The Washington Post accused Vladimir Putin (cc photo: WEF/Sebastian Derungs)
We’re supposed to know by now that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a really bad guy–so bad that anything that he says is further proof of his screeching hostility to the United States.
The Washington Post reported (10/24/14) on a recent Putin speech with this blistering lead sentence:
Making clear that the Kremlin has no intention of backing down from the worst Russia/Western crisis since the Cold War, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the United States on Friday of trying to “reshape the whole world” for its benefit, in a fiery speech that was one of the most anti-American of his 15 years as Russia’s paramount leader.
Fiery anti-Americanism!
It’s not hard to believe that Putin was highly critical of the US foreign policy, but what precisely did he say? The Post called it “a bitter distillation of Putin’s anti-American rhetoric.” The Post Karoun Demirjian and Michael Birnbaum reported that the address was an
unsmiling, straightforward worldview that blasted the United States as taking advantage of its powerful post-Cold War position to dictate misguided terms to the rest of the world. Putin faulted the United States for a rise in global terrorism, a resumption of a global arms race and a general worsening of global security.
“It never ceases to amaze me how our partners have been guilty of making the same mistakes time and again,” Putin said, accusing the United States of breeding terrorists by upsetting the established order in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Afghanistan.
OK, so fiery anti-Americanism is the belief that the United States desires a unipolar world where it calls the shots. Does anyone doubt US elites think otherwise?
And the US, he thinks, bears some responsibility for fueling the global arms race. The United States is, according to some less than fiery and not particularly anti-American news outlets, the leading supplier of arms in the world (“US Arms Sales Make Up Most of Global Market,” New York Times, 8/26/12; “US Doubles Down on Foreign Military Sales,” Defense News, 7/19/14).
On the subject of nuclear arms, a key issue in US/Russia relations, the New York Times (9/21/14) recently reported on the US plan to increase its nuclear arsenal–a “nationwide wave of atomic revitalization” that could cost well over a trillion dollars.
And it’s hard to argue with Putin’s critique of US foreign policy accomplishments in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya; those countries have suffered extreme violence and instability due to US military actions. Would there even be an ISIS without the US invasion of Iraq?
None of that should be mistaken as an endorsement of anything Putin or Russia has done. But if the Post means to show us that a foreign leader is a fiery, bitter anti-American, it might want to make a stronger case.
The news article, though, was nothing compared to the Post‘s editorial (10/27/14). Under the Web headline “Putinoia on Full Display,” the paper blasted Putin for his
poisonous mix of lies, conspiracy theories, thinly veiled threats of further aggression and, above all, seething resentment toward the United States.
Again, that’s a pretty serious charge. It’s not hard to imagine a politician telling lies; which ones did Putin tell?
Protesters violently overthrew the elected government of Ukraine–but if you call it a “coup,” the Washington Post will call you a liar. (cc photo: Mstyslav Chernov/Wikimedia)
The Post doesn’t seem to want to tell us. It does say Putin claimed that the United States has
promoted a “unipolar world [that] is simply a means of justifying dictatorship over people and countries.” According to Mr. Putin, Washington has created chaos across the world by conspiring to foment revolutions, including what he views as an armed “coup d’etat” in Ukraine.
Again, the United States does see itself as the world’s lone superpower, with a dominant military and an obvious record of attempting to use military force, directly or otherwise, to change the world to its liking (though these efforts are not always successful). In Ukraine, in particular, Washington certainly supported the violent overthrow of an elected government–whether you want to call that a “coup d’etat” or not.
The editorial began with this observation:
Anyone wondering what Western leaders have been up against when they try to reason with Vladimir Putin need only read the transcript of the Russian ruler’s three-hour performance at the annual Valdai conference in Sochi on Friday.
The thing is, if you’re going to say someone is a poisonous liar who traffics in conspiracy theories, then you should show that. That the Post doesn’t seem to feel the need to do so either means the evidence isn’t there, or that the burden of proof is very low when it comes to official enemies.
Here’s a link to a transcript of the speech.
http://vineyardsaker.blogspot.com/2014/10/putins-speech-at-valdai-club-full.html
Hey Peter,
You love nothing more than to call Americans hypocrites, or to notice double standards. Why, then, is that not your target when Putin talks about global instability and violence, coming from a man who is so autocratic, nationalistic, homophobic, and chauvinistic, and so callous about the lives of others that he will send arms to Syria to put down a just rebellion against Assad?
