Russian pundit Yulia Latynina sharply and eloquently attacks Vladimir Putin’s strategy of trying to moderate Hamas, Iran and North Korea by engaging them diplomatically. Published in Russia’s St. Petersburg Times:
There are two problems with this strategy. For starters, Hamas, Iran and North Korea foster no illusions about Russia. If rogue states want to sell out to the West, they can do so without engaging Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as their agent. The plan was for the Kremlin to manipulate these rogue states for its own benefit. Instead, Hamas and the rest are using Russia to drag out negotiations at the United Nations and to ensure worldwide coverage of their declarations at Russian airports.
The second problem is that by holding talks with rogue states, Russia comes perilously close to being perceived as a rogue state in its own right. Rogue states are not countries with authoritarian regimes. In the world of realpolitik, no one cares what governments do to their own people. The rogues are countries with an unpredictable foreign policy.
