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An Open Letter To President Bush Regarding Russian

Lorna Thomas - 5/20/2008

Over the last years I have written to both you and former President Clinton that Russia and Europe are steadily growing closer in unity and power as the U.S. and Britain decline in power and prestige. I have also written that unless changes occur, as horrifying as it is to contemplate, the U.S. like Britain, is heading into captivity to its enemies.

You have referred to the value of freedom, calling it a gift from God.

You have referred to Washington's role in protecting the people of the U.S.

You have also said you do not see Russia as “an enemy” or a “military threat”.


In 2001 after your first meeting, you stated you looked into President Putin's eyes and had a “sense of his soul”. You found him “straightforward” and “trustworthy”. "He's a man deeply committed to his country and the best interests of his country,” you said. President Putin was among the first leaders to contact you after the events of 11 September, 2001

The question has been asked whether your personal relationship with President Putin helped shape your views on foreign policy with Russia, even when conflicting with the interests of the U.S.? A recent case in point is the signing of the strategic framework declaration in Sochi on 6 April, 2008 by yourself and President Putin and the nuclear co-operation agreement signed by U.S. and Russian officials on 6 May, 2008, allowing Russia access to nuclear fuel.

The strategic framework declaration of 6 April, 2008 states:

“Recalling our Joint Statement of November 13, 2001 on a New Relationship

Between the United States and Russian and our Joint Declaration of May 24, 2002, we reaffirm that the era in which the United States and Russia considered one another an enemy or strategic threat has ended.“


The declaration also proposes a joint Russian-EU-U.S. missile defense shield, a proposal you called a “significant breakthrough”, but which President Putin actually proposed in 2000.

“Missile Defense. The leaders expressed their interest in creating a system for responding to potential missile threats in which Russia and the United States and Europe will participate as equal partners.

Russia has made clear that it does not agree with the decision to establish sites in Poland and the Czech Republic and reiterated its proposed alternative. Yet, it appreciates the measures that the United States has proposed and declared that if agreed and implemented such measures will be important and useful in assuaging Russian concerns.

We agreed to intensify our dialogue after Sochi on issues concerning missile defense cooperation both bilaterally and multilaterally.”

During 2007, while tensions escalated between the U.S. and Russia in what some saw as the return of the Cold War, President Putin consistently rejected the U.S. proposal of a missile defense system in Europe to ward off attack from so-called “rogue states”.

Mr Putin has steadfastly shown resistance to a system in Poland and the Czech Republic, two countries with which Russia has had, respectively, a history of enmity and occupation. Yet in 2007 at Kennebunkport, while opposing the U.S. plan, President Putin made the surprise offer that the U.S. could use the Gabala radar station Russia leases from Azerbaijan (part of the USSR prior to independence) and later, in September, Moscow suggested the possibility of a defense system in southern Russia.

For all the rhetoric and tension surrounding the missile defense system, it should be realized that President Putin has never been against a defense system in Europe. On the contrary, a joint defense system between Russia and Europe and the U.S. was Mr Putin's own suggestion to the Clinton administration and actively promoted to European leaders in 2000. Analysts at the time saw this proposal as detrimental for U.S. Security, instead leaving the U.S. open to attack from Russia, rather than a feared attack from so-called “rogue states”.

U.S. initial involvement in a joint European-Russian defense system does not guarantee this will continue, particularly once Russia is fully integrated into Europe or if relations deteriorate between the U.S. and the country having the system on its soil, be it Russia or another European country.

It is important to realize Russia's primary strategic alignment and co-operative goal in the future is with Europe – not with the U.S. The implications of a vast new superpower which includes Russia as part of Europe are enormous. The U.S. therefore cannot and should not put its trust in a continued strategic partnership with Russia or Europe.

In the long term, personal opinions or relationships formed during your term of office may have little bearing on future U.S.-Russia relations. Russia's leadership determines the path it follows and if, in the future, Russia finds itself under the leadership of a military strongman, contrary to what may now be believed, Russia - and in particular in combination with a united Europe - has the potential to be an enemy and powerful military threat to the U.S.

In order to contemplate this possibility, it may help to look back to the not too distant past and consider the words of a Russian general who at the time was described as a “warrior waiting in the wings”, a likely contender for the role of president after Boris Yeltsin and under whom Russia had the distinct possibility of proving a military threat to the U.S.

