Russians ponder: 'Should we care what Joe Biden says?'
Izvestia, Russia
Shall We Say to
Hell With Joe Biden?
"Russians always put a lot of stock in what foreigners say about us. ... So
someone said something downright insulting to us, so what? Should we so neurotically
attach statements like this with such meaning?"
By Georgiy Bovt, Political Scientist
Translated By Yekaterina Blinova
July 31, 2009
Russia - Izvestia - Original Article (Russian)
It's doubtful that in the
U.S., Vice President Joseph Biden's recent interview with The Wall Street
Journal received the same amount of "media coverage," as
Americans would put it, as it has here in Russia. We always put a lot of stock
in what foreigners say about us. In modern history, this goes back to the times
that Lenin conversed with Herbert
Wells at the Kremlin. Even then, it was important that foreign guests leave
enchanted …
And now - oh this bad Biden has
said that the Russian economy is "withering," that the country is
threatened by a demographic crisis, that our banking system is weak (but
somehow he allowed that "weak" system to continue for 15 long years
before it collapsed), and our nuclear deterrent is dissipating before our very
eyes. According to Biden, all of these elements combined will force Russians to
be more docile in their relations with the West - and with America in
particular. And he, that scoundrel, even commented on the "Nabucco" gas
pipeline that would circumvent Russia on its way to Europe: they, Europeans,
would never have agreed to build it if not for Russian "gas blackmail."
Not only didn't the interview
go unnoticed in Russia - it was widely publicized and "worthy" of
comment from senior diplomats and the president's assistant on foreign affairs,
Sergey Prikhodko
himself. Political commentators have begun to look for - and find - "two
lines" in the Obama Administration, that might square the situation with the
Bush era, when Vice President Cheney played the role of chief "hawk."
To balance out Biden’s messages, the statement by Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton was immediately and gladly "highlighted," particularly her comments
recognizing the important role Russia plays in the world and in particular
areas, for the United States. What joy! We have been praised and recognized as
important!
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Yezhednevniy Zhurnal, Russia:
Ossified Kremlin Misreads Biden Visit to Georgia
Moskovskij Komsomolets, Russia:
Russians Ask: Does Joe Biden Really Speak for Obama?
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Russia:
Espousing Theory of U.S. Demise Damages Russia's Reputation
So should we say to hell with
Biden? And with what Hillary said, too? So someone said something downright
insulting to us (although, if Biden’s remarks were made by one
of our analysts, this viewpoint would at least be considered worthy of
existence), so what? Should we so neurotically attach statements like this with
such meaning? Should foreign policy in general, tactically, let alone
strategically, be based on a reaction to what someone may have said? Such conduct
on the part of a country would look - at least to most observers - as pitiful
and flawed as the temperamental behavior of an adolescent with whom one should
be especially careful. Not in negotiations but when speaking symbolically, in
order not to hurt his self image. It's as if
someone at the American government level began to respond seriously to the extravagant
forecasts of our professor at the Diplomatic Academy
[Igor Panarin], who predicts the dissolution of
America into several countries within a mere year or two. How dare this
teacher of future Russian diplomats threaten the integrity and sovereignty of
the United States!
Or consider not Biden, but Belarus
President Alexander
Lukashenko and his staff. Some time ago, there was nearly a
Russian-Belorussian diplomatic crisis when a Belorussian official, and not even
one a senior one, made a statement about Belorussians needing to comply
Georgian law while visiting South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Well, strictly
speaking, if citizens of any country in the world plan a trip to Georgia, they
must at least know that if they have a stamp in their passport testifying to
their entry through Russia into South Ossetia or Abkhazia, they could face up
to four years imprisonment in Georgia. Recently, an Armenian citizen was
arrested on this charge - and convicted. And this is precisely why
recommendations similar to those of Belorussia had already been made by other
members of the Commonwealth
of Independent States. As the saying goes, they are entitled to do so.
Posted
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And as for the fact that the
Belorussian chief of state hasn't followed through with his earlier suggestions
to us that he would recognize the two new countries - to hell with him too. We
have no business scouring the world for new allies on this issue. It is alleged
that we have convinced Nicaragua, but that they, having recognized the two new
countries, still don’t want to establish diplomatic relations. Let no one at
all recognize them any time soon. We must be very patient about waiting for one
or another solution that will satisfy us. There's no need to rush into
demeaning, premature requests, particularly by offering subsidized loans. Such a
rush would be appreciated by no one and would earn us no sincere support. And
besides, if we're confident in our position then there's no need to seek approval
of our confidence from some outsider's words, praise and flattery - but
insincere support. This is true in the case of Biden, in the case of
Lukashenko, and in all other cases.
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[Posted
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