What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria
By VLADIMIR V. PUTIN
Published: September 11, 2013
MOSCOW — RECENT events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.
Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.
The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.
No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.
The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.
Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.
Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.
From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.
No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.
It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”
But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.
No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.
The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.
We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.
A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government’s willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction. Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.
I welcome the president’s interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.
If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.
My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.
Vladimir V. Putin is the president of Russia.
What Putin Has to Say to Americans About Syria – NYTimes.com
Disrupting the Borg is expensive and time consuming!
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OT Steve but the police messed up this 44 year old small FL woman on DUI arrest.
Story..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2417076/Christina-West-DUI-arrest-video-shows-Tallahassee-Florida-police-officers-break-cheekbone.html
Not good
I would trust KGB Putin only slightly further that our Dear Leader.
Putin is much smarter and more dangerous.
Who is Elizabeth O’Bagy?
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/wall-street-journal-elizabeth-obagy-fired-96637.html%5DWSJ op-ed writer Elizabeth O?Bagy fired for resume lie – Mackenzie Weinger and Kate Brannen – POLITICO.com
A pro opposition Syrian shill.
This should work, we could use an edit feature Steve.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/wall-street-journal-elizabeth-obagy-fired-96637.html
Putin wants to keep his stranglehold on Europe’s gas and oil supplies.
The young upstarts in the mid east, with their newly found gas-fields – Qatar want to build a gas pipeline to Turkey and onwards. Meanwhile Israel has found gas off it’s coast and would like to export much of it, and the US wants to help. Both of these development have Saudis royally pissed. And the Saudis are the US’s friend in the region.
So now we have it all. The US, EU, and Saudi are funding and arming the rebels, Russia and China side with Assad.
The question is would the Saudis bankroll another regional war for the sake of a pipeline? Some don’t think so –
http://wallstreetpit.com/101063-if-syria-is-all-about-a-qatari-pipeline-why-are-the-saudis-trying-to-overthrow-assad/
and some do
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-04/guest-post-us-going-war-syria-over-natural-gas-pipeline
And how would Americas allies gain from this war especially Euope and Israel ?
http://www.naturalgaseurope.com/category/news-by-country/other-countries/israel
And so the New Great Game moves on, and only by asserting your voice to your representatives will you have a say in this mess.
I don’t side with any criminals no matter what they say. Putin is a killer who has achieved his position by a long list of criminal acts. He has no right to address the American people.
As for Obama I would say he is our problem especially now it has become painfully clear that he is not fit for the job and pushing an agenda we reject on all fronts.
So before dealing with Syria we should deal with our home front first, kick the guy out of office before he runs us into the ground and clean House.
As for all the talk about pipelines, oil and gas, it is good to know that this is all outdated information and outdated policies. Western Europe has so much shale gas reserves that only the tiny Netherlands has enough gas available to power the entire EU for the next 1.000 years. Europe doesn’t need the Russians anymore for energy. The UK, Germany, Poland all have huge shale reserves, much more than the Netherlands.
Suddenly poor countries like Morocco and Tunis have found an abundance of energy, even China has massive shale reserves.
This is a huge development. Why should you run a pipeline when you can produce your own energy locally?
On a geopolitical level this all still has to sink in with our political leadership.
That will still take some time.
I agree.
Reminds me of JFK’s speech June 1963 at American University.
Hopefully Putin doesn’t have a military industrial complex who wants to get him out of the way.
Putin is the Russian Military Industrial Complex.
His nickname: Mr. Power
Steven
Could you pull my non-spam comments out of moderation – please. 🙂
“Your comment is awaiting moderation.
September 12, 2013 at 2:57 am”
Thanks 🙂
I NEVER thought I would side with a Russian leader over our own president. What a complete and utter imbecile we have elected.
I had pretty much the same reaction. It is a sad day when Putin makes more sense than the president of the US.
No, it’s a good day because thanks to a murderous hack like Putin we know we have a bigger problem at home than we have in Syria. So let’s do something about it.
I do not trust Putin any more than Obama.