Former General Aleksandr Lebed was extremely popular in Russia. Prior to his death in a helicopter crash on 28 April 2002, he was viewed as a likely future Czar of Russia, a thought many in the West found distinctly disconcerting.

Would your views on U.S.-Russia relations have been different had he been President? What if a military leader like Lebed would in the future rise to power in Russia and in Europe? Would you still think that Russia poses no military threat or did not have the potential to be an enemy?

Aleksandr Lebed has been quoted as saying: “Some folks in the West discount the Russian army's potential too quickly and lightly... Teeth are made not only for chewing but also for baring them sometimes."

Lebed once stated on TV that a strong military with a heavy reliance on nuclear weapons was needed, lest other powers "wipe their feet on us and turn Russia into "a supplier of cheap labor and raw materials and a waste dump."

Lebed had a voice so deep, it was compared to artillery fire. He commanded Russia's elite airborne forces and was popular amongst soldiers, a young soldier in the 14th Army describing him "as intelligent as Albert Einstein and as strong as Arnold Schwarzenegger”. He was regarded as a ‘Russian soldier’s soldier’, a true 'warrior'. He was involved in conflicts in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Armenia. He used military force in Moldova to stop an ethnic conflict that had cost hundreds of lives.

He was known as a "severe and ruthless Soviet commander". A former amateur boxer, he once lined up 12 officers accused of bullying subordinates and broke their jaws one by one.

Alexandr Lebed was described as charismatic, authoritarian, blunt, a strong leader, decisive, inflexible, uncompromising, unwilling to negotiate. One of Lebed's deputies stated that "once he has made a decision, nothing on earth will persuade him to change his mind.

A nationalist, he declared 'I have never served Tsars, or Commissars, or Presidents. They are mortal men and they come and go. I serve only the Russian state, and the Russian people, which are eternal.' (September 6, 1994)

Lebed was born in Novocherkassk on 20 April 1950 and died on 28 April 2002 – coincidentally sharing Hitler's date of birth on 20 April 1889 and Mussolini's date of death on 28 April 1945. Lebed grew up in a Cossack-dominated area. Historically, Cossacks formed the vanguard of the Russian military and Lebed advocated combining the tradition of the Cossacks with the skills of the elite VDV.

He said: "We must call into the army people who have war in their blood. The army should have the type of soldier Mama will not steal."

During 1991-1992, Lebed was deputy commander in chief responsible for combat training of all airborne forces. From 1992 till June 95, he became commander of the 14th Army stationed in the Trans-Dniester Republic. He was a presidential candidate in the 1996 elections running against Boris Yeltsin.

As security chief, Lebed was fired by Yeltsin on October 17, 1996, one day after the former general was accused of building his own army in an attempt to seize power. From 1998 till his death in 2002, he was governor of Siberia’s vast and mineral rich Krasnoyarsk, which makes up one-seventh of Russia’s land mass, producing cobalt, nickel and platinum.

At the time of the 1994-1996 war Lebed was an outspoken critic of the invasion of Chechnya and maintained "If the Chechens want to secede, let them – on tough but civilized conditions that would require them to bear all the burdens of an independent state. I think Chechnya would say, No, thank you, we can't do it.” While Lebed peace brokered the conflict in Chechnya in 1996, President Putin would wage war in Chechnya in 1999.

Although appearing adverse to initially using the military to control ethnic conflicts, once involved, Lebed's primary goal was the restoration of order, and to accomplish this he favoured overwhelming force. "You pound your fist on the table one time, the pieces fly, and the problem is handled. Therefore, of course, I am in favor of severe but well-considered solutions, because you have to strike twice—once on the head and once on the lid of the coffin."

Other statements reflecting Lebed’s philosophy include: "He who shoots first laughs last." New York Times, January 17, 1996

"People aren't given teeth just to chew with. They need to be shown from time to time. Strength makes the world go around." Argumenty i fakty, April 1995

If NATO began expanding through Eastern Europe he said, "World War Three will start. Civilized and uncivilized states will be destroyed, everybody and everything." April 1995.

"I'm not one to praise Pinochet... but he saved the state from total collapse... The loudmouths were forced, and forced in a brutal manner, to shut their mouths." July 1994.

