Why Putin ignores the G8 summit, and Obama ignores the APEC summit?

[khylko]

World media are scratching their heads, why Putin has refused to visit the G8 summit that will take place in the U.S., and Obama has refused to go to the APEC summit (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) in Russia.
Most popular versions are the follows: 1) Putin want to avoid criticism for the oppression of democracy (eg, see: National Review); 2)

Comments

[luvdovz]

So much with the "Restart" diplomatic initiative between Moscow and Washington, I guess.

[khylko]

Yes :) It was written with mistake in Russian language variant as "Перегрузка" (overload) instead of "Перезагрузка" (reset). So it happened to be really "overload" :)

[luvdovz]

It was clear from the start that it would be peregruzka, rather than perezagruzka. But some got fooled at first, of course.

[khylko]

Obama had to do something to justify the Nobel Prize :) But what I really afraid of is that Obama himself was the first to get fooled with the illusion of "reset". And this guy wants to lead the U.S. for the next 4 years.

[rick_day]

I must say you look FABULOUS in that suit, young man.

Now what were you saying again?

[khylko]

Thanks, but I must admit that it is quite old photo and I'm not that young anymore :(

[fierceleaf]

I think there is nothing suspicious. It is just a coincidence.

The prime minister Dmitry Medvedev will visit the G8 instead of Putin, while Obama will be on summit of his party and cannot attend the APEC.

[khylko]

Possibly. The reality often turns out to be simpler than we expect.

[khylko]

Thank you everybody for your comments and pardon for possible delay with responses. I live in UTC/GMT+2 time zone.

[sophia_sadek]

Do not worry about delayed responses. We are all quite accustomed to a diversity of timezones.

[sophia_sadek]

The Republicans are paper tigers. The only reason they like to act belligerently is that it provides funding for their sugar daddies in military industry. Like the Democrats, the only way that they will fight Russians is by funding Islamist zealots.

[khylko]

Yes, they are paper tigers, and it is the same paper on which dollars are printed :) And surely the preelection rethorics is just the preelection rethorics - no more. And, by the way, I don't want the U.S. and Russia to be rigid antagonists. I just consider Republicans to be more skillful in foreign policy, recalling Nixon and Reigan, who managed to get crucial progress in relations with China and USSR without loosing American positions and face.

[sophia_sadek]

We have a saying that only Nixon could have gone to China. It all goes back to the McCarthy era when Republicans had Democrats quaking in their boots with witch hunts and FBI bullying.

[khylko]

If the SOPA adopted - authorities will have half the population quaking in their boots recalling the McCarthyism as a liberal era :)