Original by Dmitriy Yevstafyev, translation by J.Hawk
If one looks at the whole history of relations between Russia and the West, not since the Crimean War but going even further back, one is struck by something peculiar. Russia has for the longest time tried to act and protect its interests through a variety of international institutions. G-8, OSCE, Russia-NATO Council, even Council of Europe where we weren’t treated as an equal for a long time, UN Security Council, countless other committees and commissions.
We, however, have forgotten that we spent all of 2013 pursuing fruitless attempts to force our “wonderful Western partners” to hear Russia’s voice through various international institutions. We received an answer in the form of, at best, silent indifference to Russia’s totally reasonable concerns and offers or, at worst, as in the case of PACE, public insults and humiliations.
The current state of relations with NATO is no less critical. They are at a strategic dead end for many objective and subjective reasons, and it would be senseless to deny Moscow made mistakes here. The situation is dangerous is due to the fact that NATO is suffering from a disproportionate influence by politically and, especially, militarily marginal forces. Such military and political “giants” of our world as Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Norway, have captured the “propaganda battlefield” of the Russia-NATO relations and are dictating their will concerning the state of relations with Russia to the formerly leading powers of the alliance. It would be funny if it weren’t for the possibility of these geopolitical marginals profoundly destabilizing the Russia-NATO relationship through launching border provocations.
In any event, this “dialogue” with global, regional and, especially, “Western” political institutions yielded minimal results even as it consumed significant organizational and even financial resources.
How did we get ourselves in that situation? Probably because Russia was over-reliant on political institutions, on the possibility of discussing long-term strategic relations in the Russia-NATO Council framework and failed to recognize the strategic realignment of political influence within NATO. It especially failed to recognize the enormous growth of US influence within that organization following NATO’s failure to demonstrate its organizational potential during the Afghanistan stabilization operations. After that, to put it bluntly, failed experience and under the influence of growing economic problems, the influence of European countries within NATO which was genuinely increasing during the ’90s and even ’00s, collapsed.
By 2012-2013, NATO decisionmaking was no longer being made on a “coalition” basis, even though that fact was being carefully and skillfully concealed. But the “Crimean Spring” and Europe’s “post-Crimea syndrome” dispelled all appearances and illusions and revealed the hard reality. The indisputable reality is that currently NATO does not engage in any sort of “policy coordination”, instead all the major issues are decided in Washington which sometimes, let me emphasize that, sometimes seeks London’s advice, but judging by recent events, less and less frequently. The remaining members of the alliance, including the recently muscle-flexing “Merkellian” Germany, are part of NATO only, it would seem, to “deliver” the decisions to their “ultimate recipients.”
Naturally, the media report leaks about “difficult dialogues” or “resistance by individual NATO members,” but one has to keep in mind that is merely a ritual which still has some political utility. But it bears to resemblance to the actual decisionmaking mechanism.
Hence the following conclusion: instead of wasting time and resources to organize a “dialogue” with the supposedly vacillating NATO countries such as Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech Republic, and hoping for the results of French elections, it would be far more productive to simply fix our relationship with the US.
Look at how Syria turned out: it was enough to reach a strategic agreement with Washington (and we’ll never know what titanic efforts by Russian diplomacy and, possibly, not only diplomacy, it took) and suddenly there was a strategic “breakthough.” And those “partners” who even yesterday were convincing Erdogan to “hold on to the last” and wanted to introduce a “no-fly zone” and even spoke of the Russian bombings’ “monstrous humanitarian consequences” from every available soapbox, suddenly and in unison came around, acting as if they were trying to propose something like this all along, but just didn’t get around to it…
All of that took place in the space of a few days following NATO countries and their coat-tails Ukraine and New Zealand rejected the Russia-proposed UNSC resolution on Syria’s sovereignty. It seems that there is no more obvious demonstration of the sad but undeniable fact that in the “West” there is the US and “all the rest.”
It will be the same in all other situations where Russia’s interests clash with NATO’s. As soon as Russia reaches a mutual understanding with the US, one way or another, most of the problems in our relations with the West will automatically vanish. Conversely, all our attempts to “water down” “Western unity” through dialogue and dangling “carrots” in front of European countries have only led to our supposed “allies” squeezing additional “bonuses” from Washington which is no use to Russia at all.
So instead of attempting to “reanimate” the Russia-NATO Council, which many are talking about right now, it would be more productive to create instruments and institutions for a continuous dialogue with the United States.
