Western Media View: Russian Spies — the Greatest Gift

Thomas Friedman of the New York Times wrote a column about the “espionage scandal.” He called 11 Russian agents “the greatest gift to America by a foreign country since France gave us the Statue of Liberty,” because it turned out that someone still wants to spy on the U.S. and spend a considerable amount of money doing so! However, Friedman called the fact that Russians are the ones who want to spy “bad news.” He would be delighted if the Finns, with their outstanding education system, spied on American schools, or the Singaporeans, with their non-corrupt bureaucracy, spied on the U.S. government system. Let the spies be from Hong Kong, looking to ensure the functionality of the financial market in the U.S. “But the Russians? Who wants to be spied on by them?” asks Friedman.

He compares the scandal to a tennis match between formerly great athletes. According to Friedman, the Russians want to know the secret to the United States’ power, but this does not necessarily require an espionage network; it would be enough to buy a guide book on Washington for $10, visit museums, see the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, drive from Silicon Valley to Boston or buy American technology.

The Washington Post writes about the expulsion of a 12th alleged Russian agent, Alexei Karetnikov, who lived in the Seattle area and worked for Microsoft. Karetnikov was not accused of any crimes related to espionage, but he was deported for violating immigration laws. According to the Post’s sources, American intelligence agencies had watched Karetnikov since his arrival in the U.S. During this time, he did not manage to get any information. American authorities, according to the publication, state that they are keeping their ears open, but doubt that they will have to make “a 13th or 14th arrest.”

Le Figaro writes that Dmitry Medvedev’s phrase about the Iranian nuclear threat “sounded like music to American ears.” Indeed, the publication writes, the Kremlin acknowledged almost for the first time that Iran might acquire nuclear weapons. These concerns, according to the French publication, have blossomed. Nevertheless, Russia is not yet ready to abandon such a potential ally, who acts as a counterweight in its relations with the West, as well as India and China.

Iran remains an energy partner to Russia: on the one hand, Russia’s president criticizes Tehran; on the other, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko signs agreements with his Iranian counterpart. Jointly, the countries are preparing to master the field, while Russia intends to complete construction of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.