The Mystery of the 'Two Cheneys'

Are U.S. politicians stuck in the Cold War, treating Russia as an adversary when to do so is self-defeating? According to this op-ed article from China's Communist Party-controlled People's Daily, the hypocrisy and short-sightedness of American policy was recently exposed by Vice President Cheney, who criticized Russia, and days later embraced dictator and human rights abuser Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan.

By Xue-Jiang Li

Translated By Mark Klingman

May 15, 2006
China - People's Daily - Original Article (Chinese)

American Vice President Cheney attended a European Democratic Congress on May 4, held in Lithuania [the Common Vision of Common Neighborhood conference]. Such conferences are not usually very interesting, nor do they attract many viewers. However, because created an incident in his speech by criticizing Russia [], this conference garnered quite a bit of attention.

Cheney stated at the meeting that in many areas, from freedom of religious belief to freedom of the press, the Russian government has unfairly and improperly restricted the rights of her people. He further accused Russia of backtracking in their democratic development; and of using oil and gas as tools of intimidation or blackmail. This language, which had the Russian public opinion in an uproar, led some commentators to believe that Cheney's rhetoric just might provoke a second Cold War between America and Russia [].

Comparisons with the Cold War are perhaps exaggerated, but Cheney's speech did serve to illustrate the level of White House suspicion of, and dissatisfaction with, the Putin government. Recent American opinion has been that Russia is backsliding on democracy. This position's loudest proponent has been Republican Senator John McCain. On the campaign trail for upcoming American presidential elections [in 2008], he not only has praised Cheney's criticism as spot on, but has appealed to President Bush to continue the criticism at the G8 Summit, to be held in [St. Petersburg] Russia in July. They all support Cheney's promotion of American democratic values and ideas.

However, what they didn't expect was that a day later, Cheney would be in Kazakhstan, actually praising that central Asian nation. There he was, grasping President Nazarbayev's hand, calling him as my friend, and saying, the United States is proud to be your strategic partner []. This left the American media particularly puzzled, since according to so-called American democratic standards, Nazarbayev (a former Communist cadre) is an even a bigger dictator than Putin, having held sole power for 15 years.

This [American discomfort] was seen in particular after Nazarbayev was re-elected last December, with support as high as 91%. Western observers, including in the United States, recognized that the election failed to conform to many international standards. Also, the U.S. State Department this March issued its International Report on Human Rights, in which it accused Kazakhstan of a poor human rights record [].

But there was Vice President Cheney again clearly expressing, my admiration for what has transpired here in Kazakhstan over the last 15 years. Both in terms of economic development, as well as political development. That comment was a real eye-popper for the American media: The New York Times and Washington Post, the two most influential mainstream newspapers, together sounded the alarm: These are two completely different Cheneys!

Actually, it's not that there are two different Cheneys, but rather that people are judging him according to two standards.

A Washington Post editorial stated that this strange event in U.S. diplomacy has occurred because Kazakhstan is rich in the petroleum and natural gas that the U.S. needs. Therefore they say, our flawed energy policies are forcing us to pursue a contorted foreign policy. But isn't this a case of failing to see the forest for the trees? Does anyone dispute that Russia is rich in the petroleum and natural gas resources that the West so desperately needs?!

After all, American prejudice against Russia is not just due to the failure of Russia's democratic system to conform to American democratic standards; it is even more the case because the United States remains anxious and guarded over Russia's policy to maintain contact but obstruct.

For two years, the U.S. has been executing color revolutions in countries around Russia's periphery: not only has it allocated a special fund to help opposition groups in various countries seize power, but it has encouraged and subsidized American civil groups, for them to go to the scene and add their support in person. And in the end, it's the U.S. that accuses Russia of repeatedly attempting to interfere in the internal affairs of neighboring countries! If the U.S. really regards Russia, like itself, as a member of Western society, then why this great effort to undermine it?

From another perspective: in the present world, China remains far from being able to contend with the United States. Only Russia controls the kind of military force that could seriously challenge American might, and this is why the American superpower cannot lower its guard.

Thus it can be seen that when it comes to Russia's development, America has a tendency toward unwarranted criticism. On the one hand, this is because of different historical and cultural traditions that have led to clear disagreements over values; on the other, the conservative politicians holding power in the U.S. stick stubbornly to Cold War ideology. Whether they [the Americans] realize it or not, they always see Russia's development through a Cold War lens, and will always regard Russia as a military competitor. That is why, to a greater or lesser extent, they have no alternative but to be vigilant toward Russia, and by no means treat it as a trusted friend. In the future, we may look back on this period as the time that the cancer first began to grow.

