This is the perspective from my Russian friend, Konstantin, with whom I have had many a foreign policy discussion in the bars of Moscow. He is an educated, well-travelled Russian and I would say his view is in some ways quite typical of the Russian middle class.
My opinion has formed up long ago. There is no international law, there is only power. It was, it is, and it will be until the golden age of enlightenment. For that, I am not outraged or surprised by the US/UK position. It was to be expected. Georgia has no power to get the provinces back – so, Saakashvili should have sat still. It is stupid to pick at Russians now saying that it is de jure Georgian territory… Saakashvili was shelling the capital of South Ossetia for one and a half days, and levelled it to the ground. That’s it.
I strongly respect Americans in this way, and am deeply concerned about the readiness of our troops to wage conventional war. The US military is very effecient – bombs, bombs, bombs on “civilian areas of Belgrade” – and the war is over. and Russians? More than 20 russian soldiers have been killed, a thousand russian citizens murdered – and we are talking about a ceasefire. During the Nato bombing of Yugoslavia, the Nato losses were ZERO.
I would refer you also to the speech of the Russian UN representative, Vitaly Churkin. I think his position is quite reasonable http://www.un.org/webcast/sc.html
There was an amusing moment when Khalilzad [US ambassador to UN] produced a paper with the print-out of a telephone conversation between Condoleeza Rice and [Russian foreign minister] Lavrov where Lavrov said that “Saakashvili must quit”. Khalilzad was pressing this point when Churkin said “I am glad you publicize confidential information of our foreign ministers…” And during the press-conference the reporters were shelling him with this question, if Russians want to overthrow the democratically elected president, and Churkin said “I do not practice overhearing my boss’s converstions”.
Again, I have lost all, I repeat, all respect for the West coalition. It is all clear with the US. But the UK! Miliband looks to me like Tabaqui the jackal following after Shere Khan, the role the Georgian envoy was playing masterfully in the UK. But the UK is not Georgia, it must be shameful for them to follow in every US step. The British establishment generally is as despicable and decadent as the Russian. Reprimanding Russian moguls, while selling them family castles, selling them “Britishness”. Truly, if David Miliband represents the new generation of British diplomats, this is very sad.
“Do not forget that we are a small grey donkey between the bear and eagle” W. Churchill. It is true that the bear is lame, and maybe will never recover, but one must not behave like a donkey.
To sum it all up. I do not care at all what the West says, they lost all credibility, authority and respect. Russians are not angels either. Anyway, why did Serbia let Kosovo go? Because they were not strong enough. Why did Russia manage to suppress Chechnya? It was just bigger and more powerful. Human rights aspect is another issue.
So, it is my sacred dream to manage to free myself from the state’s influence and lead the life I choose, and live with the people I choose and respect. I saw many wonderful and reasonable people in America and Britain. I am sure there are a lot of them. But what the establishment is doing is above my understanding…
