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Putin, Medvedev: “New Faces” and “Flaws in the Weave”
Anti-Turkish attitude of Australia’s PM? A Gallipoli card?
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Putin, Medvedev: “New Faces” and “Flaws in the Weave”
11 July 2010
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently issued “reprimands” to six deputy ministers for not fulfilling Dmitry Medvedev’s presidential orders in a timely fashion. Apparently, under the Russian Labor Code, a “reprimand” is the lightest possible form of punishment. Putin’s reluctance to use the “termination” option can be explained, at least in part, by considering how some historical strong-men have approached this issue.
Anti-Turkish attitude of Australia’s PM? A Gallipoli card?
5 July 2010
Australia’s new prime minister, Julia Gillard, this week said she had no plan for big changes in foreign affairs. “Sitting here now it’s not my intention to change any of the fundamentals of our foreign policy,’’ she said. “So, obviously, support the American alliance; support the continued deployment in Afghanistan – I had a comprehensive briefing about that; our support for Israel; focus on our region.” It seems odd that Israel ranks so high in her view of Australia’s foreign policy priorities. If Australia takes Israel’s side in its present dispute with Turkey (following the flotilla attack), Gallipoli card might be worth playing.
Gillard craves Obama
26 June 2010
Gillard, as a new leader and prime minister, had an opportunity to hold back on strong comments on the Afghanistan strategy. She would then have been in a better position to consider developments and to offer independent advice if it becomes brutally clear that a Plan B is needed. Given the changing world she could have also been more sophisticated in her choice of words about the Australia-US alliance. But then, phrases such as “we have fought together around the world” imply an emotional commitment that Australia will keep doing it – whatever the US strategy! Gillard, it seems, will aim to please and her “leader” words to the other leader will remain craven and foolish.
Leadership Lessons from Gaza
12 June 2010
In a recent post I gave some prominence to Barbara Tuchman’s book, “March of Folly: from Troy to Vietnam”. If we are to believe their public comments, in the wake of the fate of the flotilla heading to Gaza, a solid majority of “Western” thought leaders are now accepting that Israeli actions against Gaza have been counter-productive to Western goals (although not necessarily to those of Israel) and are “unsustainable”. There has been a “march of folly” on Gaza. Hamas is as strong as ever, radicalism has been promoted, Barak Obama has lost much credibility in the Muslim world, and – possibly most importantly from a (narrow minded self-interested ) Western perspective – Turkey has become very angry.
Sheridan is intellectually slow on Turkey
2 June 2010
Greg Sheridan, foreign editor of “The Australian”, has obviously been slow to understand the emerging power shifts in the Middle East and—as he now writes—“global strategic order”. Following the recent attack on ships heading to Gaza, Sheridan has written that “it is in Ankara and Istanbul, and on the vast Anatolian plains, that we may be witnessing a profound reshaping of the Middle East strategic order, and therefore the global strategic order. It’s too early to call it definitively”. Contrary to the intellectually slow Sheridan, the emerging change has been obvious for some time. And, it is not “too early to call it definitively”. It is definite!