Chinese Version Below

李学江：“两个切尼”？ 李学江

李学江

2006年05月15日10:41

美国副总统切尼日前出席了在立陶宛举行的欧洲民主大会，这样的会议原本一无可观，引不起人 们的兴味。然而，却因美国副总统切尼在讲话中批评俄罗斯引发风波，会议才为人所知。切尼在会上说，俄罗斯政府在从宗教信仰到新闻自由的许多领域里都“不公 正、不适当地限制了人们的权力”。他更进一步地指责俄罗斯在民主上倒退；并“利用其丰富的石油和天然气资源作为工具来恫吓和敲诈邻国”。此语一出，俄舆论 一片哗然，有评论认为，切尼的冷战式言词有可能在美俄之间挑起第二轮冷战。

冷战之比可能是言过其实，不过切尼的发言确也暴露出白宫对 普京政府的深切怀疑与极度不满的心理。近来，美国的舆论一再指责俄国在民主问题上开倒车；竞选美国下届总统呼声最高的共和党参议员麦凯恩不仅立即赞扬切尼 批得好，批中了要害；而且还呼吁布什低制将于七月份在俄罗斯举行的八国峰会。他们都支持切尼捍卫与推广美国的民主价值理念。然而，大出他们所料的是，一天 之后，切尼在哈萨克斯坦却对这个中亚国家大加赞扬。切尼握着纳札尔巴耶夫总统的手，称他为“我的朋友”，并说，“哈萨克斯坦己成为美国的朋友与战略伙 伴。”这就让美国媒体大为固惑不解：因为按照美国的所谓“民主标准”，纳札尔巴耶夫这位前共产党人是位比普京更大的“独裁者”，因其“执政己达15年之 久”。尤其是在去年12月的选举中，他更是以高达91%的选票连任。包括美国在内的西方观察家们认定，这次“选举不符合诸多的国际标准”。美国国务院今年 3月发布的《国别人权报告》还在指责哈的“人权纪录不佳”。可现在切尼副总统却明明在说，“我对过去15年来，哈无论是在经济发展方面，还是在政治发展方 面所发生的变化表示欣佩。”这让美国媒体实在大跌眼镜：《纽约时报》和《华盛顿邮报》这两大最具影响力的主流报纸均发出了惊呼：这是两个完全不同的切尼！

　 　其实，不止是两个切尼，人们从这里看到的还有两个标准。《华盛顿邮报》的社论解读说，美国的外交之所以出现这样的怪现象，是因为哈萨克斯坦有着美国所需 要的丰富的石油和天然气资源，因此，“是我们有缺陷的能源政策才迫使我们推行一种扭曲对外政策的”。而其实这也多少是只见树木不见森林的以偏盖全之论—— 俄罗斯不是有着西方所需的更为丰富的石油与天然气资源吗？！

说到底，美国对俄国的成见并不单单是因为俄罗斯的民主制度尚不符合美国人 的民主标准；更因为美国对俄罗斯尚心存疑虑与警惕，推行的也是“接触加遏阻”的政策。两年来，美国一直在俄的周边国家搞颜色革命：不仅拨出专款支持各国反 对派夺权，而且还鼓励并资助美国的民间团体前往现场进行鼓动支援。可结果呢，反是美国一再指责俄罗斯试图干涉邻国的内政。如果美国真的是将俄视为自己西方 社会的一员，又何能干出这种大挖墙角的事来？

从另一方面来看，在目前的世界上，中国尚远不能与美国一争高下，只有俄罗斯还拥有与美国可以进行一番抗衡的军事资本，这也让想一超独大的美国不能掉以轻心。

　 　由此可见，美国对俄罗斯的发展之所以时不时地要说三道四，有时甚至是横加指责，一方面是因为不同的历史文化传统确实导致两国在价值理念上存在着一定的差 异；另一方面则是美国当政的一些保守顽固势力依然地固守冷战的意识形态，自觉不自觉地以冷战的眼光来看待俄罗斯的发展，仍将俄看成是一个军事上的竞争者与 抗衡者，因此也就不能不在某种程度上把俄罗斯当成一个值得警觉与防范的对象而不是一个可以放心朋友来看待。这可能才是问题的主要结症所在吧。