Centerblue.org

I hate when other nations speak badly of America just like any other red-blooded American–but you have to call a spade a spade. There is no question that this nation’s irresponsible use of military force in the last few years has caused great damage to our reputation and made the world a much more dangerous place.

Russian president Vladimir Putin, speaking on Saturday at a security policy conference in Munich, used the strongest words heard in years from a Russian head of state regarding the United States:

“Unilateral, illegitimate actions have not solved a single problem, they have become a hotbed of further conflicts…One state, the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way…It is a world of one master, one sovereign. … It has nothing to do with democracy. This is nourishing the wish of countries to get nuclear weapons. This is very dangerous. Nobody feels secure anymore because nobody can hide behind international law.”

I’m no fan of Putin’s, as I think he behaves like a bandit in negotiating fossil fuel supplies with his neighbors and Europe–but that doesn’t detract from the truth of what he’s saying. It is no coincidence that it is two of the three remaining countries in Bush’s “Axis of Evil” that are now actively pursuing nuclear weapons. Can you blame them? They saw what happened to their “Axis” partner Iraq, and as Iran looks across the Iraqi border it sees the US itching for a fight (not that Iran is blameless, and they might even deserve a good bombing in response to their meddling and arming of insurgents in Iraq). But of course we would not be at such cross-purposes with Iran now if we had not so foolishly exerted American power in Iraq, which now will have serious regional consequences that we probably will not control.

Ironically it has been Bush’s so called push for democracy and his pre-emptive method of seeking American security that have made the world a far more dangerous place for our interests. If the leader of the free world cannot be made to stick to international law, why should anyone else observe it either? A world where nobody feels safe from the abuse of military power is a dangerous one indeed.

Bush seems determined to be as abrasive as possible to other nations. At the G8 summit going on, deep differences quickly became evident between Bush and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, where there was a handshake but little warmth.

Bush refused to allow Russia into the World Trade Organization. Why not? Primarily over access to Russia’s markets for US meat. Most other issues had been resolved. Bush would have gained a great deal of good will internationally and with Russia at a time he really needed it, had he dropped his opposition to Russia’s membership. Once again he did not fail to do the wrong thing, ensuring that Russia will continue to pose obstacles to US objectives regarding Iran and North Korea.

There was also lack of agreement on the Israel/Lebanon crisis, with Bush refusing to place any blame on Israel while Putin called for a more balanced approach. The rest of the G-8 group has likewise split with Bush on this issue.

On the issue of democracy in Russia, a particularly amusing exchange occurred that put Bush in his place. From the Washington Post article:

“I talked about my desire to promote institutional change in parts of the world like Iraq, where there’s a free press and free religion,” Bush said, “and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same thing.”

Putin seized on that remark. “We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly,” he said, provoking laughter from the Russian side.

Bush seemed caught off guard. “Just wait,” he replied softly, maintaining a strained smile.

A strained smile is about all Bush can muster with anyone these days.