Russia

Fire of Liberty

Leon Aron, who is the resident scholar and director of Russian studies at the American Enterprise Institute, has written a wonderful Op/Ed in yesterday's USA Today on the current situation in Russia under Putin. If you want to truly understand the state of democracy in Russia, the Leon Aron is the one to read. I think Aron makes a very good point about the reason why this visit and the President's words are so important:

Even in the Soviet days, U.S. public opinion mattered a great deal to the Kremlin, especially when conveyed by a U.S. president at face-to-face summit meetings. The Russians want acceptance in the world of the "civilized" nations, such as at the Group of Eight economic summits, where the U.S. is the major sponsor of Russia's membership. For all its talk about "multipolar" world and protests against "hegemony" (a euphemism for U.S. dominance), Moscow and Russian people alike look to the United States (and not to France or Germany or China) as a model of economic might and political stability. Partnership with the U.S. is important to the Russian national pride.

The Russia visit gives Bush an opportunity to try to leverage this influence. In addition to expressing his concerns about the re-centralization in politics and economy at the private dinner with Putin on Sunday night, Bush would have been wise to raise the stakes by concentrating Putin's mind on the importance for the U.S. government and public opinion of the 2008 Russian presidential election. Its freedom and fairness will be crucial for U.S. acceptance. Any underhanded efforts to secure the outcome contrary to the will of the people — such as the actions taken in neighboring Ukraine — will not only mean the end of U.S. partnership, but will also turn Russia into an international pariah.

The fact that the Russians have great respect for the opinion of the US has not gone un-noticed in the White House. Just look at the various speeches in which President Bush called for Russia to reform itself and push for greater democratic freedoms rather than this slow return to centrally controlled nation in the hands of a select few. Hopefully, the people in Russia were able to hear President Bush's support of democracy and freedom and have taken heart that the "main man" of DC knows what's up.

Very good stuff. Also check out Aron' book Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life. (Though he was a drunk, Yeltsin was still more of a democrat than Putin has been.)