Why are you so interested in shaming America, that you will go out of your way to defend Putin to make that point, curiously overlooking the hypocrisy of Putin himself?
And the U.S. did not “create” the problems in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Libya. These were awful, despotic places before the U.S. intervened, and because of our interventions, they are on the path toward democracy – however chaotically (let’s not forget how chaotic and bloody our own experience with democracy has been).
Again, I applaud your work when you call out the lack of diversity in the corporate media, or its willful ignorance of corporate malfeasance. But you lose your credibility as a pundit (in my view), when you use your position as a media critic to come to the defense of vile people like Putin to tout your anti-American bona fides.
Drew,
I don’t think the author was attempting to defend Putin or his policies, but was criticizing a media outlet for attacking the things Putin said as lies, exaggerations and conspiracy theories, when they clearly have merit.
In a perfect world, where journalistic operations such as the Post operate more along the lines of “All the Presidents Men” and less along the lines of “Kill the Messenger”, depraved autocrats such as Putin wouldn’t have to point out the shortcomings of the United States because outlets such as the post would already be doing it. Sadly, they are too busy cheerleading their elite friends in the upper echelons of the deep state to be bothered with any type of accountability journalism.
Also, Drew, the author of this article is a media critic, not a foreign policy critic.
That Drew person has read too much MSM . President Putin is a nationalist (not a crime !) he is not autocratic chauvinistic or homophobic and certainly isn’t launching wars . President Assad of Syria is not crushing the Syrian people : only an American whack job would ignore the massive rallies in support of Assad .
Drew epitomised why there is antiamericanism : in his poisonously lies and support for empire
Drew epitomised the articles thesis! Rabid media driven russiaphobia .
The whole world has been watching and knows more than the average American who has been grossly misinformed by the corporate mainstream media. America has lost any moral leadership.
“None of that should be mistaken as an endorsement of anything Putin or Russia has done.”
Well, that’s because Putin is still a thug who isn’t anything other than envious of the power of the American national security state. I know it isn’t FAIR’s mission to critique Kremlin media as it is for American media, but it’s not worth pretending that Putin is any more honest or sincere in his protests.
“” None of that should be mistaken as an endorsement of anything Putin or Russia has done. But if the Post means to show us that a foreign leader is a fiery, bitter anti-American, it might want to make a stronger case. – From The Article”
“Why are you so interested in shaming America, that you will go out of your way to defend Putin to make that point, curiously overlooking the hypocrisy of Putin himself? – Drew”
Great another case of if we don’t all fall down in obsequious, Sycophantic Toady adoration of everything the Corporate Lords and Masters do and say, we are all guilty of Lese Majesty. I suppose next it will be if we don’t accept everything they (NYT) say as “the absolute perfection of truth and light” it will be our fault for allowing the ISIS to form in the first place.
In the past it was the job of the Press to criticize the Government and those in power to ensure they didn’t become “Lords and Masters”. When did America become the home of sniveling, cowardly, children scared of their own shadow who can not take the least criticism with out breaking out in a 2 year-old-with-sore-tooth hissy fit.
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On the other hand, it is a sad day when the President of the Russia is able speak the truth as such about America. Folks, either we wake up and start removing the Kockroaches from our places of humanity, or we are going to become those countries which have, in the past fought against. Make no mistake, this is how a country turns into a Fascist or Dictatorial state. The common man sits around thinking ‘oh this isn’t as bad as ‘so-and-so’ country where they do “this and thus”. We only do it a little so we are so much more perfect and better than they.
The Pots are busy calling the kettle black while sitting in the fire themselves.
Let US nip this in the Bully Puppet: STOP the ObamAssassin DESPOTUS’ Top ROT(Reign Of Terror)!
To those commenting on Drew and others, remember that the US government pays hundreds (thousands) of people to troll the internet and social media to discredit anyone who does not toe the Government line, or anyone that does not swallow the government propaganda.
Do not respond to it, just ignore. I know that it is your tax money paying for the garbage, but “feeding the troll” just encourages the nonsense.
Great article. I feel bad for this Drew guy in the comments though. So naive. Yeah, American interventions in the middle east have just really gone swimmingly. I hear they’re all delighted to have been shown the light and are feeling more democratic than ever. Thanks America!