For the past sixty-eight years (2013 – 1945 = 68 yrs) – after Hiroshima was vaporized, the Second World War ended, and the United Nations formed – world leaders have worked together to deceive the public:
1. Neutrons repel, rather than attract, other neutrons
2. Stars make and discard, rather than burn, Hydrogen
3. The Sun made our elements, birthed the Solar System
4. Its pulsar core: The Creator, Destroyer & Sustainer of Life
These falsehoods were exposed twelve years ago – in 2001:
“The Sun’s origin, composition and source of energy”, 1041, 32nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conf., Houston, TX, March 12-16, 2001, LPI Contribution 1080:
http://www.omatumr.com/lpsc.prn.pdf
“Attraction and repulsion of nucleons: Sources of stellar energy,” Journal of Fusion Energy 19, 93-98 (2001): http://www.omatumr.com/abstracts/jfeinterbetnuc.pdf
http://scholarsmine.mst.edu/post_prints/AttractionAndRepulsionOfNucleonsSourcesOfStel_09007dcc8064c928.html
See recent messages sent to the Space Science & Technology Committee, United States House of Representatives: http://omanuel.wordpress.com/
For look at the larger picture:
Russia and the Changing World
http://valdaiclub.com/politics/39300.html
That’s de BS picture.
This link provides some better information. It’s about the huge amount of gas and shale gas found in Syria. http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/TheGreatGasGameoverSyria_gdietl_090913
In a world drowning in energy the old fashioned power game doesn’t work anymore.
But the “stupid” of this world still give it a shot.
Funny how Putin gets all UN friendly now.
Just few years ago Russia stopped one of it’s satellites regions, Chechnya, from going too radically Islamic by fire-bombing a few villages, Chechen rebels later used chemical gas against the Russians. The Russian returned the favor when rebels held people in a cinema hostage by gassing everyone.
http://rt.com/news/terror-attacks-chechen-rebels-115/
Chechens have repeatedly committed major acts of terrorism in Russia. Comparing it to the US and Syria is a bad analogy.
I agree that the Russian have had their major problems with Chechnya but there are some parallels.
In 1990-s Qatar, Saudi and Bin Laden’s Al Qaeda are thought to have developed a plot to create and ‘Islamic belt’ in Russian Caucasus, and started intensive “freedom fighters” training and send them to Chechnya to fight a “bloody Russian oppressive regime”
US saw an opportunity to weaken Russia further by helping “human rights fighers ” in Chechnya and joined the club of Qatar-Saudi-Al Qaeda by pouring weapons and money to them.
By the time the 1990’s ended and the start of 2000 the conflict was still rumbling on. Questions tabled at the UN by American Secretary of State Madeleine Albright about the refugee problems and Human Rights violations in the war were dismissed by the Russians implying that it was their internal problem.
So we have similar player but that time the Russian didn’t want the UN involved.
Putin wants to stop the US and NATO to topple the regimes that are big customers and/or strategic partners of Russia and they don’t want the fall out from radicals produced by US policies.
It’s as simple as that.
Putin is a tough negotiator and he’s great with propaganda too.
He is talking about mercenaries from Arab countries fighting in Syria, and the hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, which he sees as a problem that “threatens us all”.
But he cleverly refrains to mention that the Assad Regime in Syria is supported by Iranian soldiers for the past 18 months, Iraqi soldiers and Hizbollah fighters from Lebanon. And he also refrains to refer to his objective to build a powerhouse based not only on controlling Russian but also Middle East energy.
So for Russia this is all business of course, just like it is business for the USA. We’re not only looking at the No. 1 and the No. 2 arms producers in the world but we’re also watching the two biggest energy providers in the world and both, as we know, are ambitious.
Now the line of breach comes with the One World Governance BS which is rejected by Putin and the Agenda 21 BS which is aimed to faze out the use of fossil fuels by 2050 and control and reduce the world population.
That isn’t in the interest of Russia and Putin who has worked hard to build a power structure based on it’s control over energy and who turned Europe (especially Germany( into it’s biggest client.
