DATE=6/9/99
TYPE=BACKGROUND REPORT
NUMBER=5-43612
TITLE=U-S-RUSSIAN RELATIONS
BYLINE=ED WARNER
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE EFFECT OF THE WAR IN KOSOVO ON U-S-RUSSIA RELATIONS
WAS DISCUSSED RECENTLY AT A WASHINGTON MEETING. THE DEBATE
CONCERNED THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO TIES BETWEEN MOSCOW AND
WASHINGTON. CORRESPONDENT ED WARNER REPORTS THE DEBATE CONCLUDED
REBUILDING RELATIONS WILL BE A MAJOR TASK.
TEXT: IF U-S REPRESENTATIVE CURT WELDON HAS HIS WAY, CONGRESS
WILL HOLD A SERIES OF HEARINGS ON "WHO LOST RUSSIA?" AT A RECENT
MEETING OF THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION (TUES., JUNE 8), HE SAID THE
WAR IN KOSOVO HAS PROFOUNDLY ALIENATED RUSSIANS, INCLUDING SOME
OF AMERICA'S BEST FRIENDS IN THE COUNTRY.
A PRO-WESTERN MEMBER OF THE DUMA, THE RUSSIAN PARLIAMENT, TOLD
MR. WELDON THE BOMBING OF SERBIA HAS OUTRAGED RUSSIANS ACROSS THE
POLITICAL SPECTRUM:
// WELDON ACT //
YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT FOR 70-YEARS, THE
SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY SPENT BILLIONS-AND-BILLIONS OF
DOLLARS TO CONVINCE THE RUSSIAN PEOPLE THAT AMERICANS
ARE EVIL AND THAT AMERICA IS EVIL, AND THEY FAILED. IN
40-DAYS OF BOMBING, THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE WHAT
THE SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY COULD NOT DO IN 70-YEARS.
// END ACT //
CONGRESSMAN WELDON SAID THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION KEPT RUSSIA
OUT OF DECISIONS LEADING TO THE WAR BECAUSE IT ANTICIPATED A
QUICK VICTORY OVER SERBIA. BUT IN HIS OPINION, RUSSIA SHOULD
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED FROM THE BEGINNING AND PROBABLY COULD HAVE
HELPED FIND A WAY OF AVERTING THE CONFLICT.
NOW THE WAR HAS STRENGTHENED THE RUSSIAN COMMUNISTS AND
NATIONALISTS, WHILE WEAKENING THE PRO-WESTERN DEMOCRATS FOR THE
UPCOMING ELECTIONS IN DECEMBER. A LEADING MEMBER OF THE DUMA
PHONED MR. WELDON IN SOME ANXIETY:
// WELDON ACT //
CURT, WE HAVE A TERRIBLE PROBLEM OVER HERE. WE WANT TO
BE YOUR FRIENDS. WE WANT TO REDUCE THE THREAT OF
NUCLEAR CONFRONTATION. WE WANT TO ENGAGE YOU ON ISSUES
OF ARMS CONTROL. WE WANT TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT ON
THOSE CONCERNS YOU HAVE RAISED WITH US. BUT YOU ARE
DRIVING US OUT OF OFFICE BECAUSE WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS
EMPOWERING THE ULTRA-NATIONALISTS. YOU ARE EMPOWERING
THOSE WHO ARE PLAYING TO WHAT OUR PEOPLE ARE SEEING ON
THE NIGHTLY NEWS.
// END ACT //
THAT NEWS COVERAGE IS WHAT DISTURBS ARIEL COHEN, A SENIOR POLICY
ANALYST AT THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION -- A POLITICALLY CONSERVATIVE
RESEARCH ORGANIZATION. HE SAID THERE IS LITTLE BALANCED
REPORTING ON THE MAJOR RUSSIAN TELEVISION CHANNELS. ALL THE
EMPHASIS IS ON THE BOMBING OF SERBIA, NOT SERBIA'S ETHNIC
CLEANSING IN KOSOVO:
// COHEN ACT //
RUSSIAN PUBLIC OPINION, INCLUDING THE ELITES, WAS
LARGELY MISLED ABOUT THE WAR IN KOSOVO BY THE RUSSIAN
MEDIA, ESPECIALLY IN THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR. THEN
PRIME MINISTER PRIMAKOV, HIS STAFF AND THE COMMUNIST
NATIONALIST HARD-LINERS LARGELY ORCHESTRATED THE
ANTI-WESTERN EFFORT, BUT THAT EFFORT RESONATED WITH
PENT-UP FRUSTRATION AMONG THE RUSSIAN PUBLIC.
// END ACT //
YEARS OF DISAPPOINTMENT WITH WESTERN INSPIRED ECONOMIC POLICIES
FUELED THE RAGE OVER KOSOVO, SAID MR. COHEN. BUT HE NOTED THERE
ARE LIMITS TO RUSSIAN ANTAGONISM. NOBODY SEEMED TO WANT TO GET
INVOLVED IN THE WAR OR SIGN UP FOR IT. WHILE SOME RUSSIANS WERE
DEMONSTRATING IN FRONT OF THE U-S EMBASSY IN MOSCOW, OTHERS WERE
LINED UP TO GET VISAS TO THE UNITED STATES.
THE PRESIDENT OF THE CENTER FOR SECURITY POLICY IN WASHINGTON,
FRANK GAFFNEY, SAID NOTHING COULD HAVE BEEN DONE TO SATISFY THE
RUSSIAN ELITES -- THE POLITICAL LEADERSHIP. HE BELIEVES THEY
OPERATE ON A DIFFERENT PREMISE WITH A FAR DIFFERENT GEOPOLITICAL
OUTLOOK:
// GAFFNEY ACT //
WHEN IT COMES TO LOOKING OUT FOR THE INTERESTS OF THEIR
CLIENTS, OF WHOM MILOSEVIC IS AND HAS BEEN ONE, OR
LOOKING OUT FOR OUR INTERESTS, OUR RUSSIAN FRIENDS ARE
GOING TO PROVE TO BE BETTER FRIENDS FOR THEIR CLIENTS
THAN FOR US. THE RUSSIANS HAVE CLIENTS ALL OVER THE
WORLD. VIRTUALLY, WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THEY ARE BAD GUYS,
AND I SUGGEST TO YOU THAT EVERY BAD GUY IN THE WORLD IS
WATCHING TO SEE HOW THIS WORKS OUT FOR SLOBODAN
MILOSEVIC.
// END ACT //
THE BAD GUYS MR. GAFFNEY MENTIONED ARE NORTH KOREA, IRAQ, IRAN,
SYRIA, AND LIBYA. IF THEY SEE MILOSEVIC CAN GET WAY WITH MURDER
AND SURVIVE IN POWER, THEY CAN, TOO.
WHILE THE SPEAKERS AT THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION WERE MAINLY
CONCERNED WITH POLITICAL ELITES, ARIEL COHEN NOTED
DISSATISFACTION WITH THE U-S BOMBING WAS EXPRESSED BY A MORE
UNLIKELY SOURCE. HE SAID RUSSIA'S GREAT OPPONENT OF TYRANNY,
WRITER ALEXANDER SOLZHENITSYN, CALLED THE BOMBING OF SERBIA PART
OF A U-S EFFORT TO CREATE A NEW WORLD ORDER AT THE EXPENSE OF
RUSSIA.. (SIGNED)
NEB/EW/RAE
09-Jun-99 12:50 PM EDT (1650 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list
|
|
|
