WORLD AFFAIRS

The Realist Resurgence

Russia is weaker than it looks, which is why NATO's soft-power strategy can still prevail.

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  • Posted By: streetwise @ 11/13/2008 2:16:31 PM

    She been bullying alot of nations for past years with stupid gas line
    -
    Stupid is thah, who do like a stupid . The gas lines are there, the gas come from where it comes, you sell the gas, you make the prices . The prices were low (for Ukraine and Georgia, when they were SOVIET republic, or after, for a while), well, yes, they WERE...so what ?

  • Posted By: streetwise @ 11/13/2008 2:06:18 PM

    Russia was about to invade georgia first but georgia see this went first after all no way russia can attack very next day with huge numbers unless she was already there.
    -
    Where Sakashvili though russian border was ? Across the Atlantic sea ? Russian troops were near because RUSSIA was near . Beyond Russian border, russians had the right to hold all the troops they wished . And they held an entire army . Sakashvili though they need 10-15 day to intervene, as it was in the second checen war ? Well, they intervene in less than two days (after HIS attck on a SLEEPING town, no matter if ossetian or georgian or what), but this is a good job, not a crime...

  • Posted By: advoidleftists @ 10/21/2008 11:02:43 PM

    What russia has done ummm really think about that real closely? I can name alot of things more than my own country. Russia wanted to provoke fight with georgia for longest time because she didnt want to be part russian influence. So she went to nato and apply for membership and cause of that Russia causing alot of violations against Georgia but of course no one mentions that and this was before the war and russia had troops building up near warzone before georgia invaded. Russia was about to invade georgia first but georgia see this went first after all no way russia can attack very next day with huge numbers unless she was already there. She been bullying alot of nations for past years with stupid gas line. Year after year i read about how russia likes to bully eastern europa and rest.

  • Posted By: ADELFAPINEDA @ 10/16/2008 11:17:07 AM

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    OBAMA PROXIMO PRESIDENTE NORTEAMERICANO. , TRANSFORMACIÓN SOCIAL-CULTURAL. Su gobierno se implementara políticas en los valores: del respeto a la vida, la libertad, la solidaridad, la tolerancia, los derechos humanos. su programa de gobierno EL DESARROLLO, el desarrollo económico, industrial, empresarial- Energético, y el desarrollo aplicado a la reducción de LA POBREZA, Desarrollo Agrario-rural-cultural, entramado de medidas, tecnologías para la sostenibilidad con educación para la sostenibilidad. DESARROLLO CULTURAL, REFORMA IMIGRGATORIA 1ADELFA PINEDA TRANSPARENCIA Y ÉTICA: Por el Desarrollo del País; Dignidad Publica, 1

  • Posted By: Glenno @ 10/14/2008 8:24:56 PM

    END OF AMERICA
    The whole world is now fighting to free themselves from the global dictoarship of the American Empire.
    In South America for the first time, unasur, the south american continent are working together with the common goal of no interference from America.
    In Europe all nations are showing less support for the American Empire and look for additional partners
    Middle East have only contempt for US occupation, Pakistan the newest loss of an ally
    Russia is breaking free from American encirclement and isolation and stopping US aggression
    All over the world: governments that support US will loose the support of their people -see Ukraine, Pakistan+

  • Posted By: Glenno @ 10/14/2008 7:35:47 PM

    Why is Russia the enemy?
    America is obsessed with "taming the bear", what has Russia done? It is not a crazy escaped animal, but a rational country with real security concerns due to the American "containment".
    America paid for the genocide of 2000 russian citizens and Russia intervenes and then pulls out. Russians are the bad guys? Their intervention did not last 8 years and going....
    America is run by religious militaristic fanatics. America is living in the past and Europe is becoming aware of the hypocracy

  • Posted By: melhoffman @ 10/13/2008 3:18:31 PM

    Well, I for one am shocked by the insulting and often pointless comments preceding this one. It's difficult to believe - much less to understand - how there are so many America-haters in this country. You, who have benefited throughout your lives from everything we as a nation have wrought forth in the World to something as simple as the meal in your belly. Get over yourselves. This was an outstanding and balanced article attempting to give a measure of context to the present state of detante wtih Russia. That's it. It doesn't attempt to advocate or even to approve of any specific policy toward Russia. It just want us to learn from history - a problem with politicians all over the Globe. We lack historical perspective and that's not getting any better with the up-and-coming generations. They can text - but not read. They can watch a video, but not think critically about a problem. There are actually two and sometimes quite a few more sides to every issue and not all of them are relativistically equal. Without being able to think critically, however, you can't begin to differentiate between the arguments. No foundation or context = nonsensical arguments or pointless platitudes (see our political candidates). Russia is an important nation in the world. It has some serious flaws - as do we here in the U.S. The concept of "realism" as addressed in this article merely seeks to point out that the U.S. cannot simply will another nation to act in accordance with our wishes. Nor can we simply stop dealing with nations who don't share our values or economics. This is not a new concept by any means (see Kissinger, 1968). We don't have a monopoly on moral values, nor on capitalism, and certainly not on clean government. We do, however, have a system that is the still envy of most of the rest of the world. "Soft diplomacy" is the future of foreign relations.

