Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
So I noticed the other day on Claire’s meditation on the change-making incapacities of various Istanbulite merchants (don't forget, كاسب محب الله!), that a surprising number of Рикошетники have backgrounds in Russian or hung out in the former Warsaw Pact back when it wasn’t former. Привет, homeys. (Although I have to say my strongest memories of currency problems were having Hungarians come up to be in Budapest and say Cambiere? Cambiere? To this day I’m a little baffled why Italian…)
So, what do you think about the idea of continuing to negotiate START treaties with Vova Putin’s Russia? This comes up in this week’s Ricochet Podcast (since I've got Russian-brain going, "podcast" looks like "cast under" to me—weird, eh?) in which the assembled Magi conclude that it’s a baffling rite performed by arms-control votaries nostalgic for 1972 and utterly disconnected from today’s geopolitical scene.
A little aside here: if you’re not listening to the Podcast, you’re really not getting all the bang for your three bucks ’n’ change that you could—especially since I’m pretty sure it‘s free. As Ricochet’s Minister of Information, I must tell you that it’s by far our most polished product and is more fun than watching an oil-wrestling tournament with Claire after she’s had a couple rakı. Well…ok, as fun. But that’s a eşek-load of fun, kids. Check it out on a regular basis.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, Russia and arms control. My position with Putin’s Russia is that it’s clearly a gangster state, but on a historical scale a fairly benign one. That said, its gangsters are almost all anti-American, and their foreign policy is premised on the diminution of American influence around the world, but particularly along their (vast) Eurasian periphery. And they’re clearly charter members in the Legion of Doom or whatever we call the slightly more genteel states opposed to American influence that pay lip service to international conventions and treaties (unlike, say, the Frum-Gersonian Axis of Evil which are pretty much your class “rogue states” or “states of concern” or “naughty time-out states” or whatever we’re calling them this week). Erdoğan’s happily flirting with that Legion of Doom camp at the moment.
So, Russia is a problem for American diplomats but one much less pressing than—and less well-suited to the types of diplomacy that we developed (mostly successfully)—during the Cold War. What’s the best way to deal with these guys in your educated opinions? Openly and honestly, holding them to obligations? Indulgently, as they’re on the road to demographic and societal ruin and we just have to avoid their nuking someone in the process? Hostilely, attempting to actively counter their diplomacy as they counter ours? Or a combination of some or all of these? (Distantly cordially in public, a little more gloves-off in private and covertly Bondian?)
I have some not-particularly-unusual opinions, but I suspect yours are more interesting. So, have at it: Russia, Like, What’s the Deal?
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Comments :
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Привет, Билл. Согласна. Честно говорю, не знаю достаточно для того чтобы иметь информированное мнение.
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Очень приятно, Даен! Проблема нет! А ваше неинфорированное мнение что же? : )
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
: )
Jun '10
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Спасибо Bill. Дорогие Рикошетники, это мой ответ: Always understand that Russia only pursues their own interests and does anything to increase leverage. They have no other motive such as world peace, better relations with their neighbors, a closure of the Cold War, etc. That's why they have Gazprom and Transneft and why they're trying to neuter our nuclear and missile defense capabilities. It is also the case that they can't afford to keep such a large arsenal and they know they can't compete with NATO. The START treaty is just another example where Russia is trying to bail themselves out of some big jams. The only thing the U.S. gets out of the treaty is that we wouldn't have to listen to Russia's temper tantrums as much. People say that we don't want the treaty because we still have a Cold War mindset. It is the opposite, the Cold War is truly over and we should be able to move on to address other threats that have nothing to do with Russia. Letting Russia interfere with missile defense and our own security responsibilities is completely inappropriate. That's my best 200 word answer. Ask more if you want.
Edited on Nov 10, 2010 at 10:53pmRe: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Bill Walsh: А ваше неинфорированное мнение что же? : ) · Nov 10 at 10:23pm
Did I not say it correctly, or are you shaming me for not having an informed opinion on the matter? :)
Jun '10
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
No, you said it right. He just said, "Okay, if you don't have an informed opinion, then what is your uninformed opinion"?
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Dave Molinari: No, you said it right. He just said, "Okay, if you don't have an informed opinion, then what is your uninformed opinion"? · Nov 10 at 11:06pm
Obviously my uniformed opinion was utter agreement with every word Bill said.
Jun '10
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
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Edited on Nov 11, 2010 at 6:01amOct '10
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
This is sad. I translated the Russian more easily than the pig Latin. Sigh.
Sep '10
Re: Рикошетники всех стран соединяйтесь!
Bill said Bondian and none of you did anything with it. I'm extremely disappointed.