This situation actually reflects an important ongoing geopolitical process. yes, naturally, the US political and military unipolarity is gradually fading into the past. Including thanks to Russia’s policies and growing strength. But that unipolarity is not yet a thing of the past and, secondly, it has led to a veritable US dictatorship within that which we have accustomed to call the “Western world”, a dictatorship that has compensated for America’s loss of influence outside of the Western world.
Therefore Moscow should treat as a given that Russia does not have a viable partner within the West other than the US and will not have another one for a very long time.
Besides, why try to reach an agreement with the serfs if you can talk to the master. Yes, the master has grown stupid on us, he’s not always acting rationally, and has succumbed to the sins of post-modernity, but he still keeps his servants on a short leash without granting them any wiggle room. The US has demonstrated its ability to maintain its monopoly on power within the so-called “Western world,” and we have to acknowledge this not very pleasant for us geopolitical reality. But that recognition releases us from a world of illusions in which we lived for the first half of the decade, hoping that “Europe will hear us”, and instead allow us to enter the world of objective global politics.
Its clear that the US establishment is blind to the importance of cooperation rather than competition with Russia. There certainly should be and end-run around the Washington elite who are deeply committed to Global Atlanticism, where-by multi-national organizations are created from the grassroots that understand the new reality of a multi-polar world.
Old institutions, such as the Russia-NATO Council, can not adequately adjust and pivot to this new understanding and new way of relating to each other. It is clear that the interests of the West and the interests of Eurasia are very much aligned, but those who hold the reins of power in the West currently only focus on where these interests diverge, and seek to use that as a wedge to create friction. Global peace and the elimination of terrorist threats should be everyone’s main foreign policy objectives; and it seems to me that only neoconservatives disagree — clearly they should be removed from the conversation.
The biggest mistake in a war is to underestimate capabilities of your enemy. You will be certainly taken by unpleasant surprise. Notions like US political establishment is stupid incompetent and so on are extremely dangerous because they create an illusion of superiority which in turn lowers your awareness in the theater of war and creates false expectations of an easy victory. It’s a form of self-deception. In reality you are dealing with extremely caning opponent who has proved itself extremely capable of creating chaos at the expense of its opponent. Very often Russian media try to portray US government as incapable of creating lasting peace. But who told you that their aim is the lasting peace and prosperity of all nations. They didn’t but you are presuming it because that’s what you are aiming at.
This article was not written by Putin nor by the chiefs of staff of the Russian armed forces. No doubt they are not underestimating anyone except maybe themselves. By now they must have understood that they’re dealing with a bunch of ultra cunning war-mongerers.
By now somebody should have understood the power of media.
There’s the entire issue of what is not seen in the media, and by that I refer to the censorship. My comments are deleted from youtube, because I checked. Others have videos deleted, articles deleted…so the question is always, who controls the media and why aren’t they more focused on real warfare rather than censorship. Censorship is the classic sign of a weak and illegitimate group.
Putin and his generals have not being fighting the war alone have they?
“Besides, why try to reach an agreement with the serfs if you can talk to the master. Yes, the master has grown stupid on us, he’s not always acting rationally, and has succumbed to the sins of post-modernity, but he still keeps his servants on a short leash without granting them any wiggle room.”
This is because the real ‘establishment’ behind western governments are the business entities that derive most of their business from intended results of those policies and actions. The western governments are executives who answer to their ‘shareholders’ even to the point of appearing ridiculous in the eyes of their constituents at times.
Mistake #1: Referring to Americans as Serfs. Mistake #2: Calling the Obama our ‘Master’. Mistake #3: Thinking that Americans are stupid.
The article was referring to us european vassal states as serfs from what I understand. Most americans are simply debt slaves and most are to stupid, distracted, and or in denial to realize or accept this, not all though. Until we get rid of western central banking controlling us currency with absolutely no oversight or accountability most states and their people here in the us will continue to be no more than debt slaves. Our fed gov went rogue and facistic / corporatist a long time ago and unless states within the union work together we won’t shake the feds until after they land us in another world war and are destroyed. All wars are truly to the banks benefit and “all wars are bankers wars” article goes into some depth explaining how they benefit.
I doubt you are European, because real Europeans don’t go around calling other people ‘stupid on the internet. They have better upbringing than that. Insulting people on the internet is a muslim-jewish thing,, so don’t use the word ‘our’ with me. It’s not ‘our’ government unless you’re black or jewish or foreign. I’m going listen to a Trump speech. What else to do when the trolls take over everything. Outta here.
Oh please. You lose a discussion and then become a sanctimonious so and so.
I am European, certainly not Muslim nor Jewish and you prove:
#3 There’s no denying that the average John/Jane Doe in the street is truly beyond stupid.
