Let’s face it. It’s hard to deal with Russia. It always has been. From the bolsheviks, to the cold war, to Yeltsin, and now President Vladimir Putin. We follow different paths, and we have different interests. In the post-cold war era, this has never been as obvious as it is at this current time.
Since George W. Bush commented early in his presidency that he looked into Putin’s eyes and saw his soul, their friendliness and kind words have quickly expired. Now the two countries have become engaged in rhetorical shouting matches and trans-national insult exchanges.
There is no doubt that, after years of economic humiliation following the end of the cold war, Russia has become the bear it used to be. Some have even ventured that they are returning to their old, aggressive ways as a geopolitical force. Its bulging gas exports have created an economic boom, the likes of which the Russian people have never seen. One could say, however, that with this new found wealth and power, the Russian government, and Mr. Putin in particular, have developped somewhat of a big head. Most of Eastern, and much of Western, Europe depends on Russia for their oil and natural gas imports, and Russia is trying to take full advantage of it. Recent diplomatic scuffles with the Ukraine and Estonia (see last post) are proof that the Kremlin is not shy about being hawkish in order to regain their power.
Unsurprisingly, the United States is none too thrilled with Russia’s power grab. Certainly, Putin’s suppression of social and political criticism has not won many Western friends, including those of the Bush administration. Putin’s KGB style lockdown of critical news associations and boistrous political opponents is scarily similar to the tactics used under the old Soviet regime. The international pressures to be more democratic, lead by the United States, seem to be having little, if any, effect; Putin’s approval rating is over 70%, and compared to Bush’s paltry 28% approval rating, it is no wonder Putin has the political leverage to scoff at the American president’s comments.
Tensions have also been strained because of the planned missle defense system the United States has planned for Eastern Europe that Russia says is a threat to its interests and security. The United States has said that the missile system is for the defense of Eastern and Central Europe – including Russia – and Secretary of Defense Condoleezza Rice has said that there is no way Russia can veto it. The U.S. has also been vocal in its disaccord with Russia over what it sees as the proliferation and distrabution of weapons of mass destruction – most notably to foe Iran.
It is true that Russia has a cordial and business like relationship with the Iranian regime, and is in the forefront of countries providing materials to supply Iran’s nuclear program. The U.S. is, of course, adament that a nuclear Iran is not an option and has become frustrated that its attempts at U.N. sanctioning have not recieved the support of Russia and China.
What the United States must do is use this cordial Russian/Iranian relationship to its advantage. No amount of pressure or criticism from the U.S. will stop the Iranians from what they see as their “given right”, therefore the U.S. should get the Russians to do it for them. Russia has already offered to process Iran’s uranium in Russian – to which the Iranians refused. The U.S. must proove to Russia that it is in their best interest to either deny Iran the ability to process uranium, or to have it done in Russia. This would give Russia more control in the conflict (which Putin is not likely to turn down) and keep the materials in Russia to be handled by Russians. Furthermore, the U.S. would be assured that Iran would be using the nuclear technology for energy purposes only, and not weaponry.
What is important to remember is that if this idea comes from the United States, or seems to be fabricated by them when the Iranians receive it, it is a no go. It is for this purpose that the U.S. must show the Russians how much their interest is at stake, and then let Putin and co. do the bidding. They should, also, not be allowed to take no for an answer.
We are reaching the point where the United States must realize that its diplomatic leverage is down, and must humbly accept the fact that Russia can, and must, be a key component to its diplomatic showdown with Iran. The Russians have a newfound sense of purpose and are hungry for power, why not use this to our advantage?
