Perhaps he just doesn't fancy a short fall down a long elevator shaft. As you say, Putin's regime ignores most civilized norms. Mr. Lavrov (and his family) are undoubtedly at risk should he step out of line. The question that should be on everyone's mind (as it is surely on Putin's) is who among his inner circle has the opportunity to rid the world of him and when they will decide that the perils of doing so are less than those of not doing so. Such has been the calculus around tyrants since the Caesars and before. Let us hope the world survives to see its conclusion.
I first met Sergey Lavrov in 1990, when he was the head of the MFA's Office for International Organizations and I headed the Political/External section at Embassy Moscow. At that time, US-Soviet relations were friendly and getting friendlier. Accordingly, Lavrov was charming, well-informed, and helpful. I had gone over to MFA with a pro forma list of questions relating to the UN General Assembly, and I was struck by how affable Lavrov was. He had good reason to be: in fact, we had just achieved a major breakthrough in the relationship, when in August, 1990, the USSR and USA aligned themselves against Saddam Hussein and his invasion of Kuwait. Lavrov was in sync with the times.
Unfortunately, and despite the disintegration of the Soviet Union the following year and the formation of a democratic Russia, this cordiality was not to last. It was rarely present in our meetings with the security services, and grew steadily cooler with our more familiar MFA contacts. I think the October 1993 storming of the Russian White House was a turning point for many Russian officials, and I noticed a distinct coolness from many MFA types who had once been quite friendly. The advent of Putin in 2000 and the establishment of the KGB state accelerated this trend.
Despite his remarkably successful career, Lavrov has never been a Putin insider. He has been an expert implementer of decisions. These days, if Putin is hostile to the US, there is a contest among those who have no real power to outdo themselves in their anti-Americanism. Lavrov is one of those people. He adopts outrageous positions, but with a touch that is more sophisticated than many of Putin's other implementers.
Lavrov has been trapped in this position for so long, that I am sure it is second nature to him now. He has learned to enjoy it.
I agree with Mr. Jacobs: either an elevator shaft, a balcony or (oh, so very much regretted!) down an escalator. I spent nearly 5 weeks in the Soviet Union back in 1976 (and, by the way, enjoyed most of it) and even then learned that wise people keep their personal thoughts to themselves -- especially if they want to die of old age, in their own beds.
I just finished your excellent book "From Cold War to Hot Peace". It explains a lot on the subject of Putin and his behavior regarding the US. Thank you fro all you do to keep us informed on this critically important subject.
Could you please do a companion piece on another pathetic character you've worked with, Dmitry Medvedev? The things he says today are even more outrageous than Lavrov's gems. That said, it must be hugely disappointing and disheartening for you and others who worked with them in the past to listen to their lies.
While you're writing, some insight into Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev would be most welcome. After Vladimir Vladimirovich, Patrushev strikes me as the most important author of the madness currently infecting the Kremlin, and he also strikes me as Putin's most likely successor.
Plus there's something about the man that just gives me the creeps.
I liked your comment, and second your request Laura, but I think Medvedev has graduated (sunk) beyond a 'pathetic character'. He's speech is even more blood thirsty and genocidal than Putin's. The man is demonstably evil.
Yes, you are right about that! Despite his awful lies, Lavrov is more polished in his approach, likely owing to his long tenure as foreign minister. Medvedev comes off as a childish thug. Lots of Russia watchers on Twitter joke about him being a drunk; do we know if there's any truth to that?
Amen! I met him at a cocktail reception in his honor in Beverly Hills in the 1990s. I had a long conversation with him. I was impressed with his intelligence, sophistication, and his lawyer-like ability to argue. But I didn’t trust him for a second. Lo and behold, he has turned into a diplomatic monster.
That Labrov continues to chair the UN security council without impunity says so much about leadership and its cowardice. There a rule in place to have censured trump several times, but it went unused. There is a rule to censure Clarence Thomas but goes unused.