No real American would call Americans stupid. It’s called BEING A TRAITOR. So if you think Americans are stupid, I suggest you go and live in the Middle East.
Slam Dunk.
What part of “I am European”, did you not understand ??
Hell no im not european, alabama resident here and have to put up with idiots here in the land of the greed, home of the slave. us is short for united states for reference. Admitting some americans lack mental capacity isn’t meant as an insult only a fairly obvious fact. Insulting people on the internet isn’t just a “muslim-jewish thing” lol and by our I didnt mean you but americans collectively so no need to try and preach at me about what words to use. Since you like to correct grammar though as a suggestion you may want to leave out the stereotyping so your incompetence isn’t hanging out. Whether black, white, red etc, in the states we’re all burdened by the feds and only fools can be easily divided by race as the fbi did during vietnam via cointelpro. We all have many of the same enemies and are all treated as human livestock for tax farmers.
#1 With the ‘serfs’ they meant the other western countries, not Americans. #2 Not Obama but the American Anglo-Zionist establishment. #3 There’s no denying that the average John/Jane Doe in the street is truly beyond stupid.
I don’t see any stupid Americans around me and I’m sick of seeing it all over the internet written by scared anonymous bloggers claiming to be American and probably not.
Very close to the truth. However the real center from which the shots have been called is the Georgetown University the oldest Jesuit university in USA. Do a little bit of research and you will find who has been affiliated with the institution. For example Madeleine Albright who currently serves as chair of Albright Stonebridge Group and as the Mortara Distinguished Professor of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Albright joined the academic staff at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., in 1982, specializing in Eastern European studies. Very interesting just 9 years before the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact and Soviet Union which was a joint project of USA and Vatican see Malachi Martin “The Keys of This Blood”. She also directed the university’s program on women in global politics. She is the main campaigner for the USA presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton. What coincident! By the way Malachi Martin was a Jesuit preast and graduate from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
No partners. Only enemies and rivals.
The source of the twitters and triggering propaganda is the Israeli/Saudi spy operation being run out of Los Angeles through Creative Artists Agency and Slate, which is now owned by and full of pro-Islamists traitors, which includes an army of Gay Activists. This source of vile and destructive propaganda must be stopped immediately, or else they will always be 5 minutes ahead of everything the rest of us do. It must be recognized that the source of the problem is in secret international societies and to try to deal with ‘National Governments’ is to miss the point entirely. The very purpose of these separate governments is to throw the blame on the very people they are supposed to represent, while a secret society member can simply throw on burqha and walk away from the disaster in disguise and unscathed. The solution mentioned in this article is correct, to my mind. We must create alternative institutions of communication and education, a Propaganda Campaign of Truth, and this will be the foundation of progress. I truly hate the concept of democracy because it’s so easy to assassinate the minority of honest leaders and independent thinkers. The source of the trouble is concentrated in one or two buildings in various cities, but Los Angeles needs to be attended to quickly. Also, after many hours of monitoring Israeli media, it’s clear to me now that the immigration invasion is calculated revenge against America and Europe for refusing to fight wars for the Jews and the Turks. As long as we allow the Israelis to flood the world with lies designed to incite violence and division, there will never be a solution. The flow of satanic propaganda needs to be replaced with truth, as part of the overall plan. The Saudis own all of American media, and their goal is to present a negative image of Americans. More daily at http://www.debeausoleil.com
Hurrah for Suzanne Broussard who writes facts from much research.
Wow!
Have you two created a some kind of support group?
I like it when people to a lot of research as Suzanne does. Might also be that we are both space aliens.
Dr. Ronald Cutburth, engineering scientist, intelligence expert.
To be replaced with truth from where Vatican? You keep on barking at underdogs. Please study the history and find out who were the Knights Templars and their masters. Find out what was their sacred duty during the Crusades and then hopefully you will get the answer to what is the role of the state of Israel today. All roads lead to Rome is the old Latin saying which has proved itself true countless times over. Hopefully you will be able to grasp its metaphoric meaning.
Russia should reach out to us state governments for partners in the us as much as if not more than they do to our criminal federal overlords. They cant legally set foreign policy without declaring independence but can add pressure on those that are supposedly in control of it. Many states recognize the feds criminal activity but are kept quiet through threats including but not limited to removing so called federal funding that the privately owned fed reserve provides to states since their is no us notes these days only fed reserve notes. Reaching out to citizens of us states via the internet has also seemed to be effective also where I live. Most people I talk to are pulling for russia in syria and understand so called Russian aggression is a myth pushed by the feds and their lackies