Putin takes the gloves off in Victory Day speech
Ian Brockwell
May 11, 2007
A new storm is brewing following a speech President Vladimir Putin made at a Victory Day parade on Red Square, where he said that world peace faced the same threats that led to World War Two.
Although Putin didn’t name any particular country when he mentioned “disrespect for human life” and “claims to global exclusiveness” in his speech, the US press have assumed that he was talking about the United States, or perhaps the Bush administration to be more exact.
Whilst there is probably little doubt that Putin was aiming his comments at the Bush administration (and not the American public), it was interesting how some of the US press quickly accepted that this was the situation. If the Bush administration was not guilty of such accusations, why would they assume that? Is this a case of “If the cap fits, wear it”?
It is not unfair to say that the US has always tried to spread the “American way of Life” to other parts of the world, whenever possible (Britain made the same mistake 100 years ago), and whilst this is not all bad, it is something that should be offered and not forced upon people. Many forget that the countries they see as “backward” or uncivilized now (compared to the US for example), where extremely advanced thousands of years ago. In their time, we were seen in much the same way. We should respect the cultures of others, as we expect them to respect ours, and not try to change them just because they are different. No one has the right to do that.
The American public must try to understand that Putin (and Russia) are not attacking them (I’m sure many know this already), but the press will try to manipulate your feelings by making it seem so. In reality Putin is doing America (and the world) a favor by being one of the few leaders who has the courage to tell it as it is. Had Putin been around before the start of World War Two, it may never have happened at all.
Unfortunately, many of the situations we are seeing at the moment are uncomfortably similar to the events that led up to World War Two and if we make the mistake of pretending they do not exist (as we did before), we may also face the same result.
Putin should be applauded for saying what needs to be said, and maybe this will encourage others to break their silence. For many years the American public has been led to believe that they face dangers from all corners of the globe, and this is simply not true. The real dangers are much closer to home, and you have more friends than you can possibly imagine. But if you only listen to the mainstream media, this important fact will never be revealed.
Although Putin didn’t name any particular country when he mentioned “disrespect for human life” and “claims to global exclusiveness” in his speech, the US press have assumed that he was talking about the United States, or perhaps the Bush administration to be more exact.
Whilst there is probably little doubt that Putin was aiming his comments at the Bush administration (and not the American public), it was interesting how some of the US press quickly accepted that this was the situation. If the Bush administration was not guilty of such accusations, why would they assume that? Is this a case of “If the cap fits, wear it”?
It is not unfair to say that the US has always tried to spread the “American way of Life” to other parts of the world, whenever possible (Britain made the same mistake 100 years ago), and whilst this is not all bad, it is something that should be offered and not forced upon people. Many forget that the countries they see as “backward” or uncivilized now (compared to the US for example), where extremely advanced thousands of years ago. In their time, we were seen in much the same way. We should respect the cultures of others, as we expect them to respect ours, and not try to change them just because they are different. No one has the right to do that.
The American public must try to understand that Putin (and Russia) are not attacking them (I’m sure many know this already), but the press will try to manipulate your feelings by making it seem so. In reality Putin is doing America (and the world) a favor by being one of the few leaders who has the courage to tell it as it is. Had Putin been around before the start of World War Two, it may never have happened at all.
Unfortunately, many of the situations we are seeing at the moment are uncomfortably similar to the events that led up to World War Two and if we make the mistake of pretending they do not exist (as we did before), we may also face the same result.
Putin should be applauded for saying what needs to be said, and maybe this will encourage others to break their silence. For many years the American public has been led to believe that they face dangers from all corners of the globe, and this is simply not true. The real dangers are much closer to home, and you have more friends than you can possibly imagine. But if you only listen to the mainstream media, this important fact will never be revealed.
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