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Has Gaullisme returned to France? The French parliamentary delegation’s visit to Crimea

7/27/2015

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PictureGilbert Doctorow, Ph.D.
Where this all will lead one cannot say.  But the Russians correctly report it as a breakthrough for common sense
 
​by  Gilbert Doctorow, Ph.D.

 
Once upon a time, America’s core allies in Europe were holding hands with the Russians under the table, and it was widely feared by Washington, and also by Berlin and Paris taken separately, that one or the other European ally would cut its own deal with Moscow at the expense of Atlantic unity.

The greatly diminished strategic importance of post-Soviet Russia in the 1990s put paid to these flirtations and to these suspicions.  Then in the 2000s, following a brief misadventure in 2003 over French and German opposition to the US invasion of Iraq, the Continental allies fell into line in what became an increasingly virulent information war against Russia culminating in the confrontation over Crimea and Ukraine.

French Gaullisme was abandoned by the mainstream ever since the start of the Sarkozy presidency when the incoming leader made it plain that he was in love with the USA and aspired to the ‘special relationship’ traditionally held by the British.  Sarkozy had at his side as Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, a Russia-hater if ever there was one. A professional do-gooder who was long as the helm of the French NGO Medecins Sans Frontières, Kouchner brought to office the same ‘universal values’ as Obama’s Samantha Power with all of their geopolitical implications.
But in 2008, Sarkozy’s view of Russia took an awkward turn which resulted directly from his personal intervention in the escalating confrontation with Russia over the Russian-Georgian War acting in his capacity as President of the European Council. When immersed in the nitty-gritty, Sarkozy discovered the falseness of the Washington narrative and pulled back from reflexive anti-Russian positions. The Mistral deal was then negotiated and concluded under his direction.   
​
This brief show of French independent thinking came to an end with the electoral defeat of Sarkozy.

The downfall of the highly intelligent and experienced Dominique Strauss-Kahn in a sex scandal that nearly sent him away to prison left the French with Francois Hollande, a limited and provincial politician who was clueless about foreign policy from the beginning and entrusted formulation to the cunning Laurent Fabius, an Atlanticist conformist. In this context, the French knuckled under to the American positions delivered by Joe Biden, to the point of jeopardizing their entire export-oriented defense industry by cancelling the Mistral sale.

It was left to the extreme right and Euro-skeptic Front National of Marine LePen to pick up the strands of Gaullisme and rebel against American tutelage over relations with Russia. But her chances of winning the presidency were always considered to be marginal.
 
For their part, the Germans had an approach to Russia on a special track that was embedded in the mainstream Left, the Social Democrats (SPD), going back to Willy Brandt and running for decades through the administration of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. It was called theirOstpolitik. Under the Ossie Merkel, that is now dead and has been replaced by strategic alignment with Mitteleuropa.  The nice people of Poland, the Czech Republic, not to mention the swathe of economic losers in the Southeast (Bulgaria, Romania) are folks whom the Germans can boss around to their pleasure, all of which is so much more attractive than having to deal with the Russians and their pretensions at equality. Moreover, as the now disgraced Radoslaw Sikorski put it:  the Poles were giving the US a blow job.  The Germans decided it was their turn in line at the whorehouse.
 
Now with the French parliamentary visit to Crimea, it appears that Europe is truly cracking, andGaullisme is leading the way. After all, the delegation drew principally on the UMP, now self-styled Republicans, Sarkozy’s party, which is smack in the French mainstream as Center Right.
Yesterday's Vesti 24 reporting on the visit of the French parliamentary delegation to Crimea showed up a level of political sophistication that one would not have imagined from the day earlier account of the visitors' trying on "Obama is a Schmuck" tee-shirts featured on the Russia-insider.com alternative news website.

The top of their agenda was a visit to the French military cemetery dating back to the Crimean War which just happens to be the largest French military cemetery outside of France.  The widely held belief in France was that the cemetery was in a state of disrepair and was about to be paved over for residential housing or a shopping center.

The delegation found to their surprise that it is in impeccable condition and they duly laid flowers.
Then they went to the Russian military cemetery at Sevastopol and paid their respects
All of that was an act of political theater that will be replayed in France when they get home and repeat on French soil their demand for the EU sanctions against Crimea and Russia to be repealed.

