Russian behaviour towards the West

Speaking about the so called democrats in Russia - you say that their actions are prohibited and they are banned - not at all but if you look at these actions more closely - you will see a rather strange fact.
When such marches are allowed they are (like in any other democratic countries) to take place in a certain place and due to a certain route.

But the people wjo come there will (nearlly all have have cameras) hile going these cameras will hoot only the militia standing around - then in a certain point there comes a person (or a group of people) that will try either to provoke the militia somehow or try to change the route of the march (that might cause some collapse in the traffic and cause jams) the militia will stand ground not allowing it - at that very moment one of the leaders will surely speak of the fact that they have encountered the obstacles by the militia and their rights are not granted. The cameras will shoot the militia on action.
And ... Voila!!! in a few minutes these scenes are shown by all the western mass media!!!
Doesn't it look strange to you?

To's not a secret to the Russians that most of the opposition is financed by some organizations abroad...

And the policy of Putin, though not the best one - still is the best for Russia nowadays. and it is really suppoerted by the majority of the population.

I

Anonymous wrote:

How do you evaluate Russian authority and behaviour towards the West, mainly U.S. and U.K.? Does Russia really pose risks to international community as it does not operate under terms agreed on international laws and special treaties?

Acknowledging my starting point in this discussion as one of a simple Québécois citizen who recongnizes that even the most learned remain quite ignorant in many fields and can only hope to have a superficial understanding of "ALL" that is going on in the world, among which would be evaluating Russia's "authority and behaviour towards the West" - even if mainly U.S and U.K. I will still comment... in all my naïvety and ignorance

I have needed to "grow old" to start having a "very little" understanding of world issues.  Or, at least, to believe that I have such an understanding.  I mean, what do I know?  I live in my little corner of the world, and there are only 24 hours in a day!!!  Internet access to the world's web sites still finds me returning to a select few even if I wish to "explore it all"!!! How ludicrous!

Not having a specific interest in Russia (or any country actually, but all of them from a global perspective) I will only refer to two issues that sees Russia mentioned: the war in Afghanistan and Russia's recent trip to the Arctic planting a Russian flag on the Arctic ocean floor thereby claiming "ownershi" to that area.

Being one who believes that... surely... in 2008, citizens of the world would have reached a high enough level of wisdom that they would know enough to replace "war" with "diplomacy", I am certainly against Canada sending Québec citizens to fight an unfounded "war"!!!  Russia's reference in this would be their ten year passage there which apparently did not resolve the issue/s, and Russia simply withdrew.  Whatever human rights issues are being faught there (other than our Prime minister wanting to support ways that keep the price of oil high so that Canada's province of Alberta can be justified in developing its very expensive "tar sands"), Canada has not been honest in its involvement, least of which is abiding to the Bush's imposing intent of apparently being at war with somebody somewhere in the world, and the more the better!  Neither Canada, nor the United States can lay claim to stewardship on human rights, SORRY!!!  That's hogwash (Canada is still totally mistraeting its aboriginal people... to this day).

The other issue that has brought attention to Russia is their recent trip to the Arctic when it sent aa Mir-1 down to the Arctic ocean's floor to plant a Russian flag.  Go to your favorite search engine and type "Russia + Arctic + flag"  and you will see results from various countries!!!  I will quote the Montreal Gazette (an English newspaper out of Montréal, Québec's largest city : [link] Foot and Boswell tell us that:

«"The Mir-1 successfully descended to the ocean floor at 12:08, Moscow time, to a depth of 4,261 metres," mission chief Artur Chilingarov, a Russian legislator, said after the submersible landed at the ocean bottom, according to Russia's lTAR-Tass news agency.

"The touchdown was soft, yellowish soil is seen around; no deepwater creatures are in sight," Chilingarov added.

A second mini-sub, Mir-2, also reached the seafloor at a depth of 4,302 metres. A robotic arm from one of the submersibles scooped samples from the seabed and deposited a titanium case containing a Russian flag.»

Russia acted in an internationally credible way while doing this.  It registered its intent with the United Nations long ago, which was public knowledge, and it is acting within the prescribed time limits.  It believes that its assertion of rights is valid and was acting in such a way as to "symbollicaly do this", again in a very public way.  How can one not respect a nation that is respecting a world acknwoledged approach?  Unlike the US which is/has not been forthright when travelling throughout Arctic waters, or Canada which does nothing but send its people (Inuit) in a very underhanded way (the Canadian government has acknwoledged this but has yet to pay up those who chose to return to their place of origin... disgraceful, no less - there was a moccission held on this in the early 1990s).

In reading this Montreal Gazette article, the authours confirm the "Canadian way" by saying:

"Expert observers in this country say the apparent ease with which the Russians reached the North Pole and carried out such a descent is a clear indication of just how far behind Canada is - without even an icebreaker capable of year-round travel across the polar cap - in being able to assert its own territorial claims in the Arctic."

It is too embarassing to describe how our Canadian minister responded, I'll let you read it (it was public also, shucks).  It only further shows how the issue of "Canadian soverighnty" is not very important to us, so we deserve whatever comes to us, no?  And it only makes Russia look "more responsible".

That sums up my knowledge of Russia (Nothwitstanding the "cold war" thingy... which is part of the past, no?)

Whatever might be said about Russia, I can state it clear for the majority of population that the least wanted thing for the Russian is confrintation.

But alas the policy of the US (especially their intentions to place the anti-missile system in Europe) can be judged as noting but attempts to aggravate the situation.

Neither will the policy to undermine Russia from within succeed. Russia is now undergoig the revival and the people mostly united in the support of the course of the country.