U.S. Vs Russia: Back to cold war

"Russia has a choice to make," the U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney said in an earlier speech delivered at the Latvian capital Vilnius.

Cheney's remarks, in which he bluntly accused Russia of using blackmail and intimidation in its energy policy towards Europe, stressing that Moscow simply is using its vast gas and energy supplies to ‘’bully its neighbours’’, aroused concern about the beginning of “a new Cold War,” said an editorial published earlier this month on Zaman Online.

"No legitimate interest is served when oil and gas become tools of intimidation or blackmail, either by supply manipulation or attempts to monopolize transportation," Cheney said during his speech.

Cheney's speech was likened by the Russian press to Winston Churchill’s in Missouri, which started the Cold War.

Commenting on the U.S. Vice President’s remarks, former Soviet President Mikhael Gorbachev, who warned that hawks in Russia and the U.S. seek a replay of the Cold War, said that the speech was provoking in terms of content, place and timing.

Also the Kremlin's deputy spokesperson, Dmitri Peskov, described the speech as "full of a subjective evaluation of us and of the processes that are going on in Russia. The remarks ... are completely incomprehensible for us".

Also angered by Cheney's remarks, and warning Washington to respect Russia's legitimate interests, Andrei Kokoshin, the head of the Russian Parliament's committee for relations with former Soviet republics, was quoted as saying;

"The U.S. has to deal with an absolutely different Russia today -- a Russia that has restored its real sovereignty in many areas and is pursuing a course on the world arena that meets mainly its own national interests," Interfax quoted Kokoshin as saying.

But Vilnius speech is not the only factor that would initiate a cold war between Washington and Moscow. Many recent and previous developments prove the U.S. growing mistrust in Russia, including the U.S. insistence on Ballistic Missile Defense Project, and blaming Russia for aiding Iran’s nuclear program. Also the fact that the U.S. is establishing military bases in some Central Asian countries like Azerbaijan, as well as seeking alternative routes for Kazakh and Turkmen natural gas and oil without having to pass by Russia, are other solid proofs of such mistrust.

So far nothing has been done to change this deep distrust the Americans have for the Russians, and vice versa, the editorial added.

Last winter Moscow sparked Europe-wide outrage when the state-controlled gas monopoly Gazprom, which supplies about one-quarter of the natural gas consumed in Europe and 80 percent of that goes through Ukraine, decided to punish Ukraine by cutting off supplies of natural gas.

Although a later agreement ended the standoff, the move raised grave concerns about Russia's dependability as a supplier of energy.

Moving to human rights, Mr. Cheney, the Vice President of a country, widely accused of violating all sorts of humans rights and international laws in its alleged “pursuit to spread democracy and root out terrorism”, said:

"From religion and the news media to advocacy groups and political parties, the government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of the people."

Other actions "have been counterproductive and could begin to affect relations with other countries," Cheney said.

Cheney’s words were indeed the strongest that any U.S. official has made publicly about the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, despite attempts by the Bush administration to play down, at least publicly, any differences with the Russian leadership.

The Zaman editorial further stated that the problem is much deeper than a mere power struggle between two countries; “it is a matter of the refinement of a mutual war which has cultural, language and even religious dimensions.”

Cheney’s words were just sort of spark. But it remains unclear what impact they will leave on the fate of the U.S. Vice President, strongly criticized among the U.S. public that wishes he would be replaced soon with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

But “Gazprom will definitely not accept Chevron and Conoco-Philips, which have indirect links with the White House, as its partner anymore,” the editorial added.

Agencies