Cold War 2.0?

Enquiring minds may really be wondering what's between Condi's ears after her latest attempt at diplomacy:

"The centralization of state power in the presidency at the expense of countervailing institutions like the Duma or an independent judiciary is clearly very worrying," Rice said, referring to the lower house of Russia's parliament. "The absence of an independent media on the electronic side is clearly very worrying." [...]

...the former Soviet specialist said the concentration of power should not begin to "mimic the Soviet state". [...]

Rice also warned Moscow that its role as chair of a meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized democracies next year will require it to demonstrate a commitment to democracy. [...]

"Moscow should make every effort to convince the world that they understand those responsibilities that attend inclusion in organizations such as the G-8," Rice said. She said the G-8 was intended to be a "a group of democracies" committed to "free-market principles, free trade, the rule of law".

You can see our dilemma, here. If Condi -- never known 'round these parts as possessing anything approaching the supreme intellect for which she's so often credited -- is really so stupid that she fails to notice the glaring hypocrisy dripping from her every word, that would quite possibly make her stupider than even The Superbrain himself. But if that were true, it would spell an existential crisis for the space-time continuum.

So we must assume that she knowlingly perpetrates such crimes of knowledge. If so, though, how does she do so with a straight face? Is she, like her President, a cyborg? Pehaps, but her eyes, speech patterns, and motor skills don't suggest as much.

So Condi's a bit of a riddle.

Kidding aside, one has to wonder just what the Bush Administration hopes to gain by its provocations. Condi's remarks came shortly after similarly insulting words care of Gee-Dub. And "lawmakers on Capitol Hill have introduced legislation to suspend Russia from participation in the G-8 because, they say, it is no longer a democracy."

If we accept the premise that the downfall of the Soviet Union was accomplished solely (with maybe a little bit of help from the Pope) by St. Reagan's having guilely bogged it down fighting Islmaic guerillas in Afghanistan while also conniving it into trying to match the U.S. of A. missile-for-missile (never mind Reaganomics' long-term effects upon the United States); it's not too difficult to imagaine a similar reverse scenario developing at the present moment.

The United States is bogged down by Islamic guerillas in Iraq, so much so that its military is on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, "Iraq-style resistance is to be activated in Afghanistan", according to the Asia Times (which also reports that Pakistan is in danger of boiling over).

Forget, on the other hand, about Russia's presumably idle claim that it "will develop missiles impervious to any defense". Russia is already supplying Syria and Iran with weaponry, and has planned joing military exercises for later this year with China (whose military, oh-by-the-way, Blowback author Chalmers Johnson notes, quoting professor Arthur Lauder, "is the only one being developed anywhere in the world today that is specifically configured to fight the United States of America").

Oh yeah, Russia has also struck deal to sell 100,000 AK-47s and "as many as 50 Russian attaack helicopters" to Venezuela. (Ever game, Donald H. Rumsfeld says he "can't imagine why Venezuela needs 100,000 AK-47s". What are the odds, do you suppose, that Donald H.'s confusion will be cause enough for the Russians to reconsider?)

One could conceive, in other words, of the United States battling Russian-supplied guerillas in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Venezuela; and/or of Islamic fundamentalists in control in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and/or of the United States embroiled in a war with China -- a war, according to Johnson, that it "would almost surely lose".

If that's not enough, investment adviser Jephraim Gundzik recently warned that:

In 2005 Russia is likely to surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil exporter. This, combined with continued contraction of global oil stocks, gives Moscow enormous leverage over international oil prices. Russia could easily push the price of crude oil above $100 per barrel by reducing oil production. No other oil-producing country, including Saudi Arabia, has sufficient spare production capacity to counter a production cut by Russia.

By effectively controlling international oil prices, Russia could undermine U.S. economic growth. More importantly, Russia could encourage the devaluation of the dollar by redenominating its substantial energy trade with Europe from dollars into euros. Redenomination, which is supported by both Russia and the European Union, would force Europe's central banks to rebalance their foreign exchange reserves in favor of the euro.

Rather than establishing economic and geopolitical hegemony around the world, the "war on terrorism" is making the U.S. increasingly vulnerable to a sharp economic recession delivered to Washington by Moscow.

If she keeps it up, not only does Condi personally risk getting whacked over the head by a chess-board, but the Bush Administration may well find itself on the losing end of a Cold War rematch.

Sure, Condi's charges are by and large accurate. But when have such principles ever been any concern of hers, her President's, or the United States'? So, what does the Bush Administration hope to gain from its badgering? Beats me.

And back to the initial question: what's between Condi's ears? Rocks? Air? Circuitry? It's a conundrum.

Posted by Eddie Tews at April 21, 2005 05:43 PM