Politics 2.0

CZECH MATES

“We have tried to get the Russians to agree that we will participate as equals in a system designed to provide protection to the United States, Europe and Russia," U.S. National Security adviser Stephen Hadley commented on CNN on Thursday April 3, in support of NATO’s decision to back U.S. initiated defence shield in the Czech Republic. In response to Hadley’s remark, blogger Mach 3, who also goes by the alias Castor Troye commented, “What? Are you nuts?” in an undisclosed and unattended press conference.

Building a defence shield in the heart of Europe sends a clear and categorical message to say “everyone on this side of the line is on my team and everyone on the other side…well you didn’t make the cut”. Alluding to repressed childhood memories that we all have of not being picked for the team, the Bush administration has again enforced its For us or Against Us Doctrine where Russia, a country with an unsound history of mental hygiene, is that kid on field who again was left out of the team.

The return of drawing Cold War lines in Europe is not sudden or by accident. Only a year ago, Putin offered Bush the chance to place a missile defence system in the former USSR Republic of Azerbijan to curb the fear of nuclear missiles being launched from Iran and the Middle East region. In response, the U.S. stuck to its original plan and backtracked far from the Middle East to the Czech Republic, throwing cream pie in the Russians’ face. No doubt this is further exacerbated by the west’s wooing of Ukraine and Georgia to join NATO which sends a clear message that the west doesn’t trust Russia.

Instead of actively engaging in a new Russia, the U.S. administration has excluded them from jumping on board the new Europe idea which has forced the Russians to take the rebellious kid approach of being the macho man, anti-democratic, oligarchic stereotype which the Russians seem to enjoy. I guess such an effect is inevitable when the U.S. Sectrary of State is an expert on Soviet affairs, emphasis on Soviet.

Apart from returning the world into a bipolar system, the Czech line in the sand can have another repurcussion which is that Russia will form its own team and friends. After a slap in the face like that, is it unimaginable that Russia could warm up to Iran, the sworn enemy of the U.S.? I hope someone on either side of this translucent iron curtain has some degree of insight into the past and more importantly, some degree of foresight into the future.