Bush blocks Russia WTO bid in icy exchange http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060716...HKw3UwUewgF;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NTMzazIyBHNlYwMxNjk2 ST. PETERSBURG, Russia - In a chilly summit prelude, President Bush blocked Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization on Saturday and President Vladimir Putin mockingly said Moscow doesn't want the kind of violence-plagued democracy the United States has fostered in Iraq. Alternately joking and poking at each other, the two also showed differences at a news conference on the explosion of violence in the Mideast. Bush held Israel blameless for its punishing attacks in Lebanon and said it was up to the militant group Hezbollah to lay down its arms. Putin was critical of Israel's use of force and said the violence "should stop as soon as possible." The two leaders met for two hours before the opening of the annual summit of eight major world powers, which was expected to focus on nuclear problems with Iran and North Korea and the escalating fighting between Israel and the Islamic guerrilla group Hezbollah. There was a quick handshake but little warmth between Bush and Putin during a photo opportunity opening their talks. For the second day, Bush spent part of it mountain biking. Despite the sparring, there was none of the tension and anger that crackled in Bratislava, Slovakia, 17 months ago when Bush challenged Putin over Russia's crackdown on dissent and retreat from democracy and the Russian president slapped back. After that jarring meeting, Bush concluded that lecturing Putin in public was unproductive. Still, Bush said he offered Putin some suggestions. "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 at the news conference, "and I told him that a lot of people in our country would hope that Russia would do the same thing." Putin, in a barbed reply, said: "We certainly would not want to have the same kind of democracy as they have in Iraq, I will tell you quite honestly." Bush's face reddened as he tried to laugh off the remark. "Just wait," Bush replied about Iraq. Putin also said Russia would not take part "in any crusades, in any holy alliances" — a remark seemingly intended to win points with Arab allies. Bush's national security adviser, Stephen Hadley, said he was perplexed by the comment. Hosting the Group of Eight summit for the first time, Putin dearly wanted to win approval for Russia's admission to the World Trade Organization, the 149-nation group that sets the rules for world trade. The United States is the only country that has not signed off on Russia's membership in the WTO, and Bush dashed Putin's hopes for getting in now. "We're tough negotiators," Bush said, adding that any agreement would have to be acceptable to the U.S. Congress. U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said "significant progress" had been made in narrowing differences over the protection of U.S. copyrights and patents and boosting the sale of American manufactured goods. She said negotiators were unable to resolve a dispute over Russian barriers to the sale of American beef and pork. She said the hope was that the agreement could be completed "in the next couple of months." The Mideast violence threatened to overtake the summit's carefully planned agenda and highlight divisions among leaders. Bush has been outspoken in defending Israel and blaming Hezbollah — backed by Syria and Iran — for igniting the crisis with a cross-border raid into Israel and capturing two Israeli soldiers. "The best way to stop the violence is for Hezbollah to lay down its arms and to stop attacking. And therefore I call upon Syria to exert influence over Hezbollah," Bush said. Putin agreed with Bush that it was unacceptable to pursue goals using force and abductions. "At the same time," the Russian leader said, "we work under the assumption that the use of force should be balanced." The European Union — and France, in particular — has condemned Israel's attacks as excessive, putting Bush at odds with key allies. Speaking to reporters after the summit's opening dinner, Putin stressed that significant efforts were needed to restore peace in Lebanon. "However complicated the questions are, maximum efforts must be applied to resolve the situation in a peaceful way and I think all efforts have not been exhausted," he said. Putin said he had the impression that Israel was "pursuing wider goals" than just the return of its soldiers. He did not elaborate. The United States pressed for a summit statement identifying Hezbollah as the main culprit and emphasizing the importance of maintaining a democratic Lebanon. The statement also would criticize Syria, Iran, and the Palestinian group Hamas for "all acting in a way that frustrates democracy in the area and frustrates peace," said Hadley. It would assert the importance of maintaining democracy in Lebanon and salute efforts of the United Nations to restore peace. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov called the conflict "basically, a war that has begun" and warned that other nations in the region could be drawn into the fight. Bush said he and Putin agreed on the need for the U.N. Security Council to take action against Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment and North Korea for testing a long-range missile and refusing to rejoin six-nation disarmament talks. "There is common agreement that we need to get something done at the U.N." on Iran, Bush said. He said there was common ground on North Korea, as well, and "now we're working on language." Russia and China have been reluctant to impose penalties on North Korea or Iran. Bush declined to say whether he asked Putin to back U.N. sanctions against Iran. At his late-night news conference, Putin indicated that Russia had not changed its opposition to sanctions against Iran, saying "the question is not about toughening our stance, but about finding common approaches." He defended Iran's right to pursue nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. "We believe that all countries in the world have the right to access high technologies, including nuclear," Putin said. Lacking a centerpiece agreement on trade, the United States and Russia announced several lesser deals, including a program to detect and track terrorists who are trying to get their hands on nuclear and radioactive material.
huh? all bush has for this reply is "just wait?" he sounds like a playground kid being bullied for his beliefs. anyways, i thought that the relationship b/w russia and america was better than this. apparently it's not. looks like the rift b/w the two countries are just going to move further apart.
