The Enemies of Freedom Strike Again BY: Boris Ryvkin
Three days have passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin and President George Bush met in Slovakia to talk democracy and anti-terrorist strategy. Today Russia, having been in contact with Tehran about a possible deal concerning large quantities of nuclear fuel, put its signature on the agreement. Reaction from the White House is said to be very negative in nature. Nuclear fuel as a prelude to a nuclear reactor in the hands of the Iranian fundamentalists is something that the President strongly campaigned against during his European trip. Both he and German Chancellor Schroeder, as well as senior NATO leaders, have made statements denouncing Iran’s pursuit of such technology in the hopes that international pressure could force Tehran to negotiate with the west and freeze its pursuits. Senator John McCain reiterated the growing threat today when he cited the potential for regional destabilization that could ensue should Iran’s fundamentalists continue with their ambitions.
All these warnings and pressures have fallen on deaf ears in the Kremlin. Putin’s government is continuing its policy of lip service to the demands of the international community. This shouldn’t surprise us, since honesty is not one of Putin’s strong points. At the commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27th, Putin made what to some was a very moving statement of solidarity with the world’s Jewish community. “Even in our country, in Russia, which did more than any to combat fascism...we sometimes unfortunately see manifestations of this problem and I, too, am ashamed of that.” That very day, the Russian Duma ordered an investigation to be launched that would put a moratorium on Jewish organizations due to their “fascist” points of view. Putin, of course, wasn’t oblivious to this move while he spoke his words at the ceremony. In fact, few could doubt why Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas chose Putin as his counterweight to the US in the renewed Middle East peace process.
"Now, look, Putty Poot...if you don't stop supporting terror, we have a spot for you right next to Saddam in that cage..."
Putin has continued to play the terror card effectively; only, it is the terrorists with whom he most often sides. While portraying himself to the Russian people, particularly after the Beslan massacre, as a strong-willed anti-terrorist crusader, he has nonetheless pushed forward with giving Iran nuclear technology, and has acted to placate Palestinian terrorist aggression. He was also a major opponent of the Iraq war, and now seeks to exploit the pain of the Russian nation for his own political benefit and that of his cronies. If shutting down the largest independent Russian news agency and imprisoning opposition leaders was not enough, Putin now wants to change the Russian constitution to give the President a longer term and more opportunities to run for reelection. The man and his regime are moving down a slippery slope, which has led a number of commentators on the US-based Russian channel RTVi to label him “Czar Putin.”
In the meantime, the situation in Israel has taken a turn for the worse. On February 26 th, a suicide bomber, reportedly from the Islamic Jihad movement based out of Syria, detonated a sixty six pound bomb outside a Tel Aviv nightclub, killing four and wounding at least fifty. Prime Minister Sharon, responding immediately to this renewed act of Arab violence, threatened to stop the scheduled release of some five hundred Palestinian prisoners and possibly renew the assassinations of terrorist leaders. The Syrian government, having allowed Islamic Jihad to operate out of its office in Damascus, denied any involvement. Syria is already in hot water after denying involvement in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri, and negotiating an alliance with Iran. "It is because Syria consistently opposes Israel's invasive policies that Syria was always blamed," a defiant Syrian foreign minister declared. These constant denials of the Syrians are beginning to sound somewhat repetitive and are only exacerbating the tensions between the dictatorship and the west.
The bombing put a dent in the truce that most speculated wouldn’t last for very long. I still, nevertheless, predict that Sharon will push on with the Gaza withdrawal and the retreat from four major West Bank towns. Israel’s defense minister commented that he is reconsidering passing certain security responsibilities to the PA unless Abbas gets his act together. The test for Abbas couldn’t be higher. With Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and possibly even Hezbollah on the suspect list for this latest attack, whether or not the Palestinian President has what it takes to curtail the militants is yet to be determined, but until then, Israel must do all that it can to defend itself and its citizens from the barbarism of its enemies.
Contact the author: bryvkin@republicanvoices.org