Sunday, December 5, 2010

Putin, Russian Democracy and Wikileaks

It will take years for the United States to restore its image as a trustworthy diplomatic partner. U. S. diplomacy has suffered a severe set back and its national security has been damaged by the Wikileak dumps of classified documents.

The Wikileaks revelations on Russia provide a rare candid view of the Russian leadership, the state of Russian democracy, and the prevalence of corruption and thuggery at the highest levels of government. In this regard, the Wikileaks documents confirm what outside experts have suspected. It is perversely comforting to know that U.S. diplomats understand the reality of Russian politics irregardless of the optimistic tone of the “reset” of relations with Russia at the beginning of the Obama administration.

These leaks clearly show that the Russian government is corrupt to the core and that the corruption starts at the top. U.S. diplomats understand that Putin, despite his nominal number two position, still calls the shots and that Russia is run by incorrigible ex-KGB officers, whose mindset is that the U.S. is the enemy. Our diplomats also understand that Russian democracy is dead and will continue to be moribund for the foreseeable future.

These leaks also show the sensitivity of Putin to charges that he is personally corrupt. Attempts to investigate Putin’s personal wealth have likely resulted in assassinations of investigative reporters, and it seems that Putin’s most violent reaction to the published leaks relate to internal discussions of his personal wealth.

The secret dispatches from our diplomats in Russia paint a bleak but realistic view of the state of affairs in Russia.

2 comments:

  1. So how is a corrupt Russian government exposed, bad for the United States image? Sorry, but the claim of a severe setback for our diplomacy doesn't follow in my mind.

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  2. Wishfull thinking by a narrow US type who does not want to stop the Cold War. Somebody stuck in the past. Just remember Putin offered to drop Nuke levels to 1500 each in 2000 - the US told him to get lost - now the US has finally responded will the US Congress ratify a new treaty?
    Also Russia is not recruiting the Talliban and supplying arms to them like the US did when Russia tried to clean up the mess in Afghanistan. Hardly the actions of a country wanting to continue the Cold War. It often seems the other way around to me when you hear statements like the above coming out of the USA regularly. Those in the US with a BRAIN and in the know obviously privately think well of Putin and Medevede from what has been revealed in Wicki Leaks. They simply are affraid to say it publicly in the US. I wonder why?

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