Wretchard, I’m not sure I understand your last line there. You say Obama is looking for some phony cooperation from the Russians for domestic consumption; OK. “Peace” negotiators go for just this sort of thing. Do you mean to imply they will cooperate? If they believe themselves weak they will go along with it for a time. If they don’t they will reject the overture in a rather humiliating fashion.

“Peace” negotiators never consider the second possibility. Why don’t we just all maintain the polite fiction to neutralize the warmongers at home? Isn’t a perfectly reasonable and rational thing to do? People with graduate degrees from Harvard and Georgtown have been socialized out of understanding things even (or especially) a yardbird doing three to five for aggravated assault understands. In primate power politics if you can show dominance over someone you must, even if the unfortunate would be delighted to defer to you. Not for his sake, but for everybody else in the yard watching.

I predict the Russians will give him a pretty rude reception, because they don’t feel weak and they don’t regard Obama as strong.