Denying that a chemical weapons attack took place on April 7 in Syria, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov is again showing his mastery of deception.
And Lavrov is certainly a master. At once a charmer and a troll, he’s also a keen intellect and a skilled manipulator.
These variable tenets of his personality make Lavrov the perfect tool for Russian President Vladimir Putin. After all, it’s no easy task to defend Putin’s reputation alongside his chemical weapons attacks, invasions, and enabling of brutal dictators such as Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Lavrov, however, is well suited to the task.
He speaks with such confidence and moral outrage that his lies seem to transpose reality. In his fluent English and frequent jokes, Lavrov offers a charm that western observers love. Then, in somber tones, Lavrov gives himself the perfect baseline to blame the west for the chaos Russia has wrought.
He wants us to feel sorry for him.
If only we could work together, Lavrov says, then the west and Russia could pacify the world to our mutual interest.
But that’s only one side of the Lavrov coin.
Because it is in his meetings with foreign counterparts that Lavrov becomes the true puppet master. He defends Russian interests but pledges to find compromise solutions that everyone can get behind. Resets and all.
And while Lavrov had some success manipulating former Secretaries of State Rex Tillerson and Hillary “reset button” Clinton, his greatest pawn was John Kerry. It was Kerry who repeatedly lapped up Lavrov’s fake cease-fire agreements in Syria and Ukraine, and his pretense of constructive influence over Iran. In the end, Kerry was left with a tattered reputation and Russia with the avoidance of tougher U.S. action.
It’s a lesson for Mike Pompeo. As he prepares to take office, the new secretary of state must judge Lavrov by his actions alone.
