Flynn's Harp: Economic perspective on Russian spy flap (7-14-10)

Carol Vipperman, whose organization has championed economic ties with Russia since before the breakup of the old Sovet Union, thinks the Russian-spy flap could turn out to enhance rather than diminish relations between the U.S. and its one-time super-power enemy.

“The leaders of both nations, in moving quickly to resolve this, are saying our relationships are far more important than these kinds of distractions,” said Vipperman, president of the Seattle-based Foundation for Russian-American Economic Cooperation (FRAEC).

Her comments related to the swap of a group of Russian spies for four people held in Russia as spies for the West, an exchange that occurred last week in what one official described as being done “with electrifying speed,” having moved from disclosure to spy- swap in less than two weeks

Vipperman’s comments were among reactions over the spy caper from several in the Seattle business community, which was arguably at the forefront of initiatives in this country to seek close economic ties with Russia as the old Soviet Union began to break apart.

 “The readiness of both sides to make this swap happen quickly is a clear indication that our increased cooperation and newly ‘reset’ relationship is a priority,” said Vipperman. But she conceded that “there are always going to be some people in our society who will point to things like this and use them to suggest Russia hasn’t really changed since the old days.”

The organization Vipperman founded 21 years ago has weatheredan array of political strains over the years as it has pursued its relationship-building programs designed to foster economic ties between the two nations, particularly between the Pacific Northwest and the Russian Far East.

FRAEC was born out of a series of Seattle and Washington State initiatives, leading up to and flowing out of the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle, to reach out to what was then the Soviet Union.

In a blog she does for FRAEC, Vipperman wrote: “Although the Russian spy story has made for interesting and tantalizing media coverage, it has unfortunately stirred up old, cold war feelings of mistrust and suspicion. It is well understood by most Americans that all countries have intelligence services active around the world; however, it seems that Russia holds a very special place in people’s minds.”

Bill Robinson, a Seattle attorney with extensive business activity in Moscow, also noted that “this sort of thing has been done by both countries, and many other countries, for years but usually now as industrial espionage.”

“The fact that its resolution was handled so quickly shows that both nations wanted to make it clear it’s time to move on from this sort of thing,” Robinson added.

Douglas Jewett, one-time Seattle City attorney who was in the forefront of developing business opportunities in the Russian Far East, e-mailed me that “people practicing spy craft like this is the 1950’s and 60’s makes no sense to me.”

“What everyone in the business and government world is worried about, and they should be, is the capture of critical computer information through the internet,” said Jewett,

who for the past dozen years has been CEO of Bellevue-based Ramgen Power Systems, Inc.

Noting in her blog that the spy flap “has been a bit frustrating for those of us who work to strengthen our economic and community ties,” Vipperman added “there are far more interesting and compelling stories of how Russians and Americans are working together to improve our communities that do not see the light of day in the media.”

Among the kinds of activities Vipperman is referring to is the relationship between cities in Washington State and the Russian Far East in which the cities, under a program funded by U.S. A.I.D., provide training and resources to officials in the Russian cities.

Leavenworth, the Eastern Washington community in the shadow of the North Cascades that turned its fortunes around years ago by adopting a Bavarian theme, is working with Kamchatka on how to promote tourism, she noted.

Yuri Mamchur, who does a Russia blog for the Seattle think tank, Discovery Institute, did one in the midst of the  spy flap titled “Thanks a lot, Kremlin,” that criticized the spy plan as “not good pr” while poking fun at the whole issue.

“This is all hilarious,” wrote Mamchur, director of Discovery Institute’s Real Russia Project. “I’m loving all the coverage of a bunch of Russians getting paid to befriend Americans. I wish the U.S. had a program like this, I’d totally do this. Can you imagine? I’d get my rent and tuition paid just to blurt out stuff that you can automatically look up, even in more depth, on the Internet.”