43 rd Munich Conference on Security Policy:
Peace through dialogue or the beginning of a new Cold War?
After having heard ecerpts of Putin`s speech I am afraid the question is justified. I will link to it when it is online. So far it is available in Russian only … and as a child of the West I do not speak any Russian.
Until then just some general information on the 43rd Conference:
Entering the hot phase - Security Conference beats records
Lorenz Hemicker
Munich. (9th. February, 2007). - The 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy will be larger than life. Never has the number of participants been higher, the public interest been greater and the agenda of topics been longer.
From 09 to 11 February, more than 500 representatives of 40 nations will occupy the highly coveted seats in all parts of the big ballroom of the hotel Bayerischer Hof. To read their names sounds like the ‘who is who’ of security policy. Leading representatives of international politics will meet with the elite of security policy research and high-ranking military officials. The number of foreign and defense ministers alone will be 16 and 24 respectively. But that is not all. Much interest is held for certain guests who can be expected to send important messages concerning current hot spots or problems. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will have just returned from her trip to the Middle East. Conference host Prof. Dr. h.c. Horst Teltschik expects her speech to stimulate the discussion quite a bit given that Germany holds the Presidency of the EU Council, chairs the G8 and has assumed what could be called ‘a leading role’. Conference first-timer Vladimir Putin who will hold a keynote speech on Russia’s future role is faced with high expectations, too. Horst Teltschik, who supports Russia’s membership in NATO in the long run, assumes the Russian President to be “very explicit”. (…)
He seems to have a crystal ball.
Go on reading here
Putin attacks United States and warns about NATO east expansion
By Oliver Rolofs
Munich 10. February 2007
(…) Mr. Putin heavily attacked the unilateral approach the U.S. was taking. The increasing disdain of fundamental principles of international law was provoking a new arms race in the world, he said. “The U.S. have trespassed the limits in almost all concerns,” the President stated on Saturday. In his opinion the eastward expansion of NATO was a “provocation” for Russia. (…)
More here
Putin`s speech now available here
Excerpt:
(…) Unilateral and frequently illegitimate actions have not resolved any problems. Moreover, they have caused new human tragedies and created new centres of tension. Judge for yourselves: wars as well as local and regional conflicts have not diminished. Mr Teltschik mentioned this very gently. And no less people perish in these conflicts – even more are dying than before. Significantly more, significantly more!
Today we are witnessing an almost uncontained hyper use of force – military force – in international relations, force that is plunging the world into an abyss of permanent conflicts. As a result we do not have sufficient strength to find a comprehensive solution to any one of these conflicts. Finding a political settlement also becomes impossible.
We are seeing a greater and greater disdain for the basic principles of international law. And independent legal norms are, as a matter of fact, coming increasingly closer to one state’s legal system. One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped its national borders in every way. This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and educational policies it imposes on other nations. Well, who likes this? Who is happy about this?
In international relations we increasingly see the desire to resolve a given question according to so-called issues of political expediency, based on the current political climate.
And of course this is extremely dangerous. It results in the fact that no one feels safe. I want to emphasise this – no one feels safe! Because no one can feel that international law is like a stone wall that will protect them. Of course such a policy stimulates an arms race.
The force’s dominance inevitably encourages a number of countries to acquire weapons of mass destruction. Moreover, significantly new threats – though they were also well-known before – have appeared, and today threats such as terrorism have taken on a global character. (…)
Well, I would say he has indeed succeeded in “avoiding excessive politeness” …
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Die 43. Münchner Konferenz für Sicherheitspolitik:
Frieden durch Dialog oder der Beginn eines neuen Kalten Krieges?
Nachdem ich Ausschnitte aus Putins Rede gehört habe, fürchte ich, dass diese Frage berechtigt ist. Werde auf sie verlinken, sobald sie online ist. Zur Zeit ist sie nur in Russisch verfügbar, und da muss ich leider passen.
Bis dahin ein paar allgemeine Informationen über die 43. Konferenz:
Heiße Phase beginnt: Sicherheitskonferenz bricht Rekorde
Lorenz Hemicker
München. (09. Februar 2007). - Die 43. Münchner Konferenz für Sicherheitspolitik wird ein Treffen der Superlative. Noch nie war die Teilnehmerzahl so hoch, das öffentliche Interesse so groß, die Themenliste so lang.
Zwischen dem 09. und 11. Februar werden sich über 500 Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer aus 40 Ländern auf den Rängen und dem Parkett im großen Festsaal des Bayerischen Hofes die hoch begehrten Plätze teilen. Ihre Namen lesen sich als „who is who“ der Sicherheitspolitik. Führende Vertreter der Internationalen Politik treffen auf die Spitzen sicherheitspolitischer Forschung und hochrangiger Militärs. So nehmen allein 16 Außen- und 24 Verteidigungsminister teil. Damit nicht genug. Mit großem Interesse werden Gäste erwartet, die gerade hinsichtlich der aktuellen Krisen und Probleme wichtige Zeichen setzen dürften. Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel kehrt von ihrer Reise aus dem Nahen Osten zurück. Veranstalter Prof. Dr. h.c. Horst Teltschik erwartet weit reichende Impulse von ihrer Rede, nicht zuletzt im Lichte der deutschen EU-Ratspräsidentschaft, dem Vorsitz in der G8-Gruppe und damit einer „gewissen Führungsrolle“ der Bundesrepublik. Große Erwartungen richten sich auch auf die erstmalige Teilnahme von Wladimir Putin und seine politische Grundsatzrede zur künftigen Rolle Russlands. Der russische Staatspräsident werde „klare Aussagen“ machen, vermutet Horst Teltschik, der langfristig für eine Aufnahme Russlands in die NATO plädiert. (…)
Er scheint hellseherische Fähigkeiten zu besitzen.
Weiterlesen hier
Laut 17 Uhr ARD Tagesschau, 10. Februar 2007 hat Putin Folgendes gesagt:
Wir beobachten vermehrt die Missachtung der Grundsätze des Völkerrechts, mehr noch, der einzelnen Normen eines ganzen Rechtssystems eines einzelnen Staates. Natürlich in erster Linie durch die USA. Die USA haben ihre politischen Grenzen in fast allen Bereichen überschritten und das wird anderen Staaten aufgezwungen.