USAID closes: Moscow "poked a finger in the eye" with the Obama administration
The decision of the Kremlin to put an end to the activities of the US Agency for International Development in Russia is another blow to the "reset", media writes. This is a provocative and aggressive step aimed at stifling political dissent, commentators comment. Moscow insulted the US, Republicans say and demand a strong response from the Obama administration. Russia ordered the United States to stop financial support for a whole range of civil society programs, including in the areas of democracy and health care, reports The New York Times. “The Kremlin’s aggressive move”, “provocative decision” - this is how journalists David M. Hershenhorn and Ellen Barry regard this.
The Kremlin’s decision will put an end to 20 years of operation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Russia. Currently, USAID assistance in Russia amounts to about 50 million dollars per year. "The money is relatively small, but their lack of potential will be a crushing blow to organizations that have begun to rely on foreign funding when control over political life has tightened within Russia," the newspaper writes.
The US administration has already promised to circumvent the Kremlin's obstacles: according to an unnamed high-ranking official, work on creating a new foundation, which the Obama administration proposed to create in 2011, will accelerate. Its budget will be the same 50 million. "In fact, it will be a donation to a private foundation established in accordance with Russian law," the authors explain.
In recent months, the Kremlin has taken a series of measures to put pressure on non-governmental organizations and stifle political dissent, the newspaper reminds.
Russia is not alone: US efforts to build democracy are irritating in many countries, including the US allies - Egypt and Pakistan, the newspaper writes. Foreign leaders remember: during the Cold War, the Agency for International Development served as a cover for US intelligence agencies.
Be that as it may, the very suddenness of Russia's statement is a sign that Russian-American relations have deteriorated again, the authors say. In Washington, many are offended: Senator McCain said that Moscow insulted the United States and "poked a finger in the eye" of the Obama administration.
The Russian authorities "have already intimidated the press, and now they are trying to close public organizations," Grigory A. Melkonyants, deputy director of Golos, which receives USAID grants, commented on the situation. "This is the only independent organization in Russia that oversees the elections," explains the newspaper. According to Melkonyants, if it is possible to find alternative sources of financing, then perhaps in a year.
According to the publication, the programs, which were funded by the United States, provided Russia with decisive assistance: "these were, among other things, efforts to form capital markets, the financial system and the mortgage lending sector." The United States also funded the fight against the spread of tuberculosis, HIV and other health care programs. Since the beginning of the oil and gas boom, the department has directed more than half of the allocations to programs to support democracy and human rights.
"Russia is trying to destroy American support for democracy once and for all," says Yulia Ioffe in the title of an article for The New Republic.
The head of the "Voice" Lilia Shibanova sees in today's the news the closure of USAID is a new step in the offensive against democracy in Russia. "If it is true that the deadline is set for October 1, then it seems that the government is in a hurry to close us before the regional elections, which will take place on October 14," the newspaper quoted her opinion.
“When they found the“ spy stone ”, they began to look for“ foreign support. ”Then many sponsors refused to work with us, but we survived. We’ll think of something,” author Panthilov International in Russia, quoted the author.
"The Kremlin has done the most violent attacks on the US efforts to build democracy in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union," commented The Wall Street Journal’s decision to close the USAID unit.
This move was a blow to the "reset", which forced the leading Republicans to demand a decisive response from the American authorities. "This decision also puts Russia on the list of countries such as Egypt, whose leaders, seeing the mess at home, blamed it on the United States-funded program for building democracy," the article’s authors Allan Cullison and Keith Johnson say.
“This is a very bad signal,” Lilia Shibanova, director of the Golos Association, told RIA Novosti news agency. “These are our main means of election observation. I must say that there are very few funds in the world that finance election observation "
"For many organizations, this will be a serious blow," said Elena Panfilova, head of the Russian branch of Transparency International, which receives a significant part of funding from USAID. "There are many activities in Russia that no one else supports - protecting human rights and prisoners' rights. Their Russian funding is minimal. "
"This shameful action of the Russian government should provoke strong criticism at the highest level in the White House and the State Department," said US Republican Senator John McCain.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland refrained from criticizing the Kremlin, saying that it was a "sovereign decision" of Russia.
"Will Obama fight off insults from Putin?" - This issue in the light of news about the closure of USAID in Russia is asked by David J. Kramer, director of Freedom House, in an article for The Washington Post.
The Kremlin’s decision to terminate the activities of the United States Agency for International Development on its territory is only another sign of a year unfavorable for human rights in Russia, the author believes. Since May, widespread persecution of civil society and the opposition has been practiced, he explains.
The decision of the Obama administration, at Putin’s request, to terminate USAID’s activities in Russia is "unconditional surrender," Kramer argues. In his opinion, Washington should have "forced Putin to publicly expel USAID, which he probably would not have done." The Obama Administration’s consensus on Moscow’s request is “treachery and demoralization of Russian society, a dangerous precedent,” the author cautions.
Kramer recommends that the United States, "publicly and at the highest level," demand that Putin abandon his "campaign against NPOs", and "together with the Russians, challenge other problematic laws enacted this summer." "Western leaders, not official representatives, must clearly speak out against Putin's persecutions," the author concludes.
Repost from http://www.inopressa.ru/article/19sep2012/inotheme/usaid_obzor.html
These are interesting things going on, comrades.
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