Biden’s Rose-Colored Glasses

United States vice president Joe Biden, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, stated that the Russian economy is suffering badly. Because of this, Biden believes that Moscow should make concessions to the West regarding reductions in its nuclear armament and resign its geo-strategic position.

Why? He doesn’t say, but the implications are obvious: thus the U.S. retains its top position and prolongs the agony of being the world’s major power. Biden wants to become the new Phillip II, but Russia has other plans. On August 8th, 2008, Moscow was able to stop Washington by defeating the fascist leader of Georgia, Saakashvili, in a short-term war. With the confrontation in Georgia, a chapter was closed in U.S.-Russian relations. This current chapter (concerning the economic crisis) doesn’t show signs of wrapping up any time soon.

The current economic problems confronting the globe are products of the opulent West and direct consequences of the decline of capitalism. Russia is in the same position as the rest of the world. Nevertheless, compared to other countries that maintain strong state interventionism (Moscow has that inheritance from its Soviet past), Russia is coping with the crisis fairly well. At the same time, the Russians and the Chinese are pushing for a reorganization of the international market and of trading policies, a reorganization in which the dollar will no longer be the international currency. Joe Biden openly acknowledges Russia’s economic problems but pretends not to pay too much attention to places like California, which has the seventh largest economy in the world and is currently bordering on bankruptcy.

California is not the only problem. According to the New York Times, the unemployment rate in Oregon is 23 percent; it is 21 percent in Michigan, 20 percent in South Carolina, and only a little less than 20 percent in Tennessee, Nevada and other states. In Texas, close to one million people have lost their medical insurance and in Florida more than 500 people per day are losing much needed medical assistance. Miami residents are frightened because-according to experts-by 2011, the unemployment rate will reach 12 percent, or one million unemployed citizens. With these statistics in mind, the following should be asked: Whose economy is suffering? Biden’s dream that the U.S. will continue to be the world’s greatest power becomes a nightmare every time he reads a newspaper.

Lately, Biden has been optimistically stating that the crisis is losing momentum. It is, in fact, likely that the economy is recovering . . . only to collapse again because the problem ultimately stems from a system that cannot and will not change. Fluctuations in the economy will continue for an indeterminate period of time and we, as nations and as people, remain chained to that cycle. One thing is clear: the crisis is here to stay. The U.S. will become a regional power in the former Soviet arena only if it doesn’t attempt suicidal military action. With this said, I suggest the vice president reserve his comments and take some time to consider the meaning of the old saying “Advice I offer, but none for myself.”