English: Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schroeder (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s official: all roads lead to Russia. More specifically, all roads lead to Russian President Vladimir Putin as he continues to masterfully control and manipulate the major geopolitical crises affecting America.
Syria? Putin in charge.
Iran? Putin in charge.
Snowden and the NSA leaks? Putin in charge.
Consider this: As the Syria peace talks began this morning in Switzerland, Russia exposed itself once more as little more than a staunch ally of beleaguered Syrian President Assad. They currently stand as one of the primary, if not the primary, impediments to a peaceful solution and transition.
John Kerry described the Syrian crisis as a test for the international community. He made it clear that Assad playing any role in a transitional administration was “unthinkable” and that “the right to lead a country does not come from torture.” He said, “The only thing standing in the way is the stubborn clinging to power of one man.”
Russian Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov chimed in with the Russian position, challenging the American view that Assad should be excluded from a possible transitional government. Lavrov argued that the conference had to “refrain from any attempt to predetermine the outcome of the process” – a clear nod to Assad and Russia’s unwavering support.
Consider this: Just five days ago, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohamed Zarif, arrived in Moscow to meet with Putin and Lavrov. As American legislators voiced their concerns over the easing of economic sanctions on Iran – especially in light of Iranian President Rouhani’s tweet that “world powers surrendered to Iranian nation’s will” – the Russian foreign ministry released the following statement:
“We intend to continue the expansion of mutually advantageous relations with Iran and interaction in the interest of regional stability and international security…We expect to strengthen positive trends in every sphere of Russia-Iran cooperation.”
So much for Russia working with the international community to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Consider this: At a December 2013 news conference Putin called NSA surveillance “necessary to fight terrorism” – a continuation of his surface support for Obama while he continues to harbor Snowden.
“On political level, it’s necessary to limit the appetite of special services with certain rules,” Putin said. He also argued that while the NSA program “isn’t a cause for joy, it’s not a cause for repentance either.”
In all three of these cases, Russia has outmaneuvered and certainly outwitted the US – and it looks like the Obama administration still doesn’t see it.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney’s response to Rouhani’s tweet portrays exactly how clueless our government is about what these tremendously dangerous regimes think of us and our diplomatic attempts to solve these crises. He said, “It doesn’t matter what they say. It matters what they do.”
Exactly. And what Iran does is work to expand cooperation with Russia and boast that they can return to 20 percent enrichment in less than one day if they decide to convert nuclear material again.
Though these situations are undoubtedly distinct, they are all linked by one common thread: Putin.
It is never too late to stand up to our enemies. To take a tough stance and to say, once and for all, to Putin that we know he is the link propping up these regimes and that we aren’t going to take it anymore.
I’m certainly in favor of cooperation, but not when it comes at the expense of protecting America’s principles and global reputation.