Putin's just sore that we're not letting him into the WTO. He's the one that lost in this summit since the centerpiece agreement on trade hasn't happened.
given the great rounds at dubai and the current dispute with brazil...im not sure everyone else has won on trade much lately either.
Putin apparently is a smartass, and pretty funny as well (that whole black humor thing, I guess). Anyways, I am more disappointed with Bush's comeback (or lack thereof) to Putin's comments, but not quiet surprised...Bush would never be mistaken for a great orator, in any language really. Here's another example of that... Putin Rips Cheney's Verbal 'Hunting Shot' http://apnews.myway.com/article/20060712/D8IQG56O1.html MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin lashed out at Vice President Dick Cheney ahead of this weekend's G-8 summit, calling his recent criticisms of Russia "an unsuccessful hunting shot," according to a television interview broadcast Wednesday. The remark, from an interview with NBC, referred to the shotgun blast by Cheney on a hunting trip that accidentally wounded a companion. Cheney, in a May speech in the ex-Soviet republic of Lithuania, accused Russia of cracking down on religious and political rights and of using its energy reserves as "tools of intimidation or blackmail." Asked about Cheney's remarks, Putin said, "I think the statements of your vice president of this sort are the same as an unsuccessful hunting shot." Both Cheney's criticism and Putin's caustic response underline the tensions that exist between the United States and Russia as both countries prepare for the Group of Eight summit, beginning Saturday in St. Petersburg. Western leaders are expected to raise concerns at the summit about Russian moves that are seen as antidemocratic, including a new law placing restrictions on non-governmental organizations, tightening state control of news media, and making the upper chamber of parliament an appointed body instead of an elected one. Russia, in setting the agenda for the G-8 summit, has made energy security one of the top issues. However, Russia this year unsettled Europe when a dispute with Ukraine over natural gas prices resulted in a temporary reduction of Russian natural gas deliveries to Europe. Most of Russia's Europe-bound gas goes through Ukraine. Despite his sharp comments on Cheney's statement, Putin said Russia welcomed criticism. "I am glad that we have critics. It would be worse if there were one voice, as it was in the time of the Soviet Union at meetings of the Communist Party. If we hear both critical and positive observations, it means that we have the possibility of better orienting ourselves toward what we're doing," Putin said. In a separate interview with Canadian broadcaster CTV, Putin said that Western officials' attendance at a pre-summit conference organized by opposition forces amounted to interference in Russia's internal affairs. The opposition "is doing this (conference) in the run-up to State Duma elections at the end of 2007. And if officials of other countries support this undertaking, it simply means they are trying to influence the internal political arrangement of Russia a little bit," he said, according to a Kremlin transcript. Opposition movements and civic groups participating in the "Other Russia" meeting appealed to G-8 leaders Wednesday to pressure Putin to end what they called systematic political repression. Participants said numerous activists had been forcibly prevented from attending the conference - as well as beaten, detained and otherwise abused. Participants stepped up their criticism of the Kremlin at the conference, which is intended to counter the image of a democratic Russia that Russian officials will be presenting at the G-8 summit. "In Russia today, there are two sides, two countries. One is a country of bureaucracy, the disregard of law, a country of lawlessness, of backwardness and non-freedom. The authorities are on that side and they are terrorizing the other country, the country of citizens," said Andrei Illarionov, Putin's former economic adviser. Western officials, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, also attended the forum. Edward McMillan-Scott, a European Parliament member from Britain, said Russia represented "a threat to Europe's stability and security." "It is a country led by a regime that is selfish, corrupt and which is unreliable," he told the forum. The G-8 summit starts Saturday when the leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States gather for a glittering dinner in St. Petersburg, the former czarist capital founded 300 years ago by Peter the Great. In the more than three decades that the world's major countries have staged these get-togethers, foreign policy crises often have intervened to take time away from the economic issues, and this year is no exception. A search for ways to deal with North Korea's test firing of missiles and Iran's nuclear program are expected to take up much of the discussion time. Russian support is seen as critical in defusing both situations, and for that reason President Bush and the other leaders are expected to soften any criticism of Putin's backsliding on democratic reforms.
We're blind if we really think the Rusians are our friends. They still see themselves as a super power (even though they're struggling). They're trying to suck up to the North Koreans. They're sucking up to the Arab countries. They don't like the fact we're helping the old Soviet states. Helping the Russians would be a big mistake. Our best bet is to position the Russians against the Chinese.
