Europe should be more allied with Russia than it is with the U.S. ?
Friend or Foe ?
During this conference it was refreshing to actually hear a leader of a country actually state what seems obvious to most people in the world. It is a shame that no European or US leader had the guts to say this....
"Unilateral and frequently illegitimate actions have not resolved any problems. Moreover, they have caused new human tragedies and created new centres of tension. Judge for yourselves: wars as well as local and regional conflicts have not diminished. Mr Teltschik mentioned this very gently. And no less people perish in these conflicts – even more are dying than before. Significantly more, significantly more!
Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force – military force – in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. As a result we do not have sufficient strength to find a comprehensive solution to any one of these conflicts. Finding a political settlement also becomes impossible.
We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law. And independent legal norms are, as a matter of fact, coming increasingly closer to one state’s legal system. One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations. Well, who likes this? Who is happy about this?"
It seems that a lot of US / UK companies involved in freelance security (Blackwater) and any involved with manufacture of WMD (made in the West i.e. BAE) ...
"However, today we are witnessing the opposite tendency, namely a situation in which countries that forbid the death penalty even for murderers and other, dangerous criminals are airily participating in military operations that are difficult to consider legitimate. And as a matter of fact, these conflicts are killing people – hundreds and thousands of civilians!"
Double standards... us.. cant be ...
"Did not our country have a peaceful transition to democracy? Indeed, we witnessed a peaceful transformation of the Soviet regime – a peaceful transformation! And what a regime! With what a number of weapons, including nuclear weapons! Why should we start bombing and shooting now at every available opportunity? Is it the case when without the threat of mutual destruction we do not have enough political culture, respect for democratic values and for the law? "
I suppose he can use the word peaceful, compared to the way we bring democracy and peace to IRAQ and AFGANISTAN.
I am waiting for other leaders to stand up against the pressures of the US, apparantly the UK cannot stand up for itself. Far be it from our useless government to stand up and say something is wrong, when it is obvious to most of the planet...
Speech at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
In Britain we have a new Prime Minister. One very different from before. He has proved to be quite popular because he is percieved to be a serious politician.
His predecessor was very popular at first and still had a strong following up till the War in Iraq.
Frankly I don't know anyone who thinks it was right to go to War in Iraq. The 'sexed up' dossier has been proved to be such. There never were weapons of mass destruction. And the 'he can attack us in 45 minutes' was the pivotal lie to enable Blair to commit the country to war.
It seems Blair did not think that decapitating the government of Iraq would cause a problem. Maybe he believed that the Iraqi's would rise up in joy and exaltation and quickly sweep away all those who were related to the oppressors. Then of course with a little help from the invaders they would quickly replace the governing infrastructure, and the invading armies could withdraw acclaimed by all the World for their wonderful efforts. Blair also thought it would be a repeat of the Falklands where the Prime Minister would reap the esteem of a grateful nation. Just how naive can a person be!
Gordon Brown is a different type of political animal. I don't think he is a naive as Blaire. also I don't think it is likely that the British people could be conned into another war so easily.
Although that lunatic Bush is clearly determined to drive Iran into a corner and to make a case for another pre-emptive strike, they might find themselves going alone on that one.
Surely there must also come a time when the other nations of the world find a way to constrain America: Though I have a feeling that it will not happen until China starts to use its military and financial muscle.
Toenail
Thanks to the independence that he has given Russia, with its new role as an energy superpower, Putin's team exudes a confidence that neither Brezhnev, the last traditional Soviet leader, nor his more democratic successors, Gorbachev and Yeltsin, ever had.
A century of western ability to influence Russia's internal development is finally over. That is Putin's main legacy. He has created the foundation for a political and social system that does not require western fear or favour to survive. He is pursuing a foreign policy that is not dominated by what Washington or indeed Europe expect him to do. Russia is neither competing with the west nor confronting it - nor, at the other extreme, is it desperately trying to join the western club. It prefers its relations with the west to be good rather than bad, but if the west wants a new cold war, Russia will choose either to ignore it or respond in kind.
For the next few decades at least, the west will have to accept this new independence. It must learn to treat Russia in the same way as it already treats China - as an economic and strategic giant that it no longer lectures and provokes but trades and lives with on realistic and sober terms.
Post a Comment