By Patricia H. Kushlis
One of the most peculiar aspects of President Obama’s recent visit to Moscow was the paucity of assessment in the major media here in the US. I’ve watched for opeds and round-ups of opeds of follow-up commentary by Russia hands, but thus far the pickings have been surprisingly slim. Or maybe I just missed most of them. That could be.
As I understand it, the Moscow print media did cover the visit well, much of the day-after commentary was favorable, and the initial Russian commentary that was negative was only mildly critical - playing up the “nothing accomplished” version of the story that has been the most widely circulated story in western media reports in the aftermath.
Media gloss-over of nuclear arms control talks
There was the minimal reporting on progress towards a nuclear weapons reductions agreement - a document vitally important to the Russians and one that the Obama administration had placed at the top of its priority list early on as a way of reengaging the Russian government. Why this was glossed over by the media, I can only guess. Is it because nuclear weapons reduction agreements have somehow supposedly become unimportant with the Cold War over? Or is it because progress in nuclear weapons talks doesn’t provide a juicy story fraught with high wire conflict as happened sometimes in the past?
Sure there were reports that the Obama administration did not throw in ten proposed missile defense interceptors in Poland and the Czech Republic as a sop to the Russians for hosting the visit (despite the right wing’s claims to the contrary) and the two countries did not agree on Georgia, Ukraine or Russia’s claim to a sphere of influence over the other former Soviet Republics. But the quid-pro-quos that will be hammered out between the two countries beginning in September extend beyond these issues. Dealing with Iran’s nuclear program – a US priority - is going to be another part of the complex equation.
The Russian carrot also in Russia's self-interest
The pre-summit Russian carrot of over-flight transit permission for US military equipment to Afghanistan seemed to garner the most attention of reporters – fine. But let’s face it – isn’t it also in Russia’s interest to see the Taliban and Al Qaeda defeated in Afghanistan? The threat of violent Islamic extremists to the Russian Federation’s south – after all - does not bode well for stability across the border either.
Maybe if Obama’s single public speech which he gave at the New Economic School’s graduation had been held in a larger and more traditional Russian forum, Russian television might have been more inclined to broadcast it and it, therefore, would have made a greater media splash here – as well as there. Or not. As it happened, it was only carried on the 24 hour news channel Vesti-24 and Ekho Moskvy radio at the last minute.
A tepid response - maybe not as tepid as reported
The New York Times reported that the graduates gave the speech a tepid response – but NYU professor Josh Tucker who was also present at the ceremony and talked with folks afterward had a different – and far more positive – assessment.
Meanwhile, it seemed as if the lack of emotional crowds fawning in adulation widely reported here suggests that the visit was meaningless. But was it? Really? As Yekaterina Grigoryeva observed in Izvestia on July 8, ‘if not Obama-mania,’ than at least ‘Obama-optimism’ remained in his wake and the style of the Russian-American dialogue had qualitatively improved.
Isn't that enough for a first visit as president?