The Russian Bear Has Awoken

Those of us that grew up in the 1960s and 1970s have an image of a dangerous Russian bear imprinted upon our brains. In 1989, the bear was declawed and our leaders promised us a peace dividend. A peace dividend made perfect sense to a public that was sick of fighting the Cold War. Being able to spend less on our military would allow us freedom to save or spend on other needs. Our businesses would be able to take advantage of new trading partners. All was right with the world.

The rise of Vladimir Putin has changed all of that. Putin recognized where the West was weak and Russia strong. He invested a lot of time and money to take control of the Russian energy industry, even throwing the original owner of the largest Russian oil company into the gulag. Putin has used an iron fist to get control over Russia. The bear is reborn. President Bush ignored the rise of Putin and it has cost us.

The recent invasion of Georgia solidifies the strategy that dissidents, like Garry Kasparov, have been writing about for the past number of years. Putin aims to put back the confederation of Russian states as it existed pre-1989. In a perfect world, he would have an iron curtain. Poland, an independent nation, wants to put missile defenses within its own borders. Putin doesn’t want it and threatens to invade if they antagonize him.

Recently a Putin acolyte, Alexi Gordeyev, said that the Russians were mulling an embargo on American poultry and pork. It is interesting timing for such a statement. First, a few weeks ago, there was a terrific rally in pork prices. Rumors on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange trading floor pointed to heavy Russian buying. Then they invaded Georgia. Obviously, they were stocking their freezers to feed their troops in case the U.S. stopped them from buying. These things are not coincidental.

From time to time since Putin has gained control, he has instituted various embargoes on American poultry and pork. Senator Joe Biden’s press release after the last dust-up six years ago said the “Delaware farmers were not going to be forgotten” when Bush made his next visit to Russia. Putin is trying to outmaneuver us militarily, but he is cunning in his economic warfare as well.

Because of the uncertainty of Putin, American agriculture has sought out more markets to trade in. They have done a good job penetrating Asia. They can do more in South America if Congress would ever ratify trade agreements there. However, Russian control over the former Eastern Bloc countries would be dangerous to the American farmer and to all American business. Foreign trade is a major artery for our economy.

Since Putin elevated himself to his new post, he has continually provoked the West. He said that Russia no longer wanted dollars in trade. He has threatened oil and gas supplies to Western Europe. Now Putin has attacked a sovereign nation. He has supplied the terrorists that fight us with weapons and materials. The political landscape in Russia is not the same as the communist landscape of before. Instead, it has the mutation of communism and czarist rule that was over the land pre-Lenin.

The next president will not only have to confront the war on terror, but he will have a new/old battlefront in the East. The Russian bear has awoken. The new president will have to be able to persuade our old NATO allies to be the head of the spear on this new front. Which candidate is best for that job?

The sparse record of Obama is extremely scary in this dangerous time. Obama has said he wants to cut funding for weapons, the military, and research. He has said that he wants to raise our taxes in a time when our economy can afford it least. He has campaigned hard for more centralized government planning with socialized medicine, more unions, and larger government with more agencies and boards to regulate and monitor everything. He has campaigned against free trade and today refuses to endorse CAFTA. This is the wrong tactic to take given the rise of the Russian bear.