‘Did he mean Alaska?’ Obama wrongly blames Russia for ‘trying to reclaim lands lost in 19th century’
Barack Obama has opened himself to widespread ridicule in Russia after making a history gaffe in a keynote speech in Estonia. Accusing Moscow of imperial ambitions, the US President suggested Russia is trying to reclaim some lands it “lost” 150 years ago.
“Reaching back to the days of the tsars, trying to reclaim
lands lost in the 19th century is surely not the way to secure
Russia’s greatness in the 21st century,” Obama said to the rapturous applause of his
Estonian audience in Tallinn hall, where he was promising to
defend the Baltic States from the Kremlin.
It was a neat and dramatic soundbite – contrasting the ages of
monocles and crowns with that of drones and iPhones – and a
callback to US Secretary of State John Kerry, who accused Russia
of acting in a “19th century fashion” in Crimea back in
spring.
There was one problem, though: the quote made little sense.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry was quick to gleefully point out
Obama’s gaffe.
#ThursdayQuiz for hobby historians: what parts of Russia meant Barack Obama that were lost in the 19th century? pic.twitter.com/7wJxhGhE3N
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) September 4, 2014
As a matter of fact, Russia did not “lose” any lands on the Eurasian continent in the 19th century. A side-by-side comparison of maps of the Russian Empire showing 19th- and early 20th-century borders would easily confirm this.
What the Russian Empire did do, however, was sell its overseas territories in North America to the US. The Russian Fort Ross settlement in California went to the US in 1842, while in 1867 Alaska was sold for a paltry $7.2 million (just over $100 million in today’s money).
Yet, unless Russia is sneakily preparing a run for Anchorage, it
is unlikely that Obama meant these, making the meaning of his
words rather mysterious.
Closer research shows that the Russian Empire was forced to give
up some of the land it occupied near the mouth of the Danube
after it lost the Crimean War in 1856. Part of that land, known
as Bessarabia at the time, returned to Russia in 1878.
However, in Crimea itself, the Russian strategic port of
Sevastopol was rebuilt and thrived as a trade and tourist center,
and no parts of the peninsula were lost as a result of the
conflict.
A final guess would be that Obama’s speechwriters visited the
Novorossiya page on Wikipedia, which states that this was an
administrative area of the Russian Empire, which approximately
encompasses current-day eastern Ukraine, “between 1764 and
1873.” Since the militias in Ukraine are calling for its
restoration, one could assume that Tsar Alexander II lost it due
to some poorly-documented war prior to 1873.
Yet nothing of that kind happened – the name change occurred for
formal administrative reasons – and the area remained part of the
Russian Empire, and subsequently of the Soviet Union, all the way
up to 1991, when Ukraine declared independence.
The remark immediately created a wave of outrage, headshaking and
repartee on hundreds of Russian blogs and Twitter accounts, with
Obama taking the role usually occupied by State Department
spokeswoman Jen Psaki or former Alaska governor Sarah Palin.
Ppl are in disbelief at President #Obama's claim that #Russia is upset about territorial losses of the 19th century: did he mean Alaska? :))
— Terre (@terbleu) September 4, 2014
Obama lacks a basic understanding of history and geography. Ukraine was lost 1917/1991; 19th century = loss of Alaska pic.twitter.com/Uy0Bb55owr
— Кирилл Каминец (@Fatalist_Rus) September 3, 2014
Some users sarcastically wondered if Obama was “afraid that the Kremlin decided to claim Alaska back.”
"Блоггеры и МИД зубоскалят: #Обама боится, что в Кремле решили вернуть #Аляска" #Украина
— УМКА ПРОТИВ!!! неСМИ (@UmkaVS) September 4, 2014
Others posted pictures showing made-up dialogues between Obama
and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with one of them saying:
“Obama: Give Crimea back to Ukraine!
Putin: Give Texas back to Mexico, Alaska back to Russia, and the
rest of the territory to the American Indians.”
#Обама #Путин #Крым #Аляска #Техас #правда #Россия#сшаpic.twitter.com/FH7WqyfMQv
— Mikhail (@North_Knight) September 1, 2014
Some may dismiss the entire brouhaha over what may have been a misguided rhetorical flourish or mistake – but in a sensitive situation when cross-border disputes remain unresolved, any sign of ignorance combined with overseas sanctimony is apparently not going to go down well with Russians.
