Washington and Moscow may not have reached such a deadly stand-off yet, but the words «failure to communicate» seem nevertheless to be dangerously apposite. And let's be frank, the failure is entirely on Washington's side.
Put another way, what we have here is a failure in diplomacy. What should be disturbing to any observer is the complete void in diplomatic skill among members of the Obama administration and the entire crop of lawmakers in Washington.
Hardly a man or woman seems capable of engaging with Russia to resolve geopolitical tensions through rational dialogue. What we see instead is a culture of belligerence and boorish disregard for international relations. Call it American «exceptionalism» or hubris, or downright stupid obtuseness.
Endemic in Washington, it seems, is a «zero-sum mentality», whereby other nations who are not deemed to be sufficiently compliant with American demands are immediately cast as «threats» or miscreants. Russia, China, Iran fit that American billing.
Comment: The crazy leaders of the U.S. think they can force the world into their version of reality. But, the ranks of world leaders who are willing to stand up and oppose such crazy-making is growing by the day. The U.S. may soon find themselves as the country on the outside looking in, and it will all be because of their greedy lust for power and control, even while it slips out of their hands.