Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, published an op-ed in the New York Times on September 11, 2013, appealing to the citizens of the United States to use caution in their quest for a solution for the Syrian conflict.
Putin began by quickly reciting the history of the two nations, noting our disagreements, as well as our moments of mutual victory.
“Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization ? the United Nations ? was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.”
After these niceties, Putin dove headfirst into the controversial aspects of the Syrian conflict, specifically the amount of “extremist fighters,” as well as confidently stating that the opposition to the Syrian government were the ones who used chemical weapons. ?A position that is diametrically opposed to the Obama Administration’s.
Putin goes on to quote Russian media sources, that state that Syrian militants were planning to attack Israel with chemical weapons, an intelligence bombshell that has not yet been confirmed outside of Russia.
Following these claims, Vladimir Putin begins to carefully construct an argument for nations as powerful as The United States, to defer to the United Nations Security Council, stating:
“The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.”
Also according to Putin:
“Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ?you’re either with us or against us.?”
But he wasn’t finished. Putin went on to list all the recent wars that the U.S. had been involved in, concluding that going to war did nothing to stop the killing of civilians, bring democracy to the foreign countries, or provide lasting peace.
Finally, Putin finished by pleading to the sensitivities of everyone who cares for the safety of innocent human life:
“No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect…?We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.”
However one views the President of Russia, with this op-ed, he firmly inserted himself into the discussion on war with Syria, logically stating his country’s positions on not only the Syrian conflict, but also how his nation approaches international foreign policy. ?This benefits those that have a desire to understand how our ally across the Atlantic sees our nation and the world, as well as enables the reader to reference Putin’s words, to verify that they match his actions.
Regardless of Vladimir Putin’s intent, he has now established several positions on the world stage, which, if found to be incorrect, can strengthen the resolve of the very people he is trying to win over to his side. ?Only time will tell.
Edited by Jeromie Williams – Photo CBC
