RUSSIAN MARCH IN THE MIDDLE OF WARSAW?

Our glorious advance across the planet

Is dazzling, while noticed from afar

And Russian scriptures flaring on a granite

All over lavatory in Paris are

V. Vysotsky

The word and deed of foreign affairs — in the beginning was the Word

Analysis of reasons and circumstances that triggered the geopolitical conflict around Iran inevitably suggested the role of diplomacy in foreign policy. Without doubt, any international relations student is aware that diplomacy is an extension of politics. Alas, modern foreign policy bodies of several countries have apparently forgotten this common truth.

Death of Polish Robin Hood

On the 5^th of August, at about 5 PM police discovered the body of Andrzej Lepper, founder of the Samooborona[1] RP party, at its head-quarters. All the circumstances pointed towards the suicide. That was the tragic end of the brightest political career of the post-war Poland — from an ordinary employee at the Plant Protection Stations in an outback Gorzeń to the post of Polish Deputy Prime Minister. Samooborona RP Party he created was the third largest political power in the country. At the presidential elections 2005 Andrzej Lepper gained 2 million votes.

A CHICAGO YANKEE IN QUEEN ELIZABETH’S COURT: European tour of Obama

American President is not a common guest in Europe. Last time Obama visited the Old Continent two years ago. His current visit, thought, hardly resembles the visit of 2009. Despite the fact that the last time he had a trail of a man, responsible for the financial crisis, this time European disappointment in America was way more substantial.

«END OF YALTA» MAY AS WELL BE THE END OF THE WORLD.

On the 9^th of March this year “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” published an article by Nicolay Zlobin that was entitled “End of Yalta system”. Professor Zlobin proclaimed an end of the Cold War and the stand of two global systems —according to him, “Yalta system” was the quintessence of it.

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On the 9^th of March this year “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” published an article named “End of Yalta system” by Nicolay Zlobin[1]. Professor Zlobin proclaimed an end of the Cold War and the stand of two global systems —according to him, “Yalta system” was the quintessence of it.

In his article N. Zlobin bound the change of the world order to the series of Arabian revolutions — according to him, the latter are “giving up the regional remains of Yalta system for lost. Once it used to be the foundation of the post-war world politics. The system started to recede along with collapse of the Soviet Union, but creation of Kosovo and recognition of the South Ossetia has shattered its very principles. Due to the Northern African events, it belongs to history alone”.

Completely sharing author’s opinion regarding the ideological stand of two systems and the bipolar world that have actually lost its time, I’d still like to voice up certain thoughts, which this respectable political scientist somehow failed to notice.

Weimar Square

Initiative of Polish President Bronisław Komorowski — quite unexpected for most of the experts — to turn the Weimar Triangle into Weimar Square, including Russia may become a Weimar elevator for Poland. In other words, it may bring this ambitious country right to the top of European politics. This is utmost topical, given the upcoming half-year-long Polish chairmanship in the European Union.

Donald versus Duck

Seim debates regarding the Smolensk accident have not only failed to put a period to the most important and urgent issue of domestic Polish policy but rather started the new round of national madness instead. They threaten Poland if not with the civil war, then surely with a loss of control over the country. 

Kaczyński' casus.

Division of Poland according to Prof. Radoslaw Markowski

The most difficult and most important part of the political weather forecast for Poland is the PiS further destiny, as well as the domestic and foreign policy of that party. Division of the PiS policy into domestic and foreign has the same reasoning as such division of policy for the state. The thing is that Kaczyński — for the first time in Polish and perhaps in the European history of politics — attempts to conduct his own international policy (contradicting the official policy of governing coalition), being in the opposition to an acting government. However, we’d still start our analysis and prediction of the PiS policy from the internal state of affairs both in the party and in the country.

Kaczyński' casus. Part 7

Forecast for tomorrow

     

Changes in the Polish politics that took place during last six months are too great to forecast the future from the scratch even for me, although I have been watching after the polititical situation in Poland for years. In order to project the political development of the country I need to analyze the realignment of the Polish political forces once again, estimate their prospects and attempt to figure out what may come out from their competition. 

