Remember Vladimir Putin’s New York Times op-ed? Let’s revisit it.
It all seems a little like ancient history now, but last year Vladimir Putin was at the center of a very different geopolitical tug-of-war. The Russian president was facing the possibility of American military action in Syria, and, to voice his opposition to it, he decided to write a New York Times op-ed.
"Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders," Putin, or perhaps his ghostwriter, began. "It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies."
The Russian president went on to explain how "decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus," and that an American-led strike against the Syrian regime "could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance."
"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," Putin wrote. "The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not."
Rereading those words after the events of the past few days is jarring. On Saturday, Putin received authorization for the use of Russian troops in Ukraine, following a series of protests that led to the ousting of Putin-ally Viktor Yanukovych. Reports from Crimea, a largely autonomous region within southern Ukraine that has a sizable ethnic Russian population, suggest that troops have already taken over key government buildings.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/03/02/remember-vladimir-putins-new-york-times-op-ed-lets-revisit-it/?wprss=rss_blogpost&_monetaClick=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--
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IOKIYAVP.
- Another triumph for democracy, huh?
K&R
