Russia and the Rebirth of Realism
This article rings very true.
I have indicated in previous postings how bad for the world it would be if America lost its idealism because of Iraq and/or any other combination of factors. It is possible that the resurgence of Russia and the latent fear of China is bringing us much closer to that point quicker than expected.
Some interesting quotes that highlight just how much the idealism of even the recent past may well be called into question.
"To understand just how unsettling Russia’s invasion of Georgia is to American foreign policy, it’s useful to highlight a short exchange that Senator McCain’s leading foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann had with a reporter from Radio Free Europe in April.
Scheunemann was asked whether the U.S. should be willing to “trade off” Georgia and Ukraine’s NATO aspirations in return for Russian support for U.S. missile defense systems in Central Europe.
“Well, I think first of all the administration has said very clearly and publicly that there will be no trade-offs,” Scheunemann responded. “Trade-offs like that are kind of a relic of a bygone era of power politics.”
This view of diplomacy with the former Soviet superpower – that U.S. positions were inviolable and that we would make no serious accommodation to Russia on behalf of a hierarchy of interests - was dealt a severe, if not lethal blow by the Russian invasion of Georgia."
I have indicated in previous postings how bad for the world it would be if America lost its idealism because of Iraq and/or any other combination of factors. It is possible that the resurgence of Russia and the latent fear of China is bringing us much closer to that point quicker than expected.
Some interesting quotes that highlight just how much the idealism of even the recent past may well be called into question.
"To understand just how unsettling Russia’s invasion of Georgia is to American foreign policy, it’s useful to highlight a short exchange that Senator McCain’s leading foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann had with a reporter from Radio Free Europe in April.
Scheunemann was asked whether the U.S. should be willing to “trade off” Georgia and Ukraine’s NATO aspirations in return for Russian support for U.S. missile defense systems in Central Europe.
“Well, I think first of all the administration has said very clearly and publicly that there will be no trade-offs,” Scheunemann responded. “Trade-offs like that are kind of a relic of a bygone era of power politics.”
This view of diplomacy with the former Soviet superpower – that U.S. positions were inviolable and that we would make no serious accommodation to Russia on behalf of a hierarchy of interests - was dealt a severe, if not lethal blow by the Russian invasion of Georgia."
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