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Posting this two weeks after the speech, in an era of instant news, would seem a little OBE, except for articles like John Vinocur's Central and Eastern European Countries Issue Rare Warning for U.S. on Russian Policy in today's New York Times. Mr. Vinocur, who really ought to know better, seems unaware that all the Yalta agreement did was acknowledge the fact of millions of Soviet troops on the ground in Eastern Europe. Or that the Soviet Union collapsed of its own, and when it withdrew from Eastern Europe, it did so without a shot fired: compare that to how Europe withdrew from its African and Asian colonies, and the mountains of corpses they piled up, not during colonization, but decolonization alone. And someone please tell me what on earth America's interests are with Ukraine and Georgia, Georgia still being proud of having given to the world those two fine human beings Joseph Stalin and Lavrentii Beria.
One reason I voted for President Obama was because I didn't want to be humilated by John McCain and Sarah Palin dealing with President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin. Try to imagine either of them giving an interview like Medvedev's with Novaya Gazeta. Well, Obama has done better by this country with the Russians, but marginally.
On July 7, he spoke to the graduating class of the New Economic School in Moscow. It was an incoherent speech full of platitudes more appropriate to posturing commencement speakers than affairs of state. It was also the latest example of his refusal to talk to anyone, including his own citizens, like they were adults with a grasp of reality: a failure only exacerbated by his innate articulateness. After this sin of omission, Obama then insulted Russia’s senior leadership by not making himself available to them for informal meetings, choosing instead to spend some private time with his wife. Taking your spouse along on business trips is fine, unless it gets in the way of business. Especially on a two-day trip.
We can see that Prime Minister Putin (does anyone realize that he and President Medvedev appear to have a very efficient good cop, bad cop routine down?) is considering himself insulted, once again, by stupid Americans. (The photos Time magazine shot of him when they named him Man of theYear were just unbelievable.)
Having just finished writing a novel (The Doves) about Russia and America, I was exceptionally attuned to his failure, and I took it very seriously. Normally, I have little use for writing of the alternate-history variety, but given what is at stake in our relationship with Russia, I thought it worthwhile to write the speech President Obama should have given, but did not.
There are three reasons he did not give it. The first is that American political elites are brain dead to even speak of "resetting" relations with Russia, an unfortunate word that translates into Russian as "raising the price." The second is that there are many Americans who do not want improved relations, usually as an excuse to keep defense spending ruinously high, and the President figures he has enough enemies and more immediate problems. The third reason is that what is said herein is true, and contemporary American politics is all about placing the delusional above the real, even when reality offers more.
Since I would have asked to speak to the Duma, the Russian Parliament, I have set this text there.
President Medvedev, Prime Minister Putin, ladies and gentlemen of the Duma, thank you for inviting me, and thank you for allowing me to speak before you here. It is a great honor . This will not be the usual speech given on such occasions. It will be plain speaking, intended for American ears as well as Russian. That an American president should come all the way to Moscow to speak to his own people may seem strange. But I can think of no more appropriate setting to say what I have to say about our two countries and a future we might share, have we but the vision to see it and the will to pursue it.
America’s understanding of Russia has been shaped by two forces, both of them unfortunate. The first was our intense enmity during the Cold War. The second force, in some ways more destructive, has been our attitude toward Russia since
