Putin to America: You’re not special (and don’t hit Syria)

msnbc ^ | Sept 11, 2013 | Clare Kim

[Jim Robinson]

Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he was worried about the “insufficient communication” between Russia and the United States, decided “to speak directly to the American people.”

In a new opinion piece for The New York Times, he made the case against military strikes in Syria, arguing that the potential conflict would “result in more innocent victims and escalation” and spread beyond Syria. The Russian leader tried to protect his ally (though he said he was motivated by respect for international law, not concern for Bashar al-Assad), by urging the U.S. not to bypass the United Nations Security Council.

“We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos,” Putin wrote.

“The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.”

Putin characterized the conflict in Syria, a longtime client state, as “an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country.”

The Russian president raised the specter of al Qaeda using Syria as a breeding ground for future terrorists. “There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations.”

[ScottinVA]

I would like to think that the voting population in the US has once again seen the naked truth of what liberalism is about and will run, fast, in the other direction.

Ummm...

Never mind.

[omega4179]

I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.
....
I am not sure how to interpret this translation.

[OldNewYork]

Maybe he never got over not being invited to choom gang parties as a teen.

Here’s the op-ed piece for anyone that missed it (I had to do a brief search); I didn’t see it linked above -

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?_r=0

[trisham]

Hasn’t it been Obama, his wife and administration who have been telling us for years how much better than America other countries and the UN are? Putin is simply agreeing with them.