side of the pond, things are in a serious backslide. While we have suspected, to be gracious, for some time that Russia has had a hand in supplying arms and other goodies to our enemies abroad, the last few weeks have shown us Putin in his true colors and as you may suspect, they are not colors with which to build a rainbow. The world being just a larger version of a neighborhood, it's never good news when someone lets their Pit Bull loose. Let's call this Pit Bull "Vladimir" for the sake of this column, and be forewarned that you'll need more than a "pooper-scooper" to clean up after this pooch.
On Friday, Secretary of State Condi Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates presented new proposals for cooperation, intended to bring Moscow to the table regarding a host of international issues. But Putin, of late, has made it known that he has a major problem with the United States' progress with our space-based missile defense system. This initiative was introduced under Reagan and I think most people would agree now, that it is an indispensable part of our defense system. Now, more than ever, we need full time protection from the ever increasing list of unstable countries that are on the cusp of acquiring nuclear weapons. Soon, they will be only delivery-systems short of being full-fledged nuclear powers that could turn the better part of our country to powder. Not surprisingly, Putin is most concerned with plans to base systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.
What set Friday apart from any other day in world negotiations, was Putin's tone,speaking directly to our most esteemed Cabinet members. This was not Bush's limo driver, this was the Secretaries of State and Defense. It doesn't get any more high-level than that. Putin had hosted the meeting at his country home outside Moscow and delivered a "stern rebuff" to the U.S. plans. The tone, however, was said to have taken Rice and Gates aback, not diplomatic in any way, but instead, combative and angry. Putin threatened to pull out of a Cold-War era treaty that limits intermediate-range missiles. "We may decide someday to put missile defense systems on the moon, but before we get to that we may lose a chance for agreement because of you implementing your own plans," he told Rice and Gates in Russian. "We hope that in the process of such complex and multifaceted talks you will not be forcing forward your previous agreements with eastern European countries." The States have rejected demands from Putin to freeze negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic and Rice did so again on Friday.
It has been said recently that Putin may be pulling this one from the Ronald Reagan playbook. Reagan had seized upon Russia's internal woes at the time to bring about his version of detente. Now, Vladimir seems to be doing the same to us. Seeing our country divided internally, our military spread thin and our economy faltering. Anyone could figure out that the last thing we need right now on the world stage is another crazy dictator-type. Unstable former-KGB agent, enter stage-left, knock over the coffee table and set the drapes on fire. Bear in mind the current field of Presidential aspirants, and who you thing is qualified to deal with issues like these, while considering the implications of Russia once again becoming a full-blown pain-in-the....neck. After the meetings on Friday, one of three U.S. officials who was present at the meeting summed it up this way..."I agree that we did not agree on anything today." Well said, chap. Just another day in world politics.
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