Outside View: Playing nice with Russia

Outside View: Playing nice with Russia

The United States and the European Union have given Russia nearly a free ride on the Western economic system. Russian exports enjoy fairly open access to Western markets, while Moscow maintains higher tariffs and non-tariff barriers on imports. Generally, Russian enterprises invest freely in the West, while Western investors are increasingly excluded, and their property is far from safe.

Emboldened, the bear has shown its teeth in Georgia, and other adventures cannot be ruled out. European dependence on Russian gas and the absence of consensus within NATO make this a broad menace to regional security.

It is high time the United States and the European Union re-evaluate open commerce and dependence on Russian resources. Russian exports and investment should be welcome only to the extent that U.S. and European investments are welcome in Russia. Europeans need to find alternatives to Russian natural gas.

A new realism should guide U.S. and European policy.

Honda Stays True to Efficient Driving - NYTimes.com

Honda Stays True to Efficient Driving - NYTimes.com

In Nuclear Net’s Undoing, a Web of Shadowy Deals - Series - NYTimes.com

In Nuclear Net’s Undoing, a Web of Shadowy Deals - Series - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Hoping It’s Biden - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - Hoping It’s Biden - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

News Analysis - U.S. Sees Much to Fear in a Hostile Russia - News Analysis - NYTimes.com

News Analysis - U.S. Sees Much to Fear in a Hostile Russia - News Analysis - NYTimes.com

The Cold War, reheated - Los Angeles Times

The Cold War, reheated - Los Angeles Times

Time travel is easy! If you lay the groundwork, that is -- and believe me, we did.

First, after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, we graciously provided a little economic "shock therapy" designed to turn our "defeated" former enemy into a prospering capitalist democracy. Regrettably, we instead helped plunge Russia into an economic catastrophe. This annoyed the Russians. But we continued to help by treating Russian officials as washed-up has-beens and by expanding NATO to include most of Russia's former satellites.

In a transparent bid for attention, Russia flattened most of Chechnya. We ignored this. When authoritarian crackdowns and rising oil prices turned Russia into a repressive economic powerhouse, we still paid little attention. We pushed to include Georgia and Ukraine in NATO and proposed placing missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic. When the Russians told us they saw this as a hostile act, we continued to ignore them.

Finally, the stars were in alignment. So when tiny Georgia rashly tried to seize control of separatist South Ossetia and the Russians responded with a massive military intervention, we understood that at last we had an opportunity to travel back in time -- to the Cold War.

Friction With Russia May Spell Trouble for U.S. - NYTimes.com

Friction With Russia May Spell Trouble for U.S. - NYTimes.com

Atlantic Eye: Lost lessons of the Cold War

Atlantic Eye: Lost lessons of the Cold War:
"Several strategic blunders in the past year have led to Russia's incursion into Georgia. A missile-defense shield, which even U.S. experts doubt works, has been sold to Poland and the Czech Republic as though it were Moses speaking down from the mountain. The West rushed to recognize Kosovo, caring nothing about Russia's sensitivities or those of the Abkhazians or South Ossetians or the implications of other folks seeking self-determination.

The biggest strategic blunder was not joining Russia in placing the missile-defense system in Azerbaijan. The Russians understood rightly -- keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. But even a cynic knows the Russian plan bore an honest effort to build bridges.

Russia's response to Georgia is, in fact, a response to this series of perceived insults. Kosovo was the last drop -- but it all began to unravel with Azerbaijan. The U.S. rejection of the offer (see my column 'Putin's Bush-whack') convinced the Russians that the United States was being disingenuous about the intentions of the missile shield. It convinced Russia that it was not for Iran and the Middle East, but a Trojan horse against Russia. Many security experts in the United States -- and out -- agree with this assessment.

Had the United States -- and the European Union countries -- been on the ball, they would have used thethey would have used the European Union, not NATO -- at least initially -- to engender the expansion of stability. The Russians would not object to Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey being part of the EU. I have been told this up and down the chain of command in Moscow.

Russia wants to be a regional player and a global energy superpower. It wants to have influence over near markets. It wants to have global influence in oil, gas and energy security. Said a foreign minister to me, "Like the Monroe Doctrine, Russia wants to keep an eye on her backyard. The United States is mistaken to underestimate her will to do this." I echoed this in several of my last columns."

Op-Ed Columnist - What Did We Expect? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Columnist - What Did We Expect? - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com:


"Let’s start with us. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, I was among the group — led by George Kennan, the father of “containment” theory, Senator Sam Nunn and the foreign policy expert Michael Mandelbaum — that argued against expanding NATO, at that time.

It seemed to us that since we had finally brought down Soviet communism and seen the birth of democracy in Russia the most important thing to do was to help Russian democracy take root and integrate Russia into Europe. Wasn’t that why we fought the cold war — to give young Russians the same chance at freedom and integration with the West as young Czechs, Georgians and Poles? Wasn’t consolidating a democratic Russia more important than bringing the Czech Navy into NATO?

