Obama
describes Putin as 'like a bored kid'
1. In wishing Bush well, Putin has message for Obama, Reuters, August 8, 2013.
2. What's the Point of a Summit?, The New York Times, August 7, 2013.
3. Saudi offers Russia deal to scale back Assad support - sources, Reuters, August 7, 2013.
President
Barack Obama on Friday denied he has poor relations with Vladimir
Putin after canceling their Moscow talks, but said the Russian
president can sometimes appear "like a bored kid in the back of
the classroom."
9
August, 2013
U.S.-Russian
relations plunged to one of their lowest points since the Cold War
this week after Russia granted temporary asylum to fugitive former
U.S. spy contractor Edward Snowden. Obama retaliated by abruptly
canceling a Moscow summit with Putin planned for early next month.
At
a White House news conference on Friday, Obama insisted that he does
not have bad personal relations with Putin. The two men had a testy
meeting in June in Northern Ireland and from the photos of them at
the time, it looked as if they would both rather have been somewhere
else.
"I
know the press likes to focus on body language, and he's got that
kind of slouch, looking like the bored kid in the back of the
classroom. But the truth is that when we're in conversations
together, oftentimes it's very productive," Obama said.
Putin's
sending of a telegram wishing former President George W. Bush well
after a heart procedure this week was viewed by some Kremlin watchers
as a sign that Putin was sending an implicit message to Obama.
The
White House says Obama pulled out of the Moscow summit not just
because of the Russian decision to grant asylum to Snowden, who is
wanted in the United States to face espionage charges.
U.S.
differences with Russia have piled up recently over Moscow's support
for the Syrian government in that country's civil war, as well as
human rights concerns and other grievances.
There
was no immediate response from Moscow to Obama's description of the
Russian president. But at a news conference in Washington after talks
on Friday between the Russian and U.S. foreign policy and defense
chiefs, the Russians emphasized how positive the meeting had been.
They even invited the Americans to participate in a tank competition
later this year.
"We
don't have any Cold War. Instead we have close relations,"
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "Edward Snowden did
not overshadow our discussions."
U.S.
TO 'TAKE A PAUSE'
Obama
said the United States will "take a pause, reassess where it is
that Russia is going" and calibrate the relationship to take
into account the areas where they can agree and acknowledge that they
have differences.
"Frankly,
on a whole range of issues where we think we can make some progress,
Russia has not moved," Obama said.
"I
think there's always been some tension in the U.S.-Russian
relationship after the fall of the Soviet Union," he said.
Obama
did resolve one issue that has been debated in the United States. He
said American athletes will in fact compete in the Sochi Winter
Olympics in 2014, in spite of Russia's anti-gay propaganda law.
"I
do not think it's appropriate to boycott the Olympics," Obama
said.
He
said the best way to combat the law is for gay and lesbian athletes
to do well in the Sochi Games.
"One
of the things I'm really looking forward to is maybe some gay and
lesbian athletes bringing home the gold or silver or bronze, which
would, I think, go a long way in rejecting the kind of attitudes that
we're seeing there," he said. "And if Russia doesn't have
gay or lesbian athletes, then, it'll probably make their team
weaker."
U.S.
and Russian senior officials sought to maintain a working
relationship despite the tensions when they met in Washington on
Friday.
The
two countries agreed on the need to convene a Syrian peace conference
in Geneva as soon as possible at the meeting between Secretary of
State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
Vlad
the Hammer vs Obama the Wimp
PepeEscobar
9
August, 2013
It is getting ridiculous. The President of the United States (POTUS)
screamed and shouted because he wanted his spy (Edward Snowden) back.
Snowden, following Russian laws, was granted temporary asylum. The
White House was "disappointed".
Then
POTUS snubbed the bilateral summit with Russian President Vladimir
Putin in Moscow coinciding with the Group of 20 in St Petersburg in
early September. The Kremlin was equally "disappointed".
Putin
sent a telegram to George "Dubya" Bush - wishing him a
quick recovery from heart surgery. [1] POTUS went to a US talkshow
and said Russia tended to "slip back into Cold War thinking and
a Cold War mentality."
Brechtian
distancing tells us that "ridiculous" does not even begin
to describe it. The Cold War mentality is actually impregnated in the
Beltway genes - from Capitol Hill to the Pentagon. As for POTUS, he
acted like a diplomatic dilettante at best. "Yes, We Can"
has morphed into "Yes, We Scan"; and now it's "Yes, We
Scorn". This may apply to assorted poodles of European breeding,
but it won't stick to Vlad the Hammer.
The
White House justified its decision by "lack of progress" on
everything including missile defense, arms control, trade and
commercial relations, global security issues, human rights and civil
society. Nonsense; this was all about an impotent POTUS prevented
from prosecuting his war against whistleblowers. Putin's foreign
affairs adviser, Yury Ushakov, was closer to the truth when he said,
"The US is not ready to build relations on an equal basis."
Vlad
the Hammer can sense a wimp of Carter-esque proportions like a polar
bear hunting a seal. He quickly evaluated how the Obama
administration turned its already shaky credibility to ashes on two
simultaneous fronts; because of the scale of the Orwellian/Panopticon
complex detailed by Snowden's leaks, and because of the way he was
being mercilessly hunted.
