Russia to Europe: Let’s have an anti-US alliance

Somehow, I doubt that Russia’s latest diplomatic project will gain much traction with its closest European neighbors, but it does at least expose the Russians as something other than allies to the US. Dmitry Medvedev has called on France and other European nations to form an anti-American front. Nicolas Sarkozy declined direct comment:

THE President of Russia has called on Europe’s leaders to create a new world order that would minimise the role of the United States.

Confident that a row with Europe prompted by Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August was over, Dmitry Medvedev arrived in the French spa town of Evian on Wednesday determined to woo his fellow leaders into creating an anti-US front. …

In a speech delivered to European leaders at a conference hosted by the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, to discuss the international financial crisis, Mr Medvedev sought to show that the US was at the root of all the world’s problems. He blamed Washington’s “economic egotism” for the world’s financial woes and then accused the Bush Administration of taking Europe to the brink of a new cold war by pursuing a deliberately divisive foreign policy.

He also maintained that the US was once again trying to return to a policy of containing Russia.

Small wonder. Vladimir Putin has tried strongarming former Soviet republics into falling back into Moscow’s satellite system. He attempted to interfere with elections in Ukraine, with some convinced that the Russians were behind the poisoning of Viktor Yushchenko, who then launched the Orange Revolution and pushed the pro-Moscow Viktor Yanukovych out of power. The UK believes that the Russians assassinated former KGB agent and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, which Litvinenko himself said before he died of radiation poisoning from a dose of polonium.

Somehow, I doubt that Russia's latest diplomatic project will gain much traction with its closest European neighbors, but it does at least expose the Russians as something other than allies to the US. Dmitry Medvedev has called on France and other European nations to form an anti-American front... Confident that a row with Europe prompted by Russia's invasion of Georgia in August was over, Dmitry Medvedev arrived in the French spa town of Evian... In a speech delivered to European leaders at a conference... to discuss the international financial crisis, Mr Medvedev... blamed Washington's "economic egotism" for the world's financial woes and then accused the Bush Administration of taking Europe to the brink of a new cold war by pursuing a deliberately divisive foreign policy. He also maintained that the US was once again trying to return to a policy of containing Russia.

Thanks Dawnsblood.

The act of pouring a toast on the floor has long been regarded as a rejection of both a salute and whoever proposed it. It is a strong insult, an act of outrage, and a curse all rolled into one.

In this case, the invasion of Georgia brought back terrible memories of Russian domination and abuse to eastern Europeans. They had to live for 40 years in what amounted to slavery while their nations were looted and despoiled by Russia.

For Russia to propose an alliance with them against America, the only nation that continually supported them all those years, is like a rapist asking the married woman he just beat and raped if she wants to leave her husband and be his, the rapists, girlfriend.

Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, heck, even Ukraine, and definitely Georgia, want nothing more to do with Russia.

Yes, I know, I'm Polish myself, however we've decided to drink Georgian wine (banned in Russia) rather then pouring a toast on the floor. :)

the invasion of Georgia brought back terrible memories of Russian domination and abuse to eastern Europeans. They had to live for 40 years in what amounted to slavery while their nations were looted and despoiled by Russia.

"...the history of Soviet foreign policy since World War II was a “record of tyranny” that included violation of the Yalta Agreements, leading to domination of Eastern Europe, symbolized by the Berlin wall, a grim gray monument to repression. ... It includes the takeovers of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Afghanistan and the ruthless repression of the proud people of Poland. Soviet – sponsored guerillas and terrorrists are at work in Central and South America, in Africa, the Middle East, in the Carribean and in Europe, violating human rights and unnerving the world with violence. Communist atrocities in Southeast Asia, Afghanistan, and elsewhere continue to shock the free world as refugees escape to tell their horror..."

Reagan, 17 June 1982, "Remarks in New York, New York, Before the United Nations General Assembly Special Session Devoted to Disarmament"

To the nations you have mentioned I'd also start adding Belarus, although Łukaszenko is on the oil-pipe leash of Moscow, he seems to understand that Russian-Belarusian "friendship" is a friendship of wolf and sheep. Łukaszenko decided to take neutral stance on the war case which was understood by Russians as an anti-Russian rebelion. Soon oil price for Belarus was increased, but Łukaszenko stayed neutral all the way. He also pardoned some political opositionists in his country. Łukaszenko is a commie scum, there is no doubt about it, but Russian behaviour pushes Belarus towards Europe and civilization. We should support that as Reagan offered similar thing in 1982

"The objective I propose is quite simple to state: to foster the infrastructure of democracy-the system of a free press, unions, political parties, universities- which allows a people to choose their own way, to develop their own culture, to reconcile their own differences through peaceful means. This is not cultural imperialism: it is providing the means for genuine self-determination and protection for diversity. Democracy already flourishes in countries with very different cultures and historical experiences. It would be cultural condescension, or worse, to say that any people prefer dictatorship to democracy. Who would voluntarily choose not to have the right to vote, decide to purchase government propaganda handouts instead of independent newspapers, prefer government to worker-controlled unions, opt for land to be owned by the state instead of those who, till it, want government repression of religious liberty, a single political party instead of a free choice, a rigid cultural orthodoxy instead of democratic tolerance and diversity? (Reagan, 8 June 1982, “Speech to the House of Commons”)"

Łukaszenko saying "No!" to the Russians... hell is kind of chilly today.

It’s only scary if you consider the US to loose it’s predominant position in the western world - but wich western nation would want to live without it right now ?

There’s just no better alternative yet - the EU is not unified enough to act all alone - russia as a partner is to drunk, china and india have to find their feet yet.

The directions are clear though - in 10 years G20 will be more important than G7 and this is because billions of people will (hopefully) escape poverty and find their ways to a proper education - that certainly leaves 250 million US Americans in no situation as if they could write history on their own any longer - you guys will have to form alliances more and more.

I don’t see that as a no go - it’s actually what the US is good at.

But for Europe there will certainly be no exchange of leadership/partnership role of the US by a close relation to Russia - or China or whoever.

It seemed to me in recent times the US was much to eager to stress it’s position as a leading nation - that actually had a very negative effect on the popularity of the US in Europe - but the one thing is what people like and the other what people need.

The US and the EU need close ties - especially in the next 2 years.

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