Putin and Medvedev Break Up over Libya

Ariel Cohen / March 22, 2011

Russia originally abstained from vetoing the U.N. Security Council resolution allowing operation “Odyssey Dawn” in Libya. Now, however, Moscow is changing its tune: Russia has called for an immediate cease-fire because of the claims of “high civilian casualties.”

In other words, as long as Libyan dictator Muammar Qadhafi was killing thousands of his own people, it was fine, but now that the Western and Arab air and naval forces are trying to protect the rebels, it is not okay. Strange logic indeed. However, it may be reflecting deeper splits inside Russian leadership and society.

The Russian abstention over Libya has already exerted an unexpected impact on the Russian political scene. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin condemned the resolution, which calls for “an immediate ceasefire in Libya, including an end to the current attacks against civilians,” saying that this resolution is “deficient” and likened it to a “medieval call to crusade”—an almost verbatim quote from Qadhafi himself. This elicited a rare and sharp rebuke from President Dmitry Medvedev, revealing a growing chasm between Putin and his one-time protégé. (more…)