On the War of Transnistria he is quoted as stating: "I told the hooligans [separatists] in Tiraspol and the fascists [government] in Chisinau -- either you stop killing each other, or else I'll shoot the whole lot of you with my tanks."

"God created people big and small. Colonel Colt invented his revolver to even things out." Mayak Radio Network, Moscow, June 24,1996

"Every country's population is divided as follows. Five percent are the smartest and best, and five percent are the most unrepentant scoundrels. Between them is a swamp of 90 percent who go where they're told." Suomen Kuvalehti, September 8, 1995

"Most Russians don't care whether they are ruled by fascists or communists or even Martians as long as they can buy six kinds of sausage in the store and lots of cheap vodka." - Financial Times, September 6,1994.

"On his standing with Chechen rebels after negotiating Russia's withdrawal ''The Chechens put Allah in first place. In second, they put me.''" New York Times, "The Quotable Lebed", 23 January 1997

Lebed, once portrayed in an independent TV puppet show as ‘The Terminator’, was also well known for his statements of religious intolerance in 1996 which sent shock waves through religious communities, including the Mormons and Jewish community, when he referred to ‘vile sects’ as ‘mould and scum’, viewing them as enemies of the state.

Asked on public television ORT if he would consider the post of prime minister, he replied "if there is nobody else more qualified in the economic field to resolve the problems.”"..a deep knowledge of economics is not essential," he said. "What is essential is to lead through very tough actions while remaining within the law." "I've been trained as a paratrooper and I can't be a normal prime minister but a prime minister for crises, without a doubt".

The world in 2007 and 2008 seems to be facing increasing crises in terms of the economy, food, weather, war. At the same time, Russia and Europe are forging increasingly closer ties, including military ones. Several years ago I wrote: “... with Russia part of that united Europe, with shared military might, economic links and even common religious roots (in the past Moscow was viewed as the third Rome) a united Russia and Germany’s impact upon the free world, and in particular upon America and Britain would be enormous.


“With memories of a World War which began amidst a peace treaty between Russia and Germany, as German and Russian relations and co-operation increase, including plans discussed (March 98) to build a highway from Berlin to Moscow, for many a nightmare scenario does seem to be in imminent danger of becoming reality - America and Britain, leaders of the free world, losing their power and status as Russian leadership becomes willing and eager to flex military muscle to sort out ‘crises’, together with a powerful and influential Germany.”


While you may not have looked in Aleksandr Lebed's eyes, Mr Bush, I believe you should take heed of his words and focus in order to consider the direction Russia could have taken and can still take under a military leader like Lebed.


It is of note that in March 1994, shortly before he died, former U.S. President Richard Nixon said, "Those who suggest that because of its vast problems, Russia should no longer be treated as a world power, ignore an unpleasant but undeniable truth. Russia is the only nation in the world that can destroy the United States."


As Mr Putin leaves the presidential office and takes up his role as Prime Minister, Russia is now in a far better strategic position than it was, with restored confidence and increased wealth.


Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is also bringing influence to bear in the missile defense issue. According to Ria Novosti in July 2007, a panel called "Russia-USA: A Look Into the Future", led by Mr Kissinger and former Russian Prime Minister Yevgeny Primakov held talks in Moscow.

“Addressing the panel's first meeting, Putin thanked its participants for their quick response to the idea to set up such a high-level group, first aired during his April meeting with Kissinger and Primakov, and urged them to keep the debate as close to the ground as possible.”


The U.S. team included former Secretary of State George Schultz; former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin; former Special Representative for Arms Control, Nonproliferation and Disarmament Ambassador Thomas Graham, Jr; former Senator Sam Nunn; and Chevron Chairman and Chief Executive Officer David O'Reilly. The Russian team included Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov; former Ambassador to the U.S. Yuly Vorontsov; Deputy Board Chairman of UES Russia Leonid Drachevsky; UC Rusal Deputy Chief Executive Officer Alexander Livshits, and former Soviet Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mikhail Moiseyev.


Henry Kissinger who served under Richard Nixon told Russia Today in an exclusive interview broadcast on 6 May, 2008 that he believes Russia and the U.S. will be strategic partners rather than opponents. Dr Kissinger personally strongly advocates working together with Russia in Azerbaijan or South of Russia in the field of missile defense. While he said the U.S. will not give up plans in Poland and the Czech Republic, they have offered not to place missiles until Iran actually tests missiles which threaten the U.S. or Europe, something Kissinger believes is still “quite a few years in the future.”

