Maidan in Moscow? Don't Make Me Laugh!

Following Michael McFaul’s departure, the U.S. has begun to select a new ambassador to Russia. No fewer than three diplomats, each of whom has at one time served as America’s ambassador in Kiev, have been included on the list of candidates. Why should that be? Is it possible they want to organize a Maidan here, too?

I don’t see anything surprising or terrible in it. To the State Department’s way of thinking, a diplomat who has served in Kiev has kind of served in Russia, too. For them it’s one and the same thing! The Americans thus refute the thesis from Leonid Kuchma’s book “Ukraine Is Not Russia.” The U.S. administration thinks the opposite is true. Well, fine, let them think so.

U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine may have had a strong whiff of the intelligence services about them, but they were nevertheless professionals. McFaul was professional as a consultant, as a political scientist, but not as an ambassador. He babbled on and on — in our interest, by the way — which a professional diplomat does not allow himself to do.

What task will they assign the new ambassador? If it will be to translate Ukraine’s Maidan process to Russia, we are doomed to an utter collapse of American policy and a tough confrontation with the U.S. I don’t understand why they need one now, much less why we need one. It wouldn’t be logical anymore.

As has become clear, such things do not fly with us. Why? Ukraine is very similar to Russia in terms of population makeup and socioeconomic indicators, but the political system there is absolutely different. Provoking a Maidan here would evoke a harsh response.

Such was the case with our “Bolotnaya” Maidan. American policy has played a huge role in the mobilization of anti-Maidan sentiment in Russia. And in Russia there is no potential for supporting protests using reptilian, craven and venal authorities. There are no such authorities! Who would let them ready an army of 20,000 professionally trained, armed militants right under his nose? Putin?! Ha! And without it, that sort of crap doesn’t work.