    • Posted By: bormotello @ 10/14/2008 4:28:00 PM

      I have to apologies for aggressive behavior some of Russians, but this is price for propaganda war in Americans media. In short term, Sakashvili PR advisers from Aspect Consulting did a good job, by managing creation image of typical Asian dictator as respected democratic politician, worrying about human values. In early stages of conflict, a lot of people on West were believing that Russia attacked Georgia. Of coarse, later everybody learnt the truth that Georgia was going to commit mass ethnic cleansings and first started to kill civilians. However, this lie, published in American newspapers, created effect, opposite to expected. A lot of Russian people can read American newspapers and when they did it, they realized that Americans media a pushing lie and propaganda to support American ally. I am not blaming that it was wrong. I even would say that USA were right, because Saakshvili supported them in Iraq. Russian medias are doing the same thing with Serbia. But there is no free biscuits. It was the best present for Putin to proof that USA are planning full destruction of Russia. Few translations from USA in Russian newspapers, plus a lot of people with good knowledge of English did verify it themselves. Result is huge increase of patriotism due expected aggression from USA. What Yeltsin was doing for 8 years has been destroyed in few days. Results you can see yourself ??? a lot of Russians coming to internet forums, joining discussions, expressing what they think about USA and each reply to them only proofs their suspicion that USA is the main threat for Russian people.
      Of coarse, I cannot exclude that it has been planned in advance, in this case my congratulations with success.

      A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones. Ecclesiastes 3.5

  • Posted By: Onother one russian @ 10/14/2008 3:03:57 AM

    The US is the state of sorrow...
    I wonna say 2 americans: we (russians) don`t hate you. We don`t want to crash your life. We need to keep world without wars and conflicts.
    We need to rise up our country, to build our economics, to make future for childrens.
    Hey, look around, are there russins missiles or tanks or soldiers there? Is the "blood russians/kremlins hands" made up yours financial crisis? It is not...
    Open your eys, whos government f*ck up peoples from mainstreet for 700 billions dollars? And whos debt is a "...11,600,000,000,000..." dollars???
    Just get off yours hands from us, and try to concentrate on yours problems.
    Whit best regards from siberia.
    Another one russian.

    P.S. And who of you can read our papers and our posts? Where is your freedom? Welcome to us (http://forum.inosmi.ru/forum//themes/viewthread?thread=41648), take the dictionary and try to understand us, try to talk with us. If you try, you may findout that we are freandly nace peoples.

  • Posted By: giltedged @ 10/13/2008 1:18:32 PM

    What both Europeans like me and the Americans need is to get rid of the oligarchs who are blood brothers, who control the media (apart from Russia), who use us and come out richer in a crisis. They might work as head of World Banks,other banks, heads of congress, neo-cons or even as Secretary for Fair Housing but the outcome is always the same: they win we lose. Their latest success is to make an African called Hussein as thei American president
    electhrouthey

  • Posted By: giltedged @ 10/13/2008 12:50:45 PM

    The Americans might think they are enroaching on Russia and feel jubilant because of that. But the main point is that the core of NATO , France, Spain, Italy etc dislike the Americans more than they dislike the Russians. The US might get the approval of the tiny Baltic States before they face financial annihalation. Russians are fellow Europeans with a treasure trove of riches. We dislike American war plans and culture.



  • Posted By: lovejusticepeace @ 10/13/2008 12:27:05 PM

    Realism .Cool . But what about Russia and its hordes attacking Israel ? Read it somewhere ?

  • Posted By: nawawimohamad @ 10/12/2008 11:46:28 PM

    The US has always been the threat to world peace, not Russia.