Based on this, the likely outcome is that if the U.S. has committed to waiting for a few years, Russia would instead build a defense system on its own soil in the interim, and U.S. plans for a defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic may never materialize.


The nuclear co-operation agreement earlier inked by yourself and Mr Putin at a summit and discussed again at Sochi in April 2008 was signed on 6 May, President Putin's last full working day in office, by Russia's top nuclear official Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russia's state-owned nuclear company, Rosatom and U.S. Ambassador William Burns. You want the agreement approved this year.

The U.S. controls much of the world's nuclear fuel and the agreement will help Russia achieve its goal of establishing an international nuclear fuel storage facility by importing and storing spent fuel. The agreement with Washington is key to Russia's plans to build a nuclear fuel reprocessing facility in eastern Siberia. In return, the U.S. is to be given access to Moscow's nuclear technology. Again, like the one signed at Sochi, this agreement will ultimately benefit Russia and Europe, rather than the U.S.


Mr Bush, like Henry Kissinger, you may see Russia as a strategic partner rather than opponent, but contrary to your expressed sentiments as well as those in the strategic framework declaration of 6 April 2008, Russia, especially under a military strongman like Lebed, has a very real chance of becoming both an enemy and a military threat to the U.S. The strategic partnership of the future will be between Russia and Europe – the U.S. will not be included in it's defense system.


President Putin organized the inauguration of Dmitry Medvedev to fall on 7 May, 2008, his own appointment as Prime Minister occurred on 8 May shortly before the Victory Day Parade on 9 May which saw Russian tanks and nuclear missile launchers in Red Square for the first time since the post Soviet era.


Associated Press reported that on 5 May, 2008 President Putin said on state television. "We are able to defend our people, our citizens, our state, our riches — of which there is quite a lot." He stated "This isn't saber-rattling. We are not threatening anyone." At this stage, Russia may be sending out the message that it is acting purely defensively, yet at the same time it has issued threats, including of pre-emptive nuclear strikes and it is re-arming. The way is being prepared for Russia, under strong military leadership, to play a very prominent role in Europe and the world.


Instead of underestimating Russia's potential, President Bush, I believe you would do well to consider the advice of one of the world's most ancient and influential books on military strategy, “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.


“He who exercises no forethought but makes light of his opponents is sure to be captured by them.”


But even more so, the words of another ancient Book should be heeded.


Ancient Israel was warned of what would happen to them if they forgot and forsook the God they professed to worship and His Laws for other gods and customs in their honour, including veneration of idols and images, in so doing provoking God to jealousy and anger.


From enjoying the blessings of abundance, peace, prestige, well-being and freedom, if they turned away from Him, Israel was warned they would experience increasing troubles as God pleaded with them to return to Him. These included weather upsets and economic troubles and God would use their enemies to punish them if they still refused to heed, finally delivering them into captivity.

You have spoken of the gift of freedom, but the future for the U.S. and Britain is looking more and more uncertain. From being the world's leading nations, they appear to be increasingly experiencing the removal of blessings for obedience replaced by curses or punishments for disobedience as spoken of in Lev 26 and Deut 28. Unless lessons are learned, history repeats itself. I would urge you to read these chapters and consider that they do apply to the U.S. in order to see what lies ahead - unless changes are made. The final blessing that is removed is freedom.

For a period, under strong German and Russian leadership, with Latin and Latin American influence, Europe including Russia is set in the future to become a dominant force in the world. Europe and Russia are becoming increasingly aligned in military, political, economical and religious spheres.

A striking parallel is seen in what is happening to the U.S. and Britain and what occurred to ancient Israel. Again, unless the lessons of history are learned, they are destined to be repeated. Ancient Israel suffered increasing troubles before going into captivity to their enemies, whom God used to punish them. As terrible as it is to contemplate, unless the U.S. and Britain turn back to God before it is too late, after experiencing more and more troubles including famine, war and pestilence, freedom will be the final “gift” God removes.

Once that happens, only God will be able to deliver those who turn back to Him in captivity and restore the gift and the blessing of freedom.

The U.S. and Britain should not place their trust in alliances or partnerships which cannot help, but should put their trust in the God of the Bible Whom they profess to worship and Who in the past has blessed them so greatly in all things, including freedom.