Moscow forces U.S. to close down its aid mission in Russia
First, the news:
http://news.yahoo.com/moscow-forces-u-close-down-aid-mission-russia-000447314.html
Moscow forces U.S. to close down its aid mission in Russia
By Arshad Mohammed | Reuters - 6 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has forced the United States to close its aid mission in Moscow, the U.S. government said on Tuesday, in a blow to U.S. efforts to improve ties and a step that may aid the Kremlin's crackdown on pro-democracy groups.
Russia gave the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) until October 1 to cease operations after two decades and more than $2.6 billion spent to combat disease, protect the environment, strengthen civil society and modernize the economy.
In announcing the decision to close down the USAID operation in Russia, the State Department suggested the Russian government - which is earning high levels of oil revenues - felt that it should no longer be the recipient of such foreign aid.
Analysts also suggested a political motive: reducing foreign support for Russian groups that promote democracy and the rule of law but that are viewed with deep suspicion by the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin, who served eight years as president until 2008 and then four years as prime minister, took office in May for a third presidential term after winning nearly two thirds of the vote in an election international monitors say was skewed in his favor.
In a sign of his reluctance to brook dissent, Putin has pushed through new laws to raise fines for protesters, stiffen punishments for defamation and put new controls on foreign-funded campaign groups.
"Russian authorities have made clear for the better part of a decade that they see Russia as a great power and a provider of assistance, not a recipient," said Matthew Rojansky of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"Add to that tension over the pre- and post-election protests, which the Kremlin alleges were orchestrated by U.S.-funded NGOs (non-governmental organizations), plus the deep disagreement over U.S. democracy-promotion activities in the Middle East, and you can see why Russia may have taken this decision now," he added.
While U.S. President Barack Obama came into office seeking a "reset" in relations with Russia that bore some fruit, including a 2010 arms-control treaty, the two nations disagree on issues from the violence in Syria and Iran's nuclear program to U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield and the Arab Spring.
In announcing the decision, the State Department said USAID will continue to promote democracy and civil society despite no longer having an office in Russia. A U.S. government official said that the decision to close down the office would affect 13 U.S. diplomats and 60 local Russian employees.
"The United States recently received the Russian government's decision to end USAID activities in the Russian Federation," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a written statement.
"While USAID's physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organizations," Nuland added.
Russian groups most affected include GOLOS, which monitors the conduct of elections, and Memorial, a human rights watchdog.
'FINGER IN THE EYE' FOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?
"The Russian government's decision to end all USAID activities in the country is an insult to the United States and a finger in the eye of the Obama Administration," Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said in a statement.
"There should be no confusion as to why this decision was made: an increasingly autocratic government in Russia wants to limit the ability of its own citizens to freely and willingly work with American partners on the promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Russia," he added.
A senior Obama administration official voiced regret at the Russian decision.
"We lament the fact that we will not be able to do the work that we have been doing," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that the U.S. government would look for ways to support its policies activities in Russia.
USAID has a 2012 budget in Russia almost $50 million, more than half of which is spent on human rights and democracy work. About 40 percent of the overall funding goes directly to Russian organizations.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Additonal reporting by Timothy Heritage in Moscow; Editing by Peter Cooney, Philip Barbara and Lisa Shumaker)
My reaction: I went to the Facebook of US Ambassador in Russia and left the following comment:
https://www.facebook.com/amb.mcfaul?ref=ts
Yuri Panchul: Mr.McFaul, I am not a fan of Putin, but I do believe this situation is a State Department's fault. The basic problem is: the State Department supported a lot of organizations in Russia that acted as a sort of a pseudo-pro-American religious sect, alienating the wast majority of people. If an outsider does not 100% match their various beliefs (from Infallibility of the decisions of the American Government to the Greatness of American iPhone), such "non-believer" is considered by many Russian 'pravozashitniki' to be a potential KGB agent or something filthy, not worthy of normal conversation. This attitude sucks and it has nothing to do with a real freedom of conscience. And this is State Department's fault. You let clueless, confused and self-righteous people to present the image of the United States political culture in Russia by putting your credibility behind them. If you concentrate purely on non-political cultural exchanges and provide maximum support for the American businesses doing business in Russia - you can achieve much more than socializing with pravozashitniki who are trying to fight the battle of 1970s in XXI Century. When you come back to Palo Alto, I can meet with you in the cafeteria of the Stanford Bookstore and explain how to win the Russian people.
Poll
UPD: I think I need to elaborate on the nature of some self-appointed Russian opposition - I did it in comments:
http://talk-politics.livejournal.com/1555075.html?thread=125220995#t125220995
Let's separate the issues.
One issue is that Putin is an old Soviet KGB agent. This sucks, I agree.
Another issue is that people who position themselves as Putin's opposition are sometimes simply lunatics. For example US-supported Kasparov was a supporter of a so-called "Fomenko's theory" - the theory that the traditional history is a conspiracy and that the Egyptian pyramids were built during Renaissance (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Chronology_(Fomenko) )
http://news.yahoo.com/moscow-forces-u-close-down-aid-mission-russia-000447314.html
Moscow forces U.S. to close down its aid mission in Russia
By Arshad Mohammed | Reuters - 6 hrs ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia has forced the United States to close its aid mission in Moscow, the U.S. government said on Tuesday, in a blow to U.S. efforts to improve ties and a step that may aid the Kremlin's crackdown on pro-democracy groups.