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/12/2008 5:11:35 PM

    In a few weeks we will make a choice that will decide our future.
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    Also, he perfectly predicted the current real estate market meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen in the next couple years
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are essentially bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything in the last 80 years.
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand exactly what is broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use complex mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He didnt realize that anything was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that .
    Elect Obama Biden 2008


    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/12/2008 5:11:25 PM

    In a few weeks we will make a choice that will decide our future.
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    Also, he perfectly predicted the current real estate market meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen in the next couple years
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are essentially bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything in the last 80 years.
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand exactly what is broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use complex mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He didnt realize that anything was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that .
    Elect Obama Biden 2008


    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: cani77 @ 10/12/2008 5:11:15 PM

    In a few weeks we will make a choice that will decide our future.
    I follow an economist named Bob Proctor. He has called the top and bottom of every market crash since the 70s correctly.
    Also, he perfectly predicted the current real estate market meltdown and the picture he paints about what will happen in the next couple years
    is terrifying.He thinks it will be worse then the great depression.
    The banks in the U.S. are going under one after the other. Countrywide ,Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch , Fanny and Freddy Mae ,AIG
    The government took them over because they are essentially bankrupt. Even with the goverment nationalizing hundreds of billions of dollars in debt the stock market is crashing
    the credit markets are frozen and all of us may suffer beyond anything in the last 80 years.
    McCain just like Bush " doesn't understand the economy".
    That not just my opinion its his own words. Not only does he not understand how to fix it but he does not understand exactly what is broken.
    It is no surprise that he doesn't. The people that make up these securities use complex mathematical models very few people understand.
    Bush and McCain both can take the credit for this mess since they helped deregulate the laws that were protecting us.
    Bush's economic advisor Phil Graham wrote the deregulation bill that allowed banks to take huge risks with all of our future.
    Now, Phil Graham is the head of McCain's economic policy.He is also McCain's choice for the next secretary of the treasury.
    No one in this country can afford for that to happen. The last time Bush met with his economic advisors was in March. He didnt realize that anything was wrong. Phil Graham had the guts to say that we are in a mental recession after he helped create the worst economy meltdown in our lifetime. Check out this link to the truth http://my.barackobama.com/keatingvideo
    It will take the best and brightest minds in the world to get us out of this nightmare. As bad as Bush has done, McCain would be
    even more destructive because things are in much worse shape. The next president will not inherit a surplus like Bush did but a crashing economy and a 11,600,000,000,000 (trillion) dollars deficit. Most of it Bush created and it will take decades to pay it back.
    If you do what you have always done then you will get what you have always got.
    When it comes to policy Bush and McCain are the same 90 percent of the time.
    So why are the polls even close then ?
    Mccains team just said they no longer want to talk about the economy.Instead they would like to spend time talking about obama
    which means running the biggest smear campaign in history.
    They think they can just tell you lies and you wont be smart enough to see through it
    Let's teach him we are smarter than that .
    Elect Obama Biden 2008


    Check out this video of sarah palins interview and ask your self if she understands what she is talking about.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36Xc0GG4iQ

  • Posted By: oea65 @ 10/12/2008 4:22:39 PM

    It is amazing that most comments disagree with the writers, the article definitely seems to be copied and pasted from some neo-cons think tank. It surprises me that American readers are thinking way different than the stupid media (CNN, Newsweek, AP, and of course FOX) regardless the media bombardment of biased and twisted facts. All the media tycoons in the West have an agenda of confrontation, by portraying nations that stand for themselves as enemies of the West, and are so adamant to cover up the West abuses to the rest of the world. I think finally Americans are thinking with their own heads.

  • Posted By: oea65 @ 10/12/2008 4:21:59 PM

    It is amazing that most comments disagree with the writers, the article definitely seems to be copied and pasted from some neo-cons think tank. It surprises me that American readers are thinking way different than the stupid media (CNN, Newsweek, AP, and of course FOX) regardless the media bombardment of biased and twisted facts. All the media tycoons in the West have an agenda of confrontation, by portraying nations that stand for themselves as enemies of the West, and are so adamant to cover up the West abuses to the rest of the world. I think finally Americans are thinking with their own heads.

  • Posted By: 8591 @ 10/12/2008 3:19:06 PM

    If macacas like estonia, latvia, georgia and poland are in the way for better relations between Europe and Russia or US and Russia - let's put macacas in the zoo but not into NATO.

  • Posted By: 8591 @ 10/12/2008 3:16:20 PM

    if macacas like estonia, latvia, georgia and poland are an obstacle to normal relations between Russia and Europe or between Russia and US - let's put macacas in the zoo but not into NATO.

  • Posted By: 8591 @ 10/12/2008 3:14:04 PM

    if macacas like estonia, latvia, georgia and poland are an obstacle to normal relations between Russia and Europe or between Russia and US - let's put macacas in the zoo but not into NATO.

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