Kaczyński' casus. Part VI

The first blood was drawn today. What’s next?

On the 19^th of October Polish civil war stopped being a cold one. The first blood was drawn. 62-year-old taxi driver Ryszard Z. (Polish legislation prohibits publishing criminals’ last names before the court ruling to become effective) broke into the PiS office in Łódź, having shot one of the employees and heavily wounded the second one with a knife. This has never happened in the contemporary Polish history before. First political murder in the post-communist Poland has blown up already electrified Polish society. Most part of Poles has treated this incident in a rather adequate manner.  Every sane person understood even clearer that the PiS-inspired policy of hatred eventually hit those who were imposing it on the country.

Kaczyński' casus

Part V

Poland: yesterday, today, tomorrow.

      

Secret of today’s face-off among the Polish elite lies in the whole of yesterday.

Things that happen in today’s Poland were seemingly impossible to imagine merely a years or two ago. How could have cozy, comfortable and quiet country turned into a battlefield and become an arena for the cold civil war, gradually mutating into a real one? In order to answer these questions we would have to go few decades back in the past.

Kaczyński' casus

Part IV

 

Who are you, pan Kaczyński?

 

                                 

           That’s how brothers looked like in 1962 (scene from the “The Two Who Stole The Moon[1]” motion picture) and 

how they look 45 years after that

 

 

Jarosław Kaczyński, having stepped over the borders of not only Polish but the European political culture as well, created a new model of political behavior, based not on the politically correct depersonalized attitude to the political struggle — as it is common for the countries with firm democratic traditions — but rather on a passionate, deeply personal attitude to the politics (frankly speaking, a lot more characteristic of the Latin America[2] rather than Europe). In order to understand the incentives and algorithms — according to which Kaczyński acts — we have to have a closer look at his person. That is the only way to understand the transformation of a Democrat, fighting against totalitarian communist regime, into the furious populist, fiercely defying the very same democratic values he once used to fight for.

Can START turn into FINISH?

Keith Payne, Ph.D. from the Heritage Foundation believes that signing of new START treaty with Russia will put an end to the U.S. security and the entire Western civilization. We’d try to analyze this opinion. But even without any further analysis we may confidently state that failure to sign the START treaty would obviously turn the reset of Russo-American relationship into FINISH — and we may have every reason to throw out the red button, which Hillary Clinton was hilariously swinging in front of her Russian colleague, Sergey Lavrov. One needn’t be a Philosophy Doctor to make such a conclusion.

      

Kaczyński' casus

Is Kaczyński able to get back to power? Part II

“Crusade” of devoted PiS adherents against the Presidential palace not just disunited Poles — it actually torn the Polish society into two unequal parts. “Kaczyński’s special forces” (the much-talked-about mohair berets) having started with demands to immortalize late Lech Kaczyński’s memory — reminded Civic Platform all the offences, mostly connected to the kościół[1] role in Poland. Rightist liberal CP, which deals that issue with great delicacy, did its best to avoid any abrupt moves. Bills regarding state support of artificial fertilization, elimination of kościół pension fund, review of Commission on kościół property results are lying in the Seim for years. For now deputies don’t even examine them, although CP has the coalition majority in the parliament. To a considerable degree Donald Tusk turned out to be a hostage of the situation created by the insane Kaczyński’s actions.

Continuation

Part I

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Sic fatur Palikot

Having obtained seemingly absolute fullness of power, Civic Platform, however, is showing unprecedented cautiousness — being taught by the bitter PiS example from the period when President and Prime Minister had the same last name. Under the confident leadership of Donald Tusk, CP for the first time in contemporary Polish political history applied political technologies, much more characteristic of the former USSR republics. Impressed by the sudden SLD success, Tusk decided to create CP subsidiary party — the one capable of pulling certain part of anti-clerical SLD electorate off for itself. For that sake, Janusz Palikot — one of the most scandalous CP Seim deputies — was used.

