While America and Britain have been doing everything possible to make themselves look bad, Russia has been pouring on the biggest public relations campaign I've ever seen in the run-up to the Winter Olympics at Sochi. For most of my life Russia has been cast as the Worst Place in the World and, even after the fall of the Soviet Union, it didn't look too good. All of that is changing in a most incredible public relations blitz.
Running the Olympic torch everywhere from Moscow to the North Pole to the bottom of Lake Baikal is beautiful thing but yesterday Putin made a point of saying everyone is welcome regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc. The part about sexual orientation follows a particularly stupid law from Moscow earlier this year that made it illegal to promote homosexuality. The statement from Putin shows his responsiveness to protests and is remarkable from a country that for decades has seemed indifferent to public opinion.
The recent Islamic terrorist bombing in Volgograd shows one of the similarities between America and Russia but there is a vast difference in the way each country deals with terrorism. The putdown of Islamic radicals in Chechnya was brutal and perhaps that is necessary but that doesn't separate Russia from what America has done. Where they differ is in the unilateral approach of American military drone strikes and America's perception that it's the only country that can solve the problem looks remarkably simplistic. It seems obvious that the only solution must come through a concerted approach but that isn't even being considered.
Sochi probably looks like quite a plum to terrorists as there's nothing they enjoy so much as a lot of publicity so it will be interesting to see how Russia defends against an attack. What also seems likely is that America will offer little or nothing toward that defense and instead will be continuing to work actively toward further inciting Muslim rage.
It also seems to me that a great deal more progress could be made by helping countries like Senegal to protect themselves against illegal fishing within their territorial waters. Countries that are poor and/or in disarray are prime candidates for manipulation by al Qaeda so why would not the best defense be to help such countries rather than bombing them.
Running the Olympic torch everywhere from Moscow to the North Pole to the bottom of Lake Baikal is beautiful thing but yesterday Putin made a point of saying everyone is welcome regardless of race, sexual orientation, etc. The part about sexual orientation follows a particularly stupid law from Moscow earlier this year that made it illegal to promote homosexuality. The statement from Putin shows his responsiveness to protests and is remarkable from a country that for decades has seemed indifferent to public opinion.
The recent Islamic terrorist bombing in Volgograd shows one of the similarities between America and Russia but there is a vast difference in the way each country deals with terrorism. The putdown of Islamic radicals in Chechnya was brutal and perhaps that is necessary but that doesn't separate Russia from what America has done. Where they differ is in the unilateral approach of American military drone strikes and America's perception that it's the only country that can solve the problem looks remarkably simplistic. It seems obvious that the only solution must come through a concerted approach but that isn't even being considered.
Sochi probably looks like quite a plum to terrorists as there's nothing they enjoy so much as a lot of publicity so it will be interesting to see how Russia defends against an attack. What also seems likely is that America will offer little or nothing toward that defense and instead will be continuing to work actively toward further inciting Muslim rage.
It also seems to me that a great deal more progress could be made by helping countries like Senegal to protect themselves against illegal fishing within their territorial waters. Countries that are poor and/or in disarray are prime candidates for manipulation by al Qaeda so why would not the best defense be to help such countries rather than bombing them.
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