The US House of Representatives resolution on Russia is just huffing and puffing, but its spirit reveals Republicans’ goal to overthrow the Russian government through sponsoring propaganda and opposition movements, Brian Becker, Answer Coalition, told RT.
The US House of Representatives passed Thursday a resolution condemning Russia’s “aggression” against neighboring countries.
READ MORE: House of Representatives passes resolution against Russia
RT:Top US officials have been making a few harsh statements about Russia over the last several months; does this resolution surprise you at all?
Brian Becker: It doesn't surprise me. The resolution has to be understood for what it is, both its form and its content. The form is a simple resolution meaning it will not have a companion piece of legislation in the higher body - the second chamber of the US Congress - the US Senate. And thus it can’t really become a law. In other words, it’s really a statement, a non-binding statement by members of the House of Representatives and they pass resolutions like this fairly routinely. So in some ways this is just huffing and puffing by predominantly rightwing Republican Congress people who want to hold Russia’s feet to the fire, but also hold Obama’s feet to the fire for not being tough enough against Russia. But then if you look at the content of the resolution, you see that it’s got the spirit of the Cold War, the spirit not only of containment of Russia, subversion against Russia economically, but actually regime change. Because really what they are trying to do is use US government sponsored propaganda organs and US funding to finance opposition movements and oppositional media inside Russia. What’s their purpose of that? Only to overthrow the existing Russian government. It’s not about human rights, it’s not about democracy, it’s not about Ukraine, it’s because Russia represents an obstacle to the full scale expansion of NATO right up to its very borders in Ukraine which is what precipitated this crisis.
RT:The resolution also calls to reduce the EU's reliance on Russian gas by America boosting sales of its natural gas to Europe. Is this goal achievable?
BB: Well, I don’t think it is achievable. I think this again is Congress people who have no real responsibility for executive action, huffing and puffing and being tough. The people in Congress should be representing their constituents who are unemployed or suffering from high prices or absence of affordable health care. Instead they are passing resolutions to condemn Russia. That’s completely irresponsible at one level. But it’s part of the growing chorus in the United States, a growing anti-Russia chorus. It’s very good for the military industrial complex, when there is additional tension that is good for business; it’s good for weapons procurements and weapons contracts. And it’s good for the neoconservatives’ political agenda who are targeting Russia, not because Russia has been aggressive, but because it resisted the encroachments by NATO. A promise NATO and the United States made at the dissolution of the Soviet Union, that it would not incorporate the entire former Eastern and Central European countries that were allies of Russia, or part of the Soviet Union, into the American-led NATO sphere of interests; and that’s what we’ve seen happen relentlessly for the past two decades.
RT:The resolution alleges Russian involvement and support for the self-defense forces in East Ukraine. Does that seem a legitimate claim to you?
BB: Right, you know the Poroshenko government in Ukraine, again a humble country where people are suffering, said its top priority is to integrate the country into NATO. Of all the things the Ukrainian people need is the integration into a military alliance. But it corresponds to the desires of the neoconservatives and I would say the dominant section of the US foreign policy establishment, that want to do just that, who see an opportunity to incorporate Ukraine into NATO. That represents a real danger to Russia whoever was the President of Russia would have to perceive that as a threat to Russian national interest and its very security.
RT:The resolution calls for the re-establishment of a close relationship between US citizens and the Russian people. How is that supposed to work given the harsh wording of the document?
BB: There would have to be a genuine reset button. President Obama said when he came into office in 2009 “let’s reset the relationship with Russia, let’s try to become strategic cooperators instead of competitors or even worse.” But we can see that the driving force in the US institutions, especially its foreign policy, especially its intelligence policy and its military policy, has bent to encroach into Russia’s historical allies, to incorporate Ukraine through the instrument of a fascist-led coup d’état in February, incorporate all those territories into an America’s sphere of interest, not simply economic, but a military one. If there is going to be a reset, I think there would have to be a major reorientation in the West and principally in the United States, but I don’t see it coming.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.