Kaczyński' casus

Is Kaczyński able to get back to power? Part I

We tend to think that troubles unite us, while the troubles that touched entire nations, reconcile people as well. Russian history has numerous examples of that, too. Poles have proved once again: how great are the differences between us. National tragedy that befell our Western neighbors has estranged rather than united the Polish society.

Death of President Lech Kaczyński — along with other outstanding representatives of the Polish elite — in the plane crush near Smolensk has shocked not only Poland itself. Despite the chilly intergovernmental relations, Polish tragedy caused a wave of sincere empathy not only among the common Russians but among the top authorities as well. Embrace of Vladimir Putin and Donald Tusk in Smolensk — so unexpected in its sincerity — have melted the ice in the Polish hearts and met a deep emotional response among Polish people.

Rather paradoxical from the standpoint of formal logic and quite symbolical from the emotional one, Russo-Polish reconciliation seemed to be inevitable and filled both leaders and citizens of our countries with optimism. Even the Polish pre-election presidential campaign went in an utmost correct way. Brother of late President, Jarosław Kaczyński, who had the claims for the top state post in the country, behaved himself in an irreproachable manner — despite all the expectations — and never mentioned the subject of Lech Kaczyński death during the election rhetoric (which extremely surprised every last analyst).

AMERICAN TARTUFFE

PART 4: IRAQI BILLIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH – WE NEED A TRILLION

Whom did Dick Cheney please, frying out money for a knowingly useless ABM project?

CHENEY'S PRIVY MOTTO: START A WAR, AND MAKE BIG MONEY

In this part of our research, we'll try to analyze the correlation between the spheres of Dick Cheney's business interests and US foreign policy initiatives. In fact, the famous phrase "What is good for General Motors is good for America" has converted into a practical motto of Dick Cheney: "What is good for Halliburton, is good for the globe".

The copyright for the original pronouncement belongs to GM's former president Charles Wilson. In January 1953, Dwight Eisenhower nominated him for Defense Secretary. The Senate Committee on Military Affairs asked the renowned company boss to tell which interests – national or corporate – he regards as a priority. "I've got used to believe that what is good for GM is good for the nation, and vice versa. In my view, it's the same", Wilson confessed. Being impressed with his sincerity, the Committee authorized his nomination, and he continued to serve as Defense Secretary until 1957. During his tenure, he was never exposed of lobbying his firm by promoting exclusive contracts for GM or using his business connections in another way. Dick Cheney's behavior has been strikingly different.

Definitely, Mr. Cheney can explain that the coincidence of Halliburton's business activity with the State Dept's foreign policy initiatives was just accidental. The public does not possess hard evidence of deliberate spawning crisis spots in various regions of the globe for particular corporate needs. Nobody has managed to record his talk with Condy Rice in which the VP would say, "Let's start a war in Iraq and make a lot of money".

«Lunatics from all over the world, come together!»

History of Akhmed Zakayev’s detention is growing at a steady gait in Poland. That is how Viktor Perov — member of Leningrad Oblast Communist Party (yes, such party still exists) from a small town of Slanzy — explained the attitude of his party on that issue:

            “Communists support Akhmed Zakayev’s detention in Poland but we don’t think that he will be extradited to Russia. It’s as simple as that. He just has to be eliminated. As far back as in Stalin’s times a wonderful system was established: court was making its judgment in absentia and the security officers were executing the sentence abroad. That’s the way we’ve already punished Lev Trotsky, Stepan Bandera and numerous other traitors. There’s no time to whimper as long as we have to act quickly and decisively. I hope that the FSB authorities would hear our call…”

            Fine! The show is going on. After the Polish comedy it’s the time for the Russian ones. At that, Russian communists are supported by the Polish-mohair-berets kind of electorate.

