http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/12/opinion/putin-plea-for-caution-from-russia-on-syria.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
"No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization."
"Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world."
"The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression."
"It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in Americas long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan youre either with us or against us."
"And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States policy is what makes America different. Its what makes us exceptional. It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too."
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Don't get me wrong, I'm under no illusion that Putin is a saint, but he does raise valid points (regardless of his personal credibility). The USA has shown time and again that the UN matters nothing to it, and that whenever its interests are confronted it'll just bypass whatever ruling went against them. He goes on to cite how the USA has made international invasions a common affair for them, and how that is affecting its public opininon amongst other countries (and I'd argue that amongst its own people).
What I find most interesting is how he finishes his article -- calling out Obama on his speech of regarding 'Americans' as exceptional, with the obvious implication that they are inherently better than other nations. Needless to say, when you're better (or under that impression) than someone else, opressing them and then justifying that it's for their own good, and that the US, as an advanced nation, knows this already, is easy. The USA needs to understand that democracy comes at its own pace, not at the cost of military intervention - and it needs to understand that when it breaks international law, it's comitting international crime. But who will hold these crimes against them?
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