Saturday, November 8, 2008

The Russian Testosteracracy

It is increasingly likely that our new President will get to count on an old foe to provided some of his most important and difficult early foreign policy challenges. The Putin/Medvedev team appears to be practicing Chicago-style politics on an international scale, so perhaps President-elect Obama will have a leg up on them.

Apparently, the latest irritant in Russia's eye is our land-based missile defense system, with interceptors planned for Poland and a radar system for the Czech Republic. Mr. Medvedev announced earlier this week that Russia would station short range ballistic missiles on the Russian border with Poland, presumably in a strategy to overwhelm any realistic ballistic missile defense. "New Europe"--that is, nations formerly under the Soviet boot--appear comfortable with missile defenses, less comfortable with Mr. Putin, and much more likely to see the US as a force for stability and power. "Old Europe" appears to see no threat from Russia and wishes only to receive a continuous flow of oil and gas from the resource rich kleptocracy.

President-elect Obama will have to walk a judicious line here. No fan of missile defense (though I believe he always qualified it as "unproven missile defense" leaving open the possibility of support for proven systems), Mr. Obama runs the risk of alienating a whole new group of European nations for whom he has to do little or no work to repair the US reputation. Leaders in Poland and the Czech Republic spent a lot of political capital to support the US, and walking away from these systems would send a terrible signal to these allies.

6 comments:

The Conservative Wahoo said...

By the way; I googled "testosteracracy" this morning and came up with only my use of the word. I then went to the Urban Dictionary, where it also did not appear. I quickly created a definition and submitted it. I may have invented a word today!

Goldwater's Ghost said...

Yes, but testocracy is:

"A form of governmental hierarchy which is ruled by those with the most testosterone."

And it's also much easier to pronounce.

The Conservative Wahoo said...

testocracy sounds too much like a country run by analytical folks who seek to rule by metrics and data.

While more difficult to say, testosteracracy eliminates any confusion.

Anonymous said...

Estrocracy?

Progestocracy?

Anonymous said...

TESTICLEOCRACY

I think a better word or perhaps different word would be Testicleocracy. A country run by those with the biggest set of balls.

Anonymous said...

testosterocracy...scratch that...testocracy...scratch that...testicleocracy...scratch that. Just like a bunch of conservative old men, sitting around shooting the bull and scratching their balls.

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