Washington's consideration as to whether to hold back on loans to Russia is of
strategic
significance. Clearly there are a variety of interrelated reasons for any such
decision.
It can be used as a lever to pressurise Russia to reform its banking system in a way
that
increases its integration with Western banking. The actual investigation into the money
Russian money laundering scam ties in with this policy.
Then it can be linked with the Chechnya issue. Washington hints to Moscow that it may
create such linkage between the loans and Chechnya can be actually imposed or used as a
threat to pressurise Russia into yielding on the banks or some other matter. In short
Washington is seeking to increase its options as a means of forcing Russia to proceed
in a
way that suits western capitalist interests.
If it suits Washington's interests it might try to turn the Chechen situation into
Russia's Kosova. Certainly Washington is positioning itself so that this may become a
real
option that it can implement. However, as I already intimated, it can ignore this
option
if Yeltsin is prepared to concede ground on other issues.
The point is that Washington is attempting to create as many options as it can to
force as
much as it can, in the circumstances, from Russia. Washington is positioning itself so
that it can play the Chechen card is so wishes. Washington's seeks to exploit to the
maximum Russian embroilment in Chechnya.
As I said Washington is seeking to position itself to fully exploit the Chechen
situation.
However it does not have as easy a ride here as it did with regard to Kosova.
Washington's
options may be more restricted than they were over Kosova. Since Kosovo many members of
the UN are becoming increasingly aware of the dangers of this Clinton doctrine.
Consequently they may be less reluctant to sanction measures against Russian
involvement
in Chechnya especially as the latter is a member of the Russian Federation. They are
aware
that if Clinton's Kosovo policy is implemented in Chechnya then it may be implemented
in
other cases that may more directly affect individual members of the UN. They are also
aware that this Clinton Doctrine has been reinforced by Kofi Amman when he said that
the
UN should be able to intervene on humanitarian grounds in any sovereign state. The
significance of this statement by the UN Secretary General has not been fully
appreciated
among the radical left. At the time he made this statement I drew attention to its
significance on the list but there little or no response.
The significance of Clinton's Kosova policy is only beginning to hit home now.
Clinton's
Kosova policy is a basic declaration to the world that no longer is sovereignty a
universal fact. It is true that in actual fact this has always been the case -Vietnam.
But
never before has it been stated so explicitly both in practice and in theory. Clinton's
Kosova policy represents a new twist in American imperialism's attempts to advance its
class interests. However Washington is still implementing this policy in a tentative
way
since it is always fearful of it provoking a united front against Washington's growing
political and diplomatic power by other states. It has to thread with some caution.
Despite Russia apparent determination to bring Chchnea under its control Russia has
made
concession to be included in a final document to be signed which involves ging the OSCE
both a political and humanitarian role in the Chechnea.The fact that Russia has made
such
a concession even if it were to turn out to be a merely paper concession is an
indication
of both Russian internal weakness and growing isolation from the West.
Warm regards
George Pennefather
Be free to check out our Communist Think-Tank web site at
http://homepage.tinet.ie/~beprepared/
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