Around Russia

The results of the year. Through the prism of wikileaks ...

January 3, 2011 Alexander Golts

A couple of months ago, one could say that the foreign policy results of 2010 promise to be very good. The national leader is tired, the glory to you Lord, from international affairs. Too many protocol events that distract from really important classes. It seems like ringing of bears, tiger protection and mining for the homeland of the World Cup. Thanks to the permanent employment, the leaders of foreign states were practically unheated this year. The premiere’s international activity began to be bugged as the grandiose plans for creating an energy superpower were bought up. The outlet lollipop in a hot palm began to melt too quickly.

The president, who was graciously allowed to engage in foreign policy, was very successful. For example, he signed a rather meaningless, but completely harmless agreement on reducing offensive weapons, which seems to claim the role of the main foreign policy achievement of this year. The START Treaty does not require any abbreviations of strategic weapons. Due to the fact that the diplomats came up with new counting rules, it only fixes the existing status quo. In fact, the United States will have much more than Russia, carriers and warheads. However, it was necessary at least some kind of content to fill the relations of Moscow and Washington after such loud statements about the reloading.

The Lisbon Summit of NATO with the participation of Medvedev also passed perfectly. The Russian president promised to assist NATO in Afghanistan (that is, help the Atlantists ensure the safety of our southern borders). And he even agreed to discuss the possibility of Russian participation in the combined missile defense system. And the fact that he threatened the NATOs with a new arms race is more for order. In order not to forget: we could have a razor in the eyes ... Moreover, the inhabitants of the Kremlin were enough not to attach great importance to the publication on the WikiLeaks website of the NATO plans to protect the Baltic countries from the Russian invasion.

However, the influence of WikiLeacks on the assessment of Russian foreign policy is by no means exhausted by this episode. There are events after which their participants and viewers clearly understand: the world has become different, maybe better, maybe worse, but to others. Such events last year are clearly the story of the publication of the entire giant massif of the diplomatic mail of the State Department. Julian Assange, whom the furious prosecutors can show only an lost condom, actually plays the role of a boy from Andersen’s fairy tale, who was able to say to almost every world boss: “You are naked”. At first glance, Russia is nothing more than part of the universal diplomatic disaster. It seems that Putin and Medvedev here ended up in the same company with Berlusconi, Sarkozy, Merkel, Lukashenko and Akhmadinejad. It turned out that American diplomats work quite professionally and consider it necessary to inform the authorities what they consider to be true. And they use clear words and suitable images for this. Of course, it was extremely unpleasant for all state leaders to read definitions like “arrogant aunt” or “paranoid”. Against this background, the comparison of Putin and Medvedev with Batman and Robin looks quite harmless. The thing, however, is that between the policies of France, Germany and even, you will laugh, Iran, on the one hand, and the policy of Russia, on the other hand, there is a big difference. Paris, Berlin and Tehran have a real foreign policy. A policy that sets some real goals (regardless of whether they are noble or vile).

But Russian foreign policy all consists entirely of show -offs. To portray something - for her not a means, but a goal. And this is almost no longer shy. “The STARC Treaty put forward our country to the forefront of world politics, since strategic nuclear weapons and their reduction are Russian-American“ exclusive ”, where two main global players in this field are soloed,” Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, is quite frankly stated. That is, this one, as they say, is, in fact, an important agreement is not very necessary, the main thing is the opportunity to “salt”.

And from the publications of WikiLeaks definitely follows: these show -offs do not work. There is no doubt that not only American diplomats, but also representatives of all other states perfectly understand what the driving forces and sources of Russian foreign policy are. All this rubbish about strategic weapons and missile defense does not completely hide from them that they deal with a weak, deeply corrupt state. The minimum program in relations with him is to ensure that it, self-asserting, does not make any nasty things.

And now, when we know what they know (damn Julian Assange), it turns out that all this imperial tandemodemagogy, if it is suitable for something, is only for television "Purchasing" of all these fat, Leontiev and roar. Foreign policy, built on the stereotypes of the 19th century, is simply unproductive. She cannot help modernize the country. Because foreign partners rightly indicate that this modernization should begin with the modernization of the political system. “Special” relations with the leaders of other countries do not promote our economic interests. And now the Italian Alitalia refuses Superjet Russian aircraft. Hugs from Berlusconi do not save the project.

Of course, it is good that last year Russia managed to practically not spoil relations from any of the decent countries. But this is not enough. It is high time for our country to find your place in the "Gota Orchestra." But for this we must abandon attempts to portray the first violin. In this sense, the story with WikiLeaks can help to complete the so long -long process of our self -identification.

Photo by RIA Novosti