Cossaks Regain Control of Moral Steppes, Westeners Remain Puzzled

from RT

"On Tuesday, Russia threw its support behind a UN resolution that calls on Washington to end the trade embargo, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. "We hope that after the US government eases its embargo in certain areas – in particular, on US citizens' visiting relatives in Cuba, as well as on making money transfers and postal orders. Other steps for the final lifting of the embargo will follow," the Russian ambassador said from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly. He stressed that Russia has consistently called for the termination of the embargo, in addition to halting “political and military pressure that aggravates confrontational tendencies in international relations." 

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to condemn the US commercial, economic and financial embargo against Cuba.

 Russia was among 188 UN member states that voted in favor of the resolution, which calls on Washington to lift the embargo against Cuba "as soon as possible." 

Only the United States, Israel and Palau voted against the document."

Let's stipulate that RT is obviously a propaganda organ that mostly highlights American failures and doesn't highlight Russian ones; and further stipulate Russian policy is very much reactively against American, with a high probability that it would move into any areas conceded by American power. This move is significant when paired with recent changes in American law to enable cash transfers to Cuba, and the recent news that Cuba will allow un- or anyway less-restricted emigration.


This should be headline news, but it doesn't seem to be. I assume this is because there is a lot happening back-channel that would be damaging to parse out in the public sphere. Braver people than I could try to determine why Israel voted against it or what are their ties to the anti-cuban lobby. Smarter people than I might explore the whole embargo issue, and I'm sure they have. I just say Madelaine Allbright; case closed.  My basic objection is that only the powerless suffer from embargoes while their leaders, popular or not are the very last to feel the effects. We have given up the moral high ground, so we will lose every propaganda advantage. Straussians say it doesn't matter, but since I don't want any Empire (including ours) to succeed or prosper, I welcome the pushback. Pat Buchanan marked the battle for Falluja as the high water mark for the American forward momentum. I hope that this is confirmation that it continues to recede to at least "realist" levels, if never constitutional or rational levels.