The Horribly Impolite Trurh

February 12, 2007

Remember the initial looks of shock on the faces of theatre goers to "Springtime for Hitler"? The dropped jaws, the catatonic stares, the frozen visages of incredulity?

According to news reports, there was a repeat performance of that audience reaction in Munich Saturday, as an estimable assemblage of Western government officials, leading politicians and political cognoscenti were treated to a blistering reality check by an exceedingly undiplomatic Vladimir Putin.

Attending the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy, an annual gathering of Cold War origins, Mr. Putin said, in effect, You got your policies, you got your conferences, but global security is increasingly fleeting -- a victim of one superpower's chauvinism, ignorance, hubris and unidimensional thinking.

"One single center of power. One single center of force. One single center of decision making. This is the world of one master, one sovereign," said President Putin to the stunned gathering, many of whom in representative attendance by the maligned "one sovereign."

International conferences are usually polite open forums for equally polite closed minds, but Putin would have none of it.

"It has nothing in common with democracy, of course.

"Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force in international relations -- military force"; an assessment he further peppered with the adjectival rebukes of "illegitimate" and "unilateral" -- a force that has "overstepped its national borders" and "not been able to resolve any matters at all."

Instead, "They bring us to the abyss of one conflict after another. Political solutions are becoming impossible."

Yet Mr. Putin's most poignant and helpfully exhortative observation was of a Cassandra-like bent, which likely will meet the same reception as the Greek prophetess'. Any power that arrogantly presumes a globally hegemonic right, Mr. Putin forewarned, "destroys it[self] from within."

History is riddled with unexceptional examples, the dark warnings of which are ignored only at a modern perp's peril.

One could respond anemically with an irrelevant, ad hominem "poisoning the well" argument, as Senator and wannabe president John McCain did: "Will Russia’s autocratic turn become more pronounced, its foreign policy more opposed to the principles of the Western democracies?"

But what, item by agonizing item, of Mr. Putin's points? Ah, there's the rub.

Or, after recovering from "surprise" and "disappointment," one could offer an exhaustive critique of profound counterargument, as a White House spokesman did: "His accusations are wrong."

Ouch.

Or, after failing to logically punch holes in Mr. Putin's blunt "accusations," the "one sovereign" could simply heed his insights and set about correcting course.
Before it's too late.

(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. I.U. has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is I.U endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.

Putin Gives Warning!

Putin warns against "cornering Iran" over nuclear crisis


Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that the international community should address the concerns of Iran as it seeks a solution to Tehran's nuclear crisis.

"We should not corner Iran into a hostile environment," Putin said at a high-profile security conference held in the southern German city of Munich.

There is no evidence, after all, that Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons, he said.
The Russian president said the international community should "be more patient and work together" to solve the crisis.

Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani has arrived on Saturday to attend the three-day conference, where the Iranians nuclear crisis is one of the most burning issues to be discussed.
Earlier reports said Larijani had decided at the last minute that he is not coming due to an illness.

Larijani had said that he expected some negotiations with the West on the sidelines of the Munich meeting, which also attracted German Chancellor Angela Merkel, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and EU chief diplomat Javier Solana.

Some 250 top officials from over 40 countries participated in the 43th Munich security conference which will run from Feb. 9 to 11.

The meeting, titled "global crisis, global responsibilities", will also highlight NATO's role, the Middle East peace process, transatlantic relations, the West's relations with Russia and the fight against international terrorism, according to the organizers.

Source: Xinhua


(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. I.U. has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is I.U endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)


The Nazis, Fascists and Communists were political parties before they became enemies of liberty and mass murderers.