A professor of international relations and political science at San Francisco State University and the author of Anti-Russian Lobby and American Foreign Policy looks deeper than media experts.
Analysis – a warning to voters – picked up at Asia Times:
McCain’s actions have been nothing short of provocative…
“Few people in the American political class have contributed more to provoking possible military escalation with Russia than Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain.
“McCain’s main foreign policy adviser and spokesperson, Randy Scheunemann, is a former registered lobbyist for the Republic of Georgia… strongly anti-Russia line… insisting that the United States should move forward with missile defense in the region… regardless of the negative consequences…
The McCain-led International Republican Institute, an international wing of the National Endowment for Democracy, was involved in training and financing the revolutionary opposition [in territories south of Russia]…
Holding neo-conservative political beliefs, these American lobbyists see conflict with US national interests: McCain had come to the region with his conclusions already formed.
McCain’s IRI presented its activities as a support of elections and the democratic process, but in reality it was biased in favor of [pre-selected candidates]…
During the Orange Revolution in Ukraine, McCain was again on the frontline.
Russia has always been presented by McCain in an extremely negative light, and as deserving of only a hard-line response. Assisted by the American media, the Republican Senator never missed an opportunity to blame Russia for everything that was going wrong in the former Soviet region and outside. It was following McCain’s statement warning of “a creeping coup against the forces of democracy and market capitalism”.
McCain’s disdain for Russia’s view was clearly revealed during a Republican debate on the US missile defense system when he said “I don’t care what [Vladimir Putin’s] objections are to it.”
Putin has replied in general in an interview by France’s Le Figaro newspaper, noting unofficial agitation from American citizens in the region, and saying the “U.S. spoiled our relationship and should fix it.”
I expect improvement in those relationships. They spoiled them, so they should fix them.
You know, in Lincoln’s time, a political figure of the day, the then Secretary of State, said that we always prefer relationships with Russia to relationships with all other European states, at least because Russia always wishes us well.
Of course, a lot has changed since then. Our relationships have been determined by various factors in different periods. However, whenever the world faced a global crisis, Russia and America have always emerged together.
That does mean something. It means that, during global crises, common interests prevail over certain differences. This was the case in World War One and World War Two. We in Russia never forget that, and we would like our American partners to remember that too.
McCain may be restrained
The analysis ends with an interesting point, America!
“Some have suggested that, if he is elected president, McCain may be restrained in his further actions toward Russia. American institutions and the heavy burden of responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the world may indeed encourage him to try diplomacy rather than belligerent rhetoric and hot-headed actions in Eurasia.
“But there is also the possibility that McCain will do what he says, and chose steps leading to a military escalation with the second largest world nuclear power.”