Putin, again...

I know I just read an article stating quite clearly that Russia (Medvedev, specifically) had announced that the nuclear arms reduction treaty between the US and Moscow was in its "final stages".

This morning I read that Putin announced that it was "held up" because of US anti-missile defense development, which was causing Russia to expand its offensive nuclear capacity.

This Putin-Medvedev regime is hell-bent to get back the former status of the USSR for modern Russia, and I am afraid Obama is going to pander and barter away more of America's advantage to "keep the peace". I'm certainly not in favor of a general reduction in nuclear weapons unless the US can maintain some kind of edge through the deal... that is the essence of diplomacy, isn't it? To be perfectly frank, "diplomacy" stems from the Latin diploma, which was an official document conferring privilege or advantage in station or status... and current American diplomats seem to have forgotten that root meaning to their title. Where is the privilege or advantage in status or station for the US when we keep giving away what little we still manage to hold in the way of progress or superior ability?

I'm not soft on Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan, by any means... but as far as long term issues that the US is currently ignoring, I'd say that Russia, and specifically Putin/Medvedev, are right at the top of that list. They are propping up a diseased and very dangerous regime in North Korea (via massive aid and food shipments directly to the communist government rather than humanitarian agencies within the country), they are in bed with Iran over oil and gas production and distribution both into and out of the region, they are not doing ONE THING to support US efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan, and they are constantly undermining efforts by NATO and the US to strengthen ties with former Eastern European (and especially former Warsaw Pact) states. Add to this the undeniable fact that they are making BILLIONS every month on gas and diesel exports to the EU and China... more than enough to fund the development and production of those "offensive" nuclear weapons he was referring to in today's press release... and I would venture to say that Russia's goals are not the same as America's goals.