Post-Mortem on Obama in Moscow: The Greater Attractions of a Harley
The Wall Street Journal's Jonathan Weisman today puts together the four major policy speeches that President Barack Obama has made abroad -- in Cairo to a Muslim audience; in Prague to Eastern Europeans; in Ghana to Africans; and now in Moscow to Russians. Weisman's takeaway is that Obama is combining "tough" and "love" overseas -- respect for other cultures with demand for concessions on big issues.
I myself noted that Obama didn't get much traction in Moscow. My former Washington Post colleague Masha Lipman regards it as an important speech, and speaks similarly to Weisman in terms of Obama's message in Moscow. "Obama was delicate and subtle, as well as firm and concrete," she wrote in the Post.
Lipman suggests that one reason the speech went under-appreciated in Russia is that it wasn't broadcast live. Russian commenters to her column helpfully provide a link to the translated Russian broadcast of the speech on state-owned Vesti-24. Here is the full broadcast for Russian-speaking readers.
Finally, Lucky Barker, a Lipman commenter with a wicked sense of humor, poses the possibility that Obama was simply upstaged. As it turns out, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin followed his breakfast with Obama that morning with a televised visit to a local biker's club.
I myself noted that Obama didn't get much traction in Moscow. My former Washington Post colleague Masha Lipman regards it as an important speech, and speaks similarly to Weisman in terms of Obama's message in Moscow. "Obama was delicate and subtle, as well as firm and concrete," she wrote in the Post.
Lipman suggests that one reason the speech went under-appreciated in Russia is that it wasn't broadcast live. Russian commenters to her column helpfully provide a link to the translated Russian broadcast of the speech on state-owned Vesti-24. Here is the full broadcast for Russian-speaking readers.
Finally, Lucky Barker, a Lipman commenter with a wicked sense of humor, poses the possibility that Obama was simply upstaged. As it turns out, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin followed his breakfast with Obama that morning with a televised visit to a local biker's club.
3 Comments:
Steve, Oleg Panfilov discusses the arrival of those bikers in Sebastopol on his blog. Check out the colorful photo. Complete with a biker, a Harley, a topless babe on the pillion and a banner with an image of Jesus Christ. I think the photo fully reflects Russia's national ideology today: http://olegpanfilov2.livejournal.com/1010264.html
Hey thanks L.N. Oleg is an old friend from the Tajikistan civil war period in 1992; Oleg got us down safely to see Sangak Safarov, before he went down as one might expect in a gunfight. Best Steve
"Weisman's takeaway is that Obama is combining "tough" and "love" overseas -- respect for other cultures with demand for concessions on big issues."
Okay, so he says "Please" before delivering non-negotiable demands that will not be reciprocated.
Don't get me wrong, the atmospherics are nice, but the substance is so.... Cheney.
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