Russia gave the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) until October 1 to cease operations after two decades and more than $2.6 billion spent to combat disease, protect the environment, strengthen civil society and modernize the economy.
In announcing the decision to close down the USAID operation in Russia, the State Department suggested the Russian government - which is earning high levels of oil revenues - felt that it should no longer be the recipient of such foreign aid.
Analysts also suggested a political motive: reducing foreign support for Russian groups that promote democracy and the rule of law but that are viewed with deep suspicion by the Kremlin.
Vladimir Putin, who served eight years as president until 2008 and then four years as prime minister, took office in May for a third presidential term after winning nearly two thirds of the vote in an election international monitors say was skewed in his favor.
In a sign of his reluctance to brook dissent, Putin has pushed through new laws to raise fines for protesters, stiffen punishments for defamation and put new controls on foreign-funded campaign groups.
"Russian authorities have made clear for the better part of a decade that they see Russia as a great power and a provider of assistance, not a recipient," said Matthew Rojansky of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"Add to that tension over the pre- and post-election protests, which the Kremlin alleges were orchestrated by U.S.-funded NGOs (non-governmental organizations), plus the deep disagreement over U.S. democracy-promotion activities in the Middle East, and you can see why Russia may have taken this decision now," he added.
While U.S. President Barack Obama came into office seeking a "reset" in relations with Russia that bore some fruit, including a 2010 arms-control treaty, the two nations disagree on issues from the violence in Syria and Iran's nuclear program to U.S. plans to build a missile defense shield and the Arab Spring.
In announcing the decision, the State Department said USAID will continue to promote democracy and civil society despite no longer having an office in Russia. A U.S. government official said that the decision to close down the office would affect 13 U.S. diplomats and 60 local Russian employees.
"The United States recently received the Russian government's decision to end USAID activities in the Russian Federation," department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a written statement.
"While USAID's physical presence in Russia will come to an end, we remain committed to supporting democracy, human rights, and the development of a more robust civil society in Russia and look forward to continuing our cooperation with Russian non-governmental organizations," Nuland added.
Russian groups most affected include GOLOS, which monitors the conduct of elections, and Memorial, a human rights watchdog.
'FINGER IN THE EYE' FOR OBAMA ADMINISTRATION?
"The Russian government's decision to end all USAID activities in the country is an insult to the United States and a finger in the eye of the Obama Administration," Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, said in a statement.
"There should be no confusion as to why this decision was made: an increasingly autocratic government in Russia wants to limit the ability of its own citizens to freely and willingly work with American partners on the promotion of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law in Russia," he added.
A senior Obama administration official voiced regret at the Russian decision.
"We lament the fact that we will not be able to do the work that we have been doing," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that the U.S. government would look for ways to support its policies activities in Russia.
USAID has a 2012 budget in Russia almost $50 million, more than half of which is spent on human rights and democracy work. About 40 percent of the overall funding goes directly to Russian organizations.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Additonal reporting by Timothy Heritage in Moscow; Editing by Peter Cooney, Philip Barbara and Lisa Shumaker)
My reaction: I went to the Facebook of US Ambassador in Russia and left the following comment:
https://www.facebook.com/amb.mcfaul?ref=ts
Yuri Panchul: Mr.McFaul, I am not a fan of Putin, but I do believe this situation is a State Department's fault. The basic problem is: the State Department supported a lot of organizations in Russia that acted as a sort of a pseudo-pro-American religious sect, alienating the wast majority of people. If an outsider does not 100% match their various beliefs (from Infallibility of the decisions of the American Government to the Greatness of American iPhone), such "non-believer" is considered by many Russian 'pravozashitniki' to be a potential KGB agent or something filthy, not worthy of normal conversation. This attitude sucks and it has nothing to do with a real freedom of conscience. And this is State Department's fault. You let clueless, confused and self-righteous people to present the image of the United States political culture in Russia by putting your credibility behind them. If you concentrate purely on non-political cultural exchanges and provide maximum support for the American businesses doing business in Russia - you can achieve much more than socializing with pravozashitniki who are trying to fight the battle of 1970s in XXI Century. When you come back to Palo Alto, I can meet with you in the cafeteria of the Stanford Bookstore and explain how to win the Russian people.
Poll
UPD: I think I need to elaborate on the nature of some self-appointed Russian opposition - I did it in comments:
http://talk-politics.livejournal.com/1555075.html?thread=125220995#t125220995
Let's separate the issues.
One issue is that Putin is an old Soviet KGB agent. This sucks, I agree.
Another issue is that people who position themselves as Putin's opposition are sometimes simply lunatics. For example US-supported Kasparov was a supporter of a so-called "Fomenko's theory" - the theory that the traditional history is a conspiracy and that the Egyptian pyramids were built during Renaissance (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Chronology_(Fomenko) )