After the Revolution

Focusing in this blog on three countries that simultaneously depend upon and rebel against Mother Russia, I tend to write entries that portray President Vladimir Putin as the bad guy.

Mark MacKinnon, author of “The New Cold War,” wrote an interesting blog entry a few days ago entitled “It’s not always Russia’s fault.”

MacKinnon argues that a new Cold War has begun between the U.S. and Russia and that we can’t pin all the blame for this development on Putin.

After Sept. 11, 2001, Putin opened up to America in unprecented ways. Of course, MacKinnon argues, he did this in part because he wanted to include his fights with separatists in Chechnya in the “War on Terror.”

Nonetheless, he acted as a partner to the U.S.

MacKinnon writes:

“By easing the way for the U.S. to establish airbases in the former Soviet republics of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, he greenlighted the first-ever NATO military presence in an area that had been Russia’s zone of influence since the time of the Tsars.

“Russia also offered to share its intelligence and advice on Afghanistan, something that perhaps should have been of more interest to the U.S. and its allies, since we now find ourselves just as bogged down there as the Red Army was in the 1980s.”

MacKinnon argues that Russia has gotten a bum deal in return.

NATO continues to expand eastward, possibly into Ukraine, with no intention of including Russia.

American troops have entered Georgia.

President George Bush refuses to construct missile defense in Azerbaijan instead of Poland, despite the fact that Azerbaijan is closer to Iran and Poland so close it could pass Russia the salt at dinner.

Russia may seem like a big bully, but is America an even bigger one?