Ukraine Crisis: 'Obama is No John F. Kennedy' (SueddeutscheZeitung, Germany)
"The G-7 countries are not meeting in a council of war, but
rather a council of the perplexed, of the overpowered. ... If Obama's time in
office has taught us anything, it is this: the president is nothing if not shy
about foreign entanglements. Obama doesn’t see America as a global policeman,
and saving Detroit is more important to him than saving Donetsk. ... Obama is
no John F. Kennedy, who is willing to 'pay any price, bear any burden,' to
defend freedom in Europe. Sevastopol 2014 is not Berlin 1961. That is
reassuring, but it's also sobering."
At the Palais Des Beaux Arts in Brussels, President Obama offers his strongest criticism yet of Russia's annexation of Crimea, finally countering the argument that America is hypocritical because of its own actions in Iraq, or NATO's actions in Kosovo, Mar. 26.
Last
summer, when Barack Obama visited Europe, it was so hot he took off his jacket
and rolled up his sleeves before making a speech at the Brandenburg Gate -
where the Wall once divided Germany and the continent. The U.S. president landed
in Europe greeted by an icy breath. For the first time in decades, a European
country has taken territory from another by force. For the first time in
decades, Russia is again a threat to the West. Obama is arriving in a frosty
Europe again divided.
One
need not speak of another Cold War. The first real Cold War was a matter of
life and death for millions of people. America and Russia today will not engage
in the same degree of conflict, which ultimately enveloped the entire world. Russia’s
booty - Crimea - is too small, and the victim of the theft - Ukraine, isn’t
sufficiently anchored in the West. But we shouldn’t delude ourselves: The
annexation was a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the U.S. and
Europe. He wants the respect that Russia has allegedly earned, that the West
has supposedly not paid him, and that he will take it by force if necessary.
This
aggressive stance has taken the West by surprise. In recent years, the
Europeans have been busy rescuing their currency and their Union. In the U.S.,
Obama has been primarily attending to domestic policy. When it came to foreign
affairs, it was about the rise of China, Iran’s nuclear program, the war in
Syria, the Arab uprisings, or nuclear weapons disarmament - problems the White
House hoped (and still hopes) to solve with the help of Moscow. Everyone knew
that the man in the Kremlin mourned the late Soviet Union. But no one believed he
would attempt a resurrection. From the American point of view, Europe was
checked off as a region of the world that was no longer of concern to the U.S.
as a protective power.
Whether
the U.S. and Europe accept Putin's challenge is still unclear. So far, the
West’s punitive measures have been relatively modest - a few talks were canceled,
a few accounts were frozen, individuals close to Putin are not permitted to
enter. On the sidelines of a nuclear conference in The Hague, the world’s
leading industrialized countries are meeting in their old configuration, the
G-7. The eighth member, Russia, is missing. Everyone knows, though, that this type
of pressure will not sway Putin.
It’s
true that the U.S. gone a step further and imposed sanctions on a St. Petersburg
bank. Cutting off Russian businesses from U.S. financial markets would indeed
be effective. However, the truth is (and everyone knows this, including Putin):Crimea is lost. And as long as Russia doesn’t
annex additional territories in neighboring countries, the West will back down from
a major confrontation with Russia. Whether or not things get that far - that is
now Putin’s decision.
The
G-7 countries are not meeting in a council of war, but rather a council of the
perplexed, of the overpowered. For many European countries, Germany among them,
if they were to seriously oppose Russia, there is a lot at stake for the
economy. And Obama thinks it's dusty and backward to think in terms of spheres
of influence, strategic front gardens, and in any case - backyards. The U.S.
will defend NATO members in Eastern Europe. But Ukraine?
If
Obama’s time in office has taught us anything, it is this: the president is
nothing if not shy about foreign entanglements. Obama doesn’t see America as a
global policeman, and saving Detroit is more important to him than saving
Donetsk. Obama is not a commander-in-chief who sends divisions to battle in
far-off campaigns. He sends his opponents a drone. The civilized version
thereof is being locked out of your account.
Barack
Obama didn't arrive as a great protector and patron. Washington’s anger over
Putin’s brazen land grab doesn't really arise as a result of geopolitical
considerations. Rather, Obama is annoyed because the Russian is throwing a spanner
into the works again, saddling him with a problem that doesn’t fit into his
political calculations. Obama is no John F. Kennedy, who is willing to “pay any
price, bear any burden,” to defend freedom in Europe. Sevastopol 2014 is not
Berlin 1961.
That
is reassuring, but it's also sobering: there will be no war in Crimea. But
neither will freedom for Crimea come quickly.
