Saturday, September 06, 2008

Battle of the photo captions

While it's not clear what military assistance Georgia and Ukraine will get from the USA in current or future conflicts with Russia, the White House is using Dick Cheney's visit to the region to send a strong message -- with the official photographs. Here's a sample:

A member of the clergy walks past the gold-domed St. Michael's Monastery in the early morning light of Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 in Kiev, where Vice President Dick Cheney is currently visiting during a multi-day tour of ex-Soviet republics. The monastery, originally constructed in the 12th century, is named after the Archangel Michael, patron saint of Kiev, and was destroyed by Soviet communists between 1934-36 and reconstructed in 2000.

Seen through the Holodomor Memorial, Vice President Dick Cheney observes a moment of silence Friday, Sept. 5, 2008 in Kiev, to remember the millions of Ukrainians murdered between 1932-33 during a Soviet enforced artificial famine.

Vice President Dick Cheney is joined by Mrs. Lynne Cheney, President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko and Mrs. Kateryna Yushchenko, in presenting memorial baskets Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at the Holodomar Memorial at St. Michael's Square in Kiev. The Holodomar, Ukraine's famine of 1932-33, was imposed by Soviet communists and killed an estimated three to seven million.

While serving the purpose of pushing an implicit equation of Russia with the USSR, and thus no doubt generating applause lines for speeches back home, there's not much here for the near-abroad countries to rely on.

No comments: