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April 03, 2005
Tit-for-tat, plane-for-plane
In a nice example of dishing out what you've been dealt, the Russian ambassdor to India has criticized the U.S. decision to sell F-16s to Pakistan:
These aircrafts (F-16s) are used for surveillance over a large area. [The] United States should reconsider its decision as it could tilt the strategic balance in the region ... it will be a pity if the ongoing peace process to build confidence and goodwill, which is at a fragile state, is interrupted by U.S. decision.
Valid criticism, perhaps, and also a not-so-subtle attempt to harken back to the chummy Soviet-Indian relationship of the Cold War. But does anyone catch the contemporary reflection here? Russia itself has recently sold military equipment to Venezuela, to much U.S. consternation. Russia is also in talks to sell Chavez some MiG-29s -- fighters, coincidentally, that are roughly comparable to F-16s. So the United States criticizes Russian warplane sales to Venezuela, and Russia returns the favor by criticizing U.S. warplane sales to Pakistan.
Will any policy change come from this? Of course not. It's just a cute tit-for-tat that will fade away soon enough, and it probably won't have any lasting effect on U.S.-Russian relations. One thing does stand out for me, however. In the above analogy, Venezuela and Pakistan pair up neatly. Now that is an association I've never thought about ...
Posted by Daniel Widome at 03:10 PM to Americas,
