With President Obama visiting Russia very soon, the opposition is worried that pragmatism will be the focus, leaving the issues of rights and rule of law aside.  Some warn that U.S. officials shouldn’t fall into the trap of using the same language as Moscow is discussing these matters, which would be seen as a validation or endorsement of policy.  Most signs point to disappointment for Russia’s liberals during Obama’s first visit, but we will be given a glimpse of how the administration intends to handle the dynamic.  From VOA:

Igor Klyamkin, of the Liberal Mission Foundation in
Moscow, told VOA the commission may be parroting the rhetoric of
Kremlin officials, without regard for the hidden meaning of their words.

Klyamkin
says what they mean is that democracy and rule of law are alien to
Russia; that its values and traditions are autocratic and authoritarian
rule. The activist says, by using the same words [as the Kremlin],
Americans indicate agreement with that kind of Russia.

Viktor
Kremenyuk agrees his country must democratize, if it is to modernize
its economy. But he says outside pressure could be counterproductive.

Kremenyuk
says the idea of democratization has not had much of a response in
Russia; it has not gotten through to ordinary people or to those in
power. He adds that to demand observance of certain rules under such
conditions will look like fundamental interference in the internal
affairs of Russia.

A report by the U.S. Russia Commission says
Moscow’s war with Georgia and its pressure on Ukraine have been
troubling, but cautions against making the region a political
battlefield that could have dangerous unintended consequences.  Igor
Klyamkin says an authoritarian Russia has an interest in an unstable
Ukraine, to demonstrate that democracy does not work.

Klyamkin
says that approach encourages preservation of an authoritarian regime
in Russia, which does not correspond with the country’s national
interests.

Last 5 posts by Robert Amsterdam

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