Some people on the right are already having fits over Russian President Medvedev's decision to place missiles along the Polish border, after a hostile speech in which he said:
“Mechanisms must be created to block mistaken, egotistical and sometimes simply dangerous decisions of certain members of the international community.”
This was a not so veiled shot at the United States. Also not so veiled is Russia's discomfort with the international outpouring of goodwill that met Obama's victory. Putin and Medvedev benefit considerably from a hostile relationship with the West -- it helps citizens ignore or rationalize their authoritarian policies. While the right seems to want to respond to every Russian feint with equal belligerence, the Obama team basically brushed Medvedev off by not committing to a missile defense in Poland, and making Russia look needlessly hostile. This lead to a sheepish walkback from the Russians:
A Kremlin statement suggested Medvedev had changed his tone in the telephone call. It said he and Obama discussed ways "to create constructive and positive interaction for the good of global stability and development". They agreed a good bilateral relationship "is principally important not only for the people of both countries but for the international community as a whole", the statement said.
Obama hasn't even been sworn in, and the Russians have already found themselves outflanked. Let's hope an Obama administration continues to resist the temptation to engage Russia in a pissing contest, handing Putin and Medvedev more political capital.
--A. Serwer
