The world is waiting: it’s a meeting as inevitable as it is dramatic. President Barack Obama will come face to face with one of the most ruthless political players on the world stage, Russian ‘Prime Minister’ Vladimir Putin. It’s the heaviest of heavyweight political bouts.
And the question on everyone’s lips?: Who will come out on top – and can Obama hold his own?
After pointing out the relatively dovish stance of U.S. Democrats toward Russia, Daniel Vernet of France’s Le Monde newspaper says in part:
“After being a partner to the West in the early days of post-Communism, Russia has once again sought a rivalry that would give it the feeling of being a great power. … Mr. Putin shouldn’t, however, be under any illusions about an American president who is considered inexperienced in foreign affairs. In 1961, Nikita Khrushchev sought to impress John Kennedy by telling him during their first meeting in Vienna in 1961: “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” The following year, the young president fended of the USSR in Cuba.”
By Daniel Vernet
Translated By Kate Davis
December 9, 2008
France – Le Monde – Original Article (France)
Barack Obama is right. “I think that it’s going to be important for us to reset U.S.-Russian relations,” he said during an interview on Sunday, December 7, on NBC . These relations are now in a state of ruin. Even though the channels of communication haven’t been cut, specialists are remarking that the areas subject to negotiation are less broad and contact less intense between the governments than they were during the Cold War.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, everything seemed to be going well. With his pranks that weren’t always in the best taste, Boris Yeltsin had a gift for being able to make Bill Clinton laugh. More seriously, the United States and the new Russia succeeded in creating bonds and putting in place common institutions – such as the commission co-chaired by Vice President Al Gore and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin – despite disagreements that would culminate with the war in Kosovo but that, in spite of everything, led to the creation of the NATO-Russia Council.
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