Biden vs. Vlad the Impaler
By Finian Cunningham
June 15, 2021 "Information
Clearing House" -
- "Sputnik
News
" -Both
sides acknowledge that relations between the
United States and Russia are at an abject
low point. And both sides have said they
want to make relations better. But who is
actually making a positive effort to reduce
tensions and give peace a chance?
It should be obvious that the Russian side is
the only party that is acting responsibly and
with a generous spirit of trying to improve
bilateral relations.
President Vladimir Putin says he hopes to
open personal communications with American
counterpart Joe Biden when they meet for their
summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The Russian
leader has played down expectations of a
breakthrough, but nevertheless, his stated
aspiration is for a productive detente.
There is little to no reciprocation of benign
spirit from the American side. Biden and his
aides may say the US does not want a conflict
with Russia. But apart from that rhetorical
concession, the Americans are pushing aggression
and making the Geneva meeting sound like a
showdown.
The unwillingness of the US president to hold
a joint press conference with Putin following
their private discussions is a telling sign of
the obnoxious American attitude.
There are two reasons why
Biden doesn’t want to appear side by side with
Putin in front of the world.
No Advertising - No Government Grants - This Is
Independent Media
The first is he would not be able to
handle Putin’s intelligent arguments and
criticism of American policy. Joe Biden’s mental
faculties are in serious doubt following
well-publicized gaffes and missteps of
forgetting names and incoherent speech. Not
meaning to sound cruel, but Putin would demolish
Biden in a public discussion.
Biden and the entire American political
establishment constantly accuse Putin and Russia of
malign conduct, everything from being a “killer” to
interfering in elections, cyberattacks and
threatening the national security of the US and its
allies.
The depiction is a fantasy based on
Russophobia and bigoted prejudice. As Putin pointed
out in a recent US media interview: there is no
evidence ever presented to back up these wild
pejorative claims. It is all unsubstantiated, rabid
nonsense.
If Putin was on the same public platform as
Biden, we can be sure that the veil of lies would be
torn from the American facade of acting tough and
sanctimonious. Biden would be left quivering and
mumbling like an impotent idiot. Indeed, any
American politician would be since they are all
brainwashed idiots bloated from their own
propaganda.
Thus, the world would see in a wonderful moment
just how ridiculously naked the American emperor is
and all his NATO minions are.
The second reason for why Biden could not abide
standing alongside Putin is that that image
confounds the American propaganda of demonizing
“Vlad the Impaler”. Any appearance of a smiling
Putin in a normal friendly setting with Biden would
undermine the narrative of Putin-the-bogeyman.
That’s why the meeting has to be held in private
and afterward the Americans can spin some account of
the talks to make themselves sound morally superior
by claiming to have brought up concerns about
“human rights” and “malign behavior”. We can be sure
if Biden dares to act self-righteous, Putin will
deftly slam the absurd hypocrisy.
But it’s also vital for the American side to
portray the encounter as a showdown between a good
guy and a bad guy. The charade only works if kept in
private.
At least in the past,
Ronald Reagan was photographed having convivial
fireside talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev
when they met in Geneva in 1985 and produced a
landmark arms control treaty. To his credit, too,
Donald Trump held a joint press conference with
Putin when the pair met in Helsinki in 2018 and
there was no acrimony.
But Biden, like most American politicians and media,
is full of stupid antipathy towards Putin and the
Kremlin. He warned menacingly last week he’s going
to tell Putin “what he knows”. Biden says the
Russian leader “needs to change his behavior” if
there is to be any improvement in relations.
It’s going to be very difficult to engage in
productive dialogue when the American mindset is so
indoctrinated with false propaganda.
Some observers may wonder is there any point in
Putin meeting Biden under those circumstances? After
all, it was Biden who invited Putin to meet him.
The willingness of the Russian side to engage –
in spite of the American animosity – is a clear sign
of political maturity and generosity to try to
create a more peaceful world. The onus is on the
Americans to change their behavior and stop malign
conduct. That’s the real challenge.
Finian Cunningham has written
extensively on international affairs, with articles
published in several languages. He is a Master’s
graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a
scientific editor for the Royal Society of
Chemistry, Cambridge, England, before pursuing a
career in newspaper journalism. He is also a
musician and songwriter. For nearly 20 years, he
worked as an editor and writer in major news media
organisations, including The Mirror, Irish Times and
Independent. -
Registration is necessary to post comments.
We ask only that you do not use obscene or offensive
language. Please be respectful of others.
