Syria ... Russia Leads The Way ... But To Where?

Here's food for thought about what I believe to be Russia's "unserious" politically based proposal to remove chemical weapons from its ally Syria.

Leading From Behind (Russia)? says this about the history of the trustworthiness of Russia:

"Now that the Russians have proposed, and the Obama administration is seriously considering, a way for Syria to avoid U.S. military strikes by relinquishing its chemical stockpile, maybe it's a good time to take a look at Moscow's own history with chemical weapons.

Since 1997, Russia has been a party to the "Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on Their Destruction." The CWC, as it's known, now includes more than 180 countries.

Yet according to a 2011 State Department report, "The United States is unable to ascertain whether Russia has met its obligations for declaration of its [chemical weapons], CW development facilities, and CW stockpiles, and whether Russia is complying with the CWC-established criteria for destruction and verification of its CW." Moreover, State says that this has been a problem for some time.

"The United States has engaged in numerous exchanges with Russia regarding a number of compliance issues in 2002, 2003, and 2006, during which the United States discussed the accuracy of Russia's CWC declaration," the report says. "In 2006 and again in 2010 the United States reiterated its proposal to hold expert-level consultations, but, as of July 2010, Russia had not yet agreed to renew such consultations."

So there you have it. Russia is a country that has repeatedly used its position on the United Nations Security Council to block resolutions condemning the use of chemical weapons. And it has failed to comply with treaties that concern its own stockpile. Yet the White House is counting on Russia to lead the way on Syria?"

Summing Up

Politics sucks.

Thanks. Bob.