The first of September of 1994, Boris Yeltsin was in Washington on a state visit from his new friend — President bill Clinton. The Soviet Union collapsed just three years ago, and relations between the U.S. and Russia have “flourished” because Yeltsin has kept his promise to forget the decades of enmity. The situation in Russia was chaotic, but a weak democratic processes and the imposition of capitalism was in full swing. In this regard, Clinton and Yeltsin formed an Alliance to prevent the state security forces Russia to seize power in Moscow and return to the cold war. Earlier, during a visit to Moscow, Clinton told the young Russians that they should “choose hope instead of fear and find a new definition of greatness of Russia”.
For the first time in decades, Russia was clearly the second number. Cut off from allied countries behind the “iron curtain” and its economy lay in ruins, the army was on the verge of collapse. And the President turned to shame: it was a notorious alcoholic, surrounded by corrupt people, who, without hesitation, for their own gain caused great damage to the country and the people.
Yeltsin was extremely needed American money to avoid a complete economic collapse. And Clinton had plans for the expansion of NATO in Eastern Europe, although in the same way as his predecessor, George H. W. Bush, categorically promised that this will not happen. Yeltsin did not object. Looking back, I understand that felt absolutely incredible optimism. The idea that the U.S. and Russia could be allies, that sounds just fine.
The fateful fall of Russia
But for one person in Russia, it symbolizes the deep humiliation. After a career KGB agent, withdrawn from East Germany after the collapse of the USSR in the mid-90s Vladimir Putin was a member of St. Petersburg city hall. Showing itself in the position of Deputy mayor, he returned to the FSB (successor of former the KGB), but the role of the chief. The collapse of the Soviet Union he experienced as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century”.
For him, the period of Yeltsin’s drunkenness symbolizes the period of destruction, when a superpower almost died. Russia was defeated, humiliated and robbed people, although from the West were heard of excitement that, say, Russia is moving in the right direction. It lost the cold war, and with it lost millions of square kilometers of territory, which was part of the tsarist Russia. The economy was at the bottom, and public property is looted, foreigners took control of vital state resources. Flourished alcoholism and prostitution. The life expectancy of Russians declined rapidly.
Meanwhile, the American influence grew. Bill Clinton began the expansion of NATO to bomb Yugoslavia. Clinton even tried to influence Russian politics and did not hesitate to provide open support of the unpopular Yeltsin, his “friend” never suffered a political defeat at the polls in 1996.
Today, when USA fight with Russia and its resurgent global ambitions, power in the Kremlin, which with the help of hackers stealing e-mails, manipulating the news and, according to the doctrine of the CIA, actively interfere in elections in countries that are critical for its expansion, the government in Washington publicly calls Putin the usurper. Yes, Putin is quite successfully defends the current interests of Russia. And though Putin may not cancel the results of the cold war, he can take revenge. He is doing great.
On the eve of 2000, Yeltsin, exhausted by alcohol, poor health, and almost open dissatisfaction with the Russian military, has suddenly resigned. He appointed Putin as his successor as President, has handed over the post before the expiry of its mandate. Soon, taking power into their own hands January 1, 2000, Putin met with the Russian military and told them that his mission is “to restore Russia’s honor and dignity”. Earned a reputation as a winner after war against terrorists in Chechnya, in March 2001, Putin was elected in the next presidential election by an overwhelming majority of popular votes in a new leader.
Putin did not immediately alerted US. In 2000, Russia was still weak for confrontation. Her troops remained an almost empty shell of the once powerful army, and the economy continued to be in a state of clinical death. After September 11, 2001, and before the unimaginable attack on America itself, Putin, mindful of its experience in the fight against radical Islamism in Chechnya, was the first world leader to call President Bush to become partners in the fight against Islamic terrorism. However, this proposal in America, which believed separatists “freedom fighters” (even though the bandits the year before fought for the liberation Army of Kosovo), no one answered.
