Let’s be friends, Guys

Vladimir Putin's remark just about sums up the NATO Summit that ended today in Bucharest. "Let’s be friends, guys, and be frank and open,” he told reporters on the topic of whether a new cold war was in the making. The sentiment will carry over into Sunday's meeting between Putin and President Bush in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, where the two leaders will sign an affable "Strategic Framework" agreement.

As those familiar with the ways of Moscow know, such empty, toothless pacts -- known as the "protocol" in that part of the world -- are what companies and countries sign when they can't agree to anything conclusive.

In short, the NATO gathering ended with the U.S. attempting to dress up a setback against Putin as by and large a show of unity by Europe.

Bush put much on the line by announcing that he would seek to push forward Ukraine's and Georgia's bids to join NATO. But what did he walk away with? European agreement to a missile defense system that doesn't work. European agreement to add troops to a conflict -- Afghanistan -- about whose merits there's almost no disagreement anywhere in the world.

On the question of Ukraine and Georgia, Europe buckled, at least for now, to Putin's objections to their obtaining so-called MAP -- or Membership Action Plan -- status.

So Putin closed out another week of diplomatic triumphs. There will be no advance for now in NATO's expansion to the Russian border. And, with Bush's appointment of a harmless old family friend this week as Eurasian energy czar, there will be no serious challenge to Putin's policy of dominating European energy.

As for the Strategic Framework agreement to be signed Sunday, it's Putin's stated sentiment on paper -- gosh, can't we be friends?

I personally think that Georgia and probably Ukraine will eventually join NATO as full members. But it could be going more smoothly.

For a solid commentary on the spectacle from the perspective of Germany, this piece by Ulrich Speck at RFE-RL is highly recommended reading.

Photo: StuSeeger
Rights: Creative Commons