Adding
a few more nails in the coffin of mainstream media, the New York
Times posted an editorial - arguably "suggested" by the
White House - justifying the cancelation of the summit, saying, "Mr
Putin is a repressive and arrogant leader who treats his people with
contempt." [2] Right; and Snow White lives in the White House.
All
aboard the Trans-Siberian
POTUS's
adolescent tantrum has nothing to do with Cold War. For starters, the
US and Russia are mutually dependent on a vast array of issues. At
least in theory, some adults will be discussing them in Washington
this weekend, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense
Minister Sergei Shoigu meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and
Pentagon head Chuck Hagel.
Vlad
just needs to say the word to turn the already humiliating US/NATO
withdrawal from Afghanistan - as in having their asses kicked by a
bunch of Pashtuns with fake Kalashnikovs - into a cataclysmic
disaster.
Vlad
can subtly calibrate Russia's support for Bashar al-Assad in Syria -
especially after Saudi intelligence chief Prince Bandar "Bush"
bin Sultan paid him a visit in Moscow and allegedly offered to buy
loads of Russian weapons as long as Russia backed off. [3] Putin was
not impressed. Still, Bandar would not have done that without
"consulting" with his US masters.
Vlad
can offer plenty of extra diplomatic support for the new Rouhani
presidency in Iran - including, crucially, new weapons sales, and
solidify Tehran's position in possible negotiations with Washington.
In
the Caucasus, Vlad is on a roll. Georgia is way less antagonistic
towards Moscow. And in Pipelineistan, Russia influenced Azerbaijan's
decision to privilege the Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) over the
perennially doomed Nabucco West, and immediately moved to solidify
energy cooperation between Azerbaijan's SOCAR and Russia's Rosneft.
Both Georgia and Azerbaijan are considered as proverbial "staunch"
US allies.
In
Europe, every cruise ship pilot on the Rhine knows about Russia's
strategic partnership with Germany. On negotiations on natural gas
deals with Italy, France or Poland, for instance, the name of the
Russian game is to secure long-term contracts with plenty of price
breaks and tax schemes.
In
Central and Eastern Europe Vlad is also - what else - on a roll, with
Russia buying scores of strategic manufacturing, chemical and
transport assets.
Then
there's the crucial Trans-Siberian gambit. I did the Trans-Siberian
twice, in winter, in the early 1990s and then in the late 1990s; it's
one hell of a trip. At the time it was mostly about impoverished
Russians buying everything in sight in China and wily Chinese selling
everything they could in Russia. Nowadays it's all about heavy cargo.
The Trans-Siberian moves no less than 120 million tons of cargo a
year - and counting; that's at least 13% of container trade between
Europe and Asia. Russia is investing in a US$17 billion expansion and
adding 55 million extra tons of cargo capacity.
Add
to it tripling the capacity of Russia's Pacific coast terminals by
2020; the expansion of St Petersburg's port; Siemens supplying 675
extra cargo electric locomotives as part of a $3.2 billion deal.
The
name of the game here is Russia increasing its export of raw
commodities by all means available. At least 250,000 barrels of oil a
day - and counting - move from Russia to Asia. The upgraded
Trans-Siberian will do wonders for Europe-Asia trade. Via the
Trans-Siberian, Asian products reach Europe in 10 days; by sea, from
South Korea or Japan, it's at least 28 days to Germany. No wonder
Japan and South Korea are huge Trans-Siberian fans. And from a
European point of view, nothing beats the cheaper, faster
Trans-Siberian way to Asia.
Ain't
got a clue
Cold
War? That's part of the nostalgia business. With a comatose Europe;
multiple frictions between Europe and the US; Beijing looking inward
trying to solve the puzzle of tweaking its development model; and a
paralyzed Obama administration, Moscow has identified the perfect
opening and has embarked in no holds-barred, strategic commercial
expansion.
The
cluelessness of the Obama administration - not to mention US Think
Tankland - cannot be overemphasized. Nobody in the Beltway has
articulated a sound Russian policy - apart from demonizing Putin.
That suits Vlad the Hammer fine; he's busy carefully constructing a
new strategic reality not only in Europe's periphery but at the core
as well. Russia is back - with a bang.
In
this larger scheme of things, drifting towards a post-Post Cold War
environment, the Snowden affair is just a piece of the puzzle. And
here's where the personal perfectly mirrors the political. Vlad the
Hammer knows exactly what he's doing - while Obama the wimp looks
like a deer caught in a Trans-Siberian locomotive's headlights.
Notes:
1. In wishing Bush well, Putin has message for Obama, Reuters, August 8, 2013.
2. What's the Point of a Summit?, The New York Times, August 7, 2013.
3. Saudi offers Russia deal to scale back Assad support - sources, Reuters, August 7, 2013.
Pepe
Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is
Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a
snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. He has also written Obama does
Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).
Mixed
Signals: Russia shrugs off Cold War remarks while Obama plays up
Russia
and the U.S. are sending rather contradictory signals about their
relationship. There's no sign of Cold-War thinking - according to
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who's with the Russian defense chief
meeting their U.S. counterparts. President Obama, though, says
relations need to be paused and re-assessed. It's all in the wake of
Obama cancelling his summit with Vladimir Putin, after Moscow granted
Edward Snowden temporary asylum. RT's Gayane Chichakyan has more.
International relations expert Shirin Sadeghi, says it would be a
mistake if Washington lets Snowden affair damage its ties with Moscow
- as too many world issues depend on them getting along
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