Our beloved vice president has journeyed to Vilnius in the former Soviet Union to criticize the democracy being run by the current Kremlin-dwellers. The Russians, naturally, found him “completely incomprehensible.” (Welcome to the club, друзья.) Cheney also accused the Russian government of using oil and gas to intimidate or blackmail other countries. He then jumped over to Kazakhstan to promote a new gas pipeline that will bypass Russia. The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent writes:
The scramble for energy resources, so-called “pipeline diplomacy,” has been likened to “the Great Game” during the 19th Century—the struggle for influence in Central Asia.
The Russian press was paying close attention:
It is becoming more and more obvious that the struggle between the US and Russia for influence in the former Soviet republics is becoming more acute … Essentially, the US leadership is bidding for the creation on the territory of the former USSR of another regional alliance, called upon not just to become an alternative to the CIS but its gravedigger. (Vladimir Skripov et al., Vremya Novostey)
Dick Cheney’s speech in Vilnius … was the sharpest attack on Russia an American leader has made since the end of the Cold War. The subject of the Cold War was the leitmotiv of the US vice president’s whole speech. This expression, first famously coined by Winston Churchill in Fulton exactly 60 years ago, was used by Dick Cheney three times … In effect, Dick Cheney’s words mean that the Cold War is resuming, but the “front line” has now shifted. (Mikhail Zygar, Kommersant)
On the one hand, Moscow was shown the advantages of “good behaviour” on her part. Iran was not mentioned, but the word could easily be read between the lines. On the other hand, the Kremlin was issued with an unambiguous warning … He (Cheney) is not the kind of politician with whom agreement can easily be reached. Even if Moscow meets them halfway and surrenders Iran, it does not at all mean that it will rid itself of Cheney’s sermons. He is like a bulldog which, once he sinks his teeth into your back, will not let go. (Mikhail Rostovsky, Moskovskiy Komsomolets)
