Russian Screwage
Ethyl Feinig linked this piece from the Jerusalem Post at the American Thinker.
What really caught my eye was this business of Russia wanting dominion over the region at the expense Israel. I found this especially intriguing:
On Tuesday, Russian military engineers landed in Beirut. Their arrival signaled the first time that Russian forces have openly deployed in the Middle East. In the past Soviet forces in Syria and Egypt operated under the official cover of "military advisers." Today those "advisers" are "engineers." The Russian forces, which will officially number some 550 troops, are tasked with rebuilding a number of bridges that the IDF destroyed during the recent war. They will operate outside the command of UNIFIL.
Mosnews news service reported on Wednesday that the engineers will be protected by commando platoons from Russia's 42nd motorized rifle division permanently deployed in Chechnya. According to the report, these commando platoons are part of the Vostok and Zapad Battalions, both of which are commanded by Muslim officers who report directly to the main intelligence department of the Russian Army's General Staff in Moscow. The Vostok Battalion is commanded by Maj. Sulim Yamadayev, who Mosnews refers to as a "former rebel commander."
With the deployment of former Chechen rebels as Russian military commandos in Lebanon, the report this week exposing Russia's intelligence support for Hizbullah during the recent war takes on disturbing strategic significance. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the Russian listening post on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights provided Hizbullah with a continuous supply of intelligence throughout the conflict.
You know, this whole business of Russian ``engineers`` backed by commandos (spetsnaz, too, perhaps?) makes me think there is something rotten in Denmark (besides cartoon jihadists); the French were quick to volunteer to lead the U.N. in Lebanon, then the Russians go in by themselves. Hmmm.....
Could they be trying to hide Saddam`s WMD`s? Why else send Russian engineers outside of the U.N. framework?
I think the French were so quick to jump because they knew they had to lead any coalition group away from those weapons, and are now letting the Russians do the dirty work of moving them. I think our ``friends`` are once again in the process of knifing us in the back.
If nothing else, the Russians are providing material aid to Hezbollah, which places them in violation of the Bush Doctrine. Are state supporters of terrorists with us or against us? The Russian duplicity illustrates that they are not our friends.
The Russians need us more than we need them, and we can squeeze them economically if we must. We send a large amount of foreign aid to Russia, and they owe us a considerable amount of money we have leant to them for economic development. (There is no greater disdain than that of the debtor to the lender-and that is especially true when the lender is willing to forgive the debt.) We should use this to enforce at least a grudging acquiescence to our policies.
But, you may argue, we NEED Russian oil-even more now than ever! Perhaps, but this is a double-edged sword, and the Russians need our patronage more than we need their oil. Unlike Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, the Russians CANNOT stop pumping oil because their wells will freeze. They simply have no choice; it`s either pump or perish (this has caused a lot of trouble between the Russkies and the other oil producing nations). An interruption in U.S. consumption would be disasterous for the Russians-and they know that. Bush was an oil man, and he should understand how this works. If the Russians want to run that bluff let them; I guarantee they`ll be the first to blink in a staring contest.
Since President Bush has such a loving relationship with Comrad Putin and His Dancing Teeth, he should call the putting prince on the carpet, explain that the United States will not allow our positions to be undercut in the war zones of the Middle East.
The fact that our erstwhile allies are screwing us openly destroys American credibility, which is the way to lose a war. Can you imagine what would have happened had Stalin openly knifed us in the back during the Great Patriotic War? Roosevelt may have been soft on commies, but he would NOT have put up with that-and he would have stopped sending aid to Uncle Joe. In these perilous times we cannot afford to have faithless friends.
National Prestige is a vital component in foreign affairs, and our playing the fool while our allies undermine everything we are trying to do cannot be tolerated. Something must be done about this Russian Screwage.
