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www.therussianissues.com
Putin's Plan (Nezavisimaya Gazeta)
The attempt to westernize Russia may be successful
by Aleksandr Kuranov
issued on 20.11.01
News reports of a friendly talk and a plentiful dinner at President Bush's ranch remind us of similar events 29 years ago when Richard Nixon was showing Leonid Brezhnev the presidential residence at Camp David. Many thought back then that was a sign of renewed trust between the two former anti-fascist allies. Yet, all the Brezhnev-Nixon and Brezhnev-Ford summits could not break the ice: the United States and the Soviet Union were antipode states. The unifying figure of a common enemy no longer existed as it did in the early 1940s.
Today the very Afghanistan that separated Moscow and Washington twenty years ago has made them friends again. Who knows, the meeting in Washington, not to mention the family picnic in Texas, might not have happened if it were not for Russia's participation in the anti-terrorist coalition. On the other hand, did Vladimir Putin have another choice after September 11th? Those in Russia who criticize Putin for "concessions to the Americans" should think again: it is not at all clear who was helping whom.
The very generals that now criticize the Kremlin for being "too complaint" used to fear a war on two fronts: in Chechnya and in the Central Asia. Today the Chechen problem is pretty much legitimized by the West. President Bush mentioned it in one of his Washington speeches in a purely ritual way. As for the Central Asian problem, the U.S. and other democratic countries decided to save the CIS from the Taliban threat. We have even agreed upon the nuclear arms reduction. Putin's typically Western suggestion to write down the agreement was opposed by Bush's Russian-style offer to simply shake hands.
The only thing the two sides still cannot agree on is the future of the ABM treaty that began a brief period of Russo-American friendship 29 years ago. It is clear that the Americans will abandon the treaty sooner or later, but may keep certain unimportant parts of it as "souvenirs."
It seems that Western politicians and media are finally beginning to realize the seriousness of Putin's pro-western foreign policy. The U.S. has more than enough reasons to prove its military might and show off its leading position in the world today. Russia must never forget that. Moscow, may not be taken into account when geo-strategic plans are played out or, more likely, will be treated as a second-rate ally because of the sad condition of its army and economy.
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