Vesti reports that Sarkozy is going to be the next visitor.
Where this all will lead one cannot say.  But the Russians correctly report it as a breakthrough for common sense, perhaps of greater political moment than the current ongoing protests of farmers around France over the devastating effect of the Russian retaliatory embargo on their produce. 
 
© Gilbert Doctorow, 2015

G. Doctorow is an occasional guest lecturer at St. Petersburg State University and Research Fellow of the American University in Moscow. His latest book, Stepping Out of Line: Collected (Nonconformist) Essays on Russian-American Relations, 2008-12, is available in paperback and e-book from Amazon.com and affiliated websites worldwide.


All statements in this report are an opinion of the author. Act at your own risk. Russia & America Goodwill Association (RAGA) is not responsible for the content of the article. Any views or opinions presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RAGA. Any liability in respect to this communication remain with the author.

RAGA News
www.RAGA.org

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RUSSIA SALUTES THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON ITS 239TH ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE DAY!

7/4/2015

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Russia House
RAGA News
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Happy Independence Day & RAGA Antidote 18: Bryan MacDonald, Leonid Bershidsky, Gary Saul Morson, Russian Classics, Tennison's Russia trips, Lozansky for dialog, Krasnov remembers Primakov, ACEWA

7/4/2015

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Dear friends of the Russia & America Good Will Association and antiwar colleagues!

Courtesy of  Eduard Lozansky, RAGA congratulates Americans on the Independence Day in a very colorful fashion. Enjoy the attachment!

Because of the Holiday I was thinking to dispense with my antidote prescriptions. However, after reading Bryan MacDonald's articleRussophrenia - an Illness in Need of a Cure, I decided that some sort of antidote was still in order. According to Bryan, "Russophrenia is a condition where the sufferer believes Russia is both about to collapse, and take over the world." Since 2013, instances of this ailment have reached epidemic proportions in certain parts of Washington, London and Brussels." 


1. Bryan MacDonald Wed, June 26, 2015, Russia-Insider:

<<Whenever I mention Russia to an average Dubliner, the usual response is either that Russia is economically devastated or sometimes I get a summary of Kremlin plans to take over Europe. Russophrenia sufferers might have problems with reality, but thanks to a heavily-biased Western media, their influence is both potent and troubling.>>

Read more: 
http://russia-insider.com/en/politics/russophrenia-illness-need-cure/ri8434?

2. See also a Bloomberg News article
Russia's Pivot to China Is Real
JUN 25, 2015 11:51 AM EDT
By Leonid Bershidsky

<<Chinese loans became by far the biggest source of foreign financing for the Russian economy last year. According to Central Bank data, Russia's non-financial sector and households received $11.6 billion in net new loans from China. Cyprus -- or rather Russian businesses operating in Cyprus -- was the second-biggest lender, with $3.4 billion.>> Read 

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2015-06-25/russia-s-pivot-to-china-is-real

Then follow two rather pleasant forms of antidote: an interview with Gary Saul Morson about the importance for our politicians to read Russian literature, and an announcement of a joint venture of making Russian classics available to Americans .

3. Great Russian literature 'probes the ultimate questions of human life'
June 19, 2015 Elena Bobrova, RBTH
Gary Saul Morson, a professor of Slavic literature at Northwestern University and one of the foremost authorities on Russian literature in the United States, spoke to RBTH about his love for Tolstoy, the ongoing popularity of the Russian classics and what, if anything, politicians can gain from studying literature. Quote G.S.M:

<<These books are relevant to young Americans because they are relevant to all human beings. They probe the ultimate questions of human life — what makes a life meaningful, what is honesty, what responsibility we owe to others, and similar timeless questions. They answer these questions sometimes with profound answers and even more often with a deepening of the questions themselves.

