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Obama’s refusal to travel to Moscow will hurt the U.S. it self.

August 13, 2013   ·   0 Comments

Photo: globallookpress.com

Barack Obama’s refusal to meet with Vladimir Putin was the only important but an episode in a general deterioration in Russian-American relations. Personal contact of presidents in this situation are becoming more rare and formal. Who are the big losers from the abolition of the summit?

Obama – the first American president cancels visit to Moscow, but this is the second case of cancellation of the trip in the history of bilateral relations. Just the last time of the visit of the president refused to host – Soviet – side. In May 1960, over our territory was shot down U.S. spy plane U-2, angered Nikita Khrushchev gave a dressing down not only the Americans held a few days later four-power summit in Paris, but agreed and canceled a visit to Moscow by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The trip was to be a general response to the previous fall of 1959 Khrushchev’s visit to the United States, the first in the history of our relationship, and, in turn, is the first official visit of the head of the U.S. in Moscow. As a result of this visit had to wait for 12 years – until 1972, the Kremlin has not visited Nixon.

In the 60 years of Soviet-American relations have teetered on the brink of a direct conflict (though unofficially that our military and so fought in Vietnam), personal contacts between senior management were extremely rare – in the 12 years after the cancellation of the visit to the Eisenhower and Nixon’s visit to Moscow were Only two of the summit: in 1961 in Vienna between Khrushchev and Kennedy in 1967 in the American Glassboro between Johnson and Kosygin.

Personal relations between the Soviet and American leaders did not happened – Khrushchev, Kennedy looked at how aggressive the young and inexperienced in international affairs, politics, and the contact between the ready to complete the term of Johnson and soon gave Brezhnev, Kosygin foreign policy issues in general could seriously affect bilateral relations.

Regular summits were held only in the years 1972-1975 – and that’s when Brezhnev managed to establish human contact with Nixon and to a lesser extent with Ford. But the general confrontation between the two powers in the world only grew – and then in 1975 came again, the 12-year pause: while in 1987, Gorbachev came to Washington. During all these years the meeting took place on neutral territory only three times: in 1979 in Vienna between Carter (whose brain was Brzezinski) and Brezhnev and in 1985-1986 between Gorbachev and Reagan.

Since 1987, has become an annual exchange of visits, and personal relationship with the Americans Gorbachev began as contacts between the leaders of the two superpowers ended unprecedented concessions and almost pleading for help in dealing with internal problems. After the collapse of the USSR Gorbachev accepted Reagan at his ranch and presented him with a cowboy hat, which was the former Secretary General of indescribably happy.

In the 90 years of the exchange of visits between the president added more and contacts on the sidelines of the summit of leaders “Big Eight.” About how often Boris Yeltsin and Bill Clinton held talks, a lot of interesting and shameful for us told Strobe Tellbot, a classmate of Clinton and his chief adviser on Russian affairs. Yeltsin’s attempts to persuade the Americans: “Bi-i-ll, we are not rivals – we’re friends!” – Have imposed on the memoirs of an American president: “I have not seen it from his father, an alcoholic, so that Yeltsin nebeznadezhen.”

However, at the end of the 90s rhythm and content of the summits have lost – both because of Yeltsin’s health, and because of the arrival of the Foreign Ministry Yevgeny Primakov and began restoring Russia’s foreign policy independence. The game of give-away from Russia finally ended at that time, in the spring of 1999, after the bombing of Belgrade, prime minister Primakov turned his plane over the Atlantic.

The coming to power of Vladimir Putin returned to regular personal contacts. Meetings have become much more common – except for the exchange of visits and meetings of the “eight” was introduced to communicate in various multilateral summits, such as the annual meetings of APEC. Human contact with George W. Bush looked into the soul of the Russian president, which he never forgave many American russophobes, initially lined up well.

But the relentless expansion of U.S. foreign and their unwillingness to somehow take the interests of Russia, even in the post-Soviet space (not to mention the strong opposition to our efforts to economically closer to Europe) have led to the fact that by the middle of the zero Putin seems to have completely disillusioned with the possibilities personal diplomacy with the American president. His speech in Munich in 2006, where he first called many things by their proper names, was only voicing what used to Putin chose not to speak out loud.

“The whole system of law … United States has overstepped its national borders in every way, both in the economy and in politics and in the humanitarian sphere – are imposed on other countries “, – said Putin while stressing that the unipolar world is impossible and Russia will not give up an independent foreign policy.

Understanding that the very identity of the U.S. president has little influence on policy approaches in the development of American politics, it seems, has also led to Putin’s decision to reduce the senseless contacts and even more so a trip to the United States – the last time he was in America six years ago.

But, of course, the main reason was that the U.S. policy towards both Russia and Putin personally, all these years was becoming harder and candid.

Deployment of missile defense in Europe, which the Americans, as they say, “under Durikov” try to mask the non-existent Iranian threat, rightly perceived by Moscow as a threat to our national security. Continues to gain momentum through the pressure on Moscow so loved back in the 70’s accusations of human rights violations in the same way the Kremlin regarded as an attempt to direct interference in our internal affairs, which seeks to Russia as discrimination in the world, and the impact on the situation in our country.

