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BitaTruble -> Medvedev's speech and American morals (11/9/2008 12:41:23 PM)
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"The development of the international situation in recent years has been characterised by a number of negative trends. Responses to new threats can be made only through collective efforts. That is why we favour a carefully planned reform of the United Nations to bolster its central role and the effectiveness of its structures and mechanisms.
Based on this we need to take steps to develop an international arms control regime. And progress in US-Russian cooperation would play a key role in this respect. It's no secret that many states, simply due to inertia, look at which way the wind is blowing in relations between Russia and the United States. Yes, today these relations are not the best. And many questions are being raised in Russia, including moral ones."
My interpretation is that he's speaking of American morals, not Russian morals given what followed.
"But I would stress that we have no issue with the American people, we do not have inherent anti-Americanism. And we hope that our partners, the new administration of the United States of America, will make a choice in favour of full-fledged relations with Russia."
Why mention there is no inherent anti-Americanism if you are speaking of the morals of your own country rather than those of another? This bothers me on several levels, not the least of which is the fact that morals are not only highly subjective, but in the US, extremely diverse to boot.
In that same speech, Medvedev said the following:
"Therefore I will now announce some of the measures that will be taken. In particular measures to effectively counter the persistent and consistent attempts of the current American administration to install new elements of a global missile defence system in Europe. For example, we had planned to decommission three missile regiments of a missile division deployed in Kozelsk from combat readiness and to disband the division by 2010. I have decided to abstain from these plans. Nothing will disband. Moreover, we will deploy the Iskander missile system in the Kaliningrad Region to be able, if necessary, to neutralise the missile defence system. Naturally, we envisage using the resources of the Russian Navy for these purposes as well. And finally, electronic jamming of the new installations of the U.S. missile defence system will be carried out from the territory of the same westernmost region, that is from Kaliningrad."
Things don't seem to be going well and as this speech was given the day after the election, I'm not convinced that the new administration is going to be viewed, globally, as any different than the current one. It seems to me that any progress made with Russia over the last few decades has cracked in no small way during the course of the current administration after what happened in Georgia in August. Hopefully, the relationship is fixable with good diplomacy, but given that Russia views Georgia as an aggressor, I'm not sure what steps can or should be taken in regard to a viable partnership or at least the idea that we can have a diplomatic and peaceful solution to our differences. Thoughts?
Complete text of Medvedev's speech
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