Obama may not be averse to a reset with Russia

TND Author Spotlight: M K Bhadrakumar  

When it comes to Russian-American relations, any longtime observer would know that no minor detail is necessarily minor or inconsequential. Only in the womb of time judgment could be definitive regarding incipient signs, but, frankly, the brief news report in the Politico a week ago remained a brain teaser — tersely informing that Evelyn Farkas, deputy assistance secretary of defense for Russia at the Pentagon has put in her papers.

Now, wasn’t it strange Farkas chose to resign on Monday, September 29 – yes, soon after President Barack Obama met his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in New York. (See my article Obama, Putin need steady nerves & stout hearts in Syria.) It was tempting to move on, but something kept pulling the mind back. The point is, Farkas is a genuine ‘Russia hand’ in the Pentagon. She held the job for 5 years, which also was a tense period in US-Russia relations with the two countries slouching toward a cold war.

It is not easy to replace someone like Farkas at such a critical juncture when the US-Russia relationship has bounced back as the First Circle of world politics. Farkas was the Pentagon counterpart of Victoria Nuland at the US state department, another pivotal figure of striking similarity in their hawkish views on Russia as America’s number one geopolitical enemy. Farkas was a tireless advocate of the imperative of the Obama administration arming Ukraine with lethal weapons that would bleed Russia and entrap it in a quagmire in the heartland of Eurasia where it would ultimately perish.

Therefore, a tantalizing question arises: Does Farkas’ exit signify a reset of Obama’s compass on Russia? The tidings from Ukraine suggest that Washington, which used to incite Kiev to give Moscow the middle finger, is now urging President Petro Poroshenko to seriously apply himself to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. The news came in earlier today from Kiev that a pullback of heavy artillery and tanks from the Donbas frontline is taking place, finally. Kiev, which dragged its feet so far from withdrawing its tanks from the frontline, is now complying with the stipulations under the Minsk Agreement.

In turn, the separatists have agreed to postpone their controversial elections (which is a key demand of the West) and that, in turn, would goad Kiev into initiating the amnesty law and the constitutional reform on decentralization of powers (which is a key demand of Russia). Thesigh of relief in Moscow, Berlin and Paris is almost audible. Poroshenko’s good behavior is partly attributable to the Normandy Quartret’s summit [Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine] in Paris on October 2, but Washington’s unequivocal backing for the Minsk Agreements probable made the difference.

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About Melkulangara K. Bhadrakumar

M.K.Bhadrakumar served in the Indian Foreign Service for three decades and served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and Turkey. Apart from two postings in the former Soviet Union, his assignments abroad included South Korea, Sri Lanka, West Germany, Kuwait, Pakistan and Afghanistan. He served thrice in the Iran-Pakistan-Afghanistan Division in the Ministry of External Affairs, including as the Head of the Division in 1992-95. Mr. Bhadrakumar sought voluntary retirement from the IFS in 2002 and has since devoted himself to writing. He contributes to various publications in India and abroad and is a regular columnist for Asia Times and The Hindu. He has written extensively on Russia, China, Central Asia, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan and on the geopolitics of energy security. He normally resides at Delhi, when not travelling and lecturing abroad.