Skirted Dogs of War: Clinton, Albright, Powers, Rice, Nuland. The Distinguished Role of Women in U.S. Foreign Policy
Madeleine Albright with KLA Leader Hashim Thaci
Until recently geo-politics was the exclusive domain of men. But not anymore it seems. When we look at who is calling the shots on Ukraine, it’s all the fairer sex who steer policy in Washington. Here is a list (in order of importance) of what some very eminent ladies have said on the geo-political or international issue, which can be likened in severity to the Cuban missile crisis or the stand off over the Berlin Wall back in 1962. Here is a round up of some of their views.
Madeline Albright also a former secretary of State and one of the main architects of the 1990s Balkans war has also made some rather skewed comparisons lately, which border on science fictional facts. Madame Albright has referred in a less than flattering fashion to Russia as being “Bangladesh with missiles.” Someone should perhaps remind the wise policy wizard that Russia is a BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) member state or an emerging market, which when taken together with the other BRICS makes up over 20% of the world’s trade. I wonder then what China is in her mind, maybe Cambodia or Nepal with nukes?
Then there are strong words coming out of Ambassador to the UN, Samantha “Interventionist” Powers calling Russia’s military moves on its doorstep (in other words, in their sphere of influence which the west can’t seem to accept) as (to paraphrase them) hostile acts of aggression. Let us recall, such remarks are coming from the architect of the Libya bombing campaign spearheaded by NATO but in which Washington ‘led from behind’.
Another worldly woman who seems to have President Obama’s year on the Ukraine crisis is Susan Rice, his National Security advisor. Ms Rice has warned or to put it diplomatically “cautioned” Moscow not to try and reinstate the democratically elected Ukraine leader who was deposed in a coup. As she put it such a move “would be a grave mistake”. All these mistakes and miscalculations on the part of Moscow, makes me wonder what the US would might do, if there was a coup, in let’s say the Philippines, and a gang of Islamic thugs ousted the president there. Would it be a “mistake” for Washington to use all means necessary to return “their” man or woman back to power. Here’s a discrete message for Ms Rice from a casual Viennese observer of international politics. I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if Moscow will do everything in its power to re-instate their alley in Ukraine, that is the deposed and legitimate and duly elected leader of Ukraine, President Yanukovych.
Finally there is the charming Victoria Nuland whose colourful diplomatic language and imprecations when describing the EU speak for itself