That Cup Of Coffee and the START Treaty…

Medvedev and Obama at Prague with START Treaty...

As Windows to Russia passes the 2100 article (post) milestone. I am sitting here drinking that cup of coffee and doing some thinking. The thinking’s that come with realizations that push ancient thoughts out of my brain…

I was thinking about the START treaty and listening to Moscow express the dissatisfaction of the America political system and the inability to get a simple thing done. Now when I first came to Russia I would have taken offense to that kinda talk. But after years here, I realize that after watching the political systems in many other countries. Some of them good and some bad. I realize that the American political system has a huge anchor dragging it behind the rest of the modern world…

So when the START treaty was signed in Prague on April 8th 2010, the Russian and US Presidents agreed in front of the world, that all START adoption procedures would be synchronized. Now Russia within three months to the day (July 8th) was ready to ratify the document. But America has been giving out hollow promises as to the same effect. It is now November 5th and America has done, “well what America does best”.

Thrown a monkey wrench into the gears…

Now Russia has had to pull the ratification due to American games. The Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee has repealed an earlier decision to ratify the latest Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty with the US after the American Senate made around 30 amendments to the original version…

What! 30 amendments to the original version…

Oops – Russia just said stick it where the sun don’t shine…

Now that Obama has had “the rug pulled out from under him” so to speak. It is start-ing (no pun intended) to look like a “cold day in hell” before that START treaty gets done this year. It also looks as though the treaty will be held as hostage for concessions from Obama on agenda items that the new Congress wants. The prospect is now even being contemplated by Moscow that the treaty may be dead in the water due to a “lame duck” situation that is being expressed about the American Administrative system in place right now in America…

This is hard for the Russian government to understand the workings in Washington DC. I have spent years now watching the system work here and it is pretty straight forward. When the president says, get it done. They get it done.  Now Medvedev has had a good time of it because Putin runs the government as Prime Minister. That makes a good deal for Medvedev…

But still the political situation in America gives people laughs or tears in other countries because they all have stories they like to pass about the ridiculous system in America. This then, is just one more story to add to that list…

America loves to expound on other countries short comings politically, but they seem to never stop and think about how out of date and mired in the mud the political system is in America. If a country ever needed to overhaul her system, it is America and it needs to be done from top to bottom…

I remember the first time Sveta said to me, “How stupid is it that we and you have to elect a new president and officials every 4 or 5 years!” She then went on to say, “You just get your president and government trained the way you want  and they leave!”…

Today that information from her made more sense. You see, I have a smart girl and she sees things different than I do. She is from a different world than I am. She sees nothing wrong with a leader being in charge for many many many years…

I remember saying something like, “What if he is a terrible leader?”

Sveta then said something like, “Everyone then should get together and kick him out!”

That might be simplified in thinking’s but it really does make sense…

About the Author