The revival under Putin
By 2004 the Russian economy slowly got to his feet, and the army is beginning to resemble a respectable military force. Although after the coup in 2006 in Ukraine, provoked directly by Washington, Putin decided to Express dissatisfaction, he did it in the spirit of peace. He knew that he needed more time to strengthen the economy and the army, and soon America, is blinded by ambition, will again give rise of the new Russia to demonstrate its power. It happened in 2008 in Georgia, where the American “Pat on the shoulder” has urged President Mikheil Saakashvili to the military adventure, the purpose of which was to take Autonomous oblast of South Ossetia under its control. In a short war, Saakashvili lost, and America took the position of the observer, put the blame on first favorite politician Condoleezza rice and George Soros.
Attempts by CNN, BBC and other “free and democratic media” to present Russia as a big gas station, devoid of all progressive, failed. After the orange revolution in Kiev 2006 Ukraine returned power is close to Moscow. On the other hand, Russians understand that this hybrid war, which are media, Internet… Russia Today is literally crushed the American CNN. The rest of the world, which includes everything except the West began to perceive the United States as a bully who terrorizes everyone, ignoring and flouting international law.
Not understanding the new situation, the hawks in Washington administration again staged a violent coup in the Ukraine shortly after the “Arab spring” for 20 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, NATO became a dozen new members: the Baltic States, the countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria), as well as the former republics of Yugoslavia (Croatia and Slovenia). All the regions, where Russia enjoyed an undisputed influence.
Despite the real consequences for Russia’s interests, the Kremlin took advantage of the expansion of NATO, to present the United States as a bully who does not comply with the agreement. In fact, all the “recruits” NATO does not have special significance for Russia from the point of view of statehood and geopolitical strategy. Soon the US decision to engage in an open confrontation with Moscow helped Russia to exert overt economic pressure, especially on the mini-Baltic countries, and local people have the impression that the “Western allies” they cruelly deceived. Only the rejection of the use of the infrastructure of the Baltic States and replacing them with Russian production (or imports from other countries) brought Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia to the migratory Exodus.
The Collapse Of America
Unfortunately the citizens of these three countries, Russia decided to replace all of their production and to abandon their port, rail and road infrastructure in favor of Russian and Belarusian. Modern Belarus, which fully took service in the Russian market from the neighboring and richer of Ukraine, became instead the unfortunate state of Kiev, in the economic giant… Not to mention the fact that Ukraine has irreversibly lost the Crimea and Donbass, and “support” the US and UK finally sick of ordinary citizens of Ukraine.
The result of this foreign policy is ill-conceived violence of the clan Clinton was the rapprochement of the countries of Central Asia with the Russian Federation, although the Western media blamed it on the Russian propaganda. Intervention in Libya, Syria, Yemen and the atrocities in the Balkans led to the fact that most of the world sees a former KGB Colonel the leader of the free world.
In March 2014, shortly after the annexation of Crimea, it became clear that Russia is an independent and active participant of international relations. I’m not going right now to find out whether there had been annexation of the territory, which for the last 50 years was the administrative part of Ukraine, or this was a return of a region that during the previous 500 years was part of Russia. Like other countries, Russia has its national interests that must be considered and respected.
The revival of Russian power became an obvious reality. The recent American presidential campaign, in which Donald trump defeated Clinton’s wife, confirms this. Under the weight of numerous scandals concerning how domestic Affairs of States and foreign policy, Hillary Clinton lost. However, the shade she threw at the Kremlin, which allegedly directly intervened to help her opponent. Of course, no single piece of evidence there — everything is done in the tradition of the previous US administration, they say, believe, “on parole”. A congratulatory letter from President Putin to the newly-elected President of the United States gathered at the Republican election headquarters was met with applause.
All this, of course, the future hoped for bill Clinton two decades ago. Too small and pathetic was the vision of the former Governor of Arkansas, one of the most backward States of the USA. Clinton naively believed that his dreams will come true thanks to one of his drunk “friend”. He dreamed of a disgraced and ruined Russia, hated by neighbors and the world.
Instead, everything turned out exactly the opposite. Russia has become a safe progressive power, which acts in opposition to Western neo-liberal order. This is a rare example of how a great Empire revived after the historic defeat.
