The new American pasture

Obama and Putin: The new face-off

Raju Korti
At the height of strident criticism against the American administration for jumping its gun on Iraq, then president George W Bush (Junior) had famously remarked "I just want you to know that when we talk about war, we are actually talking about peace." If you discount the rhetoric in that twisted justification for what the Americans did in Iraq -- leaving behind a mess of outrageous proportions -- you still can't shut your eyes to their recent propensity to make the world their theatre.
Well aware that its military adventures were unmitigated fiascoes whenever it acted on its own, the world's self-appointed policeman has realized that it helps their cause to rope in its European allies while dealing with potentially war-like situations.
President Barack Obama has gone a step further. He seized on the shooting down of the Malaysian passenger jet to redouble international pressure on old foe Russia over its support for Ukrainian separatists, calling it a “wake-up call” for Europe.
Obama is not sure who was responsible but is convinced that a missile fired from within territory controlled by Russian separatists brought down the jet. “What we have confidence in saying right now was that a surface-to-air missile was fired and that's what brought the jet down,” he said. “We know that that shot was taken within territory controlled by the Russian separatists but it's very important we don't get out ahead of the facts and at this point.”
Somewhere in this area between truth and subterfuge, Obama decreed that the perpetrators should be brought to justice -- American phrase for legitimacy. Still, the US administration is wary of involving itself directly in the conflict. Although Obama claimed there would be no "military role beyond what we've already been doing," it cannot be taken on its face value. You don't have to delve deep into the doublespeak that the Americans have patented. The US president also claimed the incident coming less than 24 hours after the US announced a third wave of economic sanctions against Russia -- demonstrated the risks of supplying heavy weapons and support to the rebels and how the impact was “not going to be localized”. That begs the question what impact is the president talking about? You know the answer when you know the Pentagon has assured Ukraine military assistance although it would to stop short of providing weaponry. Figure out what that means.
Now there is a world of difference between the Americanspeak and Russianspeak. While Washington was couching its real intentions, Moscow minced no words. "The Americans shouldn't lecture us. There is a deep political aberration of Washington's perception of what is going on in Ukraine," it said, dismissing any culpability on their part.
The Russian deputy foreign minister was direct and scathing. "In the geopolitical frenzy and attempts to apply methods of social and political engineering everywhere, the United States acts like a bad surgeon: to cut deeper at first, and then stitch up sloppily so that it would hurt for a long time."
Just how quick the Americans are in cornering world attention was evident in the way the German chancellor, Angela Merkel reacted. According to her, the tragedy underscored, once again, that Russia should be held responsible for the instability in Ukraine, but at least she responded cautiously to suggestions that Europe should follow Washington’s lead by expanding sanctions. That should be construed as a small but perceptible sign that the world is not a sucker to the American methods of gathering circumstantial evidence any more, having been taken for a massive ride in the Allied operation in Iraq.
While speculations and theories on who and what brought the Malaysian jet down may die their natural death, the proxy war between the old enemies will continue in another dangerously disturbed part of the world.
That should bring us back to George Bush: "When we talk of war, we are actually talking of peace." Maybe he meant it the other way round.