That was a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 13, 2001. Not to insult anyone's intelligence, but, this obviously was before September 11, 2001 and the illegal invasion into Iraq on March 19, 2003. However. Is it far from the imagination to consider all of the 'deterioration' of relations between "Post Soviet Russia" and the USA a matter of chance?
There has been a progressive loss of clout of USA stature globally since the Bush/Cheney oil venture into Iraq and a profound loss of the alliance between an old friend, namely Russia since that same day. Previous to March 19, 2003; Russia was still at our side in the name of peace and defeat of terrorists. They were the first into Afghanistan to assist with medical field hospitals in order to prevent at any cost loss of American military lives should the retaliation against al Qaeda prove to be more deadly than anticipated.
There is an 'instigation' of destabilization by Bush globally. Any speculation regarding the reasons for this 'mad man's agenda' is allowable. It makes no sense and in spite of all the 'justification' for abandoning treaties between Russia and the USA based on the 'idea' the USSR was the party of these agreements there is still today no replacement for the agreements that lent themselves to peace rather than escalation of war.
This 'visit' by Putin can be many things. But, after six years of deterioration of trust and mutual outcomes, there can only be the realization this may indeed be more than the last handshake between the current President of Russia and the current President of the USA. It may very well be the impetus to war that we are witnessing and not the prevention of it. There is grossly little 'trust' of Russia by The West and those in the Dumas feel it all to well. There is also grossly little reason to believe the propagation of a 'new' trust exists. Blair played a larger role in that as well resulting in a return by Britain to Afghanistan, alone with NATO and absent of Russian involvement when a resurgence of the Taliban occurred.
Today, Putin's Russia would dealy love to be a full partner in relations with 'The West' but there continues to be enormous hurdles to that with 'complaints' of human rights violations in regard to dead spies and journalists over shadowing 'the higher' goal to stop the reason for such incidents all together.
Pure unadulterated foolishness is driving a huge wedge between resolutions to insure the safety of nations from mutual destruction. This 'meeting' between Bush and Putin seems 'out of step' with the overwhelming reality of the estrangement of Russia from The West. I remain skeptical to any benevolent outcome except to say, there is new leadership in Britain promising to be progressive toward peace and a new leadership in the USA legislature with anticipated changes in the Executive Branch in 2008. But, in the interim the people of the USA are witnessing the deterioration of their own democracy through the Judicial Branch at the level of the Supreme Court in anticipation of a further defeat of Neocon goals post 2008. Will 'that promise' of change be enough to reassure Russia? Or is time running on a positive outcome to such possiblities?