What happens in political environments seems to point out that no leader wants to stand up & be counted. We, the electorate ,invest in leaders who once in power forget the rules, forget their job, forget their souls morals, ethics. They are cowards who don't want to rock the boat despite the fact that tools are in place for them to do so. What are we to do??
Just an educated guess ... I think Mr. Lavrov has a plan to extricate his family and himself from Putin's mess. With his intelligence and experience in the US, you can bet that he's playing the long game and appeasing Putin for the time being. After witnessing the numerous atrocities carried out by Putin and his sycophants, he will defect and turn state's witness. When the timing is right and he sees an opening, he'll make a deal with the West (CIA?) and be on a plane for NYC soon.
I think he has waited too long--he has been so involved in the Ukraine atrocities that ,I doubt anyone would offer that deal (at least for him; he might be able to secure his family). He's in a box. He is too closely associated with Putin to survive the latter's fall, yet has no real base from which to make a play, himself. His only option is to stand bravely on the bridge while the S.S. Putin sinks.
That, or plastic surgery and a secret flight to Argentina a la Mengele.
Communists and former communists have a habit of taking the moral high ground and conducting themselves with self - referential righteousness, though Lavrov is indeed pathetic by his parroting of the Kremlin policies that would have more Ukrainians killed in the war and this is loathsome and continues. I might be incorrect by 180 degrees here, but a well - reasoned and practical view of this foreign minister, again who blurts and propounds improbable and whimsical edicts of the Kremlin, has him otherwise as a character driving around looking for banks to rob. His superior, V.P., is probably no more than a taxi driver in a Western country. I'm sorry. The Putin regime was bestowed as a former totalitarian - communist regime with great promise in the integration of the values and principles of free people and a freer country (1999), and the opportunities missed, given the benefits of this by these leaders of international, truly great political and other stature and great political power and stature, have been many, innumerable -- this is what is pathetic about Lavrov and his very high political offices, including at present at the U.N.
Mike, how do we know if you have read our comments? It would be nice if you at least gave some indication on the individual comments just to indicate that you have read them. Thanks.
Ambassador McFaul. I thoroughly appreciate and enjoy your thought pieces. I have found them insightful, educational, and valuable. However, I must take a moment to ask you to consider the particular position that Lavrov may find himself in. I do not know, but if he has a wife in Russia, and a daughter who went to Columbia but most likely can be vulnerable to a Russian poison attack, he most likely does not have the option to resign. This may very well involve the ultimate threat: we will assassinate your family unless you …. I must ask you to ask yourself, “what would you do if your wife and family were in ultimate danger? “
I think you're making a category error, Mike. When you were US Ambassador to Russia you were a public servant and a diplomat. Lavrov is more like a courtier in the service of Henry VIII. To paraphrase Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall, being a courtier is like having a tamed lion. "You may stroke it; you may tousle its mane if you wish, but all the time you are thinking to yourself, 'Those claws, those claws, look at those claws!" His behavior, as Barry points out, is less hypocrisy or even cowardice than it is simple common sense.
I think you're making a similar mistake thinking that Lavrov is a hypocrite for giving his daughter the benefits of an Ivy League education. In order to be a real hypocrite, you have to understand that there is a significant moral distinction between two courses of action. I am certain, with probability approaching 1, that Lavrov (who always struck me as something of a sovok) does not understand what goes on in an American university, nor does he care. He does, however, envy the power and prestige that accrue to people with Ivy League educations, and made a sensible bet that things would work out well for his daughter if she went to Columbia.
Finally, where Medvedev is concerned, I don't know why it matters what he thinks. I always figured he was picked for his job because he's a few centimeters shorter than Putin, so if they are photographed next to each other from the right angle, it looks like Putin towers over him.
