In a sharp rebuke, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the United States for having “further destabilized” the world. In a veiled criticism of Trump..
In a sharp rebuke, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the United States for having “further destabilized” the world.
In a veiled criticism of Trump, Lavrov condemned US’ response with regards to Iran’s nuclear deal and actions from Pyongyang.
Background
Russian Federation is the successor state to the Soviet Union. Before its dissolution, Soviet Union and the US were the key factions in world politics. They were briefly allies during the World War II but by the end of the war, they had become hostile. Brewing mistrust was one of the main reasons for the Cold War.
The end of Cold War and the dissolution of Soviet Union (as well as the creation of Russia) seemingly brought an end to a period of uncertainty and turmoil. Relations even improved between the two nations during the tenure of Russia’s President Boris Yeltsin but it took a significant step back under Putin.
Relations between Russia and the US deteriorated in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea. It cited a controversial referendum for doing so. As a result, Barack Obama and his EU allies unveiled a coordinated set of sanctions against Russia and ordered it to leave Crimea. Russia responded with counter-sanctions.
Russia’s alleged interference in the US Presidential elections has further caused tensions in the ties. Despite Russia’s repeated denials, US imposed harsh sanctions on Russia. In retaliation, Russia announced that 755 US diplomats would have to leave Russia by September 1, 2017.
Ties between the two countries have further deteriorated. Russian President Putin has stated that relations between the two countries were as fraught as they were during the Cold War. Russia has also criticized the US state for its response regarding Iran nuclear deal, and North Korea. The lack of foresight in handling issues in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Iran, North Korea, much against the wishes of the international community have also been condemned by the international community.
Analysis
In a sharp rebuke, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has criticized the United States for having “further destabilized” the world. He also stated that the United States must recognize the changes in geopolitics and must accept a new multi-polar world order.
The United States in the recent years has repeatedly pushed policies that are decidedly anti-Russian and has tried to counter Russia’s rise in global politics. Lavrov spoke at length at US’ actions during his annual two hour conference. He said, “The United States quite plainly says that the military confrontation is inevitable, however, everyone understands the catastrophic consequences of such recklessness.”
He also criticized US with regards to Iran nuclear deal and condemned US President’s recent decision threatening to recertify the deal. He said, “We will not support what the United States is trying to do, changing the wording of the agreement, incorporating things that will be absolutely unacceptable for Iran. It’s sad that the United States once again gives a reason to doubt their ability to be reliable contract partners.”
He once again spoke about America and urged that the nation should begin significantly changing its own policies. He also said the world power should accept the changing nature of global world order. He said, “Unfortunately, our American colleagues still want to operate only on the basis of dictating policy, issuing ultimatums, they do not want to hear the perspectives of other centers of world politics. I would say that the [U.S.] administration’s actions indicate the fear of honest competition in a whole number of spheres. They are afraid of honest competition,” he told his audience of journalists. “That is why they continue to work using the language of diktat and ultimatum. They do not recognise the reality of a multipolar world”
A number of nations including traditional US allies like France have criticized the country over Iran nuclear deal. The European Union has made it clear that it will continue supporting the deal regardless of US’ actions.
Assessment
Our assessment is that President Trump’s ambivalence compounded with his rhetoric is causing significant rift in different parts of the world. He is losing his credibility by the day among both his allies and adversaries. While many global leaders have cautioned him against conducting diplomacy in this manner, he seems quite content to pursue his confrontational demeanor more to appease his core base. We believe that this is the price the world is currently paying for electing such populist leaders.
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