The US flagship the Washington Post writes today about the anniversary of the conflict with Russia in an article titled "A year into a conflict with Russia, are sanctions working?"
American political scientists came to a disappointing conclusion after analyzing the economic situation in the world. It turned out that Moscow, despite the sanctions, was coping with the recession, while the West is experiencing the consequences of its decisions. Despite rises in prices, as well as the depreciation of the ruble, Russian living standards are not inferior to European, and in many ways even superior. The popularity rating of President Vladimir Putin is incredibly high. This is evidenced by recent celebrations in honor of the first anniversary of the annexation of Crimea to the Russian Federation. A majority of people in Russia indicate the West as the cause of economic decline in the country. The only thing caused by Western sanctions is the growth of anti-American sentiment, which has reached an unprecedented level since the days of the Soviet Union.
By applying sanctions against Russia, the United States and the European Community expected to eliminate a geopolitical competitor. However, the result was just the opposite. A ban on the export of goods made Moscow manage the establishment of domestic production, and gain independence from the world market.
The EU is split not only in an economic, but also in a political way, the Obama administration cannot implement its foreign policy without causing conflict within the government. And Russia, meanwhile, is finding new economic partners and forging links with allied countries. And it's only a year after the beginning of open confrontation between the West and Moscow.
"Obama surrenders" says the American independent media portal Red State.
Despite disputes in Congress and the low popularity ratings of the US President, the Obama administration is ready to make concessions to Iran. Weeks remain before the deadline for signing the agreement on the nuclear program of Iran, and the US and its diplomatic partners are reviewing their requirements in order to make a nuclear deal which would allow the UN sanctions against the country to be cancelled. A compromise would allow Iran to run a few hundred centrifuges to produce nuclear energy without the control of international inspections. But some analysts fear that these concessions will allow Tehran to continue to work on nuclear weapons behind the scenes, which could lead to an increase in tension in the Middle East. Why is the US ready to retreat?
The thing is that last week Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that, despite the best efforts of the 5 + 1 group to control the internal affairs of the country, Iran itself would decide what to do with its energy potential. And for the United States it is essential to acquire a partner in the Middle East, in a region where anti-American sentiments prevail. There is not much time left before the presidential election, so Obama can afford to get into a conflict with Congress, thus securing his image as a peacemaker, which certainly plays into the hands of Iran, leaving the US arms industry at a disadvantage.
Saudi Arabia wants the same as Iran wants, writes independent resource Trumpet.com. Prince of Saudi Arabia Turki Al-Faisal said that if Iran is able to enrich uranium to any level, Saudi Arabia is going to demand the same.
Middle East nuclear ambitions pose a threat to Western countries, which over the years of globalization are used to monitoring use of the world's energy resources. Recently, however, the situation has been getting out of their control, as evidenced, for example, by an agreement to build a Russian nuclear power plant in Jordan. As well as the statement by Russian diplomats that they will contribute to the development of nuclear energy in Egypt. After Iran is able to develop nuclear weapons, it will become by far the dominant force in the region. And the influence of the US and the EU will drop to a minimum.
In this situation, the best solution may be diplomatic cooperation and peace negotiations, but not armed conflict.