Perhaps he just doesn't fancy a short fall down a long elevator shaft. As you say, Putin's regime ignores most civilized norms. Mr. Lavrov (and his family) are undoubtedly at risk should he step out of line. The question that should be on everyone's mind (as it is surely on Putin's) is who among his inner circle has the opportunity to rid the world of him and when they will decide that the perils of doing so are less than those of not doing so. Such has been the calculus around tyrants since the Caesars and before. Let us hope the world survives to see its conclusion.
I first met Sergey Lavrov in 1990, when he was the head of the MFA's Office for International Organizations and I headed the Political/External section at Embassy Moscow. At that time, US-Soviet relations were friendly and getting friendlier. Accordingly, Lavrov was charming, well-informed, and helpful. I had gone over to MFA with a pro forma list of questions relating to the UN General Assembly, and I was struck by how affable Lavrov was. He had good reason to be: in fact, we had just achieved a major breakthrough in the relationship, when in August, 1990, the USSR and USA aligned themselves against Saddam Hussein and his invasion of Kuwait. Lavrov was in sync with the times.
Unfortunately, and despite the disintegration of the Soviet Union the following year and the formation of a democratic Russia, this cordiality was not to last. It was rarely present in our meetings with the security services, and grew steadily cooler with our more familiar MFA contacts. I think the October 1993 storming of the Russian White House was a turning point for many Russian officials, and I noticed a distinct coolness from many MFA types who had once been quite friendly. The advent of Putin in 2000 and the establishment of the KGB state accelerated this trend.
Despite his remarkably successful career, Lavrov has never been a Putin insider. He has been an expert implementer of decisions. These days, if Putin is hostile to the US, there is a contest among those who have no real power to outdo themselves in their anti-Americanism. Lavrov is one of those people. He adopts outrageous positions, but with a touch that is more sophisticated than many of Putin's other implementers.
Lavrov has been trapped in this position for so long, that I am sure it is second nature to him now. He has learned to enjoy it.
great comment. Thanks for sharing.
I agree with Mr. Jacobs: either an elevator shaft, a balcony or (oh, so very much regretted!) down an escalator. I spent nearly 5 weeks in the Soviet Union back in 1976 (and, by the way, enjoyed most of it) and even then learned that wise people keep their personal thoughts to themselves -- especially if they want to die of old age, in their own beds.
I just finished your excellent book "From Cold War to Hot Peace". It explains a lot on the subject of Putin and his behavior regarding the US. Thank you fro all you do to keep us informed on this critically important subject.
Could you please do a companion piece on another pathetic character you've worked with, Dmitry Medvedev? The things he says today are even more outrageous than Lavrov's gems. That said, it must be hugely disappointing and disheartening for you and others who worked with them in the past to listen to their lies.
While you're writing, some insight into Nikolai Platonovich Patrushev would be most welcome. After Vladimir Vladimirovich, Patrushev strikes me as the most important author of the madness currently infecting the Kremlin, and he also strikes me as Putin's most likely successor.
Plus there's something about the man that just gives me the creeps.
I liked your comment, and second your request Laura, but I think Medvedev has graduated (sunk) beyond a 'pathetic character'. He's speech is even more blood thirsty and genocidal than Putin's. The man is demonstably evil.
Yes, you are right about that! Despite his awful lies, Lavrov is more polished in his approach, likely owing to his long tenure as foreign minister. Medvedev comes off as a childish thug. Lots of Russia watchers on Twitter joke about him being a drunk; do we know if there's any truth to that?
Amen! I met him at a cocktail reception in his honor in Beverly Hills in the 1990s. I had a long conversation with him. I was impressed with his intelligence, sophistication, and his lawyer-like ability to argue. But I didn’t trust him for a second. Lo and behold, he has turned into a diplomatic monster.
That Labrov continues to chair the UN security council without impunity says so much about leadership and its cowardice. There a rule in place to have censured trump several times, but it went unused. There is a rule to censure Clarence Thomas but goes unused.
What happens in political environments seems to point out that no leader wants to stand up & be counted. We, the electorate ,invest in leaders who once in power forget the rules, forget their job, forget their souls morals, ethics. They are cowards who don't want to rock the boat despite the fact that tools are in place for them to do so. What are we to do??
