Tom O’Connor in Newsweek (registration/subscription may be required):
U.S. and Russia Battle on Twitter Over China’s Role in Nuclear Weapons Deal.
Twitter battles leave no casualties besides wasted time, mental health, and all things deeper than one’s skin. Let’s see what happened this time:
U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Arms Control Marshall Billingslea shared a Newsweek article on Twitter concerning China’s warning to the U.S. not to deploy intermediate-range missiles to the Asia-Pacific region…
“China should talk to Russia who destroyed the INF Treaty, deploying battalions of medium range 9M729 missiles (they can’t reach US). Where are they deployed? Who are they aimed at? Join Vienna talks; get answers on things like this!” tweeted Billingslea.
A bit densely worded, and a clarifying comma seems to be missing after “Russia.” I understand that the Russian 9M729 missiles broke the INF treaty, at least from the US point of view. On the other hand, if they can’t reach the US, does it mean they are aimed at China? Is it what Billingslea’s driving at? Anyway, let’s go on:
Shortly after, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy hit back in a reply to Billingslea…
“…We all know it was US, not #Russia who killed #INFTreaty. #China has no illusions about this….”
China is probably amusing itself watching the fray. “We all know” is a powerful, unbeatable argument – sarcasm aside, a sure marker of the speaker having run of rational ones. Speaking on China’s behalf is laughable unless Russia has been commissioned to voice China’s concerns but is too embarrassed to reveal its subordinate status as a porte-voix.
Whatever the substance of the dispute, diplomacy doesn’t belong on Twitter. Let opinion columnists dish it out on each other – and amateur commoners like myself. Don’t walk into the Russian trap here. Russian diplomats have shown they can’t – won’t – behave and don’t belong in decent society.
Arguing with them on Twitter is worse than wrestling with a pig. Everything they say is a lie anyway, but Twitter is an equalizer that harms those in the right and indemnifies the villains. Pearls to swine, almost literally: stay away if you don’t want to get trampled by the stinkers.