<< Politicians are not great readers of literature. But if the educational system that shapes them includes great literature, they will develop the habit of seeing the world from perspectives other than their own. Americans have a tendency to think that everyone wants to be just like them, and so understand Russians, and other people as well. Literature helps overcome that narrowness.>>
http://rbth.com/literature/2015/06/19/great_russian_literature_probes_the_ultimate_questions_of_human_li_47025.html

4. Multi-volume library of Russian literature to be published in the U.S.
June 29, 2015 Elena Kostomarova, special to RBTH

The Russian Library in English project will be released in print and electronic form, as well as a series of audiobooks.
The most significant works in Russian literature will be published in the U.S. in a collection of 100 volumes. An agreement to that effect was signed on June 27 by the Institute of Translation and the U.S.-based Read Russia Inc. at the Books of Russia festival held in Moscow’s Red Square from June 25-28.
“After a three-hour discussion we agreed that Columbia University Press would launch a ‘Russian Library,’” said Vladimir Grigoryev, deputy head of Rospechat, the Federal Agency on Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation. “This is an unprecedented move, especially given the current situation.”
http://rbth.com/literature/2015/06/29/multi-volume_library_of_russian_literature_to_be_published_in_the_47299.html

Well, we cannot totally dispense with political antidotes that are available in both English and Russian

5. Sharon Tennison resumes Russia trips. JUNE 18, 2015, Sharon Tennison's email

Citizen Diplomacy Travel begins again -- June 2015

Dear Friends,

The relations between the two nuclear superpowers, Russia and the U.S., deteriorated so rapidly during the Ukraine build-up to war in 2014 that it seemed to us critical to try to rebuild citizen diplomacy again –– even though this attempt feels like David and Goliath with the slingshot. Read more:
http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/2015/06/citizen-diplomacy-travel-begins-again-june-2015.html

6. Solving the crisis in U.S.-Russia relations
There is an urgent need for bilateral talks to replace mutual disrespect
By Edward Lozansky - - Sunday, June 14, 2015
professor of world politics at Moscow State University

The Russian and American people should be demanding that their governments abandon symbolic brinksmanship in favor of serious negotiations and policies designed to protect their citizens and the world from future catastrophe
Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/14/edward-lozansky-solving-the-crisis-in-us-russia-re/#ixzz3dCZr248H

Лозанский: отказ США от диалога с Россией приведет к катастрофе,  22.06.2015
Более половины американцев недовольны внешней политикой Барака Обамы, пишет Эдуард Лозанский. И у них есть на то основания - прекращение рабочих контактов с Россией по вопросам ядерного оружия из-за желания "наказать" Москву приведет к катастрофе.
РИА Новости http://ria.ru/world/20150622/1080191917.html#ixzz3drxlfi75

Finally, my own remembrance of the late former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov, most famous for cancelling a state visit to Washington to protest NATO bombing of Yugoslavia

7. Vladislav Krasnov, In Memory of Yevgeny Primakov, R.I.P.
http://www.raga.org/news/w-george-krasnow-phd-on-yevgeny-primakov-rip

RAGA was just about the only organization in the United States to have issued, laud and clear, a Welcome to Russian Prime Minister. With the help of a number of people who generously responded to my appeal for donations (the courtesy of Johnson’s Russia List emails), our announcement was printed in The Washington Post on March 24, 1999.

http://www.raga.org/news/w-george-krasnow-phd-on-yevgeny-primakov-rip

Памяти Е.М. Примакова
http://www.raga.org/1053105410421054105710581048/24

Но как только разговор зашёл о Примакове, тон Солженицына потеплел моментально. Он восхищался воздушным разворотом Примакова как фигурой «высшего пилотажа», как доказательство того, что Примаков был одним из немногих «государственников» бывшего советского партийного аппарата, кто поставил национальные интересы страны выше интересов идеологических, номенклатурных, личных или клановых. 

http://www.raga.org/1053105410421054105710581048/24

8. Don't forget to follow and join the American Committee for East-West Accord
http://eastwestaccord.com

9. RAGA needs volunteers too!

Malice to None. Good Will  to All. 
Peace and Justice to the World.
миру мир и благоволение в сердцах


 From RAGA site:
"We are an association of Americans who believe it is in the U.S. national interests to foster friendship with Russia on the basis of mutual Good Will and non-interference in each other's affairs. RAGA is a gathering of people who share common interests in Russia's history, culture, religion, economy, politics and the way of life. We feel that Russian people have made outstanding contributions to humankind and are capable of greater achievements. We envision Russia as a strong, independent, proud and free nation and as a partner in achieving peace in the world."

Sincerely,
W George Krasnow (=Vladislav Krasnov)
President, RAGA


All statements in this report are an opinion of the author. Act at your own risk. Russia & America Goodwill Association (RAGA) is not responsible for the content of the article. Any views or opinions presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RAGA. Any liability in respect to this communication remain with the author.