A long and very good article. >>>>>>>>>> Contrary to established opinion, the gravest threats to America's national security are still in Russia. They derive from an unprecedented development that most US policy-makers have recklessly disregarded, as evidenced by the undeclared cold war Washington has waged, under both parties, against post-Communist Russia during the past fifteen years. CONTINUED BELOW As a result of the Soviet breakup in 1991, Russia, a state bearing every nuclear and other device of mass destruction, virtually collapsed. During the 1990s its essential infrastructures--political, economic and social--disintegrated. Moscow's hold on its vast territories was weakened by separatism, official corruption and Mafia-like crime. The worst peacetime depression in modern history brought economic losses more than twice those suffered in World War II. GDP plummeted by nearly half and capital investment by 80 percent. Most Russians were thrown into poverty. Death rates soared and the population shrank. And in August 1998, the financial system imploded. No one in authority anywhere had ever foreseen that one of the twentieth century's two superpowers would plunge, along with its arsenals of destruction, into such catastrophic circumstances. Even today, we cannot be sure what Russia's collapse might mean for the rest of the world. Outwardly, the nation may now seem to have recovered. Its economy has grown on average by 6 to 7 percent annually since 1999, its stock-market index increased last year by 83 percent and its gold and foreign currency reserves are the world's fifth largest. Moscow is booming with new construction, frenzied consumption of Western luxury goods and fifty-six large casinos. Some of this wealth has trickled down to the provinces and middle and lower classes, whose income has been rising. But these advances, loudly touted by the Russian government and Western investment-fund promoters, are due largely to high world prices for the country's oil and gas and stand out only in comparison with the wasteland of 1998. More fundamental realities indicate that Russia remains in an unprecedented state of peacetime demodernization and depopulation. Investment in the economy and other basic infrastructures remains barely a third of the 1990 level. Some two-thirds of Russians still live below or very near the poverty line, including 80 percent of families with two or more children, 60 percent of rural citizens and large segments of the educated and professional classes, among them teachers, doctors and military officers. The gap between the poor and the rich, Russian experts tell us, is becoming "explosive." Most tragic and telling, the nation continues to suffer wartime death and birth rates, its population declining by 700,000 or more every year. Male life expectancy is barely 59 years and, at the other end of the life cycle, 2 to 3 million children are homeless. Old and new diseases, from tuberculosis to HIV infections, have grown into epidemics. Nationalists may exaggerate in charging that "the Motherland is dying," but even the head of Moscow's most pro-Western university warns that Russia remains in "extremely deep crisis." The stability of the political regime atop this bleak post-Soviet landscape rests heavily, if not entirely, on the personal popularity and authority of one man, President Vladimir Putin, who admits the state "is not yet completely stable." While Putin's ratings are an extraordinary 70 to 75 percent positive, political institutions and would-be leaders below him have almost no public support. ....Since the early 1990s Washington has simultaneously conducted, under Democrats and Republicans, two fundamentally different policies toward post-Soviet Russia--one decorative and outwardly reassuring, the other real and exceedingly reckless. The decorative policy, which has been taken at face value in the United States, at least until recently, professes to have replaced America's previous cold war intentions with a generous relationship of "strategic partnership and friendship." The public image of this approach has featured happy-talk meetings between American and Russian presidents, first "Bill and Boris" (Clinton and Yeltsin), then "George and Vladimir." The extraordinarily anti-Russian nature of these policies casts serious doubt on two American official and media axioms: that the recent "chill" in US-Russian relations has been caused by Putin's behavior at home and abroad, and that the cold war ended fifteen years ago. The first axiom is false, the second only half true: The cold war ended in Moscow, but not in Washington, as is clear from a brief look back. The last Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, came to power in 1985 with heretical "New Thinking" that proposed not merely to ease but to actually abolish the decades-long cold war. His proposals triggered a fateful struggle in Washington (and Moscow) between policy-makers who wanted to seize the historic opportunity and those who did not. President Ronald Reagan decided to meet Gorbachev at least part of the way, as did his successor, the first President George Bush. As a result, in December 1989, at a historic summit meeting at Malta, Gorbachev and Bush declared the cold war over. (That extraordinary agreement evidently has been forgotten; thus we have the New York Times recently asserting that the US-Russian relationship today "is far better than it was 15 years ago.") Declarations alone, however, could not terminate decades of warfare attitudes. Even when Bush was agreeing to end the cold war in 1989-91, many of his top advisers, like many members of the US political elite and media, strongly resisted. (I witnessed that rift on the eve of Malta, when I was asked to debate the issue in front of Bush and his divided foreign policy team.) Proof came with the Soviet breakup in December 1991: US officials and the media immediately presented the purported "end of the cold war" not as a mutual Soviet-American decision, which it certainly was, but as a great American victory and Russian defeat http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060717/cohen_charlierose_video/4