Now don’t get fooled by the words from Putin.
He’s a trained KGB killer and if necessary he will slit your throat or push the nuclear button within a split second.
We shouldn’t have Putin in our face right now.
Our problem is the Happy Muppet we have in the White House who has been screwing up our entire foreign policy and the trigger happy Socialist freak in France who is obviously on a suicide mission creating mushroom clouds before his banks collapse.
They are all criminals who remain in charge because we let them.
Russia never want the UN involved. They are out for a One World Government remember.
In the 90’s until 10 years ago Russia was still recovering from the collapse.
Nobody expected Russia to become a bigger oil supplier than Saudi Arabia and nobody thought they would become the second biggest arms exporter in the world, let alone the NO.1 gas supplier to Germany.
The Russia of today is totally different from 10 years ago. Russia has become a superpower again. It is the Russians that now takes Americans into Space and it’s the Russians that now have an arms industry which is totally independent from any imports.
No American defense contractor can make that claim because almost all electronic components come from Japan, Taiwan and China.
If we look at the quality of personal gear like helmets and bullet proof vests, the Russians have beaten us. Their helmets and vests stop the bullet from a Kalashnikov. The Nato helmet and gear doesn’t.
As Europe’s defenses have become marginal, breaking down and selling out it’s Cold War stock piles without replacing it and the USA is on the brink of economic collapse, for Russia the time for opportunity has arrived.
There is no war fatigue among the Russian military and every school kid knows how to take a Kalashnikov apart with a blindfold on.
From the Russian point of view Europe has become a sitting duck and the US has a totally incompetent President.
None of our anti missile defense systems like chaff work anymore, making our planes vulnerable. The Russians and the Chinese have been working tirelessly over the past 15 years to develop missile systems able to eliminate aircraft carriers. These are no longer safe.
The lack of conventional fighting power in Europe IMO has increased the potential use of nuke’s when under siege.
That’s why I think we have entered the most, I even dare to say even most dangerous times since the Cold War and we better watch our backs.
We have armed every barbaric nation in the world from the Turks to the Egyptians and from the Saudi’s to the Emirates. The Russians took care of the rest.
I seriously think we hold a bad hand of cards right now and the Russians know it.
Putin didn’t put his ugly botox head in the US Media for nothing.
Yeah, the UN is the mother of all hoard and those serving it sons of bitches.
The establishment tells us we need the UN because it’s all we have. I say the UN has turned against our civilization and we can do without it. All we need is our freedom.
UN IPCC, UN AGENDA 21, Thousands of crooked NGO’s, screw them all.
Putin’s letter underscores the huge damage Obama is doing to the United States. Our President told us before that he doesn’t believe in American exceptionalism based on limited constitutional government. That was logical and credible because Obama doesn’t believe in limited constitutional government.
Now blundering through his incompetent foreign policy mess he’s determined that it’s the United States power and its arbitrary use by the President that makes us exceptional.
Putin is right to call him out on that bullshit but it’s sickening America gets lectured by the ex-KGB man. I need a stiff drink.
—–
On April 4, 2009 Obama said: “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect that the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.”
—–
On Sep 11, 2013 Obama said: “But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death, and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act. That’s what makes America different. That’s what makes us exceptional.”
What makes America unique is it’s this incredible landmass, it’s people and the Constitution. The current political leadership shouldn’t have been in office. They’re just a mistake.
” I need a stiff drink”.
That’s exactly what the Russians say.
I know. They need it, too.
Twenty years after the collapse of the USSR the European Socialist believe there is no longer a military threat at the eastern border of Europe.
Putin will see such an attitude as an open invitation to invade the West.
He’s a very ambitious opportunist with a huge ego.
Now check history for people with a similar set of characteristics and read about their accomplishments.
Putin makes a theological argument against the theory of American exceptionalism. Aside from the entire matter of Syria, this demands a response in its own right.
His open letter seems to conflate American exceptionalism with the unipolar concept of one superpower as the international cop for all countries. While there is a loose historical connection there, these are two very different philosophies, to the extent that the founders of the first would surely be appalled by the second.
