Nov
17
Nuclear War? Not Even Slightly
November 17, 2008 | 1 Comment
During a press conference after G-20 leaders gathered to discuss the economic crisis, Russian President Medvedev said he was really happy with the results. He also mentioned that Russia will not make a move until America will make the first step. (Channel 1 Russia evening news Nov. 16)
Medvedev also said that he is aware that Russia and the United States have a duty to maintain peacekeeping relations between themseleves in order to maintain global safety.
This is seen as quite a change since last January when Russia’s military chief of staff said that Moscow may use nuclear weapons in preventive strikes in case of a major threat. (USA Today)
This stirred quite hostile feelings between Russia and the United States, emphasizing Russia’s isolation and threat to the U.S.
In the past Putin has argued that Russia has a right to build nuclear arms because other countries do so. Iran, for example, is building up their nuclear weapons which Obama has criticized.
Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani replied to what he thinks of Obama’s platform: (CNN.com)
Obama must know that the change that he talks about is not simply a superficial changing of colors or tactics. What is expected is a change in strategy, not the repetition of objections to Iran’s nuclear program, which will be taking a step in the wrong direction.
Reuters reported today that Washington officials say that by placing a NATO-backed missle shield in Europe, the U.S. and its allies will be protected from states like Iran and North Korea. Russia considers this a “direct threat” to its territory.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that “it would do nothing to bring security and complicate things.”
The article also featured a completely different view:
The main reason for the present ill-defined, even ghostly relationship between Europe and Russia is the lack of unity among the Europeans themselves,
said Jacques AndrDeani, a French diplomat and former ambassador to the United States.
Still, Medvedev made it very clear in the G-20 press conference that he is looking forward to overcoming obstacles he had with the Bush administration when Obama will take over as president, in order to move forward and fix the global economic and nuclear dilemmas.
Video: Russian President Wants to Cooperate with Obama (Posted Nov. 6, 2008)
Medvedev is trying to kill the sensational mainstream media idea that we are heading for a nuclear war.
Also,
Obama critisized Iran’s nuclear build up, but will he open up to Russia and stabilize relations?
1 Comment so far
Excellent topic.
So when you have President-elect Obama and future Secretary of State Clinton, two people without an inch of foreign policy experience, how effective will they be with dealing with a thug like Putin and his puppet Medvedev.
According to Dick Morris, “Neither Clinton nor Obama has spent five minutes conducting any aspect of foreign policy in the past. Neither has ever negotiated anything or dealt with diplomatic issues. It is the blonde leading the blind.”
Furthermore, “And then there is the question of whether we want a Secretary of State who is compromised, in advance, by her husband’s dealings with repressive regimes in Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Dubai, the UAE, Morocco, and governments about which we know nothing. These foreign leaders have paid the Clinton family millions of dollars [either]directly and through their library and/or foundation – funds they can and have used as personal income. How do we know that she can conduct foreign policy independently even if it means biting those who have fed her and her husband?”
We have a growing threat in Russia, a growing competitor in China, an improving yet burdening situation in Iraq, meanwhile Pakistan and Afghanistan remain our biggest threats, radical Islamic fundamentalism threatens us when the USA PATRIOT ACT might be weakened with a Democratic congress, our reputation in the world is strained, Socialism is growing in our own hemisphere (Chavez, Morales, Correa), our education system is in the tank (primarily the joke that is the 2 million minutes high school students spend in the 4 years of secondary school), a culture war brewing between traditionalists and secular-progressives, genocide is unchecked (Darfur, Congo), Somolia remains a failed state while Zimbabwe might become one, oh yeah we are also going through the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and the possible development of a Bretton Woods II system without any accountability, all and all our principles (liberty, democracy, justice, tolerance, humility and faith) are being left behind.
What has President-elect Obama done besides bloviate on promises that will remain unfufilled (bipartisan efforts, nationalized health care, change we can believe in) and fill the next administration with former Clinton staffers.
Enjoy the next 4 years. 🙂
Help Received:
“The Idea That is America.” (Anne Marie Slaughter);
“Defense, Liberty, and the Consitution.” (Ron Sievert);
“Fleeced” (Dick Morris);
“Civility” (Stephen Carter);
“Culture Warrior” (Bill O’Reilly);
“The Post-American World” (Fareed Zakaria);
Dick Morris Reports (http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2008/11/23/hillary-nomination-would-be-an-obama-nation/ and http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2008/11/19/bush%e2%80%99s-legacy-european-socialism/)
“Relentless Pursuit: A Year in the Trenches With Teach For America” (Donna Foote)