All of this was especially true because, we argued, there was no big problem on the world stage that we could effectively address without Russia — particularly Iran or Iraq. Russia wasn’t about to reinvade Europe. And the Eastern Europeans would be integrated into the West via membership in the European Union.

No, said the Clinton foreign policy team, we’re going to cram NATO expansion down the Russians’ throats, because Moscow is weak and, by the way, they’ll ge"

Op-Ed Contributor - Russia Never Wanted a War - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com

Op-Ed Contributor - Russia Never Wanted a War - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com:



"In recent days, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and President Bush have been promising to isolate Russia. Some American politicians have threatened to expel it from the Group of 8 industrialized nations, to abolish the NATO-Russia Council and to keep Russia out of the World Trade Organization.

These are empty threats. For some time now, Russians have been wondering: If our opinion counts for nothing in those institutions, do we really need them? Just to sit at the nicely set dinner table and listen to lectures?

Indeed, Russia has long been told to simply accept the facts. Here’s the independence of Kosovo for you. Here’s the abrogation of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty, and the American decision to place missile defenses in neighboring countries. Here’s the unending expansion of NATO. All of these moves have been set against the backdrop of sweet talk about partnership. Why would anyone put up with such a charade?

There is much talk now in the United States about rethinking relations with Russia. One thing that should definitely be rethought: the habit of talking to Russia in a condescending way, without regard for its positions and interests.

Our two countries could develop a serious agenda for genuine, rather than token, cooperation. Many Americans, as well as Russians, understand the need for this. But is the same true of the political leaders?"

IndianExpress.com :: Australia revises: will give uranium to India if deal goes through

IndianExpress.com :: Australia revises: will give uranium to India if deal goes through

Darpa Pushes To Transition Technology | AVIATION WEEK

Darpa Pushes To Transition Technology | AVIATION WEEK:

"The key word in Darpa's name is 'projects,' says Welby. 'A project is something with a defined start, defined finish and clearly defined objectives. Something that can be written on a single piece of paper.' The goal is to 'prove the feasibility of a concept and take the specific technology risk off the table.'

Darpa's strength as an organization is in its structure, or lack thereof. The agency owns no facilities and has no infrastructure that needs long-term programs for support. Instead, it pursues high-risk, high-payoff research through short-term projects with aggressive technical goals. Project managers stay for only four years.

'They are all temporary hires,' says Welby, 'They are here to get something done. The clock is ticking, and there is personal pressure to advance the state of the art on very aggressive timelines.' Welby left Darpa at the end of July after an unusually long 11 years at the agency - first as program manager, then later as office director.

'You can change rapidly and move quickly when 25% of your people change out every year,' he says. 'You would never want to run a business this way, but for preventing technological surprise and being the engine of innovation - it's perfect.'"

As Georgia and Russia Headed for a Clash, the U.S. Missed the Signals - NYTimes.com

As Georgia and Russia Headed for a Clash, the U.S. Missed the Signals - NYTimes.com

Military Analysis - Russians Melded Old-School Blitz With Modern Military Tactics - Military Analysis - NYTimes.com

Military Analysis - Russians Melded Old-School Blitz With Modern Military Tactics - Military Analysis - NYTimes.com:


"This was not the Russian Army from the humiliation of Afghanistan, and it’s not the Russian military that had to flatten Chechnya to save it,” said one Pentagon official knowledgeable of how the fighting unfolded. Another said: “The Russian military is back. They are to be contended with.”"

So along with the old-school onslaught of infantry, armor and artillery, Russia mounted joint air and naval operations, appeared to launch simultaneous cyberattacks on Georgian government Web sites and had its best English speakers at the ready to make Moscow’s case in television appearances.

If the rapidly unfolding events caught much of the world off guard, that kind of coordination of the old and the new did not look accidental to military professionals.

“They seem to have harnessed all their instruments of national power — military, diplomatic, information — in a very disciplined way,” said one Pentagon official, who like others interviewed for this article disclosed details of the operation under ground rules that called for anonymity. “It appears this was well thought out and planned in advance, and suggests a level of coordination in the Russian government between the military and the other civilian agencies and departments that we are striving for today.”

In Hanford, Wash., the country's most polluted nuclear reactor site draws tourists - Los Angeles Times

In Hanford, Wash., the country's most polluted nuclear reactor site draws tourists - Los Angeles Times:

"HANFORD REACH NATIONAL MONUMENT, WASH. -- Aplatoon of double-crested cormorants took flight from the eastern shore of the Columbia River, skimming the sun-sparkled surface as two slender white egrets stood in the nearby shallows, hunting small fish hiding in the reeds.

