On May 20, Ilya Ponomarev, a member of the Russian State Duma, appeared at the World Affairs Council in San Francisco.
Ponomarev considers himself that ultimate near-contradiction a left-wing libertarian. He is also no friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin. After leaving Russia on a business tripped he has been banned from returning to Russia and votes electronically in the Duma.
During his appearance in San Francisco, he said a number of things that were enlightening.
He was part of a group that was close to former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. He thought for certain, as a second term for Medvedev was approaching, that Putin had no plans to return to power and that he expected Medvedev to run for a second term. He said Medvedev expected the same.
But he said a series of events occurred that caused Putin to fear for the stability of Russia, which would have put Putin at personal risk and in a way it forced Putin's hand.
The events he identified were the unrest in Egypt, which he laid at the hands of the U.S., and the unrest in Libya, which led to the overthrow of Qaddafi. Ponomarev noted that the overthrow of Qaddafi was particularly troubling, since it came only a couple of years after Qaddafi had agreed to stop his terrorist activities and get in line with the major powers led by the U.S.
Ponomarev stated that Putin feared that the U.S. may attempt to cause similar unrest in Russia and that he needed to take direct control to insure that wouldn't happen.
Ponomarev also pointed out that just a month before Putin had to make a decision about running, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visited Russia and said he preferred that Medvedev serve a second term. That sealed the deal and pushed Putin toward his decision to run.
Now what is fascinating about this take is that it comes from a major Putin foe. Ponomarev even voted against the Russian move into Crimea. That vote was 443 to 1, Ponomarev being the single no vote.
In other words, it could have been very easy for him to claim that Putin is power mad and sought to return to office for that reason, but he did not. Having been close to Medvedev, it appears that he knows the real story.
Another interesting remark from Ponomarev was his view that the U.S. would use its instigations in Ukraine as a way to force Putin with regard to Russia's relationship with Iran.
This may be true, but it seems to me now, and when Ponomarev said it, that the U.S. sees influence in Ukarine as a long-term strategic goal and that it likely wouldn't be used as a bargaining chip by the Empire. But Ponomarev's comment did highlight the pressure the U.S. is putting on Russia to breaks it favorable ties with Iran.
But perhaps there is another way that the Empire could muscle away from its friendly relationship with Iran.Could the Empire's end game with its investigation of FIFA be to hold a dagger over Putin's head? We are already seeing reports that the FBI is investigating just how Russia was named the venue for the 2018 World Cup and that it may be stripped as the host country.
The awarding of the World Cup to Russia is a big deal in the country.
Will the U.S. hold over Putin's head the threat of pulling the 2018 World Cup, unless he ends his close relationship with Iran?
Ponomarev appearance at the World Affairs Council was before the announcement of the FBI instigated arrests of FIFA officials, but even before these arrests he was aware that the U.S. putting pressure on Putin with regard to Iran. The FIFA investigation may just be the ultimate U.S. bargaining chip.
Robert Wenzel is Editor & Publisher at EconomicPolicyJournal.com and at Target Liberty. He is also author of The Fed Flunks: My Speech at the New York Federal Reserve Bank. Follow him on twitter:@wenzeleconomics
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