Putin calls for timetable for Iraq withdrawal.
Story first
Now, what's interesting in this, besides the interesting diplomatic twist of the Russians gaining alot of middle eatern support, is where this was published. Found it on a google search after running across a throwaway mention in another article. I think this is pretty big news, but apparently, I'm the only one. This is an AP wire story, and yet look at the places the google news search "Putin timetable withdrawal" threw back.
Mosnews, SantaFe NewMexican, Aljazeera, xinhua, Int. Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Houston Chronicle(amazing with the new ten page front section with five pages of ads), Kyrgyzstan Development Gateway, Eurasia News, SF Chronicle, Knoxville News Sentinel,CNSNEWS, Casper star tribune, nuclear engineering, and worker's world.
I mean, I think an anti-US policy statement from the President of Russia which is currently involved in unprecedented "military exercises" with China utilitizing long range bombers, the launch of an ICBM, and their minimal version of missile "counteraction" might warrant a little more mention.
By ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO | Associated Press
SOCHI, Russia - President Vladimir Putin on Thursday called for a timetable for pulling U.S. and other troops out of Iraq and said "forceful methods" were not enough to defeat the scourge of international terrorism.
August 18, 2005
Speaking in the Black Sea resort of Sochi after meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II, the Russian leader also said the international community needed to be more involved in helping stabilize Iraq.
"We believe it necessary to work out a schedule of gradual withdrawal of coalition troops from Iraq. Many Iraqis _ we know this well _ consider them to be occupiers," Putin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.
"All principal ethnic and religious groups, and political parties, including leading opposition forces, should take part in an inter-Iraqi dialogue," he said.
The Russian leader also said force alone would not be enough to defeat international terrorism.
Now, what's interesting in this, besides the interesting diplomatic twist of the Russians gaining alot of middle eatern support, is where this was published. Found it on a google search after running across a throwaway mention in another article. I think this is pretty big news, but apparently, I'm the only one. This is an AP wire story, and yet look at the places the google news search "Putin timetable withdrawal" threw back.
Mosnews, SantaFe NewMexican, Aljazeera, xinhua, Int. Herald Tribune, Financial Times, Houston Chronicle(amazing with the new ten page front section with five pages of ads), Kyrgyzstan Development Gateway, Eurasia News, SF Chronicle, Knoxville News Sentinel,CNSNEWS, Casper star tribune, nuclear engineering, and worker's world.
I mean, I think an anti-US policy statement from the President of Russia which is currently involved in unprecedented "military exercises" with China utilitizing long range bombers, the launch of an ICBM, and their minimal version of missile "counteraction" might warrant a little more mention.
posted by mikevotes at
7:29 AM
2 Comments:
Putin has certainly shown many moments of political shrewdness. The history of the Russian people would offer contradictory visions about his statements on the limitations of force. They've done their share of exerting same. At the same time, they've shown that the amazing forces of Napolean and Hitler, to name two, were insufficient to reach objectives. It's well known that Russians tend to be excellent chess players, and Kennedy understood that a chess mentality plays heavily into their politics. I view this comment by Putin as a savvy, mid-game move. In chess, there are three, and only three, elements that govern the game: Force, Time and Space. Leaders who mistakenly believe any one of these elements, alone, will achieve results will always be defeated by an opponent who is willing to make use of all three. In chess terms, for Putin, this is all about space (read: position). As noted with Kennedy, we've had many leaders who understood that chess is an excellent tutorial on global politics. Unfortunately, our current regime is not well schooled in this art. We've exercised too much power and expended too much time for too little position. Now, those that would choose to gain from our mistakes see a great opportunity. Our force has reached too far, too quickly for space less valuable than the effort exerted. An amateur opponent would react by attempting to immediatly apply opposing force in the incorrect belief that such over-reaching is best handled in this manner. A more elegant and refined player simply uses the opponent's "time" wasted through misdirected "force" to gain "space." In such cases, these space advantages can be positioned in such a way that the ultimate objective will be achieved in a manner that cannot be countered, period. Torasch's great tome on chess states "every pawn move weakens the position." We've moved a lot of pawns. Putin knows it. I think most Americans, on some level, know it, too.
Wild Bill
By
Anonymous, at 12:53 PM
Putin needs to read this morning's news which sounds more like a campaign slogan than a military statement about the troop withdrawal timetable--"Four more years".....hmmmmm
By
Anonymous, at 6:08 PM
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