.News Analysis: Washington, Moscow on bumpy way to detente beyond Manas
WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Obama administration and the Kremlin have been seeking a detente recently by setting aside disputes and showing friendly gestures to each other.
A lack of mutual trust, however, will hinder the two major players on the international stage from seeking a detente for years.
For U.S. President Barack Obama, who has placed the issue of Afghanistan atop of his political agenda, the latest frustration has come from Bishkek, where the Kyrgyz parliament decided Thursday to close a vital U.S. air base at Manas.
About 15,000 people and 500 tons of cargo monthly move in and out of the Manas air base, the only U.S. facility in central Asia and a key logistic center for American-led operations in Afghanistan.
The decision to close the base, in Washington's views, was made under pressure from the Kremlin, although Russia has voiced willingness to allow the transit of U.S. non-military supplies to Afghanistan through its territory.
"On one hand you're making positive noises about working with us in Afghanistan and on the other hand you're working against us in terms of that airfield which is clearly important to us," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Krakow, Poland, where Washington has been planning to deploy a missile shield system.
Obama has approved the first combat deployment of his presidency, calling an additional 17,000 troops in the coming months to Afghanistan.
The deployment, which will begin in May and will increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan by about 50,000 by mid-summer, has presented the administration with a tough question: How to meet supply demands for the troops following the closure of the Manas base?
Analysts said Russia wants to get more strategic advantages during its geopolitical interaction with Washington in central Asia through cutting the Manas-Kabul supply route, which is vital to the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan.
Washington is still trying to persuade the Kyrgyz government to keep the Manas base open for a few months so that the deployment could be implemented. It is seeking a replacement for the base in central Asia.
Reports said the Pentagon had been considering a resumption of military cooperation with Uzbekistan, which also keeps close ties with Moscow, by re-renting the Khanabad Airport to use as its air base.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov, however, would first discuss the issue with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. That's even though Uzbekistan has been seeking closer ties with the West and is trying to avoid relying too much on Russia, analysts said.
Another development in the region is that Russia has been considering establishing a naval base and army bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are recognized by Russia as independent states.
For Moscow, Afghanistan should not be ignored but it's absolutely not atop of its political agenda. What concerns the Kremlin is how to keep Russia's strategic space and geopolitical interests in central Asia from being threatened by the United States and other world powers.
The U.S.-Russia relationship has been at its worst stage mainly because of the Bush administration's efforts to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, and to enlarge NATO, especially by trying to bring Ukraine and Georgia into the military bloc.
Considering the moves as severe threats to Russia's security, President Medvedev recently announced plans to deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, near the border with Poland.
The possible U.S.-Russia missile showdown in Eastern Europe might remind some of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred in the early 1960s and made the Cold War very close to a nuclear war.
Moreover, the Kremlin sent its naval fleet to Venezuela for a joint military exercise in November. The country led by Hugo Chavez has been viewed by Washington as a troublemaker in its backyard.
As tension with Moscow grew, the Obama administration, which needs Russia's cooperation on a variety of issues as Afghanistan and energy security, voiced its willingness to "push the reset button" in relations with Russia.
The Kremlin also wants to ease tension with the United States, partly out of economic concerns. Both the Obama administration and the Kremlin would benefit from the detente.
However, the U.S.-Russia contention over the Manas base, the first test on the way to detente, has signaled that detente is just a phenomenon in the international system dominated by superpowers.
Xinhuanet
Putin want to make Obama his bitch. To bad I can't draw cartoons.
Any artist volunteers?
I promise immediate publication!
A lack of mutual trust, however, will hinder the two major players on the international stage from seeking a detente for years.
For U.S. President Barack Obama, who has placed the issue of Afghanistan atop of his political agenda, the latest frustration has come from Bishkek, where the Kyrgyz parliament decided Thursday to close a vital U.S. air base at Manas.
About 15,000 people and 500 tons of cargo monthly move in and out of the Manas air base, the only U.S. facility in central Asia and a key logistic center for American-led operations in Afghanistan.
The decision to close the base, in Washington's views, was made under pressure from the Kremlin, although Russia has voiced willingness to allow the transit of U.S. non-military supplies to Afghanistan through its territory.
"On one hand you're making positive noises about working with us in Afghanistan and on the other hand you're working against us in terms of that airfield which is clearly important to us," Defense Secretary Robert Gates said in Krakow, Poland, where Washington has been planning to deploy a missile shield system.
Obama has approved the first combat deployment of his presidency, calling an additional 17,000 troops in the coming months to Afghanistan.
The deployment, which will begin in May and will increase U.S. forces in Afghanistan by about 50,000 by mid-summer, has presented the administration with a tough question: How to meet supply demands for the troops following the closure of the Manas base?
Analysts said Russia wants to get more strategic advantages during its geopolitical interaction with Washington in central Asia through cutting the Manas-Kabul supply route, which is vital to the U.S.-led operation in Afghanistan.
Washington is still trying to persuade the Kyrgyz government to keep the Manas base open for a few months so that the deployment could be implemented. It is seeking a replacement for the base in central Asia.
Reports said the Pentagon had been considering a resumption of military cooperation with Uzbekistan, which also keeps close ties with Moscow, by re-renting the Khanabad Airport to use as its air base.
Uzbek President Islam Karimov, however, would first discuss the issue with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. That's even though Uzbekistan has been seeking closer ties with the West and is trying to avoid relying too much on Russia, analysts said.
Another development in the region is that Russia has been considering establishing a naval base and army bases in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are recognized by Russia as independent states.
For Moscow, Afghanistan should not be ignored but it's absolutely not atop of its political agenda. What concerns the Kremlin is how to keep Russia's strategic space and geopolitical interests in central Asia from being threatened by the United States and other world powers.
The U.S.-Russia relationship has been at its worst stage mainly because of the Bush administration's efforts to deploy a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic, and to enlarge NATO, especially by trying to bring Ukraine and Georgia into the military bloc.
Considering the moves as severe threats to Russia's security, President Medvedev recently announced plans to deploy short-range Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad, near the border with Poland.
The possible U.S.-Russia missile showdown in Eastern Europe might remind some of the Cuban Missile Crisis, which occurred in the early 1960s and made the Cold War very close to a nuclear war.
Moreover, the Kremlin sent its naval fleet to Venezuela for a joint military exercise in November. The country led by Hugo Chavez has been viewed by Washington as a troublemaker in its backyard.
As tension with Moscow grew, the Obama administration, which needs Russia's cooperation on a variety of issues as Afghanistan and energy security, voiced its willingness to "push the reset button" in relations with Russia.
The Kremlin also wants to ease tension with the United States, partly out of economic concerns. Both the Obama administration and the Kremlin would benefit from the detente.
However, the U.S.-Russia contention over the Manas base, the first test on the way to detente, has signaled that detente is just a phenomenon in the international system dominated by superpowers.
Xinhuanet
Putin want to make Obama his bitch. To bad I can't draw cartoons.
Any artist volunteers?
I promise immediate publication!
posted by madtom at 8:35 PM
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