            After the thorough analysis of this phenomenon one may come to think that Karl Marx was actually right and it’s the right time to create the International of the Lunatics

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Polish comedy featuring Akhmed Zakayev

Old lady on the left is the said Pawlak's mother 

Scandal accompanying Mr. Zakayev’s visit to Poland makes me wonder if there’s still some common sense left in the heads of certain Polish politicians. I’m hardly interested in the destiny of central character in this play. And I’m also unwilling to dispute the decision of the Warsaw’s District Court. Especially if the European right directs every state of the United Europe to recognize the refugee status, given by one of them. Not being an expert in the field of European legislation, I cannot argue with the Polish court on the matter of Zakayev’s case. This issue, however, caused certain questions that I’d like my readers to get acquainted with.

The first question is: “Who is Akhmed Zakayev”?

            Polish printed media along with Polish politicians from various parties dub this man a chief of Chechen government in exile. With a deep regret I have to inform the Polish public opinion that there’s no such thing as the Chechen government in exile at all. In 2001 Zakayev was appointed to be a special representative of Aslan Maskhadov — former President of revolted Chechnya who died on the 27^th of January, 2002. Therefore, he may really be a refugee. But having Prime Minister’s status? Surely, not. Zakayev is certainly not a “martyr of democracy” as well — like my dear Kurt Vonnegut once used to call him in his “Cat’s Cradle”. Having commanded the Mujahidin detachment during the Chechen war he inevitably stained his hands with blood of both Russian soldiers and those civilians, whom he called the national traitors.

      

The second question is: “Why Zakayev had come to Poland at all?”

            It seems that Zakayev got tired from his quiet life in the problem-free England — which cannot be called a cheap country to live in, by the way. It is yet unknown how he makes his living, but it looks likes virtuous Boris Berezovsky doesn’t pay him for doing nothing. So there was a need to make some move in order to remind everyone of his existence and to prove that he can work off the money invested into him. Zakayev’s arrival to Poland was exactly the kind of such move — making some PR scores. He played his part brilliantly as long as he appeared at the newspaper frontlines not only in Poland but in Russia as well. Thus, he reminded everyone of himself, of Chechnya and of Russian problems in the Ciscaucasia. Everything went off quite well — Zakayev deserved the applause. I’d like to mention that he is a professional actor and in 1981-1990 he used to work at the drama theatre in Chechen capital. Therefore, Russian school of acting, known all around the world as Stanislavsky’s school, is still the good one.

The third question is: “Why would Poles need this pain in the ass — the one that is hardly to improve their relationship with Russia”?

            My knowledge of the Polish history is thorough enough to understand the kind of emotional response born in the Polish hearts by the phrases “immigration government” or “government in exile”. But I treat the very fact of comparing Akhmed Zakayev to Władysław Sikorski as a blasphemy. Polish general was fighting against fascism for the independence of his Motherland, while Chechen actor is a separatist who rebelled against mother country for the separation of autonomous region with a population of 1.200.000 people that has never been a sovereign state and never been recognized by a single country. I wonder, how would the Polish government reacted had the leader of Basque separatists — wanted by the Interpol — suddenly come to Warsaw?  The most upsetting was the Prime Minister Tusk’ comment who told Gazeta Wyborcza: “Russians cannot expect decision, which would be suitable to them”. I understand that acting Deputy Prime Minister of Poland is Mr. Pawlak but his mother seemingly doesn’t work for the government. Let me remind you that it was this nice lady — character of the Polish comedy “Sami swoi[1]” of the same name — who told her son: “Let the judges judge, but justice itself should be on our side”, putting the hand grenade in his pocket while he was going to the court. Why such serious and reasonable politician — without doubt, Donald Tusk is definitely one of that kind — passes his sentence in this dubious case, rather than waiting for the court to decide? Gazeta  Wyborcza journalists Renata Grochal and Wacław Radziwinowicz — whom I respect very much — have named the article dedicated to Zakayev’s detention “Greek tragedy featuring Chechen”

            I don’t know where the tragedy in this case is, but anyway, thanks for inspiriting the idea of this text’s title.

    

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[1] “Fellow-countrymen” (Pol.)