I was not a fan of the New York Times allowing the dictator Vladimir Putin to pose as a peacenik in its pages during the Syrian chemical-weapons crisis. The current Ukraine situation makes the decision look even worse. A few excerpts from Putin’s op-ed piece in the September 11, 2013 Times:

“The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus…”

“No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.”

“The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation…”

“From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law.”

“It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States.”

“The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security.”

“We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.”