Bush and Clinton's Failed Russia Policy

Thomas Friedman weighs in on the Russia Georgia conflict. In summary: Bush and Clinton foreign policy both failed in Russian relations. But now, U.S. must support Georgia, he says.

NYT: If the conflict in Georgia were an Olympic event, the gold medal for brutish stupidity would go to the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin. The silver medal for bone-headed recklessness would go to Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, and the bronze medal for rank short-sightedness would go to the Clinton and Bush foreign policy teams.

Let’s start with us. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, I was among the group — led by George Kennan, the father of “containment” theory, Senator Sam Nunn and the foreign policy expert Michael Mandelbaum — that argued against expanding NATO, at that time.

It seemed to us that since we had finally brought down Soviet communism and seen the birth of democracy in Russia the most important thing to do was to help Russian democracy take root and integrate Russia into Europe. Wasn’t that why we fought the cold war — to give young Russians the same chance at freedom and integration with the West as young Czechs, Georgians and Poles? Wasn’t consolidating a democratic Russia more important than bringing the Czech Navy into NATO?

All of this was especially true because, we argued, there was no big problem on the world stage that we could effectively address without Russia — particularly Iran or Iraq. Russia wasn’t about to reinvade Europe. And the Eastern Europeans would be integrated into the West via membership in the European Union.

No, said the Clinton foreign policy team, we’re going to cram NATO expansion down the Russians’ throats, because Moscow is weak and, by the way, they’ll get used to it. Message to Russians: We expect you to behave like Western democrats, but we’re going to treat you like you’re still the Soviet Union. The cold war is over for you, but not for us. Read More

Girl On Fox: Russians Saved Her from Georgians

The U.S. is trying to blame Russia for the entire conflict and McCain has turned it into a matter of hating the Russians.

After all, it backs up what he always knew -- the Russians are just no good (according to McCain). Granted, Russia has overused its force and needs to stop but the U.S. isn't helping the situation by demonizing Russia. I don't pretend to be an expert on this but we still don't know how and why or if Georgia provoked Russia. 

Note Sen. Joe Biden's diplomatic take on the conflict below. 

In this video a host for Fox News, Bush McCain helpers, is surprised when a young girl blamed the Georgians for the bombing and thanked the Russians. 

What Sen. Joe Biden, who's on his way to Georgia, says about the conflict:

Despite Russia’s overwhelming advantage in size and firepower in its conflict with Georgia, the Kremlin may have the most to lose if the fighting there continues. It is too soon to know with certainty who was responsible for the initial outbreak of violence in South Ossetia, but the war that began there is no longer about Georgia’s breakaway regions or Russian peacekeepers.
By acting disproportionately with a full scale attack on Georgia and seeking the ouster of Georgia’s democratically elected President Mikheil Saakashvili, Moscow is jeopardizing its standing in Europe and the broader international community – and risking very real practical and political consequences.
The historic precedents in this case should trouble the Kremlin. The Red Army’s invasion of Hungary in 1956 succeeded in putting down an anti-Soviet rebellion, but simultaneously unmasked the brutality of the Soviet regime and tarnished Moscow’s reputation around the world. Similar consequences followed Soviet interventions in Czechoslovakia and Afghanistan. If Russia continues to overreach in Georgia, it might earn a small tactical victory. But it will do so at the expense of a monumental strategic defeat.
For years, Russian leaders have had a constant refrain with their American counterparts. Russia, we were told, wanted two things: international respect and to be treated as an equal by the United States. However, its leaders have evidenced few qualms about denying such treatment to nearby countries. The world has watched with concern as Russia has unleashed punitive economic and political measures against Estonia, Moldova, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, and Georgia when those countries’ actions deviated from the Kremlin’s wishes. Indeed, the single greatest obstacle to Russia’s full acceptance into the international system has been the Kremlin’s pattern of aggressive actions toward its neighbors.
Many international leaders have spoken out against these moves, but their concerns have been tempered by hope that Russia would eventually realize its extraordinary potential on the global stage. Despite the challenges in our relationship with Moscow, there has always been a strong desire to see the country’s epic traditions of achievement, creativity and sacrifice brought to serve the common good.
I have shared this ambition and in the past two months I sponsored two legislative measures intended to nudge Russia toward a closer, more constructive relationship with the United States, including action to allow for increased collaboration with Russia on nuclear energy production. Russia has also lobbied to repeal an old trade provision – the Jackson-Vanik Amendment – which currently blocks the country’s integration into the World Trade Organization. The fighting in Georgia has erased the possibility of advancing those and other legislative efforts to promote US-Russian partnership in the current Congress. It may derail them permanently if Russia does not reverse course. read more.

Gates: U.S. Has Few Options On Russia

Swamp: It didn't seem that long ago that President Bush told the world about looking Vladimir Putin in the eye and "getting a sense of his soul."

Today, Bush's defense secretary, Robert Gates, brushed aside the question of whether Putin could be trusted, but he didn't exactly give the Russian prime minister a rousing endorsement.

"I have never believed that one should make national security policy on
the basis of trust," Gates said. "I think you make national security policy based on interests and on realities.

The Bush administration appears to have few options to pressure the Russians. Gates made crystal clear that U.S. military intervention is not an option and that because of commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan--as well as political sensitivities--that the U.S. was unlikely to take part in any peacekeeping mission in the region.

In his first comments since the fighting started in Georgia, Gates warned that Russia's actions could endanger Moscow-Washington relations for years to come." Gates remarks at a Pentagon news conference comes a day after Russian troops drove into the Georgian city of Gori despite publicly agreeing to stop its offensive.

France Working With Russia to Solve Conflict

French president Nicolas Sarkozy is making headway in helping to resolve the Georgia Russian conflict. Meanwhile hundreds of people have died.

In a press conference this morning, Sarkozy said he wants to maintain good relations with Russia. Seems in diplomatic relations, you don't get very far when you paint a country as the sinister bully. The ultimate goal is to stop innocent citizens from being killed, which is always what happens when governments can't solve their problems.

It's usually the folks -- presidents and pundits and political types-- who sit on the sidelines and never have to be in the line of fire, who are prodding and provoking, acting mighty and making threats they can't act on.

AFP: French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Tuesday urged Russia to follow through on an order to end military operations in Georgia, as he met President Dmitry Medvedev on a high-stake peace mission.

"What you are saying is good news," Sarkozy said after Medvedev informed him that he had ordered an end to Moscow's massive military operation in the neighbouring ex-Soviet state.

"It is now necessary to consolidate the ceasefire," Sarkozy said at the meeting, at which Russian and French officials warmly greeted each other in the ornate surrounds of the Kremlin.

The French leader, who currently holds the European Union presidency, was leading Western diplomatic efforts to halt the Russian military campaign against Georgia, sparked last week when Georgian forces attacked a rebel region.

Sarkozy told Medvedev it was "normal" for Moscow to defend Russian-speaking people beyond its borders, but also that Georgia's territorial integrity had to be respected.

"It's perfectly normal that Russia would want to defend the interests both of Russians in Russia and Russophones outside Russia," Sarkozy said.

The problem in a nutshell:

Avaaz.org: Russia and Georgia have a long history of tensions, but the recent hostilities were sparked over a small region called South Ossetia, which is seeking separation from Georgia. For years South Ossetia has had de facto autonomy, but after clashes between Ossete militia and Georgian troops, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili ordered the army to occupy the small province. The Russian army immediately responded by driving the Georgian army out, bombing targets, attacking towns and taking control of large swathes of territory deep within Georgia.

More at BBC.