Category: QUOTATIONS

Russia the Eternal Enemy Quotations

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn QUOTATIONS, RUSSIA'S NEIGHBOURS, SOUTH CAUCASUS, WAR ON RUSSIA

The world now faces a choice between the cooperative exploitation by the East and West of natural resources or a wasteful struggle that could cost a fortune in blood and treasure. Regional conflicts in the Caucasus and Central Asia threaten to deny Western access to the vital oil and gas reserves the world will need in the 21st century. The wars in Chechnya, between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and in Georgia were started or exacerbated by the Russian military, and the outcome of these wars may determine who controls future pipeline routes. Moscow hopes that Russia will. Powerful interests in Moscow are attempting to ensure that the only route for exporting the energy resources of Eurasia will pass through Russia.

Ariel Cohen, Senior Policy Analyst, The Heritage Foundation “The New ‘Great Game’: Oil Politics in the Caucasus and Central Asia”; 25 January 1996.

Russia the Eternal Enemy Quotations

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn ACCUSATIONS, QUOTATIONS

NATO has proved itself to be peaceful and the West’s CFE commitments add to that assurance. But as Russia recovers and rearms, as history suggests it will, Moscow’s imperialist urge might well rise again. Then it will be too late and ‘provocative’ to redraw the defence line.

William Safire, “U.S. can’t let Russian paranoia determine defense of Europe“, 3 October 1995

Really Stupid Things Said About Russia

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn ACCUSATIONS, QUOTATIONS, WAR ON RUSSIA

It is not prudent to deny or forget a thousand years of Russian history. It is replete with wars of imperial aggrandizement, the Russification of ethnic minorities, and absolutist, authoritarian, and totalitarian rule.

My comment: Substitute any other country here and what difference would there be? Note in the thousand years he ignores periods in which Russia was prey and not predator – the Mongols, the Time of Troubles, Teutonic Knights and so forth. A fine example of selective facts and how much easier it is to say something than it is to refute it.

Ariel Cohen (Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation) “A New Paradigm for U.S.-Russia Relations: Facing the Post-Cold War Reality.” 6 March 1997.

Russia the Eternal Enemy Quotations

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn QUOTATIONS

the mood and the actions of the Russian generals recall those of the German Reichswehr under the Weimar Republic…In the meantime, Russian generals, with the support of Yeltsin’s government, are laying the groundwork for the restoration of the empire. The Russian ruling elite has not reconciled itself to the separation of the fifteen dependent republics… Russia has introduced thousands of its troops into all the former republics of the Soviet Union except the three Baltic ones and Azerbaijan….Georgia which had been compelled to accept a Russian peacekeeping force to maintain order along the ethnic border separating it from the Abkhaz minority whom, coincidentally, the Russians had incited to rebel has not been able to get the visitors to leave….

Richard Pipes: “Russian Generals Plan for the Future”; 3 July 1994, (referred to at http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/pub142.pdf)

NOTE ON QUOTATIONS

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn EDITORIAL COMMENTS, QUOTATIONS

I’ve been at this business for a while. I’ve been collecting quotations for a while.  I do my best to find an active link for quotations from my collection that I post on my site.

But I often can’t find a live link for the early ones. So you have to take my word for it sometimes. But, I think you recognise the flavour. For example, The Economist has hated Russia since, as far as I know, Cardigan invented his sweater.

It’s actually rather interesting, now that I root through my back files, to discover (well, depressing more than interesting) how hostile the WMSM has been to Russia for how long. From the very beginning, in fact.

Even Yeltsin, after he got off his tank, was spun as Cthulhu Redevivus.

People come and go (anybody out there remember when Chernomyrdin was on the Forbes’ world billionaire list? I do.) but the Russia The Eternal Enemy meme remains.

Personally. I don’t get it. What’s Russia ever done to us?

But, maybe, this period is coming to an end and Russia will at last be treated by Washington as a normal country — argue with it sometimes, cooperate with it other times; but normal business.

As a last teaser, I leave you with what will be (I hope) Ed’s finale before going into retirement.

Is blitz on Aleppo the start of Putin’s war to rebuild USSR? As Russian missiles rain down on besieged city – and Trump cosies up to Putin – a Kremlin expert’s chilling warning.

 

Russia the Eternal Enemy Quotations

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn ACCUSATIONS, QUOTATIONS

Why do the Russians still give us trouble even though the Cold War has long ended? Why do they invite the terrorist Hamas leaders to Moscow? Why do they cut off natural gas to Ukraine and thereby reduce its flow to Western Europe? Why do they harass foreign non-governmental organizations, accusing them of espionage and incitement to revolution? Why do they carry out joint military exercises with the Chinese, clearly aimed at Taiwan?

Richard Pipes: “Why the Bear Growls”, Wall Street Journal, 1 Mar 2006; http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB114117943450386098

Russia the Eternal Enemy Quotations

On By Patrick ArmstrongIn ACCUSATIONS, QUOTATIONS

Since the Cold War ended, Russian leaders have built a shadow empire on the territories of Russia’s sovereign neighbors, extending Russian power where it is unwarranted and unwelcome by sponsoring “frozen conflicts” in southeastern Europe and the South Caucasus. This behavior, designed to maintain political and economic influence beyond Russia’s borders, impedes democratic development in states that aspire to join the West. It exports instability, criminality and insecurity into Europe. It threatens regional military conflict that could draw in the United States and other powers. It also bolsters anti-democratic forces within Russia who believe Russia’s traditional approach of subverting its neighbors’ independence is a surer path to security than the democratic peace enjoyed by the nations of Europe.

Ana Palacio and Daniel Twining (Palacio is the former Foreign minister of Spain. Twining is an Oxford-based consultant to the German Marshall Fund of the United States, Washington Post, 11 March 2006. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/10/AR2006031001841.html