Obama cancels summit with Putin – Michael Pravica responds

Review-Journal: Obama cancels summit

To the editor:

In response to the article on the U.S.-Russia summit (“Russian frost: Obama cancels summit,” Thursday Review-Journal), I think President Barack Obama’s decision to cancel the one-on-one meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin was wrong and immature. It only serves to further alienate Russia at a time when we critically need Russia as an ally in the war on terror.

Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, our leaders have shamefully behaved as if we are still in the Cold War, insincere relations reset rhetoric aside. Despite NATO outliving its usefulness, the alliance, led by the United States, has continued to operate illegally outside of the territory mandated in its own charter (Western Europe). The alliance viciously bombed Serbia in 1999, set up missile defenses against Russia and armed, trained and encouraged the Georgians to act against Russia (repeating the Yugoslav scenario), so much so that it provoked a brief war between the neighboring countries in 2008.

It should come as no surprise that Russian leaders decided to grant asylum to Eric Snowden, who is viewed as a hero by many Americans for daring to challenge and expose the illegal snooping efforts by the National Security Agency on its unsuspecting, law-abiding citizens, violating the U.S. Constitution. Now, U.S. citizens can even become legitimate assassination targets of the U.S. government without any trial.

American leaders need to rethink and modernize their Cold War-era relations with Russia. Russia has the most natural resources of any nation and still has enough nuclear weapons to destroy this planet. Better a friend than an enemy.

MICHAEL PRAVICA

HENDERSON