RAGA News
www.RAGA.org


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W. George Krasnow Ph.D on Yevgeny Primakov, R.I.P.

7/1/2015

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On behalf of RAGA, I hurry to share with our readers the sad news of Yevgeny Primakov’s passing away on June 26, 2015, and to express our condolence to his family, friends and colleagues in Russian government, public, and academic institutions where he has left an indelible mark. 
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Yevgeny Primakov (1929-2015)
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Mr. Primakov is best known for the famous diplomatic “turn-around” when, on the way to Washington for a state visit on March 24, 1999, he immediately cancelled the visit and ordered his airplane around in mid-Atlantic as soon as he learned that NATO started the bombing of Yugoslavia.

At that time, RAGA was just about the only organization in the United States to have issued, laud and clear, a Welcome to Russian Prime Minister. With the help of a number of people who generously responded to my appeal for donations (the courtesy of Johnson’s Russia List emails), our announcement was printed in The Washington Post on March 24, 1999 as a paid advertisement.

Titled “Russia: A Friend in Need”, RAGA ad said that, in spite of the visit cancellation, “we, a coalition of scholars, business people and friends of Russia welcome (Prime Minister) for a constructive dialogue with our government. Support for Primakov’s reforms is critical now to avert economic and security disaster that threatens to reach our shores”.

Rejecting the canard of “a weaker Russia is better for us”, RAGA insisted that the US government “Give a clear signal that we are ready to cooperate with Primakov’s government in rooting out the oligarchy and the corruption it breeds”.

Urging the US government to “re-invent its policy toward Russia”, we appealed to the American people “to show magnanimity to the World War II ally that sacrificed tens of millions of lives to help secure our freedom”.

Responding to The Post’s ad, several dozens of people came to RAGA meeting at Johns Hopkins University to discuss the ways to overcome the ever-widening gulf between Russia and the USA.

As it turned out, Russian Prime Minister made his decision without consulting the Kremlin. Six weeks later President Boris Yeltsyn sacked Primakov’s government for sham reasons, but Primakov’s courageous decision went down in history as the turning point in post-Communist Russia’s quest for national sovereignty and, indeed, national dignity. In Russia, Primakov immediately became greatly more popular than President Yeltsin.

While visiting Moscow in the Fall of 1999, I had a telephone conversation with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. The Nobel Prize laureate and best-selling novelist, who had lived in the USA as an exile from 1976 to 1994, was now settled back in Russia. I knew that he had not been happy with the course of reforms under Yeltsin and demonstratively rejected a medal bestowed upon him by the president.

But as soon as we started talking about Primakov, Solzhenitsyn’s tone brightened up. In particular, he praised Primakov for his aireal turn-around. “If Primakov were to run for a presidency, I would vote for him”, said Solzhenitsyn. He also praised RAGA’s ad for Primakov, an earlier Open Letter to President Bill Clinton and other RAGA activities. 

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I was not surprised at Solzhenitsyn’s praise of Primakov. With all their ideological differences—one was a devout Communist and a high Soviet functionary until the collapse of the USSR, the other an ardent anti-Communist and world-famous challenger of Soviet totalitarianism-- both Primakov and Solzhenitsyn had one encompassing trait in common, the love for their country, the historical Russia, warts and all. Such love presupposes Russia’s right for dignity, self-realization, and independence.

According to Wikipedia, Primakov was an early “advocate of multilateralism as an alternative to American global hegemony” in a unipolar world. One might even say that Primakov paved the road for a more assertive foreign policy of Vladimir Putin who rose to power at the very end of the same year of 1999. Primakov won a praise and admiration from leading Western politicians, including Henry Kissinger who, in particular, praised him for his ability to engage his Western counterparts in a dialog.

It is not a habit for RAGA to eulogize the passing statesmen, no matter how great they might be. However, we made an exception for a man whose call for an East-West dialog underscores RAGA’s philosophy and agenda.

Vladislav Krasnov, Ph.D.
RAGA president
29 June 2015

All statements in this report are an opinion of the author. Act at your own risk. Russia & America Goodwill Association (RAGA) is not responsible for the content of the article. Any views or opinions presented in this report are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RAGA. Any liability in respect to this communication remain with the author.

RAGA News
www.RAGA.org

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