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The Russian full house
by Thanos Kalamidas
2010-10-29 08:36:55 |
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Dmitry Medvedev is going to meet the Europeans soon in a NATO and EU summit feeling the shadow of Vladimir Putin, or at least everybody else feeling the shadow of former spy and for one more time everybody wandering what’s the Russian agenda. Oddly this time the Russian president is coming to meet the Europeans holding some aces in clear view and how oddly it was the American president who gave him those aces.
Barack Obama changed the whole policy of the Bush administration regarding the European missiles angering Poland from one side but with inviting Russia to participate to the program managing to calm a weak former enemy but with potentials to become strong. somebody has said long time ago that it is good to keep your allies close but you should keep your enemies even closer and in the modern world Russia is not anymore an enemy but it is good to keep a close eye at them. So Obama changed the plan with the east European missile program and Russia stopped complaining, much more Russia accepted to become partner in that program.
That’s one ace. The 0ther one is the shadow of the man that seems to be in real control. Putin is the most popular politician in Russia, actually he’s much more than a politician for the Russians, he is the new babushka; the man who gave back to the Russian people their pride and dignity. And despite all the reactions here and there the majority of the Russians like Putin. And what they like more about Putin is this veil of mystery that surrounds him. What he’s up to? What’s going on with the Russian army?
Rarely rumours have reached western media that in Russia there are paramilitary groups sworn to Putin; the Russian army has nothing to do with Yeltsin’s era. Putin has cleaned all the elements of the past establishing a new reality and using veterans of the Afghan wars. Economically he proved that he rules the game. Another front he cleared the last few years. Actually as prime minister he focused on all those economic warlords that fought him in the past and using Medvedev he cleared the scene even sending some of them to prison.
2008 was the year that the Russian army shown us what they are capable for in Georgia and it was scary. What was more scare was what we didn’t see but let to suspect and that’s the reason the European Union reacted exceptionally quickly especially compared from other reactions the last decade. Financially the Russian industry and agriculture seem strong as ever and the known Russian state bureaucracy seems to work again perfectly. Corruption there is but gradually even the corrupted seem to work for Putin and the Russian mafia seem to have move abroad leaving in the mother land some toothless replacements.
There are more aces Dmitry Medvedev is carrying. The afghan war has become a deadlock for the alliance and the NATO and they can use any help wherever it comes and who’s better to help than the one who has the best experience with both the terrain and the people. The Russians from their side want to have a second chance – we should never forget that Afghanistan has been the Russian Vietnam and Putin has personal bitter experience from the country – and the allies a solution soon or at least somehow a lower cost with less casualties or wider shared casualties. And Russia is the perfect candidate for the job.
And finally it’s all about energy and this is a very strong ace. Russia already controls the energy flow to Germany and most of the east European countries. With the new connections soon Russia will reach Mediterranean all the way to Italy and France and has long put an arm on Scandinavia.
Dmitry Medvedev goes to meet the on-off European partners and the American on-off allies carrying four aces and the sad thing is that from one side that Europeans and Americans have long sold their bluffs and of course the mystery of Vladimir and his shadow that will be watching.
Ovi+politics Thanos_Kalamidas Ovi Russia |
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