Re: Russia's Putin and Japan's Koizumi Support Bush
Just to highlight his comments made just a couple days ago, Putin said that terrorists organizations are targeting not the coalition but President Bush. Their goal is to inflict political damage to Bush to prevent his re-election.
Only found in Stratfor
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The Rewards and Risks of Supporting Bush
Summary
Russian President Vladimir Putin says militants in Iraq are trying to
undermine U.S. President George W. Bush's re-election efforts. If they are
successful, he warns, international terrorism could increase. Putin has
emerged as one of the boldest international leaders in support of a Bush
re-election, while other leaders walk delicate lines between their domestic
constituents -- often opposed to Bush -- and the pressure and rewards from
the United States.
Analysis
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Oct. 18 militants in Iraq are targeting
the re-election campaign of U.S. President George W. Bush, and warned that
terrorism would spread further around the world if the militants were
successful. Putin's statement was one of the boldest yet by a foreign leader
essentially calling for Bush's re-election.
Speaking to reporters during a summit of the Central Asian Cooperation
Organization (CACO) in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, Putin said, "Any unbiased
observer understands that attacks of international terrorist organizations in
Iraq, especially nowadays, are targeted not only and not so much against the
international coalition as against President Bush." He added, "International
terrorists have set as their goal inflicting the maximum damage to Bush, to
prevent his election to a second term. If they succeed in doing that, they
will celebrate a victory over America and over the entire anti-terror
coalition. In that case, this would give an additional impulse to
international terrorists and to their activities, and could lead to the
spread of terrorism to other parts of the world."
Putin is not alone among international leaders positioning for a Bush victory
on Nov. 2. Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was criticized for
comments made Oct. 14 in response to reporters' questions about U.S. Sen.
John Kerry pulling closer in the polls to Bush. Koizumi replied, "I don't
want to interfere in an election in a foreign country, but I would like
President Bush to hang in there because he is a close friend." Other Japanese
officials, however, were less circumspect in their support for a Bush
victory, noting that Kerry had proposed returning discussions with North
Korea to a bilateral status, essentially removing Japan from the equation.
Several other of the world's leaders also have demonstrated their expectation
of a Bush victory -- if not in words, at least in actions -- even while their
populations are largely seen as anti-Bush. This divergence between the
political elite and the "common man" has caused strains in several states,
most dramatically witnessed in the 2004 Spanish elections, but seen also in
demonstrations and protests against participation in Iraq and cooperation
with Bush in places such as South Korea, Pakistan, the United Kingdom,
Poland, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Italy.
This clash in views is unlikely to let up anytime soon. Conflicting pressures
between domestic constituencies and ties, or troubles, with the United States
create a delicate balance for aspiring and actual U.S. allies. For Putin and
Koizumi, this is a fairly easy line to walk, as they are relatively secure in
their positions. But Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has faced a
more difficult situation -- with much higher stakes. Musharraf is bracketed
with assassination attempts against his person and U.S. forces poised along
the border with Afghanistan.
In the end, the leaders who are actively or tacitly supporting Bush will
expect something in return. Putin, by commenting during the CACO summit, made
it clear he wants the return of Russian influence to Central Asia --
unopposed by the United States. Musharraf is seeking backing for his decision
to renege on giving up his uniform, and wants additional military and
economic assistance. |
