11.5.06

Putin's Persian Allegory

After recent Dick Cheney's criticism of Russia, Putin, in his adress to the nation, lashes out at the US. I doubt that Bush can still say now what he said about Putin after sept.11th 2001: ''I looked into his soul and liked what I saw''.

''Mr Putin, in his speech, noted that the American military budget was 25 times the size of Russia's and said the US had turned its home into a castle.

In what appeared to be a reference to the US-led invasion of Iraq and its approach to Iran, and in a metaphorical language which could have been borrowed from Kalila and Dumna's Persian fables adapted to the former Soviet Union symbolism, Putin said: "As they say, 'comrade wolf knows whom to eat. He eats without listening and he is clearly not going to listen to anyone'.

It is known that the Persian fables were meant, among other things, to hide the criticism of the rulers in stories, actions and quotes attributed to animals.

Putin accused the US of hypocrisy over its criticism of Russia's patchy human rights record.
"Where is all this pathos about protecting human rights and democracy when it comes to the need to pursue their own interests?"

2 comments:

Gert said...

I would welcome this "New Cold War" the papers are already talking about: it might bring the US of A back to its senses. Without reasonable counter-force, the US can act far too unilaterally.

Sophia said...

Gert,

We all want to return to a bilateral or a multilateral world but I am afraid this won't just happen with russia, unless thay find some kind of understanding with China, an asian alliance. China has the economic power russia misses at this point but China is not an imperial power. Russia could provide with its cold war experience as a world feared superpower...It is just speculation anyway we are left with what we have now, complete anerican hegemony. Note that I am not against one superpower or one hegemony when thay are for the good of men and women.

 
Since March 29th 2006