Putin’s message to the US: There are no Superpowers anymore

Russian president Vladimir V. Putin’s open letter to the United States’ citizen in The New York Times appealing to resist military strikes against Syria has added to the tensions between Washington and Moscow. In the op-ed, which became the front page news, Putin has also asked US to return to the path of diplomacy.

While the heightening of tensions over a number of issues from Edward Snowden to Syria has given all the reasons to the Russian president to bypass the White House and talk directly to the world, it has also marked his rise as the crusader of world peace. He is actually making a forceful way towards defending the UN system, which was created for such matters. Of course, Russia has veto power in the Security Council but it has consistently tried to put UN’s decision on the foreground. Western countries, therefore, have blamed Moscow for impeding any concerted action against Syria.

While saying that the “potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in the killing of more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders” he made Moscow’s position more clear. He just gave an insight to the wider regional crisis that may arise because of the attacks.  Although, continuation of the Syrian crisis will also lead to a similar effect, which may lead to chaos and anarchy.

By saying that “Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multi-religious country,”‘ and that there are more “Qaeda fighters” that “champions of democracy” Putin charged US of making the situation more bloody by supplying weapons to the opposition. The opposition has deep links with al-Qaeda which may risk exposing Syria to extremism.

Russia has always said that national sovereignty should be paramount and no one should bypass UN Security council. In his letter too, Putin reiterated on this point saying that “the law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the deci’6sion of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.”

Presenting his view on the use of chemical weapons, Putin stuck with the view that the weaponry may have been used by the opposition in order to play US and force an intervention by the later. He also showed his disbelief in the US intelligence system and the proof that US is all the way talking about. He, in fact, tried to prove his point by stating reports of militants preparing another attack against Israel.

Putin tried to take a shot on the weariness in the US against war by saying that “millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan ‘you’re either with us or against us’.”

Moreover, when he says that “We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement” he actually means that the US has stopped believing in diplomacy and is actually promoting proliferation.

The overall tone of his letter is positive, warm and seeking peace and cooperation on Syria. But he hammers the US on the head by stating that Obama’s famous take on “American exceptionalism” calling the policy is “extremely dangerous”.

The signing off words by Putin, “We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal” make it loud and clear for the US- there are no superpowers anymore.