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Visiting President Barack Obama and Kremlin leader Dmitry Medvedev agreed a target for cuts in nuclear arms and a deal to let U.S. troops fly across Russia at the start of a trip intended to mend strained ties...
At a signing ceremony, Obama and Medvedev, wearing identical dark suits, white shirts and red ties, pledged to finalize a treaty by year-end to cut the number of deployed nuclear warheads on each side to 1,500-1,675 from levels above 2,200.
Today, President Obama and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev reached agreement on target reductions of the two states' nuclear arsenals. They also agreed to cooperate on global issues such as nuclear proliferation.
Reuters reported:
Obama agrees arms cuts, Afghan transit with Russia | U.S. | Reuters
I find the whole "mending fences with Russia" thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth as long as its an oligarchy with Putin still holding the strings behind a very thin curtain.
I find the whole "mending fences with Russia" thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth as long as its an oligarchy with Putin still holding the strings behind a very thin curtain.
A retired military officer and military expert stated today that he believes its a stratigic move by Putin. He surmised that Putin wishes to place the US in a position that would make it possible for russia to look beyond it borders with little US intervention. Basicly by granting something the US wants and needs to help the war in Afganistan we are less likely to make a strong stance against them for making a military move against their neighbors.
So wait, Obama is supposed to be a 'modern' President, but all he can think of is a conflict from the 20th Century? He all but has 'detente' written on his forehead, why?
He goes to Russia, doesn't talk about Iran or North Korea or Georgia or gas supplies to the European Union - no mention of these modern conflicts. Instead we're talking of, what, SALT III? In return for, what, airspace? This sounds like a page from my book on the Cold War... What a wasted opportunity.
How about next time we talk about Russia as it was Russia, not the Soviet Union?
Both mentioned the issues that still divide them -- Russia's opposition to Washington's plans for a missile defense shield in central Europe and U.S. insistence on Georgia's territorial integrity -- but stressed the positives in public.
The treaty involved arms and airspace, but they talked about more. At the very least, from your list they discussed Georgia
So the argument isn't that Obama did nothing but talk about one real issue, merely... How thankful we are that he at least talked about it?
No, the point is that we don't know everything they talked about, only what the treaty was about. Furthermore, your post, which listed at least one item that they did talk about and which was publicly reported, implies that you didn't even read the article, but only the title or, at most, the OP.
And Georgia was the testing ground... "Can we asshammer a democracy that was a former Soviet state and get away with it?"
To quote a campaign slogan, YES WE CAN!
Ah, of course... So now your sole criticism is not that Obama just talked about one issue. Merely that I didn't read a line of the article?
Okay, so what is your point?
Also consider, why include 'talking' of Georgia but nothing else?
I find the whole "mending fences with Russia" thing leaves a bad taste in my mouth as long as its an oligarchy with Putin still holding the strings behind a very thin curtain.
So wait, Obama is supposed to be a 'modern' President, but all he can think of is a conflict from the 20th Century? He all but has 'detente' written on his forehead, why?
He goes to Russia, doesn't talk about Iran or North Korea or Georgia or gas supplies to the European Union - no mention of these modern conflicts. Instead we're talking of, what, SALT III? In return for, what, airspace? This sounds like a page from my book on the Cold War... What a wasted opportunity.
How about next time we talk about Russia as it was Russia, not the Soviet Union?
It still amazes me that the conservatives think the answer to everything is conflict. To just decimate the person that doesn't agree with your view. That is NOT how international politics work, seeing as Bush failed at foreign relations.
So 'Let bygones be bygones', we got what we wanted, and Russia thinks they got what they wanted. Reassurance.
Obama is just making the Russians happy.
I have no doubt in my mind that Obama really wasn't going to Russia to make sure a nuclear deal was cut. He wanted another route into Afghanistan. And he got it. Russia will always think its a competition and try to overpower us
So 'Let bygones be bygones', we got what we wanted, and Russia thinks they got what they wanted. Reassurance.
You prefer a nuclear standoff?
You prefer a nuclear standoff?
When I have to face what Russians think, I spin on my chair in disbelief and shame and anger. A President can do mistakes, he may do big mistakes, he may fail and be impeached like Clinton, but he should be able to raise that pointing finger and say like a POTUS - ‘I never had sex with this woman!’. But the President of the United States can never initiate a conversation, asking the prime minister of Russia to tell about his experiences of working with George Bush, the President of the United States. He just cannot be a piece of crap giggling at Putin’s jokes.
People of the United States, wake up, it is the first time in our history we have no President of the United States, we have a joke instead. And the most painful part of it is that we have a joke made by a prime minister of another country. I don’t know how any true American can live with that.
I prefer to be practical. Lessening the arsenol does nothing but pamper the morons of the earth who see it as something other than what it is. With North Korea waving nukes and Iran soon to get them, nuclear standoffs is the future as more and more develop them (or buy them). This future will not be denied simply because America and Russia dropped their nuclear count to numbers that can destroy the earth only 10 times over rather than 15.
It's a pointless act.
It still amazes me that the conservatives think the answer to everything is conflict. To just decimate the person that doesn't agree with your view.
It was Bush who offered cute but meaningless assurances to Georgia and encouraged them to stand up to Russia. Putin has his hands full with what he's got, don't look for him to begin trying to conquer his neighbors.
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