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| Europe |
| Gates: Obama must carefully calibrate Russia response, rhetoric |
| 2014-03-03 |
| President Barack Obama needs to look "two or three moves out" as he weighs his response to Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula, which Moscow is unlikely to soon reverse, Obama's former defense secretary, Robert Gates, said on Sunday. Personally, I'd be shocked if he looked even one move out. Gates, a Russia expert and former CIA chief, portrayed a difficult path for Obama in which European allies may "huff and puff" but fail to match rhetoric with strong action and where Russian President Vladimir Putin feels he has the upper hand. "From Putin's standpoint, he's in the catbird seat. He's put himself in a position where we need him in terms of the Syrian chemical (weapons) deal. We need him in terms of the Iranian nuclear program," Gates, who served as defense secretary from 2006 to 2011, said in a telephone interview with Reuters. "We need the Russians in terms of getting our (military) equipment out of Afghanistan." Gates is known for his straight talk, including in a new memoir where he criticized Congress and accused Obama, at one point, of not believing in his own Afghan war strategy. In his book, Gates described Putin as a man of Russia's past, "haunted by lost empire, lost glory and lost power." Asked how he would advise Obama in the crisis in Ukraine, Gates pointed to lessons from Russia's war with Georgia in 2008, when he said Washington wanted to react with more forceful economic and political measures than EU allies did. "We ran the risk of being the ones who would be isolated because we favored a much more aggressive response than any of our (European) allies did," said Gates, who was President George W. Bush's defense secretary at the time. "So that's one of the things the president's got to look out for." Indeed, the European Union is not expected to match the United States in threatening sanctions against Russia when its foreign ministers meet to discuss Ukraine on Monday, instead pushing for mediation between Moscow and Kiev, officials say. Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically after Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbor. Russia is the EU's most important trading partner after the United States and China, with 123 billion euros ($170 billion) of goods exported there in 2012. It is also the EU's most important single supplier of energy products, accounting for more than a quarter of all EU consumption of oil and gas. Gates said Obama also needed to be mindful of his rhetoric in the days ahead, noting that "the stronger the rhetoric, the greater expectation of strong action - even if it's limited (to) the political and economic arena." If Obama moves ahead with any punitive actions like sanctions, it is important to consider what it would take to reverse any of them down the road. Obama must consider whether Moscow would need to take some step or make some gesture first. "The challenge is to look two or three moves out and see: If you do this, what will they do? ... And will you have any allies or supporters when you do this?" he said. The standoff in Ukraine has created the greatest moment of tension between Russia and the West since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, an event Putin once called the worst geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century. Gates did not specifically prescribe any course of action. He said he did not see Putin backing down on Crimea and that the question was whether Moscow might look to eastern Ukraine. "That's sort of the next shoe. And the question is whether Putin stops where he is with the Crimea or whether the Russians take the next step and 'liberate' eastern Ukraine," he said. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #32 I wonder who got the ones that were rusting at anchor at the mouth of the |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-03-03 22:56 |
| #31 The USSR breakup was pretty chaotic. Took 10 years for Russia and the Ukraine to agree who got which navy ships. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2014-03-03 21:54 |
| #30 So why wasn't this Crimea problem settled back in the USSR breakup as negotiations for leaving the Union? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-03-03 20:46 |
| #29 The Crimea was historically Russian after it was taken from the Ottomans. It only became part of the Ukraine province after Stalin put it there and when the Soviet Union broke up it just followed the province. So it can be argued the Russians are just taking it and their people back... but invading a sovereign nation isn't exactly how the west sees things as being done. The Ukraine was pretty much destined for a partition anyway, but it could have been handled diplomatically. Or it would have been if Putin didn't see Obumbmle as the completely spineless whimp he is and knows he can get a better deal by taking what he wants by force. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2014-03-03 19:12 |
| #28 D *** NG, I KNEW IT - CANADA IS RESPONSIBLE! No one ever suspects the Canadians. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2014-03-03 18:58 |
| #27 I'm going to start calling this: "Crimea isn't the issue. It should never have been left with Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union." The Blame Canada Cop Out -- It's not even a real country anyway... |
| Posted by: Iblis 2014-03-03 18:12 |
| #26 I keep seeing this comment in various forms, and I keep wondering what on earth it has to do with one sovereign nation invading another. Don't think of it as an invasion, think of it as a kinetic action---and pray it won't turn into a hyperkinetic one. |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-03-03 18:05 |
| #25 "Crimea isn't the issue. It should never have been left with Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union." I keep seeing this comment in various forms, and I keep wondering what on earth it has to do with one sovereign nation invading another. Are you trying to suggest that the Crimea was Russia's all along, so Putin is justified in taking it back by force? Do you really want to open that can of worms? |
| Posted by: Iblis 2014-03-03 16:49 |
| #24 He should call Putin a tea bagging racist mongrol, its how he calms things down domestically. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2014-03-03 16:23 |