Whatever his motives, he should be tried for war crimes too.
To be fair the situation Lavrov found himself in was a stern test of character. But he's failed it utterly.
Just an educated guess ... I think Mr. Lavrov has a plan to extricate his family and himself from Putin's mess. With his intelligence and experience in the US, you can bet that he's playing the long game and appeasing Putin for the time being. After witnessing the numerous atrocities carried out by Putin and his sycophants, he will defect and turn state's witness. When the timing is right and he sees an opening, he'll make a deal with the West (CIA?) and be on a plane for NYC soon.
I think he has waited too long--he has been so involved in the Ukraine atrocities that ,I doubt anyone would offer that deal (at least for him; he might be able to secure his family). He's in a box. He is too closely associated with Putin to survive the latter's fall, yet has no real base from which to make a play, himself. His only option is to stand bravely on the bridge while the S.S. Putin sinks.
That, or plastic surgery and a secret flight to Argentina a la Mengele.
I hope you're right but I suspect you are being unduly kind in your estimation of this man's character!
Communists and former communists have a habit of taking the moral high ground and conducting themselves with self - referential righteousness, though Lavrov is indeed pathetic by his parroting of the Kremlin policies that would have more Ukrainians killed in the war and this is loathsome and continues. I might be incorrect by 180 degrees here, but a well - reasoned and practical view of this foreign minister, again who blurts and propounds improbable and whimsical edicts of the Kremlin, has him otherwise as a character driving around looking for banks to rob. His superior, V.P., is probably no more than a taxi driver in a Western country. I'm sorry. The Putin regime was bestowed as a former totalitarian - communist regime with great promise in the integration of the values and principles of free people and a freer country (1999), and the opportunities missed, given the benefits of this by these leaders of international, truly great political and other stature and great political power and stature, have been many, innumerable -- this is what is pathetic about Lavrov and his very high political offices, including at present at the U.N.
Mike, how do we know if you have read our comments? It would be nice if you at least gave some indication on the individual comments just to indicate that you have read them. Thanks.
Ambassador McFaul. I thoroughly appreciate and enjoy your thought pieces. I have found them insightful, educational, and valuable. However, I must take a moment to ask you to consider the particular position that Lavrov may find himself in. I do not know, but if he has a wife in Russia, and a daughter who went to Columbia but most likely can be vulnerable to a Russian poison attack, he most likely does not have the option to resign. This may very well involve the ultimate threat: we will assassinate your family unless you …. I must ask you to ask yourself, “what would you do if your wife and family were in ultimate danger? “
I think you're making a category error, Mike. When you were US Ambassador to Russia you were a public servant and a diplomat. Lavrov is more like a courtier in the service of Henry VIII. To paraphrase Thomas Cromwell in the BBC adaptation of Wolf Hall, being a courtier is like having a tamed lion. "You may stroke it; you may tousle its mane if you wish, but all the time you are thinking to yourself, 'Those claws, those claws, look at those claws!" His behavior, as Barry points out, is less hypocrisy or even cowardice than it is simple common sense.
I think you're making a similar mistake thinking that Lavrov is a hypocrite for giving his daughter the benefits of an Ivy League education. In order to be a real hypocrite, you have to understand that there is a significant moral distinction between two courses of action. I am certain, with probability approaching 1, that Lavrov (who always struck me as something of a sovok) does not understand what goes on in an American university, nor does he care. He does, however, envy the power and prestige that accrue to people with Ivy League educations, and made a sensible bet that things would work out well for his daughter if she went to Columbia.
Finally, where Medvedev is concerned, I don't know why it matters what he thinks. I always figured he was picked for his job because he's a few centimeters shorter than Putin, so if they are photographed next to each other from the right angle, it looks like Putin towers over him.
Haha. You're probably right. He should have gotten out while the getting was good.