In addition, the part of Washington is a constant opposition to all attempts of Moscow to strengthen the integration of the former Soviet Union – States would not want to historical Russia, which includes primarily the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, has re-emerged on the world stage.

Similarly, the U.S. is trying to prevent the recovery of the lost even Russia since the Soviet Union positions in Africa, Asia and Latin America, to prevent economic integration with the European Union, the alignment of the axis of Moscow – Berlin.

This is an information war against Russia with the persistent use of technology against us to stimulate and manipulate the protest movement. And this is a direct challenge to, the transfer of opposition to Russia, an attempt to undermine the enemy from within. It would be very strange if Putin did not see it, or if it all he liked. The general deterioration of relations reflected in the frequency of meetings of the leaders – and especially in the exchange of visits. Last time such an official mission took the Russian side – in 2010, President Medvedev visited the United States, where once again spoke with Barack Obama.

In contrast to the Bush and Obama, Putin, it seems, and not trying to build a special personal relationship has changed because the very understanding of the role of the American President Putin. In addition, Barack Obama only confirmed this skepticism – he was even less independent in foreign affairs. And if Bush was among the mentors not only Vice President Cheney, but also own father, the elder Bush, Obama was under the care of both Hillary Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden. Tough anti-Russian stance of the former first lady is no longer a secret, and Biden had to excel even in personal contacts. It was in the spring of 2011, he tried to persuade Putin not to run for president.

“Biden told us that at the meeting with Putin, said that not appropriate nomination for a new term. Russia, according to the American vice-president, was tired of Putin, the fatigue will increase, and will inevitably lead to events similar to those that occur in the Arab world “- this is expounded then Garry Kasparov.

The Americans have made a variety of efforts to prevent the return of Putin to the Kremlin – both hidden and overt, both independently and through the support of disaffected them domestically. But such a statement Biden’s important not only because it was an unprecedented interference in the internal affairs of Russia (as if the Americans were transferred in 1993) – is of great importance also purely human factor. It is clear that such things Vladimir Putin did not forget, especially when they come from a man who in many ways determines the foreign policy of the United States. What Putin can seriously negotiate with those who are in every way – right down to the poorly hidden threats – was trying to stop him?

Not surprisingly, after the return of Putin to the Kremlin, the two presidents have not exchanged visits, in fact, plan immediately after the inauguration of Russian President his trip to the United States for a summit of “eight” and meet the NATO – Russia has been canceled. Putin officially because of employment, and in fact – because of dissatisfaction with the fact that the Americans continued to support the deployment of missile defense and started to prepare the anti-Russian “Magnitsky Act”. Six months later, in December 2012, an act was passed, sparking harsh response of Moscow.

Now the reason for the cancellation of Obama’s visit was the situation with Snowden. Officially, the Americans say, and still no progress on missile defense and human rights violations in Russia. Naturally, in its rhetoric the administration in Washington has to take into account the sharply anti-Russian stance of the Republican opposition has proposed to introduce a variety of sanctions, and generally tougher policy toward Moscow, but still in the approaches to global, the key problems of our relations in the American elite are no special differences.

After all, the fact the U.S. is most outraged by the gradual but persistent return of Russia into the global geopolitical game. Washington is not ready to accept the idea that Russia can only exist as a world power. Having become accustomed over the years to a weak and cautious Moscow and convincing yourself and others that in Russia almost completely absent nationally oriented elite and independent geopolitical thinking, the Americans were surprised to find that Moscow is not just trying on a large game, but it is beginning to play it.

If 10 years ago we could not physically interfere with the occupation of Iraq, and a couple of years ago, clumsy maneuvers were trapped in the Libyan issue, we now have nearly enough expertly pulled the Syrian seemingly hopeless situation. Of course, the main problems in the coming years, Russia are waiting in the way of collecting the fragments of the former Soviet Union – and the Americans are not going to give us a single inch of the former and the future of our land. But their capabilities – both military and financial, and information-ideological – the seemingly limitless by now, is clearly insufficient for this purpose.

Now we are seeing only the first steps of a long journey back Russia. Stop us in the medium term, America will not be able to, but admit the obvious in its own interest. And the sooner, the better. Because the rise of Russian opposition futile, attempts to isolate it, the pressure of turning into direct diktat and blackmail, only delay the inevitable, and the only salvation for America’s transition to isolationism and accelerate the drift of Russia to the increasingly harsh anti-globalization politics. After all, Russia is not only able to join in, but he lead the widening front offended and insulted (and increasingly strong and active) willing to push the still formidable, but surely falling giant.

To understand this, policies need to be a person that can look beyond the horizon – and behind the backs of advisers who plan, as it seems, not only the schedule of the president, but also the agenda for the world. Sometimes these policies emerged in America during the war, Roosevelt as the same, but better, of course, for this to happen in our own, yet peace.

Automatically translated from Russian

Russia.ru

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