Posted on 06/06/2006 11:22:15 PM PDT by vertolet
Relations between the US and Russia are deteriorating badly and there is a danger of conflict in the flashpoints of the south Caucasus, according to senior former officials and corporate leaders advising the EastWest Institute (EWI).
EWI board members at the think-tank's annual meeting in Charleston were almost unanimous in calling for moves to prevent what one called an emerging "cold peace" between the US and Russia.
John Mroz, founder and president of EWI, called the deterioration worrisome. He placed the trend in the context of growing distrust between the major powers, including China, with the world in a state of transition between globalised and marginalised societies "no longer on automatic pilot moving towards a market-centric world".
This had resulted in the rise of ethnic and nationalist identities, with growing numbers seeing globalisation threatening their cultures and religion.
Western societies were also losing their moral authority, he said, citing the example of the reported massacre of Iraqi civilians by US troops in Haditha which would inflict "enormous damage" on the US.
Several speakers - who under EWU guidelines spoke on condition of anonymity - expressed concerns that "populist" presidents in Taiwan and Georgia risked overplaying their nationalist hands and triggering military incidents or conflict between the US and China, and the US and Russia.
With Montenegro newly independent, and Kosovo on the way to statehood, the dangers of domino-style conflict were rising in the breakaway, Russian-backed enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia.
"Georgia is an alarming situation and worse than thought," said one former official.
"The mood is ugly and getting uglier," said a corporate executive on the state of US-Russia ties.
Noting that every declared US presidential candidate was "bashing Russia", one speaker predicted a worsening trend as both countries headed towards elections in 2008.
Established in 1980, EWI describes itself as a "do-tank", working mostly behind the scenes directly with governments to address global security concerns. In the mid-80s it arranged "non-meetings" of senior US and Soviet defence officials in Budapest to discuss confidence-building measures.
Under a new initiative, Germany has seconded Ortwin Hennig, a senior official dealing in conflict prevention, to EWI to head a task force on US-Russia relations. Washington and Moscow are also each appointing a senior diplomat to focus on the south Caucasus. EWI is working with diplomats from all sides preparing for the G8 summit in St Petersburg next month.
Cheney just called a spade a spade and the Russkies had a hissy-fit. ===
Cheney is extreme hypocrite. HE bashed Russia then next day he goes to Kazakhstan to praise Nazarbaev who sits in president chair 4th term continuously. Does Nazarbaev "democracy" is better then russian? Russia doesn't have the president who rules for 15 years and no stop.
Whole Russia sees that then people realizes that Cheney is just clown.
"Cheney is extreme hypocrite. HE bashed Russia then next day he goes to Kazakhstan to praise Nazarbaev who sits in president chair 4th term continuously. Does Nazarbaev "democracy" is better then russian? Russia doesn't have the president who rules for 15 years and no stop."
I think the jury is still out on Putin as to how long he intends to stay in office. The article made no mention of the deterioration in US-Russian relations that have occurred since Putin came to power:
1. Putin's role in blocking UN action on Iraq
2. Russia's role in cleaning Iraq of WMDs prior to the allied invasion
3. Russian sale of sophisticated naval weaponry to China
4. Efforts to overthrow democratic movements in the Ukraine and elsewhere.
5. Kazakhstan was an ally in the Iraq invasion and is also strategically important.
Cheney was promoting US national interests which is the purpose of foreign policy. You call Cheney a clown. But he has liberated more people and helped foster democracy in more countries than Putin ever will.
Read the Bible. This isn't news.
Well, on that score, you're right. But ANY woman might take half your money.
(Thank God, sincerely, that I've got a good one!)
What's the old joke? "My wife made me a millionaire. I used to have two million."
Our policy of blowing off Russia is bone-headed, if you ask me.
Stereotyping!
My Stepson married a wonderful young woman from Minsk, Belarus. She is not manipulative or an ex-prostitute. Her values are as solid as any American woman, perhaps stronger. Also, she hasn't been tainted by the American feminist movement. Something that cannot be said for many young American women.
Very old, very tired propagandist trick: the alleged massacre allegedly happened in November, and was reported by one and only diaper-head "stringer" who just happened to leave the American jail-house... and he reported it by producing staged interviews with the alleged witnesses of the alleged massacre.
Nevertheless, the MSM and all the Al-Qaeda cheerleaders from the Left speak about this bullsh*t as if there is hard evidence of it, as if it were fact.
Only those who want to believe this, would.
As to the Russian (KGB rulers) being enemies of America, what's the news?
This question is irrelevant to the topic as well as Cheney's visit to Kazakhstan and what he did or didn't say there - and YOU KNOW THAT, Vanjusha!
Bulsh*tting again?
| 171 Rwanda | 242 |
| 172 Afghanistan | 228 |
| 173 Sierra Leone | 219 |
| 174 Eritrea | 206 |
| 175 Guinea-Bissau | 181 |
| 176 Malawi | 161 |
| 177 Ethiopia | 153 |
| 178 Democratic Republic of the Congo | 119 |
| 179 Burundi | 107 |
| 180 Myanmar | 97 |
I think it's a mutual blow off. The problem is that we have the most to lose by it since they have vast natural resources, and are in position either to help us, or to help our enemies. If the situation is going to change, someone has got to take the first step, and unfortunately, our government has decided that it is going to stand on "principle" rather than trying to do something constructive. The result is that the Russians are helping our enemies instead of us. In the long run, that is going to come back to haunt us. Looking 20 years down the road, it may be that we are snatching defeat from the jaws of victory in the Cold War.
Even North Korea is civilized compared to Iran.
PIng
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