What really caught my eye was this business of Russia wanting dominion over the region at the expense Israel. I found this especially intriguing:
On Tuesday, Russian military engineers landed in Beirut. Their arrival signaled the first time that Russian forces have openly deployed in the Middle East. In the past Soviet forces in Syria and Egypt operated under the official cover of "military advisers." Today those "advisers" are "engineers." The Russian forces, which will officially number some 550 troops, are tasked with rebuilding a number of bridges that the IDF destroyed during the recent war. They will operate outside the command of UNIFIL.
Mosnews news service reported on Wednesday that the engineers will be protected by commando platoons from Russia's 42nd motorized rifle division permanently deployed in Chechnya. According to the report, these commando platoons are part of the Vostok and Zapad Battalions, both of which are commanded by Muslim officers who report directly to the main intelligence department of the Russian Army's General Staff in Moscow. The Vostok Battalion is commanded by Maj. Sulim Yamadayev, who Mosnews refers to as a "former rebel commander."
With the deployment of former Chechen rebels as Russian military commandos in Lebanon, the report this week exposing Russia's intelligence support for Hizbullah during the recent war takes on disturbing strategic significance. According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the Russian listening post on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights provided Hizbullah with a continuous supply of intelligence throughout the conflict.
You know, this whole business of Russian ``engineers`` backed by commandos (spetsnaz, too, perhaps?) makes me think there is something rotten in Denmark (besides cartoon jihadists); the French were quick to volunteer to lead the U.N. in Lebanon, then the Russians go in by themselves. Hmmm.....
Could they be trying to hide Saddam`s WMD`s? Why else send Russian engineers outside of the U.N. framework?
I think the French were so quick to jump because they knew they had to lead any coalition group away from those weapons, and are now letting the Russians do the dirty work of moving them. I think our ``friends`` are once again in the process of knifing us in the back.
If nothing else, the Russians are providing material aid to Hezbollah, which places them in violation of the Bush Doctrine. Are state supporters of terrorists with us or against us? The Russian duplicity illustrates that they are not our friends.
The Russians need us more than we need them, and we can squeeze them economically if we must. We send a large amount of foreign aid to Russia, and they owe us a considerable amount of money we have leant to them for economic development. (There is no greater disdain than that of the debtor to the lender-and that is especially true when the lender is willing to forgive the debt.) We should use this to enforce at least a grudging acquiescence to our policies.
But, you may argue, we NEED Russian oil-even more now than ever! Perhaps, but this is a double-edged sword, and the Russians need our patronage more than we need their oil. Unlike Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, the Russians CANNOT stop pumping oil because their wells will freeze. They simply have no choice; it`s either pump or perish (this has caused a lot of trouble between the Russkies and the other oil producing nations). An interruption in U.S. consumption would be disasterous for the Russians-and they know that. Bush was an oil man, and he should understand how this works. If the Russians want to run that bluff let them; I guarantee they`ll be the first to blink in a staring contest.
Since President Bush has such a loving relationship with Comrad Putin and His Dancing Teeth, he should call the putting prince on the carpet, explain that the United States will not allow our positions to be undercut in the war zones of the Middle East.
The fact that our erstwhile allies are screwing us openly destroys American credibility, which is the way to lose a war. Can you imagine what would have happened had Stalin openly knifed us in the back during the Great Patriotic War? Roosevelt may have been soft on commies, but he would NOT have put up with that-and he would have stopped sending aid to Uncle Joe. In these perilous times we cannot afford to have faithless friends.
National Prestige is a vital component in foreign affairs, and our playing the fool while our allies undermine everything we are trying to do cannot be tolerated. Something must be done about this Russian Screwage.
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 4:24 PM
1 Comments:
Being a more simple sort than those pin-striped boys over at our State Department, I cannot understand why we send our treasure to those who despise us---Palestinians, Russians, Egyptians. It boggles---like the policies of Bush concerning Mexico and the UN.
Americans send their taxes to Washington and the politicos send it to Russia who spends it on weapons and sends these to the Syrians who use them to kill Israelis and Americans.
I do not get this math. I am terribly vexed.
Post a Comment
<< Home