kEiThZ
Superstar
I don't see how the Kosovo campaign was illegal. The only reason there was no explicit UN authorization was because the Russians wanted to give the Serbs a blank check in the region, and would veto any resolution. NATO acted to protect the security and stability of Europe. The civilian trains and TV stations....the Serbs deliberately located their military units in or near those facilities...just like Hezbollah firing rockets from apartment buildings in 2006. In fact, during the Bosnia campaign, they even used a Canadian military officer (there as a UN peacekeeper) as a human shield. All those actions were illegal under the laws of armed conflict. The only mistake we can discuss was the Chinese embassy getting hit, a real tragedy, but one that doesn't change the validity of the intervention. I still see nothing wrong in NATO intervention to prevent the Serbs from committing another genocide...I notice you don't mention their handiwork in Bosnia.
You love to criticize US foreign policy. Fine. But let's not leave out Russian foreign policy. The are building the Iranians a nuclear reactor. And now they are going to fuel it too. Just keep that in mind, if Tel Aviv ever goes poof..... They are one of the world's most prolific arms exporters. At least the US tends to sell its weapons to mostly developed countries, and in small but expensive numbers. The Russians sell large quantities of advanced weaponry at firesale prices to unstable regions throughout the world. And we won't even talk about the Russian black market. And now S.Ossetia and Abkhazia.....I love how they hand out citizenship to people who don't reside in their territories and then move in to claim they are protecting them.....Yet the US is worse? Please. It's not like the yanks are handing out citizenship across the Rio Grande and then moving in to protect "Americans".
Would you also criticize the billions they give in aid? Somehow I never saw anyone asking the oil rich Russians for billions in aid after the Asian Tsunami. But people automatically just expect the US to donate, no questions asked. Yes, their govt is stingy with ODA, but if you add up the charity donations, the scholarships for foreign students, technical assistance, disaster relief assistance, the security guarantees, etc and ODA outflows, the yanks come out as some of the most generous people on Earth. Do the Russians even have an aid policy? And I dont hear any Russian oligarch starting an equivalent to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation but I do hear that they like to buy English soccer teams. Even now, the US was among the first to send aid to Georgia. Will the Russians ever compensate the Georgians for the damage they did?
It is amazing that people that wish for the demise of the US dont give a thought to the consequence. If the US wasnt around and there was a major disaster who would help? Tell me. Who? The Europeans? Please. They've been trying to get a heavy airlift pool together for over a decade of only 12 aircraft. That's one USAF squadron. The Russians? They can't see past the tip of their nose. And they are by far not a selfless people. I have never heard of one generous Russian aid offer that wasn't about their strategic interest in the near abroad. The Chinese? They'll give you aid, lots of it. And then they'll demand that you give Chinese companies free reign to run your economy....their neo-colonization of Africa is an excellent example of this, which some African leaders have said is worse than what the Europeans did.
What other country in history has gone out of its way to rebuild its attackers like the US? Germany, Japan and now Afghanistan. Many here will cite Iraq and Vietnam. Are they perfect? No. But we should give them credit where is due. Or maybe, we should counsel the US to follow the Russian example with Chechnya....that way there is no one left to complain about their actions. Their scorched earth policy (especially in Grozny) never got much western media coverage. But a handful prisoners are mistreated at Abu Gharib and somehow that becomes the ultimate judgment on US foreign policy. It's always convenient when you fake democracy, "elect" a KGB agent to both executive posts and give him the power to control the media. They'll say plenty of nice things about you and about the glorious people you lead. Putin looks like a tough SOB when he flies in on a fighter jet and threatens to crush minorities in the Far East. GWB is the butt of late night tv when he lands on aircraft carrier with a giant "Mission accomplished" banner behind him. You tell me, who is more dangerous? What about the Chinese in Tibet or Xinjiang? Heck, what about the entire Arab world and their expulsion of their jewish minorities. Yet, its all the fault of the US...right? The Americans are still by far the worst in history, right?
You criticize their government looking after their self-interests. I say hooray for that and only wish our government watched out for Canada more instead of cowering in a corner. But that would mean making courageous decisions, ie standing up to the US sometimes (softwood lumber, arctic oil exploration), or even working with the US sometimes (we said no to assisting in the rebuilding of Iraq...not the war, but reconstruction), undertaking independent foreign policy initiatives, etc which would require significantly larger budgets for aid, diplomacy and military activities.
Is the US a perfect model. Certainly not. But I will take them any day over the fake democracy of Russia or the "one party democracy" of China. The US is still the only country in the world and in history which can go from slavery, to segregation to an electable black presidential candidate in a handful of generations. For all our talk about multi-culturalism, here in Canada, do you think we'll ever have a non-white PM? Not in my lifetime...and I am a young guy.
And Filip, as great as the Russian people are, tell me...will they ever elect a Chechen? I thought so.
