Bigger and badder “rogue” states

The so-called Russian parliament recently gave Vladimir Putin “permission” to annex the Crimea from the Ukraine, which is only interesting insofar as the Russian parliament—thanks to rigged elections that suppress Putin opponents—is nothing more than Putin’s personal sycophants, rubber-stamping his every period and apostrophe. It is fair to ask to if Russia is now what is called a “rogue” state, like North Korea. It is certainly true that it plays by its own rules, the rest of the world be damned. Even when the U.S. makes its own international forays, rightly or wrongly, it always does so with at least the fig leaf of international and diplomatic “legitimacy.” 

Perhaps Russia is getting its cues from China as well as North Korea, the latter which seems to constantly defy logic and international pressure. China recently “scolded” U.S. officials for making “unhelpful” comments about Chinese policy that it regarded as “provocative,” such as over its disputed claim over the South China Sea. Chinese officials have been acting like the bullies on the block, making threats of uncertain nature, but sinister in tone. U.S. trade to China is but a fraction of Chinese trade to the U.S., but the Chinese do have the U.S. over a barrel on the holding of U.S. debt and investments. 

Previous administrations have not aroused the ire of Chinese officials (save for occasional bleats about human rights), by allowing the “free market” to ship American jobs there, and doing nothing to relax the completely out-of-whack trade imbalance between the two countries. Now, China behaves as if it is doing the U.S. a “favor” by even having mid-level meeting about the Chinese holding hostage the world economy, and acts like a put-upon parent who will withhold lunch money from a recalcitrant child. The U.S. is left looking like the weakling at the beach, getting sand kicked in his face. 

But while China has blackmail cards in its hand, Russia has little of vital importance to threaten the U.S. with. Europe, on the other hand, is dependant on Russian oil, so Putin knows he can largely ignore the U.S., since its European partners will acquire cold feet soon enough. With the UN being a helpless observer of Russian machinations in the Ukraine (not to mention the provocative actions of the Chinese), who is going to stop the new “bad boys” on the block who don’t care what other nations think of their actions? With the world economy as entangled as it is now, every move has an equal negative counter effect, and talk is cheaper than ever.