A student at the University of Virginia asked my opinion of the Magnitsky Act and the Russian counter actions. I gave a reply in the discussion of Reagan and Gorbachev but will repeat what I wrote and elaborate on it here.
The action of the U.S. Congress in passing the Magnitsky Act and the reaction of Russian politicians that followed it remind me of school kids exchanging imprecations in the schoolyard. Continue reading
The general opinion seems to be, “Yes. We removed a vicious dictator!” However, it is difficult to argue that removing that dictator, who was no threat to the United States, was worth the cost of lives and treasure when the result is an Iraq run by friends of Iran. Continue reading
The polls and pundits assure us that the presidential election November 6 will be close. Some even speak of a virtual tie. They are probably right, and if they are, this raises serious questions about the rationality of large segments of the American public. Continue reading
All of us who were alive eleven years ago and more than two or three years old at the time will remember the shock, horror, and anger aroused by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Northern Virginia. It is quite proper that on each anniversary, in particular, we honor those who were victims and especially those who lost their lives or damaged their health trying to rescue the victims, most of all those brave passengers on the United Airlines flight that crashed in Pennsylvania.
Nevertheless, there is one aspect of the attacks on the United States which receives little attention on these anniversaries: they could have been prevented and they should have been prevented. I explained in detail why I came to that conclusion in Chapter Eight of Superpower Illusions. Continue reading
When President Obama was overheard telling Russian president Dmitri Medvedev that he could be “more flexible” in negotiations on missile defense following the election, Governor Mitt Romney was quick to pounce, calling Russia America’s “Number one geopolitical foe.” The New York Times accurately observed that “his comments display either a shocking lack of knowledge about international affairs or just craven politics.”
Most observers assume that Vladimir Putin will win on the first ballot in Sunday’s election. That is as close to certain as anything in the future can be, but the interesting question will be whether extensive fraud will be required to get him an official majority. A second question is how much support Mikhail Prokhorov will attract. The other candidates opposing Putin are clowns, stooges, or hang-overs with no real political future. Prokhorov, reputed to be Russia’s third richest oligarch, however, is a new face in Russian politics, and one that may play an important role in the future. Take a look at Lucian Kim’s blog entry describing one of Prokhorov’s campaign appearances.
Tom Friedman has a column in today’s New York Times that really hits home. Entitled “We Need a Second Party,” he bewails the absence of any evidence that the politicians competing for the Republican nomination for president have a clue about the most serious problems facing us today.
Instead of discussing the real issues, they compete in courting the support of passionate splinter groups that combine a dedication to single-issue objectives with flat refusal to compromise. Continue reading
You will find an eyewitness description of the demonstrations in Moscow yesterday here.
You will also find a very interesting discussion of the charges by Prime Minister Putin that the United States has been trying to create an “Orange Revolution” against his regime here.
In my opinion these charges are ridiculous, but I also think that it is a mistake to have Americans directly involved as political activists in other countries. Continue reading
Oxford Professor Archie Brown, who has written several insightful studies of Gorbachev and, most recently, a much acclaimed The Rise and Fall of Communism, summarized in a recent posting what he considers Gorbachev’s twelve most significant achievements.
He points out that the list is not exhaustive (there were other changes for the better), but the following are twelve fundamental breaks with the Soviet past which Russia and the world owes primarily to Gorbachev: Continue reading
Mikhail Gorbachev, former President of the Soviet Union, will turn 80 on March 2. It is remarkable to me that so many of his compatriots fail to recognize his contribution to some of the most momentous changes in world politics. Bearing this in mind, I have sent him the message below. For those who suspect that I am just “being nice,” I would emphasize that I believe every word in the message and I do not think any of the phrases I use distort or embellish the truth. Here is what I said: Continue reading
