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| Russia is preparing to deal Washington an unprecedented diplomatic slap in the face |
| 2023-12-31 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Gevorg Mirzayan [REGNUM] The year 2024 could be unprecedented in Russian-American relations. After all, Moscow is now on the verge of breaking off relations with Washington. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Ryabkov. “The trigger could be the confiscation of assets and further military escalation,” explained the Russian diplomat. And this is not a diplomatic note, not calling the ambassador to the carpet, or even expelling him from the country to his homeland for consultations (which has happened more than once in Russian-American relations). We are talking about the complete closure of embassies and the severance of all official relations. This did not happen even during the most acute periods of the Cold War, when Russia (then called the Soviet Union) and the United States fought real wars on the periphery. When Soviet and American soldiers killed each other in Korea, Afghanistan and Central America. When Soviet and American tanks aimed at each other in Berlin. When we were on the brink of nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Relationships were not broken simply because it seemed unthinkable. The two largest nuclear powers, which have been treading on the threshold of nuclear war for decades, must continue to communicate with each other in any situation in order not to cross this threshold. In order, at least, not to demonstrate readiness to cross this threshold (since in the history of diplomacy, the severance of diplomatic relations is the last step before the start of direct hostilities). So why is Russia now talking about its readiness to break? First of all, because the situation now is fundamentally different compared to the Cold War. Firstly, you cannot compare the war in Ukraine with Vietnam or Afghanistan. Conflicts on the periphery of the 20th century did not affect the territory of the great powers themselves. Now the United States is actually killing Russian soldiers not in Vietnam or Afghanistan, but on the territory of Russia itself. The Americans are supplying weapons and mercenaries to the Kyiv regime for the war on Russian lands occupied by Ukraine. So this is no longer a classic war on the periphery - this is direct aggression. Secondly, during the Cold War, in the subcortex of all rulers - both Soviet and American - there was an important mixture of feelings. The fear of nuclear war is mixed with respect for the opponent’s capabilities and an understanding of the inevitability of a nuclear retaliatory strike (that is, the principle of guaranteed retaliatory destruction). However, now there is none of this. The United States has lost the fear of nuclear war, so it is systematically, in a spiral, increasing escalation in Ukraine. They are already supplying the Kyiv regime with missiles, and will soon send F-16 planes there. Yes, this is being done, including by the hands of the allies - the British, the Dutch, but the essence of the matter does not change. Washington is escalating, believing that Moscow will not go beyond certain limits in its behavior. Which Moscow, relatively speaking, will tolerate. Moreover, it will tolerate not only the supply of the latest weapons to Kiev (which, whatever one may say, is legal - Russia is not in a state of official war with Ukraine, which means it has no legal grounds to demand that Washington not give Zelensky weapons), but also absolutely illegal, contradictory to all international and domestic American norms, the seizure of Russian government funds, which Washington is now preparing. And in this situation, Moscow must respond not just harshly - we must talk about a step that would seem unthinkable and would demonstrate that the Kremlin is ready to raise the bar of the conflict and will not be shy about radical escalation. And this is necessary not only in order to flex their muscles, but also in order to sober up the overplayed Americans. Show them that nuclear war is real. In a recent article, the famous Russian political scientist Sergei Karaganov suggested launching a nuclear strike on Poland as such a sobering step. However, although you don’t particularly feel sorry for the Poles (they deserve it), you can still resort to other unacceptable steps. For example, the severance of diplomatic relations. Here you need to understand that, in essence, there are no longer relations between the United States and the Russian Federation. America imposes sanctions on Russia and actively sponsors the Kiev regime, and Moscow, in response, refuses to discuss with Washington even those issues that, it would seem, do not directly concern Ukraine. For example, the reduction of strategic weapons. The Kremlin does not intend to communicate with the White House on a buffet basis and conduct serious negotiations until the Americans change their approach towards Russia. In this situation, of course, ambassadors perform only a nominal function, that is, simply put, they sit in their buildings. And in conditions when Russians have also lost the opportunity to obtain American visas, the continued presence of the same American embassy in Russia does not seem advisable at all - it only performs espionage functions. If leaders suddenly need to communicate with each other, they have other methods of communication. Including a straight line. In fact, there are only two disadvantages for Russia from breaking relations. Firstly, it will be very difficult to provide consular services to Russian citizens located in the United States. To do this, it will be necessary to create a Russian interests section at some other embassy - and even then its capabilities will be limited. That is why the announcement of the severance of diplomatic relations should not take place, conditionally, a day before the rupture. It is necessary to make an announcement a month in advance for Russian citizens to decide: either they return home or remain in the United States without consular support. Secondly, the severance of diplomatic relations with the United States will complicate the work of the Russian mission to the UN. Yes, formally the Americans do not have the right to interfere with the work of diplomats working in the organization, but the lack of diplomatic relations with them will complicate the process of permanent residence of Russian employees in New York. However, despite all these difficulties, the game is still worth the candle. What is at stake is not some kind of ambition or demonstration, but an attempt to avoid nuclear war. To reason, to sober up the opponent with a diplomatic (for now) slap in the face in order to bring him to his senses and remember how fragile is the glass house in which we all live. A house that is already covered in cracks. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #2 Isn’t there a professional face slapping league? |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2023-12-31 11:54 |
| #1 Honestly, with Biden and Putin facing off its like witnessing two Alzheimer patients going toe to toe. |
| Posted by: 2023-12-31 10:16 |