Bush and Putin Clash Over Democracy in Tense Encounter

Strategic Insights -

United States President George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin engaged in a sometimes tense and awkward joint news conference following their summit meeting at the Bratislava Castle, where they discussed a range of issues, including democracy, nuclear terrorism, and Iran's nuclear program. Mr. Bush expressed concerns about Russia's commitment to democracy, citing the need for a rule of law, protection of minorities, a free press, and a viable opposition. Mr. Putin responded by pointing out that the US Electoral College was a "secret ballot" and that Russia was committed to the principles of democracy.

Key Takeaways:

  • President Bush expressed concerns about Russia's commitment to democracy, stating that democracies have certain commonalities, including a rule of law and protection of minorities.
  • Mr. Putin refused to yield, pointing out that the US Electoral College was a "secret ballot" and that Russia was committed to the principles of democracy.
  • The two leaders agreed to a deal to limit the spread of the shoulder-fired missiles called Man-Portable Air Defense Systems (Manpads), which can be fired by one person and pose a threat to military and commercial aircraft.
  • Mr. Bush said that he and Mr. Putin had had a "frank" exchange in their one-on-one meeting, but the content of the discussion was not revealed.
  • The two leaders failed to agree on who would be liable for accidents that might occur in the process of removing, converting, and transporting weapons fuel.
  • Mr. Bush stated that he had expressed his concerns to Mr. Putin about Russia's democratic health "in a constructive and friendly way," but Mr. Putin replied that some of Mr. Bush's ideas could be taken into account, while others would not be commented on.
  • Mr. Putin pointedly noted that democracy "should not be accompanied by the collapse of the state and the impoverishment of the people."

Statistics:

  • The State Department estimates that one million Manpads have been produced worldwide, but that a much smaller number, somewhere in the thousands, are in the hands of "non-state actors."
  • Mr. Bush compared events in Iraq to the overthrow of Communism in the Velvet Revolution in 1989 in Czechoslovakia, which Slovakia broke from in 1993.
  • The two leaders agreed to accelerate the process of securing Russian stockpiles of excess weapons fuel, with the aim of securing or converting most of these to commercial fuel by about 2008.
  • The multibillion-dollar program to secure and dismantle Russian nuclear materials has been in place since after the Cold War, but its pace has been criticized as slow.
  • Mr. Bush said that the two sides had made progress on a range of issues, including trade and energy, but that no breakthroughs were achieved on the day.

Sources:

  • "Bush Criticizes Putin on Democracy" by The New York Times
  • "Bush and Putin Agree to Speed Up Nuclear Security" by The New York Times
  • "Administration Official on Bush-Putin Meeting" by The New York Times
  • "State Department Estimates on Manpads" by The New York Times
  • "Bush's Speech to Slovaks" by The New York Times