Twenty kayakers, mostly tourists from the Pacific Northwest, paddled along, letting the steady current do most of the work. They coasted past mule deer grazing on the shore, coyotes stalking the sandy beaches and cliff swallows buzzing the nearby white bluffs.

But the main attraction was on the western shore: several bland, industrial-gray structures and towering smokestacks, a collection of buildings that gave birth to America's atomic age.

Welcome to the Hanford Reach, where one of the last free-flowing stretches of the Columbia River encounters America's most contaminated nuclear site. Along this flat, mostly treeless scrubland, the U.S. government built nine reactors between 1943 and 1963, including the historic 'B' plant that produced the world's first weapons-grade plutonium for the nuclear bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan, in World War II.

Smaller NSG nations for changes in N-deal?-India-The Times of India

Smaller NSG nations for changes in N-deal?-India-The Times of India:

"The non-pro crowd at the NSG wants to put in amendments that will cover three main subjects — asking India to join the NPT and CTBT, putting the civilian nuclear facilities under permanent safeguards (no matter what happens to the fuel supplies) or a roundabout way of introducing the deleted para 4 of the NSG guidelines which will 'require' comprehensive safeguards. There may even be a brave attempt to put in a so-called 'testing clause'.

The para 4 'condition' will certainly be raised, officials feel. The original inclusion in the US draft was the work of the American government's own non-proliferation officials who thought the NSG could take away what they considered to be the 'free pass' that their own government seemed to be giving to India. Of course, India and US could have 'convinced' many of these conscientious objectors before the actual meeting.

What kind of conditions can India live with? Well, for the past three decades or more, India has successfully fended off calls to join the NPT or, more recently, CTBT from the world. So it will have no problems with such prescriptive 'conditions'. The issues will come from things like permanent safeguards — because the basis of the Indian deal is 'permanent safeguards for permanent fuel"

Obama without his script - Los Angeles Times

Obama without his script - Los Angeles Times:


"The campaign significance for Obama is easier to calculate. He has been playacting at being presidential in order to convince voters that we live in a 'new moment' with 'new challenges' -- and that he is the president we need for this new era.

This moment calls for more than playacting, yet Obama looks lost without a presidential script. Events in the Caucasus -- and, for that matter, in Beijing -- suggest that the times aren't so new after all. Two powerful antidemocratic foes are once again flexing their muscles at a moment when America seems weak and distracted.

That is not a new challenge but a very old one. Perhaps this is not a time for a novice spouting grand rhetoric about a new page in history, but for someone who's actually read the pages of some old, but still relevant, books. Perhaps this is not the time for playacting.

Perhaps it is not the time for body surfing?"

Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili's 'calculated gamble' - Los Angeles Times

Georgia President Mikheil Saakashvili's 'calculated gamble' - Los Angeles Times

BBC NEWS | Health | Running 'can slow ageing process'

BBC NEWS | Health | Running 'can slow ageing process':


"And there was no evidence that runners were more likely to suffer osteoarthritis or need total knee replacements than non-runners - something scientists have feared."

IndianExpress.com :: Nuclear soothsayers’ group

IndianExpress.com :: Nuclear soothsayers’ group:


"It needs to be noted that the NSG only issues guidelines: each participating state will decide, on the basis of its own export control laws, how it should implement the guidelines. To that extent, even if there is a clean waiver, India will have to negotiate with supplier countries on an individual basis, before commercial contracts can be signed for the import of reactors, technology or fuel.

The choice before the NSG should be clear; if the waiver is not acceptable to India, it would be free to go its own way. This would surely not be in the interest of the global non-proliferation regime. On the other hand, a clean waiver would make India a powerful partner in the struggle against proliferation and the efforts towards nuclear disarmament."

The Minimalist - A Restaurant in Nice That’s Rich, Luxurious and Vegetarian - NYTimes.com

The Minimalist - A Restaurant in Nice That’s Rich, Luxurious and Vegetarian - NYTimes.com:



"FROM the outside, there is nothing very unusual about La Zucca Magica, a restaurant by the harbor here. At most, you might notice the words on the awning: “restaurant au légumes, oeufs et fromages” (vegetables, eggs and cheeses).

But once you enter, its unusual character begins to become evident. The restaurant is decorated almost exclusively with gourds and artwork made from them: sculptures, bowls and other containers, masks, puppets and toys. Gourds are featured in paintings, photographs, tapestries and posters, and on mirrors. They hang from the ceiling like salamis at Zabar’s.

This is not a gourd restaurant, but the décor and the name (“zucca” may refer generically to any squash or gourd, though in Italy the word is also used specifically for a small, pumpkin-like squash) are tied to the cuisine. The cooking at La Zucca Magica is vegetarian.

In itself this is not so extraordinary, but there is the matter of its location. (The French can be quite hostile to vegetarianism.)"