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Shine the light of liberty in Russia as well.(George W. Bush)
In a recent speech to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the National Endowment of Democracy (NED), President George W. Bush made a compelling case for the United States continuing to engage in promoting democracy worldwide. In a speech of strategic vision that both Ronald Reagan and Woodrow Wilson would have been proud to deliver, Bush stated that "the advance of freedom is the calling of our time; it is the calling of our country." He asserted that "liberty is the design of nature; we believe that liberty is the direction of history... and freedom--the freedom we prize--is not for us alone, it is the right and capacity of all mankind."
In the speech, Bush also discussed countries such as Cuba, Burma, Zimbabwe, and China where "our commitment to democracy is tested." Missing from his list was Russia.
This omission is a mistake. Russia is not a dictatorship. But the drift back toward autocracy under President Vladimir Putin can no longer be ignored.
The recent arrest of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky is the latest evidence of democratic backsliding. To be sure, Khodorkovsky is no champion of democracy. He did not spend his youth campaigning for freedom of speech and has done nothing to stop the Russian wars in Chechnya. Rather, he is a businessman who made his money in the same corrupt way that every person in business did in the anarchic years of the 1990s. Nonetheless, his arrest was not the application of the rule of law but only the service of political ends. Khodorkovsky, an independent economic actor with political ambitions, threatened Putin's control of the Russian political system. In removing Khodorkovsky, Putin purged his administration of those officials hired originally by Boris Yeltsin--eliminating another pocket of political ...
- RUSSIA: BUSH SAYS NATO, RUSSIA FACE COMMON THREAT.
- News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire November 21, 2002 700+ words
...President George W. Bush will seek to assuage Russia's concerns about NATO...NATO no longer views Russia as a threat and the Warsaw Pact no longer exists, Bush said. He emphasized that the alliance and Russia now must face the common...
- RUSSIA: BUSH POLLS HIGH SUPPORT AMONG RUSSIANS.
- News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire October 26, 2004 700+ words
...opinion poll conducted in Russia in September, 52 percent...prefer to see George W. Bush reelected as president...would profit most from a Bush victory because oil prices...political field, the Bush administration's complicated...China are facilitating Russia's own political maneuvering...
- Russia: Bush suggests Obama maintain friendly ties with Russia.
- News wire article from: Thai Press Reports December 22, 2008 700+ words
...President George W. Bush on Thursday said his successor...friendly relations with Russia after Bush leaves the White House...a lot of tensions," Bush said of U.S.-Russian...Washington's criticism of Russia's democratic record...
- United States/Russia: Bush Administration 'Disappointed' by Russian Missile...
- News wire article from: Thai Press Reports November 7, 2008 700+ words
...Section: General News - The Bush administration is repeating its disappointment with Russia's stated intention to deploy...sparked questions about whether Russia is asserting itself to send...President-elect Barack Obama. Russia has long objected to U...
- Missiles no threat to Russia, Bush says.
- News wire article from: UPI NewsTrack April 1, 2008 700+ words
...defense system in Europe isn't a threat to Russia, U.S. President George Bush said Tuesday during a visit to Kiev, Ukraine. "The missile defense system is not aimed at Russia," Bush said during a news conference after talks with...
- EU/US/RUSSIA : BUSH AND PUTIN AGREE TO INVOLVE NATO IN MISSILE DEFENCE...
- Newspaper article from: European Report July 4, 2007 700+ words
...Putin and US President George Bush have agreed. The Russia-NATO Council is the appropriate...radar base in Azerbaijan that Russia rents from the Azeris instead...radar system in the south of Russia. President Bush responded fairly positively...
- RUSSIA: BUSH TO PRESS FOR SETTLEMENT IN CHECHNYA...
- News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire November 24, 2002 700+ words
...November, U.S. President Bush said that Chechnya is Russia's domestic problem but...resolved by peaceful means. Bush said that in his 90-minute...a peaceful settlement. Bush stressed that the United States and Russia are now cooperating to...
- United States/Russia: Bush holds farewell phone talks with Russian president...
- News wire article from: Thai Press Reports January 21, 2009 700+ words
...U.S. President George W. Bush, who is to leave office on...the Kremlin. Medvedev thanked Bush for his cooperation and invited...U.S. ties dropped during Bush's eight-year presidency...Ukraine, where factors affecting Russia's interests could emerge...
- RUSSIA: BUSH, PUTIN CONFER ON IMPENDING IRAQ MILITARY OPERATION.
- News wire article from: Asia Africa Intelligence Wire March 19, 2003 700+ words
...From InfoProd) U.S. President George W. Bush spoke by telephone on 18 March with President...media generally emphasized that, despite Russia's stance against the use of force disarm Hussein, Bush informed Putin, but did not speak with French...
- Putin Says Russia Gave Bush Intel on Iraq.
- News wire article from: The America's Intelligence Wire June 18, 2004 700+ words
...BAGILA BUKHARBAYEVA Russia gave the Bush administration intelligence...take place. The Bush administration in...network. Putin said Russia didn't have any...He said President Bush personally thanked one of the leaders of Russia's intelligence...
Source: HighBeam Research, Shine the light of liberty in Russia as well.(George W. Bush)