The truth about the theory of American exceptionalism is that at the time of its inception, many people were hungry for a better, indeed a more righteous and Godly, approach to the philosophy of government. When they saw such an approach arise in the American colonies and subsequently the U.S., many were so pleased/relieved that it had found acceptance at a national level that they flocked to it, and of those who didn’t, many attempted to emulate parts of it in their own country.
Ironically, the Soviet Union was one such attempt, though a very poor one.
The U.S. did not live up to all the stated expectations of its founders (who were also the fathers of U.S. exceptionalism.) But the S.U. did a particularly awful job in its attempt to copy (and “improve” upon) the theory. Due to this horrendous result, the government of Russia today still struggles with political reform and with its own philosophy of government. (It’s not that Russia doesn’t aspire to the “perfect” philosophy of national government so they can spread it to the world; it’s that such an outcome simply proves so elusive despite their best efforts.)
The plain fact is that while all men are created politically equal, not all nations are. The Bible is an excellent witness of this fact, and Putin, being a student of the Bible (even if he isn’t a believable Christian), is well aware of this fact. But he presents an alternative viewpoint anyway, to manipulate and score political points with the American people. Where I come from, this is called “lying”.
The world already has one Obama. What could it possibly want with another?
RTF
At least one democrat had to vomet: http://thehill.com/video/in-the-news/321859-criticism-of-putins-op-ed-builds-among-lawmakers
Menendez the taxpayer funded whore monger.
Apparently a lot of folks are stuck in the cold war.
IT IS OVER. The Russians are not the bad guys…WE ARE.
While Putin has thrown out the corporate/financial mafia behind World Socialism, our government has been hijacked by World Socialism, through the Fabian long march. Welcome to the USSA.
Keep in mind the same people telling you Putin is an autocratic dictator are the same people telling you that you need the NDAA, bailouts, Global Warming mitigation, and a war in Syria….and it is the same people from whom Putin took back Russia.
It is not Russia that is 16 trillion in debt to the anglo-american financial mafia…it is us.
It is not Russia that has the U.S. surrounded by military bases…we have them surrounded.
It is not Russia with some 700 military bases in 200 nations…IT IS US.
It is not Russia that has destroyed 7 nations in 10 years…IT IS US.
It is not Russia that supports Al Qaeda and Islamic extremists, IT IS US.
It is not Russia drone bombing women and children in 5 different nations…IT IS US.
Putin did not pass the NDAA, the Patriot Act, Obama care, and the communist bailouts of the banking centers….WE DID.
Keep in mind the same people telling you Putin is an autocratic dictator are the same people telling you that you need the NDAA, bailouts, Global Warming mitigation, and a war in Syria….and it is the same people from whom Putin took back Russia.
Right, thanks for reminding us we have to clean house ourselves, in the USA and Europe but don’t tell me Putin is Mr. Nice Guy from next door. On the contrary. He closed a pact from hell to solve the war in Chechnya. Compared to this solution Assad is a pussy. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-25/putin-s-medieval-peace-pact-in-chechnya.html
As for the Cold War, it never ended. The EU as we now know is a postponed punishment from the former USSR and we already have started rebuilding a new iron curtain in Europe. Ask the Greek.
Sure but we support Chechen extremism, through our usual proxies Saudi Arabia and Turkey…and the Iron Curtain goes the other way now, it is the EUSSR on one side and a debtless, free, and independent Russia on the other.
Take a look at Iceland, Cyprus…the a few holes in that Iron Curtain.
You can throw the bankers out.
We should do that but we have to do it in sync with America. Otherwise we will be at war with the USA
Haha I just realized you must be in Europe…I understand your being weary of Russia!
All I can say is Putin has repeatedly said he is trying to build a multi-polar world, not dominate it. He is after all working with the BRICS countries to build a counter-balance to Anglo-American hegemony, i.e. World Bank/IMF structure…
http://rt.com/business/russia-brics-bank-g20-468/