Madeline Albright/William Perry: McCain's bad G-8 judgment call

[babylonsister]

McCain's bad G-8 judgment call
Booting Moscow out of the group of wealthy democracies would deal a major blow to U.S.-Russia relations.
By Madeleine K. Albright and William J. Perry
July 9, 2008


This week's Group of 8 meeting in Japan raises some important questions about Sen. John McCain's approach to the art of diplomacy. McCain has suggested that Russia be kicked out of the G-8 because of its government's retreat from democracy in recent years. This is the kind of proposal one might expect from a party candidate seeking to differentiate himself from the policies of an unpopular predecessor. It is not, however, a good idea.

The problem is not in McCain's analysis but in his proposed remedy.

Yes, Russia has moved away from the principles that caused it to be invited to join what was the G-7 during the 1990s. Under the leadership of Russia's former president and current prime minister, Vladimir V. Putin, power has been centralized at the expense of the parliament, regional governments, the courts, the media and civil society. Russia goes through the motions of democracy, but the reality has been lost. The question is how the United States, and the West in general, should respond.

McCain favors booting Russia out of the wealthy-democracies forum, but he does not say what this would accomplish other than dramatizing, for a moment, our disappointment with Russia's domestic policies.

In any case, the senator's proposal is as unrealistic as it would be counterproductive because the United States does not wield a veto over G-8 membership. Next year's G-8 host, Italy, and the following year's, Canada, are unlikely to exclude Russia. To press for Russia's exclusion will only divide us from our democratic allies in the G-8. It is also largely meaningless when it comes to shunning or shaming Moscow: Russia's role as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council is both irrevocable and far more significant than its inclusion within the largely powerless G-8.

The truth is that we still have an abundant amount of diplomatic business to do with Russia. We have a common interest in fighting terrorism, preventing Iran from building nuclear weapons, securing nuclear materials everywhere, reducing nuclear stockpiles, maintaining stability in Afghanistan and Central Asia, developing new security arrangements in East Asia and improving prospects for peace in the Middle East. Russia must also be included in any comprehensive discussion of global energy and environmental issues.

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http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-albright9-2008jul09,0,4103569.story


Madeleine K. Albright served as secretary of State and William J. Perry served as secretary of Defense under President Clinton. Albright is now a principal of the Albright Group. Perry is a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and co-director of the Preventive Defense Project.