Il est trop rare de d\u00e9couvrir un texte court, percutant, irradiant la culture et la connaissance de l’histoire du monde, pour r\u00e9sister au plaisir de revenir \u00e0 celui de William Pfaff, du 19 ao\u00fbt<\/a>, d\u00e9j\u00e0 cit\u00e9 hier<\/a> dans notre texte sur l’OTAN, combien de divisions ?. Il est si rare de trouver en si peu de lignes, magnifiquement pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 en allant au cur de la chose, avec les r\u00e9f\u00e9rences historiques imparables qui importent, une pr\u00e9sentation aussi juste de la d\u00e9risoire et consid\u00e9rable catastrophe qu’est la crise g\u00e9orgienne pour la politique occidentale. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tPfaff fait un historique impeccable, d’une part de l’attitude de l’Ouest vis-\u00e0-vis de la Russie depuis 1990-91, des mensonges, des promesses non tenues, de la constante indiff\u00e9rence m\u00e9prisante pour les int\u00e9r\u00eats et pour la dignit\u00e9 de la Russie durant ces dix-huit ann\u00e9es, d’autre part de l’arri\u00e8re-plan historique de la r\u00e9gion. L\u00e0-dessus, s’il vous pla\u00eet de pinailler \u00e0 propos du droit international respect\u00e9 ou pas durant cette crise, par des experts de la paille et de la poutre, et de la chose depuis le Kosovo jusqu’\u00e0 l’Irak, \u00e0 votre bon cur et grand bien vous fasse. Le court expos\u00e9 de Pfaff met tout cela \u00e0 sa juste place, qui est une querelle m\u00e9diocre sur le sexe des anges d\u00e9chus poursuivie par des voleurs pris la main dans le sac (on les a vus, les voleurs, rassembl\u00e9s avant-hier \u00e0 l’OTAN).<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \tTout le texte m\u00e9rite citation, certes. Mais puisqu’il faut choisir, nous choisissons la p\u00e9roraison, qui d\u00e9crit si bien la politique occidentale et am\u00e9ricaniste, situe le niveau de l’acolyte de service responsable du d\u00e9sastre en lui souhaitant joyeusement quelque destin exp\u00e9ditif (\u00abPerhaps a friend will preempt an indignant citizenry by offering Saakashvili a bottle of Scotch and a loaded pistol, and locking the office door <\/em>\u00bb). Brave cur en m\u00eame temps qu’esprit furieux de tant d’incomp\u00e9tence satisfaite, Pfaff fait le vu que les Europ\u00e9ens sauront se r\u00e9veiller de leur l\u00e9thargie servile, si interminable, si ennuyeuse de m\u00e9diocrit\u00e9 au bout du compte. On verra.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00abOne can understand that a hysterical and demagogic Georgian nationalist like Mikhail Saakashvili might think he could wipe out long-standing ethnic dissidence in his country by attacking Russian peacekeepers legally stationed in those enclaves to protect the dissidents. But who in Washington is promoting this strategy of hostile military and political encirclement of Russia? What conceivable interest of the West does this serve?<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbIt is a senseless policy, apparently meant to intimidate Russia, but why? For the sake of perpetuating international tension so as to strengthen the forces that with Cheney and Bush have been promoting constitutionally unaccountable executive rule in the United States?<\/em> <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbThis is a very serious matter, being treated in the American press as if the United States has not been playing with dynamite. Russia is a powerful and nuclear-armed nation with legitimate national interests. Russia is no longer the messianic and ideological state with world ambitions the Soviet Union was. Those adjectives describe the United States today, as well as the policy towards Russia conducted under both Bush and Clinton administrations.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbThe most sensible advice I have seen has come from Europeans, directed towards other Europeans. It is to break away from this American policy of senseless and aggressive confrontation with Russia, and follow the successful Sarkozy mediation in Georgia with an effort to establish European terms for resolving this crisis, ignoring the United States.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbSaakashvili is not likely to prove an obstacle. His people may soon rid themselves of the author of this fiasco, which humiliated his own country, NATO, and the United States as well. Perhaps a friend will preempt an indignant citizenry by offering Saakashvili a bottle of Scotch and a loaded pistol, and locking the office door. Bush and Rice too will soon be off the stage although who knows what will follow.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\u00bbThe European initiative makes sense. Forget Washington and approach Russia with a proposal for a new and constructive relationship with Europe, with arbitration and resolution of its problems with Poland, Ukraine and Georgia in the same way that similar issues have been handled inside Europe. It would take a very brave Europe to do this, but the U.S. on its present course may leave it with little choice.<\/em>\u00bb<\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \tMis en ligne le 21 ao\u00fbt 2008 \u00e0 08H20<\/p>\n<\/p>\n