Интервью с Президентом Обамой.

INSKEEP: Are you just lucky that the price of oil went down and therefore their currency collapsed or&

OBAMA: Well&

INSKEEP: Is it something that you did?

OBAMA: If youll recall, their economy was already contracting and capital was fleeing even before oil collapsed. And part of our rationale in this process was that the only thing keeping that economy afloat was the price of oil.

And if, in fact, we were steady in applying sanction pressure, which we have been, that over time it would make the — the economy of Russia sufficiently vulnerable that if and when there were disruptions with respect to the price of oil — which inevitably, there are going to be sometime, if not this year then next year or the year after — that theyd have enormous difficulty managing it.

I — I say that, not to suggest that weve solved Ukraine, but Im saying that to — to give an indication that when it comes to the international stage, these problems are big, theyre difficult, theyre messy. But wherever we have been involved over the last several years, I think the outcome has been better because of American leadership.

Ebola — there was a moment as recently as six weeks ago when people were absolutely convinced that this is a problem we couldnt solve. Because of American leadership, not only have we not seen another Ebola case here in the United States — and when we do, well be prepared for it — but internationally, resources, medics, testing, science has poured into poor countries. Were practically rebuilding their public health infrastructure because of our leadership.

It doesnt happen in two weeks; it doesnt happen in — in four weeks. But if were steady about it and were focused and were clear that we possess capacities as well as values that require us to engage, that well be successful.

INSKEEP: Just to wrap this up with this idea that you began with, of doing things that you want to do rather than&

OBAMA: Yeah.

INSKEEP: Have to do, has your limited response to ISIS in Iraq and Syria been driven in part by a sense that this is a very dangerous threat, but not the biggest problem the United States faces in the world, and you do not want to be distracted from far bigger things going on elsewhere?

OBAMA: I think we cant underestimate the danger of ISIL. They are a terrorist network that, unlike Al Qaeda, has not limited itself to the periodic attack but have aspirations to control large swaths of territory, that possess resources and effectively an army that pose great dangers to our allies and can destabilize entire regions that are very dangerous for us.

So, I — I dont want to downplay that threat. It is a real one; its the reason why Ive authorized, as part of a broader 60 nation coalition, an effort to fight back and to push them back and ultimately destroy them.

But its not the only danger we have. America is probably as well positioned for the future as weve been in a very long time.

Weve created more jobs since Ive been president than Japan, Europe and every other advanced nation combined. Our energy resources, both conventional and clean energy resources, put most other of our competitors to shame.

Demographically, weve got a young population, in part because of immigration. Weve got the best universities in the world; weve got the best workers in the world. Our manufacturing base has come roaring back, led by the auto industry, but not restricted by it. Our deficits Ive cut by two-thirds.

And so, if you look out towards the future, America is in a great position and our military is more capable than any military in history. We dont really have a serious peer, at least on the conventional level, although obviously Russia is a — is a significant nuclear power.

The question then becomes, alright, how do we play those cards well? Part of it is attending to immediate problems like ISIL; part of it is making sure that we are firm in upholding international norms as we have been in Ukraine; part of it is managing short-term crises that could turn into long-term disasters if were not attentive, like Ebola. But ultimately, the thing that is most dangerous for the United States is us not tending to the very sources of our strength.

So, it is true that when it comes to ISIL, us devoting another trillion dollars after having been involved in big occupations of countries that didnt turn out all that well — Im very hesitant to do that because we need to spend a trillion dollars rebuilding our schools, our roads, our basic science and research here in the United States; that is going to be a recipe for our long-term security and success. And what weve also learned is that if we do for others what they need to do for themselves — if we come in and send the Marines in to fight ISIL and the Iraqis have no skin in the game, then its not going to last.

When we look at an issue like Ukraine, we have to be firm with the Russians but weve also got to make sure that weve got our own fiscal house in order; we got to make sure that we are doing what we need to do to build our manufacturing base because ultimately, the big advantage we have with Russia is weve got a dynamic, vital economy, and they dont. They rely on oil; we rely on oil and iPads and movies and you name it.

And so, making sure that we are building on our strengths, most of all, our people; making sure that prosperity is broadly shared; making sure that people feel confident about the future here at home — that is going to be the test as to whether were secure and prosperous over the long-term.

Americas never been in the business of colonizing other countries and grabbing their resources; weve never been in the business of bullying folks into doing things that we cant do for ourselves. Where we have done that, by the way, its never worked out all that well. Thats not our best tradition.

Our best tradition is when we just lead by example and when we are strong and secure and were standing up for what we believe in. And were in a great position to do that right now.

And my last two years, my intention is going to be to make sure that — that I build on the great work that weve done over the last six years and I — I hope that I can bring the country together to do it.

Полностью  здесь.

Когда в России смогут сказать о своей экономике то же самое, что Обама говорит об экономике США, тогда можно говорить о полной независмости России. Ну, и, можно будет говорить о России, как об игроке в политической раскладке в мире.

Все остальное,  ерунда.