| #23 Crimea isn't the issue. It should never have been left with Ukraine after the breakup of the Soviet Union. The issue is what happens to Russian majority areas of Ukraine, and I don't see this ending until this issue is resolved, and everyone is setting it up to be resolved by force. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2014-03-03 16:23 |
| #22 I was thinking Millard Filmore, the 13th President of the United States, the last Whig President, and the last President not to be affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties. |
| Posted by: Crarong Hatrack8773 2014-03-03 16:02 |
| #21 I was thinking Jimmy Carter. |
| Posted by: Nero 2014-03-03 15:46 |
| #20 I was thinking John Adams. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2014-03-03 15:17 |
| #19 I remember a different time, a different President of the United States. Teddy Roosevelt? |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2014-03-03 14:41 |
| #18 I remember a different time, a different President of the United States. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 14:33 |
| #17 Every time Obama opens his mouth a foreign leader chuckles. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2014-03-03 14:26 |
| #16 The basis for this was set in motion over a year ago. The Obama administration was warned about this in 2009, proof is in the wiki leaks cables, look online to find them, can't post here because it's classified date (I did but it was deleted) |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2014-03-03 12:57 |
| #15 Two or three moves out? Putin's looking at least half dozen moves out but Champ is still trying to figure out checkers. I think this little event in history is all over. Honestly, I'm not all that worked up about it either. The Crimea has changed hands what...about a hundred times in the past few centuries? And really, what do we care? Wake me up when Vlad moves on Poland. I'm guessing he won't but Crimea is clearly a part of what most Russians would consider their sphere of influence. It's certainly not ours. What's disturbing to me is Gates saying we "need" Putin for Syria, Iran and Afghanistan. How did such a state of affairs ever come to be? Somebody is attempting to play a game in which they are way in the heck out of their league. IMHO, Obama is the most dangerous man in the world simply because he doesn't have the first frickin' clue. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-03-03 12:08 |
| #14 He talked to Puti for 90 minutes. I wonder if the word flexible was used. I also heard Baraq was asking for Raymond Tusk's phone number. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2014-03-03 11:43 |
| #13 I don't know Fred, at the next concert they may get both. |
| Posted by: Solomon Spusosh9006 2014-03-03 11:41 |
| #12 It's foreign policy. Most Americans start with the premise "What's it matter to me?" They then continue on to the next Lady GaGa concert. |
| Posted by: Fred 2014-03-03 10:56 |
| #11 He cannot understand how a fellow communist would betray him. He missed the footnotes - see rift Moscow-Beijing. 'Internationialism' is preached by those in power and their useful idiots to keep the gullible in step. However in the end 'nationalism' wills out in the socialists model in application. That's not usually covered in the syllabus in the 'victim studies' programs in academia. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2014-03-03 08:58 |
| #10 I'm sure Tyrant Obama, Enlightened and Wisest of All will come up with the perfect position, you know, licking Putin's feet. |
| Posted by: Silentbrick 2014-03-03 08:44 |
| #9 Foreign Policy Scholar: Obama Gets 'Played at the Diplomatic Table' Enuff said. |
| Posted by: Clyde and Company8091 2014-03-03 08:19 |
#8 BTY, which files from Snowden's laptops would the Champ rather not have Vlad leak to the NYT or Fox News? Forget Snowden, Vlad could always release the Tsarnaev Bros. cable traffic and warnings to US Intelligence, or a few salient facts regarding Benghazi. You pick the poison, he's compromised and he'll do nothing but bitch and moan.  |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 06:51 |
| #7 Spot on, reference the lack of "details!" [If you like your Ukraine, you can keep your Ukraine.] He's always been a... broad brush type, and embarrassment can easily follow betrayal. I suspect Vlad has him by the knaters over Benghazi and a few other incidents, but it's only my guess. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 06:35 |
| #6 Whoa big daddy. Betrayal is a bit of a strong word. I rather consider the President is embarassed at this turn of events. I would venture that a series of arrangements was made which encompassed a global idea of Ukraine's future linked with other outcomes. The details were simply left out. |
| Posted by: jefe101 2014-03-03 04:05 |
| #5 He's philosophically conflicted over the Russian, Jefe. He cannot understand how a fellow communist would betray him. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 03:52 |
| #4 In his world view the Brit's are the bad guys. Can't....quite ...process.... Russian evil. Smoke eminates from ears. (worked hard on the dots) |
| Posted by: jefe101 2014-03-03 03:47 |
| #3 My advice to Obama.... have someone on your staff do a little primer [1000 words or less, owing to your attention span] on what Russians actually think of swart people. No need to go into Russian KGB training frustrations of visiting African Nationalists in the 1970's and 80's, just keep it simple, very basic, and racially honest. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 03:40 |
| #2 My advice to Obama Anything can be fixed with a hammer. Requires fewer moves. |
| Posted by: jefe101 2014-03-03 03:30 |
| #1 "From Putin's standpoint, he's in the catbird seat. He's put himself in a position where we need him in terms of the Syrian chemical (weapons) deal. We need him in terms of the Iranian nuclear program," Gates, who served as defense secretary from 2006 to 2011, said in a telephone interview with Reuters. "We need the Russians in terms of getting our (military) equipment out of Afghanistan." Not to mention Euro natural gas. The Russian has no 'foreign aid' program per se. Everything comes with a price. Pay now, or pay later. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-03-03 03:28 |