Casting Blame

These things do happen. Matters getting out of hand. The best laid plans and all that. There is a spirit of bonhomie, and then suddenly, everything collapses because of some unforeseen incident, as a result of a lapse of diplomatic niceties. One cannot, after all, extend warmth and companionship on the one hand, and consolidate it with a slap in the face. But it does happen. And when it does, there are unfortunate consequences.

Take, for example, the incident that took place in Israel, with the visit of American Vice-President Joe Biden. With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doing his utmost to assure Mr. Biden that Israel was fully cognizant of the strictures that the United States' administration was placing on its ambitions to ensure that the aspirations of the Palestinian Authority not be cast asunder by any unfortunate moves.

All was sweetness and light, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, until the Israeli media came out with the revelation that the Israeli government intended to proceed with building in east Jerusalem. Not then and there, but these were future plans, and had long since been cast for processing; this was simply an ill-timed revelation in the media of work already scheduled to proceed. Bad timing.

Even though the Palestinian Authority at the very same time was blessing and celebrating Palestinian "martyrs" whose martyrdom was achieved at the cost of the lives of Israeli citizens, at the very time that the United States was vigorously pursuing the PA to halt its support for terrorist activities, and Mr. Biden selectively chose to overlook that little item.

It was his insulted reaction to the news of routine public works scheduling - seen as an affront to him personally as the signal representative of President Barack Obama, who brooks no dissent from those whose dependence upon him and the largess of the United States- that was later manifested in public rebukes and very public indignities visited upon a later-visiting PM Netanyahu, in Washington.

Stern, strict, confrontational, and demanding.

Now take the situation where friendly ties were being burnished heralding a new era of trust and understanding between the United States and Russia, two long-time adversaries on the world stage, but needing to come together in a spirit of amity for the well-being of the Globe, and the necessity to halt nuclear proliferation. At the G8 and G20 meetings in Canada, Presidents Medvedev and Obama were open and friendly.

During President Dmitri Medvedev's visit to Washington he was wined and dined and friendlied by President Obama to the nth degree. And then, oh dear, a diplomatic faux pas. The revelations that the long-term presence of no fewer than eleven Russian spies on American soil had been uncovered. Espionage, that very dirty word. A scandal.

Suddenly the warmth threatens to cool down.

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin made light of the zeal of the American security agents unveiling their meticulous work in unravelling the presence and activities of the Russian spies who had lived, thrived, and infiltrated the U.S. establishment for the purpose of securing vital data to be funnelled back to their handlers. Didn't happen.

Barking up the wrong tree, fellas.

Anger there may be, but it is on gentle sizzle, and seems destined to remain at that level, until it fizzles out. As long as no other embarrassing and untoward undercover activities are revealed to the detriment of both sides. President Barack Obama did not receive a dressing down by either the Russian President nor the Prime Minister. Although the Russian press are having a go at it.

There is much to gain in letting this matter fade into the distance. There is much to lose in either side feigning umbrage and outrage. For, as the editor of one Russian news website commented, "After all this is the only successful avenue in his [Obama's] foreign policy."