The USA changed structure whiÓh will be present delegation at the opening Óeremony of the Olympic Games in Sochi, instead of well-known tennis-player Billie Jean King the ceremony will be visited by the prize-winner of the Olympic Games in female hoÓkey Caitlyn Cahow, the White House reports. As for the rest - the structure of delegation remained without changes. It Óonsists of the head of the Californian University, Ex-SeÓretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, ambassador of the USA in Russia Michael MÓFaul, Assistant to the President of the USA Robert Nabors and the Olympic champion in figure skating Brian Boitano.
Now we will add that almost for sure there will be no president of France, no president of Germany in SoÓhi... Well, generally, nobody will be there.
I was asked to comment this major event of the present for French mass media, but I thought that it will be perhaps more important to do it for FORUM.msk. I was asked, whether it would be somehow unpleasant for Putin? I answered - yes, certainly, it will be not really pleasant to him, but he will somehow endure this trouble. While he is the main trouble for Russia and this "parade of refusals" in Sochi is very bad exactly for Russia.
The matter is not that presidents and prime ministers won’t come, the matter is in the cause. If they wouldn’t Óome because of mass violations of human rights, because of created dictatorship - by the end of present presidential term Putin will become equal even to Brezhnev on the term of staying in the Supreme chair... Boycott of the Olympic Games happens because of "gays". It’s impossible to think out more convenient for Putin reason!
People in Russia generally do not really love "gays". I formulate it very softly. Putin for the present is the president not of the European Union, but of the Russian Federation. This boycott under the umbrella of protection of “gays” in domestic policy unambiguously works for Putin. It works very strongly. While from foreign policy Putin will somehow disown - there he doesn’t have progress for long.
At that this boycott will force Putin to focus first of all on the most conservative, obscurantist part of the society, the mode will look for support (is, actually, looking for it) there. Well, Putin failed to become the main European in Russia, then he will become the main obscurantist. Keyword here is "the main".
Putin, in general, doesn’t care. What about Russia? .
á.B.
