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2005-04-25 05:03:45 UTC
Love affair with Russia
By Nicholas Kralev
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
MOSCOW -- Russia was the 18th country that Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice visited since she assumed office three months ago, but
no other trip was more personal for her than the 24-hour stop in Moscow
last week.
It was so personal, in fact, that she allowed herself to tell
Russian President Vladimir Putin that she disagrees with his vision
"about the future course" of his country.
American officials have long been accused of offering unsolicited
advice to other countries on subjects from democracy to economic
development to human rights.
But Miss Rice's remark to the leader of such a vast and
strategically important country -- who also has a close relationship
with President Bush -- grew out of an affinity for Russia that she once
compared to a love affair.
"There is something about certain cultures that you just take to,"
she said in an interview five years ago, when serving as a campaign
adviser to Mr. Bush.
"It's like love -- you can't explain why you fall in love. Culture
is something you can adopt, and I have a great affinity for Russia. It
certainly has nothing to do with my ethnic heritage."
Miss Rice's personal interest in Russia dates back to her college
years and was inspired by Josef Korbel, a diplomat and professor at the
University of Denver where she earned her bachelor's and doctorate
degrees. Mr. Korbel was the father of Madeleine K. Albright, the
Clinton administration secretary of state.
Miss Rice, who was provost at Stanford University in the 1990s,
learned to speak almost fluent Russian, although she acknowledges she
has neglected it since she left academia to become Mr. Bush's national
security adviser four years ago.
In Moscow last week, she ventured only a few sentences in her
hosts' language in two local interviews, commenting on her difficulty
with Russian grammar with its "horrific" six cases. "It's difficult to
speak without mistakes," she told Radio Ekho Moskvy.
In that same live interview, the secretary voiced her regret that
many Russians -- including those in government -- still view the United
States as a strategic adversary.
"I would say to people, the United States is not an enemy of Russia
-- it's not against Russian interests," she said. "What we want very
much is to have a constructive and friendly relationship with Russia
based on common values where we can solve common problems."
Later that day, Miss Rice told reporters on her plane that Russians
will continue to harbor Cold War stereotypes about the United States
for some time.
"It used to be that it was the Soviet Union and the United States.
It was a period in which there was heavy propaganda about the American
role. I remember that there was heavy propaganda about why the Soviet
Union broke up, about what role the United States may have played in
that," she said.
"And you have to remember that it takes a long time to overcome
attitudes when people have been told that ... it's a zero-sum game
between the United States and the Soviet Union."
In the 2000 interview, Miss Rice said "it was initially hard for
the Russians to accept" her when she began dealing with them in 1989 as
a special assistant for Soviet and Eastern European affairs for
President George Bush.
"I never figured out whether it was because I was female, or black,
or young. But by and large, they've managed to deal with it," she said.
Accepting her is not a problem today, and she says she has friendly
and truly meaningful conversations with Mr. Putin, whom she told last
week that he has accumulated too much power.
"He's actually quite easy to talk to. He is willing to talk about
difficult subjects and does it without being defensive. And he is
someone who obviously wants his country to succeed," Miss Rice said in
an interview with Fox News last week.
"We haven't always agreed about the future course of Russia, but
there is no doubt that this man is a patriot; he cares deeply about his
people, deeply about his country," she said.
By Nicholas Kralev
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
MOSCOW -- Russia was the 18th country that Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice visited since she assumed office three months ago, but
no other trip was more personal for her than the 24-hour stop in Moscow
last week.
It was so personal, in fact, that she allowed herself to tell
Russian President Vladimir Putin that she disagrees with his vision
"about the future course" of his country.
American officials have long been accused of offering unsolicited
advice to other countries on subjects from democracy to economic
development to human rights.
But Miss Rice's remark to the leader of such a vast and
strategically important country -- who also has a close relationship
with President Bush -- grew out of an affinity for Russia that she once
compared to a love affair.
"There is something about certain cultures that you just take to,"
she said in an interview five years ago, when serving as a campaign
adviser to Mr. Bush.
"It's like love -- you can't explain why you fall in love. Culture
is something you can adopt, and I have a great affinity for Russia. It
certainly has nothing to do with my ethnic heritage."
Miss Rice's personal interest in Russia dates back to her college
years and was inspired by Josef Korbel, a diplomat and professor at the
University of Denver where she earned her bachelor's and doctorate
degrees. Mr. Korbel was the father of Madeleine K. Albright, the
Clinton administration secretary of state.
Miss Rice, who was provost at Stanford University in the 1990s,
learned to speak almost fluent Russian, although she acknowledges she
has neglected it since she left academia to become Mr. Bush's national
security adviser four years ago.
In Moscow last week, she ventured only a few sentences in her
hosts' language in two local interviews, commenting on her difficulty
with Russian grammar with its "horrific" six cases. "It's difficult to
speak without mistakes," she told Radio Ekho Moskvy.
In that same live interview, the secretary voiced her regret that
many Russians -- including those in government -- still view the United
States as a strategic adversary.
"I would say to people, the United States is not an enemy of Russia
-- it's not against Russian interests," she said. "What we want very
much is to have a constructive and friendly relationship with Russia
based on common values where we can solve common problems."
Later that day, Miss Rice told reporters on her plane that Russians
will continue to harbor Cold War stereotypes about the United States
for some time.
"It used to be that it was the Soviet Union and the United States.
It was a period in which there was heavy propaganda about the American
role. I remember that there was heavy propaganda about why the Soviet
Union broke up, about what role the United States may have played in
that," she said.
"And you have to remember that it takes a long time to overcome
attitudes when people have been told that ... it's a zero-sum game
between the United States and the Soviet Union."
In the 2000 interview, Miss Rice said "it was initially hard for
the Russians to accept" her when she began dealing with them in 1989 as
a special assistant for Soviet and Eastern European affairs for
President George Bush.
"I never figured out whether it was because I was female, or black,
or young. But by and large, they've managed to deal with it," she said.
Accepting her is not a problem today, and she says she has friendly
and truly meaningful conversations with Mr. Putin, whom she told last
week that he has accumulated too much power.
"He's actually quite easy to talk to. He is willing to talk about
difficult subjects and does it without being defensive. And he is
someone who obviously wants his country to succeed," Miss Rice said in
an interview with Fox News last week.
"We haven't always agreed about the future course of Russia, but
there is no doubt that this man is a patriot; he cares deeply about his
people, deeply about his country," she said.