Russia slams failure of U.S. "unipolar" policies

By Patrick Markey

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Saturday said U.S. "unipolar" policies had failed in Iraq and Afghanistan and helped provoke the recent conflict in Georgia.

Russia's invasion of Georgia last month has brought relations with the United States to their lowest point since the end of the Cold War.

In a strongly worded speech to the U.N. General Assembly, Lavrov called the U.S.-led war in Iraq a "painful blow" to global anti-terrorism efforts and questioned the NATO-led force fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

He described U.S. foreign policy as "unipolar" meaning that Washington regarded itself as the world's sole superpower, able to act without regard to the views of others.

"The illusion of a unipolar world confused many," Lavrov said. "In exchange for total loyalty they expected to receive a carte blanche to resolve all their problems."

Washington and European allies condemned Russia when it invaded Georgia after Tbilisi tried to re-establish control over the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which has now declared independence along with another enclave, Abkhazia.

Russia has said it responded to Georgian aggression.

A resurgent Moscow has also irked Washington by refusing to agree to increase pressure on Iran over its nuclear program and reaching out to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.