by Stephen Lendman

Differences between Putin and Obama are stark. Russia’s president deplores war and instability - goes all-out for resolving conflicts diplomatically, enjoys overwhelming public support, far exceeding approval ever achieved by a US leader.

Obama disgraces the office he holds. He’s a con man, a demagogue, a serial liar, a front for wealth and power exclusively, ruling by deception, waging endless wars of aggression fraudulently dressed up as humanitarian intervention. On Monday, September 28, both leaders will address the UN General Assembly. Obama’s speeches make painful listening - beginning-to-end demagogic rubbish, willful misinformation, Big Lies on issues mattering most. Expect this year’s address to be no different from previous ones.

Putin is entirely different. He’s believable, candid, straightforward. He says what he means and means what he says.

In an interview to be aired on CBS’ 60 Minutes Sunday night, he discussed Syria among other topics, saying:

“It’s my deep belief that any actions to the contrary in order to destroy (its) legitimate government will create a situation which you can witness now in the other countries of the region or in other regions, for instance in Libya, where all the state institutions are disintegrated. We see a similar situation in Iraq.”

“There is no other solution to the Syrian crisis than strengthening the effective government structures and rendering them help in fighting terrorism. But at the same time, urging them to engage in positive dialogue with the rational opposition and conduct reform.”

Syrians alone should “decide who should govern their country and how,” never other nations. Sovereign independence is inviolable, a notion Washington categorically rejects.

Putin’s UN address will be his first since 2005. It’s highly awaited, attracting the most advance attention. The Financial Times said “(r)arely has a world leader managed to surround an address to the UN General Assembly with as much intrigue.”

“…Putin plans a grand diplomatic demarche linked to an offer of Russian help, even leadership, in fighting” ISIS.

He’s a key “player on the global stage,” a leader “Washington cannot ignore.” Compared to his “wrongfooting counterparts,” his Syrian agenda “show(ed) him again to be an agile tactician.”

He’s committed to keep Syria from becoming another Libya, Iraq or Afghanistan - dysfunctional, violent, chaotic, ungovernable, victimized by endless war and instability.

He’s the key player in the fight against ISIS - Obama’s proxy force, serving US imperial interests, polar opposite Putin’s peace and stability agenda along with his proposal for world leaders to unite against its terrorist threat to the region and beyond.

The world awaits his Monday address. Last week on Russia’s Sunday Time television program, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned some key issues he’ll address, saying:

He’ll discuss “attempts to slow down the objective process of formation of the new multi-polar world order…From here, the problems rise that are on everyone’s lips.”

First, “the fight against terrorism, which must be waged without double standards…It is important not to divide the terrorists into good and bad ones (like the West), not to assume that with some of these bad extremist-minded people, it would be possible to work with for achieving of some specific opportunistic geopolitical goals.”

“(T)he problems of unilateral coercive measures, and not only in respect to the Russian Federation. Nowadays, you know, our Western partners, primarily, under the influence, perhaps, of American mentality, are losing in general the culture of a dialogue and the culture of achieving diplomatic solutions.”

“The Iranian nuclear program was a bright - and even very bright -exception. In most other cases - in conflicts that continue to flare up in the Middle East, in North Africa - they try to resort to measures of military intervention, as was the case in Iraq and Libya, in violation of UN Security Council decisions, or to resort to sanctions.”

“So (Putin will address) this theme and the theme of the fragmentation of the global economic area, since now within the framework of World Trade Organization the negotiations to ensure universal approach to new areas of economic relations between the states got stalled.”

“Also, the technological ties between the states (got sidetracked) - about all this the President will be speaking, and, of course, he will touch upon the specific aspects, such as Syria.”

“We have declared that we will be helping the Syrian leaders, as we help the Iraqi leaders, or the leaders of other countries who are facing the threat of terrorism.”

“And our military-technical cooperation pursues exactly these objectives. Of course, the supplies of arms (from Russia), they have been going on. They are going on (now), and they will continue.”

They’re “accompanied by our specialists that help put the according equipment up, help to train Syrian (military) personnel to handle these weapons, and there are absolutely no mysteries and no secrets” about this.

Moscow has always been very open about explaining it - unlike Washington, covertly arming terrorist groups like ISIS to serve its imperial interests.

Putin will address the refugee crisis, calling it Europe’s problem, not of Russia’s making. He opposes Security Council approval of military action against ships carrying human floods, desperate to reach safe havens, including smuggler operations.

Key is the safety of people in need. European nations are obligated to help. So is America - the key factor behind the crisis, its imperial wars the reason it exists.

Moscow’s position about refugees is clear, Lavrov explained. It fulfills its international law obligations. “All those who fall under the category of refugees, we take in, and we will take into the Russian Federation, sometimes even going beyond the criteria that is applied. I refer to the refugees from Ukraine, there are about million” being helped.

Russia won’t accept Security Council no-fly zone authorization, cover for naked aggression like against Libya.

Regardless of what he says in New York, no matter how sensible and important, expect relentless Putin bashing to continue - Western media a collective mouthpiece for wealth, privilege, imperial power and endless wars.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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