From Reuters: Russia could veto a U.N. resolution that threatens Syria with sanctions if it does not cooperate with a probe into the killing of a former Lebanese prime minister, Interfax news agency quoted a Russian source at the United Nations as saying on Monday.
Russia never ceases to amaze in its lack of understanding of what is in its own self-interest.
UPDATE: Perhaps I spoke to soon (not the first time). According to The Australian: The UN Security Council has hammered out a tough resolution demanding that Syria co-operate with a probe into the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister or face possible sanctions.
Diplomats from Britain, France and the US told The New York Times they expected the resolution to pass the Security Council overnight and did not foresee a veto from China or Russia, the two countries most reluctant to punish Syria.
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17 Comments
1. Eg:Hey can we stop being so selective in just singling out Russia? Beyond resolutions warning of ‘possibly serious consequences’ neither the Fwrench nor the Chinese will let the matter go any further.
Rule 2,565,038 – Title III, Article 489, Section 79 of the UN sponsored ‘Tyranny for All, Socialist-Commie Playbook’.
Oct 31, 2005 - 6:56 am 2. richard mcenroe:Show Russia a little sympathy, willya? How many buyers for rusty T-72’s are left out there?
Oct 31, 2005 - 7:17 am 3. Ed Poinsett:Sheesh Eg
France is one of the co-sponsors of the resolution.
Oct 31, 2005 - 7:18 am 4. Macker:If Russia or China vetoes, to Hell with them, we attack and bring down the Chinless Ophthalmologist!
Oct 31, 2005 - 7:40 am 5. Always right:Here we go agin. A “tough” resolution without any bites. 10 years and 14 additional resolutions later, we may need another Repub POTUS to unilaterally do something about it.
Oct 31, 2005 - 10:21 am 6. PJ:What really surprises me is the politics of French support for sanctions. They have been actually vehement lately, and sticking with the Great Satan in the UN! I thought Boy Assad was one of their favorites.
Oct 31, 2005 - 10:53 am 7. thedragonflies:It is time for an offensive against Syria and Iran on the world stage, the stage of ideas. We need Bush and Rice to make the case, persitantly and publicly, about the evil of these thugocracies. This resolution is a good thing, and, thanks to Rice and Bush and Bolton, it apparently has passed.
This is a war of ideas even more so than a war of the military. I wish Bush had Churchill’s eloquence. But, Rice can be the spokesperson for this offensive.
This resolution looks like good news to me.
Oct 31, 2005 - 10:55 am 8. Puff:Given the recent rioting in France, and the police response I think its safe to say the French are out of the passive part of their response and are going aggressive. I suspect they feel they’ve been screwed by the arabs and got no reach around for throwing road blocks in the Americans way, so now they stagger to the other side of the road and offer to kick in Syria’s front door if we roll in from Iraq. (it helps that we’re the strong horse now, and have shown that the terrorists can be beat).
Oct 31, 2005 - 1:21 pm 9. Ursus:Don’t excuse Russia too quickly. The resolution only demands that Syria cooperate with the investigation. Syria isn’t getting sanctioned or anything, just made to cooperate. It’s a clear case of do-nothing.
I’m quite sure that we’ve gotten this nonsense because Russia would have vetoed anything stronger.
Oct 31, 2005 - 2:22 pm 10. Ursus:Don’t excuse Russia too quickly. The resolution only demands that Syria cooperate with the investigation. Syria isn’t getting sanctioned or anything, just made to cooperate. It’s a clear case of do-nothing.
I’m quite sure that we’ve gotten this nonsense because Russia would have vetoed anything stronger.
Oct 31, 2005 - 2:25 pm 11. BurbankErnie:“The UN Security Council has hammered out a tough resolution demanding that Syria co-operate with a probe into the assassination of a former Lebanese prime minister or face possible sanctions.“
It isn’t a tough resolution without sanctions. Can we give Bolton some support to beat the shit out of some of these “diplomats”?
This will work, yeah. If you don’t follow this resolution, Kofi will shake his finger at you real hard.
Oct 31, 2005 - 5:53 pm 12. richard mcenroe:Historically, the Russians have only shot themselves in the foot when they were standing on some other poor bastard’s neck…
Oct 31, 2005 - 8:02 pm 13. thibaud:There’s no reason whatsoever to suppose that Russia’s strategic interests in the middle east–Russia’s backyard, as it were– should align with our own. In fact, everything in Russia’s geopolitical and economic situation suggests the opposite.
Russia is, after the Saudis, the major swing oil producer in the world. They, like the Iranians, hugely benefit from soaring oil prices– so much so that it’s reasonable to argue Putin’s government would not be in power today were it not for $60+/bbl. oil. Every $1 increase in the price of oil lifts Russia’s government revenues by $1B per month. High oil is, quite literally, a lifeline for the Russian government. Instability in the middle east reduces supply and increases the attractiveness of Russia as a swing producer.
Secondly, forget the G8 nonsense and recognize that, notwithstanding the end of Soviet communism, Russia is not and never will be part of “the West,” if that 20c concept still has any meaning. Moscow is a modern, western city in many ways, but the rest of the country is a political, economic and demographic wasteland ruled by corrupt local despots/mafiosi of the sort one associates with parts of Asia or Africa. Citibank used to train its country managers by organizing nations it served along an arc of economic and political development. Poland was in the same tier as South Korea and Mexico; Russia was in the same group as Nigeria.
Third, even if by some miracle the Russian people– beyond Moscow– suddenly developed Tocquevillian habits of indepependent civic association and organization and moved to overthrow the corrupt FSB-mafiosi alliance that dominates the regime, a truly democratic Russia would still have different interests from us due to its ties with, and vulnerability to, China, its proximity to the muslim arc on its southern tier, and its own oil-dominated economy.
Russia is between East and West, even more so in a fossil fuel-dominated world economy. Intelligent Russians have always recognized this simple fact and sought to make the most of it. It’s naive to think that any Russian government will line up behind us on middle eastern issues.
Nov 1, 2005 - 6:08 am 14. thibaud:The notion that Putin should be expected to support our effort to democratize the middle east is about as logical as expecting the New York Times to turn itself into a citizens’ media outlet and forge an alliance with Pajamas and Kos.
Nov 1, 2005 - 6:11 am 15. larry:Thibaud: Every $1 increase in the price of oil lifts Russia’s government revenues by $1B per month.
Am I reading this right? Russia sells a billion, with a b, barrels a month?
Nov 2, 2005 - 4:50 pm 16. larry:Thibaud: Every $1 increase in the price of oil lifts Russia’s government revenues by $1B per month.
Am I reading this right? Russia sells a billion, with a b, barrels a month?
Nov 2, 2005 - 4:50 pm 17. larry:Typekey sucks.
Nov 2, 2005 - 4:51 pm