Saturday, August 16, 2008

Why might Russia feel encircled?

Why, indeed?




Add to all this, the fact that Russia's population is actually declining, the epidemic alcoholism, staggering economic inequalities. We might consider the challenges Russia faces from Islamic extremists and various secessionist movements. Indeed, consider the
tenuousness of the Russian Federation's hold over its constituent republics. Finally, we should consider the relative size of the US defense budget compared to that of Russia ($600 billion Vs $40 billion); not to mention the relative size of Russia's population in the East compared to that of China.

If you all this up -- and consider the many areas in which Russia's cooperation is vital -- does the way the West approaches Russia make any sense? By what criteria did Western leaders decide that policies such as missile defense and the expansion of NATO were more important than building strong relations with Russia?

LINK, read and think...

Am I the only one who thinks US foreign policy has gone into the toilet since 9/11?
Well, no. That's what Greg Djerejian said the other day.

And some people think it's cute to make light of Russia's problems.

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