During next week’s UN General Assembly, President Obama will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, because they’re both going to be in the same city going to the same conference and it seems like a meeting like this is basically common sense.
But with US-Russia relations struggling, the fact that the meeting is happening at all is a matter of a lot of dispute, with both sides insisting that the meeting was the idea of the other nation, and that their respective leader could really care less if they met at all.
The White House went so far in their narrative to claim that Putin’s offer of talks wafts of “desperation” and that it took several requests to get Obama to agree, something he only did on the notion that US interests could be “advanced” in some way by the meeting.
The two sides don’t really agree on what they’re going to be talking about, either, with the Russian government suggesting the focus would be on the huge war going on in Syria and the growing amount of territory ISIS controls there, while the White House insists that they just want to talk about Ukraine, even though the war there has been in a ceasefire for over half a year.
I trust Putin much more then Obama. He is trying to stop wars while Obama wants to start them and keep them going.
Putin wants to stop wars that he himself started and is now losing. He's been held to a stalemate in Ukraine and has got nothing but two expensive, militarily useless and politically damaging white elephants. He is backing Assad so as to hang on to another militarily useless naval base. He desperately needs to hang on to all three, and in Ukraine, get even more, so as not to discredit himself in the eyes of his elderly supporters back home. Frederick the Great once said that he who would defend everything defends nothing. Putin's problem is that he … desperately … needs to defend everything.
Only another 'indispensable and exceptional' mentality would spin that Putin is losing.
This is silly! Who exactly is trying to desperately hang onto the crumbling empire — a leaking ship without a compass, and a rudder. The ship that still believes that it can steer in the raging seas, not being aware of its diminished capabilities, indeed, some capabilities that are lost for all the reasonable world to see, excepting its hot-headed commanders. Putin does seem to know where he is going, how far to go, and with just enough resources to avoid miscalculation. Ukraine crisis has been tampered by the European belated grasp of the situation, and for now, it suits Russian Federation adequately. Syrian crisis has now the entire region in a danger of a deeper conflict, and Russia has a strong interest in not allowing ISIS to grow and spread further afield. Turkey, Iran and Iraq have same interests. China is supporting Russia, and as of today, so is Merkel and Erdogan. In fact, Merkel is advocating working with Assad, Russia and Iran — and said that publicly. So, who is desperate to SAVE FACE? The entire world knows it, as there is nobody — really nobody — with the exception of Cameron of UK that is standing squarely behind the US wreck of Middle East policies.
Who is running this government? A bunch of dumb teenagers?
That's an insult to dumb teenagers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychopathy
Who's running this government ??
A bunch of insane Clowns or retarded monkeys*… Could be both actually…
* My apologies to monkeys !
"The White House went so far in their narrative to claim that Putin’s offer of talks wafts of “desperation” and that it took several requests to get Obama to agree, something he only did on the notion that US interests could be “advanced” in some way by the meeting."
And we thought Bush and co. were assholes.
Sociopaths in DC was a known common denominator for 200 years but they had enough sensce to keep eah others unbridled passions reigned in. No more though for that mentality are at their pinacle of acceptance and powers are shifting on an almost daily basis, It is the
politics of power not of governing a nation that take up all their efforts.
Each says no until they get something in return,and they say yes when their coffers grow and palms are greased.
It is the Carreer of the do not a fn thing bureaucrats who aid those in positions each gawning and feigning for favors at work and bonus pays.
The smart minds sent to aid the seayed officers play stink finger instead ? And then write legislation contrary to Executive branch just to get that branchs leaders attentions for the party circuits, which believe it or not go on at an almost nightly routine.
If ever was a time for the “Sovereign Indivifual” to set himsrlf outside of their crushing control now is that time.
Never really heard it put that way… "politics of power not of governing a nation that take up all their efforts."
Sure hits the nail on the head. As soon as someone is voted in the first thing they always seem to do is start planning and rounding up money for the next election instead of settling in and doing the actual job they were elected into office to do.
"Desperate?" Yeah, sure, Putin has shipped tones of military hardware
into Syria to propped up Assad and the Obama administration think
Putin is 'desperate,' I see a lot of confidence on the part of Putin.
Clearly, the word "desperate" frightens Putin's supporters. Bogged down in Ukraine, in the process of getting bogged down is Syria, the oil and gas industry in big trouble, debt default a possibility … The wrod may not be too far off the mark!
And we're bogged down everywhere which encompasses much more.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha……
Yeah. Hahahaha
No, a bunch of dumb pre-schoolers.
Most likely Putin will come to the meeting with a proposal for a resolution of the Syrian civil war which does involve Assad and which is supported by Germany, France, and Great Britain. It is our government that should fear the international consequences of saying no.
