Not Making Any Comrades Here
Fred Kaplan on how President Bush can't even manage good relations with Russia.
Seriously, now: Russia? We've been dealing with them since the Cold War! How can you not know how to work them? I thought Bush was supposed to be a fan of Reagan; well I guess there's a difference between being a fan of someone and being a student of someone.
Also note that Kaplan says that the rise in oil has helped the Russia economy. To understand the importance of this information, let's do a mini-flashback: In order to defeat communism, America made deals with dictators, up-and-coming terrorists, and drug dealers (hey we sided with communist Russia to fight Nazi Germany, so sometimes you gotta make the hard decision). Well, communism dies and the countries (like Russia) who banked on that type of governance went downhill; meanwhile the bad guys we were in bed with were abandoned because we didn't need them anymore.
Unfortunately, the fact that many of these dictators, up-and-coming terrorists and drug dealers either (A) had influence in their anti-Western government or (B) had access to their nations natural reserves played a part in the mess known as "War on Terror." By that I mean abandoning these people to die at their enemies' feet didn't make the West popular, and made America a future target of terrorism and not really loved in the Middle East.
Anyway, now it's come full circle: Bush goes to war with the Middle East (really, has he ever been able to discern a good person from the Middle East from a bad one?), the foreign oil companies (many which are owned or centralized in the Middle East) react by raising prices, and look who benefits? Good ol' former communist Russia. Who remembers how America bankrupted and crippled them so they could become the sole super-power.
Is it far-fetched to think there are some pissed-off Russians looking for payback? Maybe not alot, maybe just five guys, but if they somehow get into power...let's just say that the Bush Administration's current screwups may have helped create the next enemy of the future.
Seriously, now: Russia? We've been dealing with them since the Cold War! How can you not know how to work them? I thought Bush was supposed to be a fan of Reagan; well I guess there's a difference between being a fan of someone and being a student of someone.
Also note that Kaplan says that the rise in oil has helped the Russia economy. To understand the importance of this information, let's do a mini-flashback: In order to defeat communism, America made deals with dictators, up-and-coming terrorists, and drug dealers (hey we sided with communist Russia to fight Nazi Germany, so sometimes you gotta make the hard decision). Well, communism dies and the countries (like Russia) who banked on that type of governance went downhill; meanwhile the bad guys we were in bed with were abandoned because we didn't need them anymore.
Unfortunately, the fact that many of these dictators, up-and-coming terrorists and drug dealers either (A) had influence in their anti-Western government or (B) had access to their nations natural reserves played a part in the mess known as "War on Terror." By that I mean abandoning these people to die at their enemies' feet didn't make the West popular, and made America a future target of terrorism and not really loved in the Middle East.
Anyway, now it's come full circle: Bush goes to war with the Middle East (really, has he ever been able to discern a good person from the Middle East from a bad one?), the foreign oil companies (many which are owned or centralized in the Middle East) react by raising prices, and look who benefits? Good ol' former communist Russia. Who remembers how America bankrupted and crippled them so they could become the sole super-power.
Is it far-fetched to think there are some pissed-off Russians looking for payback? Maybe not alot, maybe just five guys, but if they somehow get into power...let's just say that the Bush Administration's current screwups may have helped create the next enemy of the future.
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