Objectives Of Tsar Vladimir I <– PDF version
President Barack “I lied, period” Obama seems to be completely mystified by the foreign policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin. That Mr. Obama should be confused by one of the simplest foreign policies imaginable is a wonder to behold. Let us review recent events.
1. In Feb 2014, Mr. Putin ordered Russian Special Forces units to infiltrate eastern Ukraine, occupying several key towns, posing as (what else) “freedom fighters”, ostensibly to protect people of Russian heritage in Ukraine from discrimination by the Ukrainian government. Only later did Mr. Putin admit that the entire episode was in fact a covert invasion of eastern Ukraine. The US and many other nations reacted by imposing economic sanctions on Russia, a fact which has thus far not fazed Mr. Putin or his administration. At this writing, the battle for eastern Ukraine continues, with Ukrainians doing their best to defeat a combination force of Russian military and domestic Russian separatists.
2. In Mar 2014 Mr. Putin ordered subversive elements of the Russian military to simply show up and occupy the Supreme Council of Crimea, install a new government led by a Russian puppet (Aksyonov), order a declaration of independence followed by a fraudulent election, with the forgone result that Crimea would re-join Russia. Crimea is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Moscow, divided into the “Republic of Crimea” and the “Free City of Sevastopol”. Crimea had formerly been part of Ukraine since 1954, when the Soviet Union granted it to Ukraine (also then a slave state under the USSR).
3. Mr. Putin has been unwavering in his support forIran’s nuclear program. His policy is partly due, I think, to animosity towards Israel and a desire to obtain indirect power over Iran in order to gain access to warm-water ports. Iran should be careful not to get too cozy with Russia: it was not that long ago (1880 – 1915) when Russia controlled all of northern Iran, until Russia was distracted by the Revolution of 1917, and had to retreat. But Russia occupied Iran again just after World War II, after which it was forced out only by U. S.pressure in 1948.
Mr. Putin certainly knows his Russian history, and appears to renewing the ancient Tsarist and Communist policy after a 20-year hiatus following the fall of the U. S. S. R. It is based on territorial opportunism, exploiting every weakness as it comes along. As Senator Robert Taft [1] observed in 1951:
For two hundred years Russia has been moving forward by going into soft spots. That has been its policy. Wherever it thought it could grab something and get away with it, it has done so. Here was a place [S. Korea] which the Secretary of State [Dean Acheson] and the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee [Senator Tom Connolly, D-TX] gave the Russians every reason to consider a soft spot.
So what is next for Tsar Vladimir? That depends on where the next soft spot is. Now that he has divided the Ukraine, possibly it is time to look westward, especially to Poland. If there was ever a time for the people of that nation to arm and train it is now, before the Russians walk in and occupy it as they did in east Ukraine and Crimea. No one doubts the patriotism and bravery of the Polish people, but one must question their government’s sanity by not preparing immediately. If that day comes, the Polish people will be left to their own devices. America (under Obama) will file a complaint with the United Nations, Germany and France will call a press conference, and the ever-admirable British will do all they can, but it won’t be enough.
[1] Robert A. Taft, A Foreign Policy for Americans, Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1951, p. 106