Here we go again! The US and its allies are split and the US better capitulate to Putin before it's abandoned by its allies. We've had this umpteen times in regard to Ukraine and there hasn't been a split yet. Is Putin desperate? This blogger seems to think so!
A settlement of the Syrian dispute with Assad retaining power is something the Zionist fear. They want turmoil in the ME in order to cover up their subjugation and eventual removal of the Palestinians. Obama I predict will buck the Zionist on this as he did on the Iran deal.
Putin's willingness to discuss potential conflicts of interest is quite naturally mistaken as a weakness by the poker-playing neocons who mistakenly think they are in control of a process that’s now in the hands of a chess master.
Desperation may not be too far off the mark. German media reports suggest that the Russian oil and gas industry is near to collpase and an article on RT talks about Russia defaulting on its debts to "punish" (!) the EU. Given the Argentinian disaster, no country deliberately defaults on its debts, so it suggests that Putin's mouthpiece is trying to spin an impending disaster into a victory.
Dream on…
Once again you project western weakness for comfort and consumerism onto the rest of the world. Russian is in a better position to default on its international debt than any other country on earth. It has immense natural wealth and significant domestic production capability.Russian national pride and stoicism will carry them through as it has done in the past in much more challenging circumstances.
Whether the western financial system can hold together under a default is less clear. If Russia were to default, expect Ukraine and Greece to follow quickly. Spain, Ireland, and perhaps Italy might follow. Banks and bondholders will get more than a haircut.
You doth protest too much about the "military uselessness" of the Russian base in Syria, Mr. Kenny.
It's the only Mediterranean naval base the Russians have, and of course it is tenuously linked to Russia itself by the Straits of Bosphorus and the Russian base on the Black Sea on the Crimean Peninsula, which you may recall Putin also acted to keep under Russian control.
Those are its defects. Its utility is in the fact that if the base can be kept and the route to and from the base kept open, it gives Russia a naval presence covering the whole Mediterranean Rim.
Whether or not the utility is worth the prospective costs is questionable, but the base is hardly militarily "useless." Its presence means that in any confrontation with Russia, there's a whole additional naval front in a sensitive region to consider. That makes it more expensive for the US and NATO to contemplate such confrontations.
High Level Game: US encirclement of Russia.
Mid-Level game: Gas pipeline routes. Russia wants to build around US puppet Ukraine who regularly steals.
Syria: Russia is a long time ally of Assad. They are joined in fighting terrorists. If the US is also anti-ISIS, why not join them? Reason? The real US goal is to overthrow Assad. It appears to be using ISIS to that effect. See mid-level game above.
Crimea: Recall that the people of Crimea voted to accede to Russia. By doing so they’ve avoided the bloody fate of Eastern Ukraine at the hands of Kiev’s Obama-backed fascists. Crimea is mainly composed of Russian people. The right to government that serves your interests is well established in international law.
Ukraine: All Putin did here was offer Ukraine more money than the EU and they took it. Consequently he US spent $5B to overthrow Ukraine, and left it in the hands of outright fascists intent on erasing Russian culture from Ukraine.
As far as Russia being bogged down there, recall it is the fascists in Kiev that have moved into there with the goal of pacifying the East. That has failed, so it is indeed Kiev that is bogged down in the East in a battle it cannot win. Ukraine is a broke, failed state that will not even be able to buy gas this winter without Putin’s charity.
I think Putin offered Ukraine a better interest rate on the loan than the EU was calling for.
I have to remember constantly, hate the sin, not the sinner.
I can see where Putin is under a lot of pressure, but being old and having seen a bit of life I see him as one of those rare breed of men who work best under pressure.
Russia is not solely Putin and he has obligations of far more import at home on the economic war, energy sales that must prop up the Ruble in order to take care of a vastly over aged non productive populace and so little domestic industry, damn near zero growth, that cannot fullfill the needs of low birthrate Russians demands.
At stake is not just fear of losing out in Syria, but at how the BRICS who have already partnered with Russia questipn ifbthey shpuld stick with Russia.
RUSSIA not Putin got huge loansnsnd promisary notes from China, but tjose notes are dependent upon Chinese building in enerhy areas of Russia with Rusdia footimg at least 40% of cost.
Right now in Chinas Finacial interest there is a sence of hesitancy to partner with a Russia in decline.
Syria will fall go so far into debt trying to rebuold but Russia is in no position to capitalize economicly from that collapse.
That has always been Rusdias fail, partnering with those who are abject failures.
While Obama seeks more wars
Putin strives for peace