Russia’s War on Human Rights?
What did Liu Xiaobo ever do to Moscow? Apparently the Nobel Prize-winning Chinese dissident has somehow offended the leadership residing in the Kremlin, as Russia has made a show out of its refusal to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony, reviving memories of the Soviet reaction to Sakharov’s prize. In doing so, Russia joins the esteemed ranks of countries such as Morocco, Cuba, and Kazakhstan, who clearly have nothing to hide in the area of political prisoners. Perhaps Mr. Putin and Mr. Medvedev just don’t happen to be fans of Anne Hathaway and Denzel Washington.
This news is a few days old now, and I have been waiting to observe any reaction on behalf of the fanbase of the “reset,” but it’s business as usual. Forget about START – I don’t see that as relevant – but these are the partners that Washington is boasting about turning around. Don’t buy into the arguments of Russia seeking a preferential energy relationship with China – it’s pure and simple evasive behavior of a government guilty of the exact same political prisoner issues.
More to come soon.