Tag: Putin

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Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize consideration

Russian President Vladimir Putin nominated for 2014 Nobel Peace Prize

On some strange, other-worldly plane, a group of people think President Putin is making the world a better place for someone.

Yesterday in Russia, based on his work in getting Syria to give up its chemical weapons stockpile, Members of the International Academy of Spiritual Unity and Cooperation of Peoples of the World nominated President Vladimir Putin for the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize.

While the Russian president has played a large role in what may solve chemical weapons use in Syria, Putin is hardly an “angel” in terms of humanity and peace.

From the Advocate:

As the New York Times reports, however, Putin has been involved in other nefarious acts, including waging war against Chechen people, approving an attack against Georgia over a border dispute, and continuing to allegedly sell weapons to the Syrian government.

He also has approved multiple antigay laws across Russia this year, garnering international attention. The laws condemn so-called LGBT propaganda, and bar foreign and Russian same-sex couples from adopting Russian children.

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Russian President Putin writes op-ed in NY Times regarding Syria

Russian President Vladimir Putin has written an op-ed for the New York Times entitled A Plea For Caution From Russia.

An excerpt:

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

 It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. 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.”

 But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

Later, he closes with:

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

 My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

Read the full essay here.

It will be interesting to see the response from both the political world and the pundits in terms of  Putin’s argument and that he used the New York Times to present it.

(via JMG)

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President Obama’s quick “hello” to Putin as he arrives in Russia for G20 Summit

That’s it, folks!

As President Obama arrived for the G20 Summit, he had what will probably be his only “meeting” with President Putin of Russia in this brief welcome moment with the Russian president.

Due to recent civil rights legislation in Russia, President Obama will not be sitting down with Putin to discuss any specific USA/Russia issues at this summit. BUT Obama will be meeting with LGBT groups from Russia. Good for Obama for showing compassion and outreach to the gays and lesbians of Russia.

Jonathan Capehart has written a great column on the divergence of LGBT rights and issues in Russia and the USA, and how the two leaders have handled the issues differently:

Just as the United States is expanding the reach of the Constitution’s guarantee of equal protection under the law, Russia is hell bent on denying protection to its LGBT people. Take what happened yesterday. In Washington, Attorney General Eric Holder announced that legally married same-sex couples would be eligible for veterans benefits. In Moscow, Alekei Zhuravlev, the deputy of the Russian State Duma, proposed an amendment that would deny parental custody to gay parents.

Each nation is riding a particular wave of momentum. The Supreme Court ruling in June that the so-called Defense of Marriage Act was unconstitutional set off a series of decisions that make same-sex couples whole in the eyes of the federal government. Meanwhile, Putin signed into law a bill passed unanimously in June by the Duma that banned “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations,” the definition of which is so broad and vague that the lives of LGBT Russians and tourists have been deemed illegal. A few days later, Putin signed legislation banning the adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples from nations that have adopted marriage equality. This prohibition applies to heterosexual couples and single adults from countries recognizing same-sex marriages.

Read the entire essay at WashingtonPost.com

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President Obama cancels meeting with Putin, has no patience for anti-gay laws

The White House announced Tuesday that President Barack Obama would not meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin for a one-on-one meeting this September because of the country’s record on human rights, among other conflicts that have arisen like granting asylum to NSA leaker Edward Snowden.

The meeting was scheduled to take place after the G-20 summit in St. Petersberg. The meeting was canceled due to a “lack of progress on issues like missile defense, arms control, trade and commercial relations, global security issues, and human rights and civil society,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said according to the Washington Blade.

The announcement followed Obama’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Tuesday in a wide-sweeping interview, which included conversations on the economy, the Affordable Care Act, and the current law in Russia that places a ban on so-called homosexual propaganda.

(via Advocate)

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The New York Times editorializes on Putin’s “war on gays”

Graphic via Memeographs

“The United State needs to be more forceful.  So does the International Olympic Committee, which too often fails to defend the Olympic ideals and should be leading a full-throated international campaign to insist that Russia repeal these laws.” – New York Times editorial board July 27, 2013

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Harvey Fierstein: “Get loud against Putin and his anti-gay pogrom”

From Harvey Fierstein’s Facebook page –

It’s time to start paying attention to what’s going on in Russia in case you haven’t yet. Putin has declared war on the gay community.

He’s made it illegal to promote homosexuality in theater, film, tv, print that in any way could be seen by youth. In other words anything gay is now pornography.

He’s outlawed the adopting of Russian children to any country that has legalized marriage equality.

And now it is reported that his next law will remove the children of GLBT families from their homes. This will apply to biological children as well as formerly adopted ones.

This is a horror. Not only for our community but even for straight families. Already divorced parents are threatening one another with blackmail to tell authorities that their ex is now gay just to control parental rights.

Putin wants this attack against human rights to be his legacy. He believes he can get the backing of the Vatican as well as all other conservative religious leaders to join his cause.

What can we do? Make his actions and his plans public. Shine the light of public opinion on this evil doer.
Boycott the Winter Olympics in Russia. Believe me, Putin will use the Olympics as proof that the world backs up his action. There are only two ways to deal with a tyrant: Starve out the rat, or destroy him.

So, my friends, do your research and then GET LOUD AGAINST PUTIN AND HIS ANTI-GAY POGROM. This is a very small world. Our brothers and sisters in Russia need us NOW!

(via Harvey Fierstein’s Facebook page)