[Deb Palmieri on Russia Table of Contents] The following article was published in the Russian Commerce News, November-December 2001. The Russian Commerce News is the official publication of The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce®. |
The striking thing about war and terror is that it forces you to get your priorities straight. When those final heart-wrenching cell phone calls were made on September 11 by people on hijacked planes or from burning buildings, their words were almost universal. They didn't say "buy," "sell," "I am late to my job," "I have a project that has to get done," or "I am missing an important meeting." Universally, they called beloved family members and said "I love you and I will miss you." When on the threshold of death, priorities crystallize instantaneously. Those priorities are love, compassion and concern for family and humanity.
And so it was that priorities were straight in those unique moments between Russia and America after the terror attacks. When Mr. Putin called Mr. Bush, he wasn't thinking about differences on ABM, or any thorny areas of disagreement on foreign policy issues past and present; foremost in his mind was the sentiment, "I am so terribly sorry and how can I help you? Russia is there for you." Nor did Mr. Bush give a thought to his own list of grievances with Russia. His sentiment in response was "I am grateful for your offer, thank you for being there, and let's work together to defeat a common enemy that threatens all of civilization." Both leaders, in these exchanges and those that have followed, reflected the sentiments of their people, sentiments of warmth, sympathy and camaraderie towards each other, coupled with a steel will and the highest of morale to achieve victory in the war and rid the world of terrorism once and for all.
The events of September 11 constituted a watershed moment in world history for many reasons. One of those aspects is because of what it did to Russia and for Russia. What it did to Russia was to create an opportunity. It is known that President Putin deliberated carefully about his reaction to the attacks and that in fact earlier in the summer he had warned Washington that his intelligence suggested an impending assault of sorts. How this would play out, of course, was unknown. He was frustrated he couldn't get the message across. It seemed no one would listen. He was frustrated also that world public opinion condemned his actions in Chechnya, which he felt was his own struggle against terrorism on Russian soil. But here was an opportunity, and he would use it optimally.
At what I see will prove to be one of the most critical junctures in Russian history, Russia's president threw his weight and resources squarely in the camp of the U.S. fight against terrorism. He understood completely and thoroughly the implications of doing so and why it was important for Russia, the world, and of course, the U.S. Now, Russia is on course to achieve the type of economic development and global political standing that has eluded it for so long. Mr. Putin has optimally positioned Russian for the future.
What September 11 did for Russia was that it demonstrated to the world that Russia was a team player. A team player who had aligned its future with the Western world and who desired a course of political accommodation and economic integration with the West. Mr. Putin set Russia firmly on the path that Mr. Yeltsin has started the country out on. There are, of course, differences, between both sides, some major and there will continue to be, but all parties are better positioned to handle them now through normal channels.
There is an optimistic future between Russia and the U.S. and the jolting of September 11 helped us all define priorities, values and goals, for individuals as well as countries. We see the fundamentals much more clearly and the commonalities which bind us. This bodes well for the development of business relations and provides the necessary backdrop to remove Cold War barriers and obstacles. 2002 will yield significant gains in this respect, in my opinion.
To all of our member and friends, a very special and heartfelt holiday season and New Year, from all of us here at The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce®.
Deborah Anne Palmieri
Russian Commerce News, November-December 2001
Copyright 2001 The Russian-American Chamber of Commerce®