Fifty kilometres from where I live in the ‘Former Evil Empire’Ronald Reagan, in his speech to the National Association of Evangelicals, Orlando, Florida March 8, 1983, uttered the classic lines:
I urge you to beware the temptation of pride, the temptation of blithely declaring yourselves above it all and label both sides equally at fault, to ignore the facts of history and the aggressive impulses of an evil empire, to simply call the arms race a giant misunderstanding and thereby remove yourself from the struggle between right and wrong and good and evil.
Now it has come full circle and in an address at an annual international security conference in Munich on Saturday, Vladimir Putin, in some of his harshest criticism of the United States since he took office seven years ago, said that Washington's unilateral militaristic approach had made the world a more dangerous place than at any time during the Cold War.
The United States has overstepped its national borders in every way. Nobody feels secure anymore, because nobody can take safety behind the stone wall of international law … Stability and economic justice should be not only for the chosen ones, but for everybody.
Interesting, don't you think?
Very cleverly timed interjection from His Communistness. I wonder what the agenda is. Is this a warning shot over Iran? I think that it is timely and may embolden some others to speak out and act to moderate some of the loony Yanqui Policies which seem to be on the agenda at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI fail to see how Putin selling $1 billion of tactical missiles to Iran helps promote security and justice for all.
ReplyDeletePutin is well down the road to total megalomania of the Mugabe varierty. I feel for the put upon people of Russia to haev to suffer further hardship.
One can question the motivations of Putin's speech, but that does little to take away from his point which rings loud and clear.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is simple - the US was called out for trying to dominate world affairs to its own interest with little regard for other countries. Whoever made such a claim matters little - whether it be Putin, Chavez, Ahmedinejad etc.
I ask myself this question: Why is it ANYONE that derrides the US for its global hegmony that works against peace is automatically painted as a power-hungry, crazed demagogue????? It can't be just coincidence...
Colin - he's not communist but I understand the tenor of your comment and agree.
ReplyDeleteCityUnslicker - predictable response from your good self and as you know, I can't possibly comment.
Wil - I think the major resentment, certainly from Brits, is that we're not recognized as playing any role by the Americans. Just there to make up the numbers.
I think the Americans should realize it's not the U.S. against the world but Free Thinking peoples who need to stand up for freedom and democracy.
As Washington sinks deeper into unilateralism, even their allies are going to start looking askance and America can't afford that. Plus it need never happen.
The problem is the people behind Washington and Westminster, driving the policy.