"Poland
has not been offered up on the altar of new Russian-American relations. And
apparently, neither have other post-Soviet states that Russia considers part of
its sphere of influence."
Secretary of State
Clinton makes a peace offering to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
during a meeting in Geneva, Mar. 6. The gift - a button marked 'reset' in
English, was meant to convey a new beginning. Unfortunately, the Russian
word on the button, 'peregruzka,' means 'overload.'
There’s nothing wrong with
smiling. There's nothing wrong with declaring a new beginning in relations
between the two powers - whether it's called a reset or a perezagruzka.
There’s nothing wrong with
reducing the nuclear arsenal or with military cooperation on Afghanistan. To
the contrary. But that doesn’t mean that the Moscow meeting between the great
of this world - Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev - should be considered a
breakthrough that will change the world.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
In particular, it wasn't a
breakthrough from the Polish point of view. We still don’t know whether plans
to build components of an anti-missile shield in our country will remain plans
and nothing more. But we do know, pressure from Russia notwithstanding, that the
project is yet to be buried, meaning that Obama didn't offer Medvedev the greatest
gift. If he were to do so, surely it would have happened during their first
meeting in the Kremlin.
Everything seems to indicate
that the new president of the United States is now convinced that the reasons for
creating the shield given by his predecessor remain - more poignantly than
ever. Iran and North Korea are a threat, and Russia either doesn’t want or
cannot do anything about it.
Poland has not been offered
up on the altar of new Russian-American relations. And apparently, neither have
other post-Soviet states that Russia considers part of its sphere of influence,
including Georgia, whose territorial integrity Obama mentioned.
All of this testifies to
Obama’s diplomatic skills: he has obtained help on Afghanistan, but not at the
expense of his allies (who themselves are engaged there). He also managed to
reinforce his host’s image, signaling that it's Dmitry Medvedev who is his
partner - and the most important man in Russia.
Will the Russians believe it?
Will Medvedev meet expectations - as more liberal than party leader Vladimir
Putin, i.e.: mentally detached from the Cold War and willing, for instance, to release
former oil magnate Mikhail
Khodorkovsky from prison? [photo,left].
These
questions have no answers. But the seed has been sown. It was Barack Obama who
did it.
