Russia Joins Bush's Drive Against WMD's

Yahoo! ^ | 5/31/2004 | Oleg Shchedrov

[cdbull23]

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia cast aside its doubts Monday to join a U.S.-led alliance of countries prepared to board ships and raid suspect factories in a crackdown against weapons of mass destruction.

Moscow said it had become the 15th core member of President Bush (news - web sites)'s Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), designed to stop such arms ending up in states viewed with distrust by Washington, such as North Korea (news - web sites) and Iran.

"The threat of proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is global and accordingly requires a global response," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "We are sure that we can cope with the problem only through a collective effort."

Russia, which basically supports stopping any illegal trade in nuclear, chemical and biological weapons-related materials and missiles, initially had strong reservations about Bush's initiative, put forward a year ago.

Russian experts expressed fears a right to intercept suspicious vessels could give a legal role of global policeman to the United States, which has the strongest naval presence across the world.

Another concern was the PSI could be used to hamper Russia's commercial interests because it trades with many countries at odds with Washington, such as Iran or Syria.

Russia announced its decision a week before a summit of the Group of Eight major industrial nations at Sea Island, Georgia, where the PSI is going to be high on the agenda. Russia was the last G8 member to join the initiative.

U.S. officials have said Russia joining the PSI would have extra political importance because it could inspire another major power, China, to become a core member.

Russian officials had said after talks with U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton in Moscow earlier this month that Russia still had some unanswered questions.

The Foreign Ministry said Russia would contribute to the PSI as long as its actions did not violate international law or its own legislation.

"We view the PSI as a supplement rather than replacement to the existing nonproliferation mechanisms," the ministry said.

"We assume that actions within this initiative should not and will not create obstacles to legal economic, scientific and technical cooperation."

[cdbull23]

eh...confusing, no?

[Flint]

There goes the Democrap's, Bush needs a consensus drum beat.

[Destro]

Not confusing at all - the neocons out of favor now wanted back a year ago to do this but in such a way so to make these other countries subordinate to American power rather than feeling they were sovreign allies. The neocon approach - we are in charge - we say jump and all you have to answer is how high - is the reason why the Iraq war coalition was not as inclusive as it could have been- mostly because the neocons refused to allow any other countries any influence in post Saddam Iraqi development.

It took a year for us to convince the Russians we were not setting them up with a lie like the neocons (under Clinton) set up the Russians in Kosovo where we promised them influence and then shafted them. Another Clinton legacy (neocons were in his administration too) that cost America dearly.

[EGPWS]

Moscow said it had become the 15th core member of President Bush (news - web sites)'s Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), designed to stop such arms ending up in states viewed with distrust by Washington, such as North Korea (news - web sites) and Iran.

What's in it for them?

[Destro]

Russia had nothing to do with Iraq's nuclear program - that was Western Europe - i.e. France - Germany and the British - and yes - even America.

[cripplecreek]

I realize that many Freepers disagree but Russia could be our most valuable ally in the war on terror. The simple facts are that the cold war is over and Russia "gets it" when it comes to terrorism.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Right! Very good news, they are becoming a part of the Connected World

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Connected World is a better phrase than Globalism.

_______________________________________________

Globalism is to get more of the world to have freedom.

Reference item:

The Pentagon's New Map

Mr. President, Here's How to Make Sense of Our Iraq Strategy
by Thomas P. M. Barnett | Jun 01 '04

Is this any way to run a global war on terrorism? The new conventional wisdom is that the warmongering neocons of the Bush administration have hijacked U. S. foreign policy and sent the world down the pathway of perpetual war. Instead of dissecting the rather hysterical strain of most of that analysis, let me tell you what this feedback should really tell us about the world we now live in. And as opaque as the administration has been in signaling its values and true motivations, I will try in this piece to explain what Iraq should mean to us, why ......

-----------------

Book now available:

____________________

The Pentagon's New Map
by Thomas P. M. Barnett

_________________________________________________

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
This bold and important book strives to be a practical "strategy for a Second American Century." In this brilliantly argued work, Thomas Barnett calls globalization "this country’s gift to history" and explains why its wide dissemination is critical to the security of not only America but the entire world. As a senior military analyst for the U.S. Naval War College, Barnett is intimately familiar with the culture of the Pentagon and the State Department (both of which he believes are due for significant overhauls). He explains how the Pentagon, still in shock at the rapid dissolution of the once evil empire, spent the 1990s grasping for a long-term strategy to replace containment. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Barnett argues, revealed the gap between an outdated Cold War-era military and a radically different one needed to deal with emerging threats. He believes that America is the prime mover in developing a "future worth creating" not because of its unrivaled capacity to wage war, but due to its ability to ensure security around the world. Further, he believes that the U.S. has a moral responsibility to create a better world and the way he proposes to do that is by bringing all nations into the fold of globalization, or what he calls connectedness. Eradicating disconnectedness, therefore, is "the defining security task of our age." His stunning predictions of a U.S. annexation of much of Latin America and Canada within 50 years as well as an end to war in the foreseeable future guarantee that the book will be controversial. And that's good. The Pentagon's New Map deserves to be widely discussed. Ultimately, however, the most impressive aspects of the book is not its revolutionary ideas but its overwhelming optimism. Barnett wants the U.S. to pursue the dream of global peace with the same zeal that was applied to preventing global nuclear war with the former Soviet Union. High-level civilian policy makers and top military leaders are already familiar with his vision of the future—this book is a briefing for the rest of us and it cannot be ignored. --Shawn Carkonen

[jerrydavenport]

Al qaeda has been playing hell into the russians in chechenya.

It's time russia joined us in the war on terror as well.

we both face threat from the same common enemy, islam.

Russia together with america will bring together the might of the world's largest militaries to bear on the islamic
world and break its back.

Russia needs money and we need troops to fight the islamic world.

This seems like a match made in heaven for us.

Bringing russia and china into the war on terror are essential to isolate the islamic world, sanction it and then send it into the stone age to rob them of the technological might to pursue WMD, and the economic might to sponsorterror, field armies or have a political voice.

It won't be long before china's islamic minority gives that country their chechenya.

I'd say we need to setup a new terror military command. Where all non islamic countries affected by terrror would
contribute troops to it and then that force will be employed to counter the threat worldwide.

[jerrydavenport]

The cold war has been over for a decade now.

Russia and america have been ravaged by islamic terror for over a decade now.

Together russia and america are the most resource rich countries in the world. We no longer would need middle eastern oil.

Russia and america together also wield the mightiest war machine the world has ever seen.

we can finally break the islamic world's back now.

[kabar]

Very confusing. In light of its dogged, unrelenting assistance to Iran and its program of building nuclear weapons, I wonder what Russia's strategy is, or if it even has one.

One word: Chechnya

[jerrydavenport]

For years, the muslims had been playing hell into both america and russia, while islamists in the russian and american intelligence cadres were busy sowing differences between america and russia.

The cold war has been over for a decade.

we have no differences and no clash of interest with russia anymore.

On the contrary, we have a very strong convergence of interests, since the muslims have been playing hell into both russia and america.

The entire civilized world today faces a new savage, barbaric enemy, the islamic world.

No one knows this enemy better than the russians and the americans who have been at the receiving end of islamic
terror for over a decade now.

Intelligence co-operation between russia and america again could be vital to winning the war on terror.

[Fiddlstix]

BTTT

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

fyi

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Where all non islamic countries affected by terrror would
contribute troops to it and then that force will be employed to counter the threat worldwide.


It sounds like a sweet plan but I just wonder how Israel will fit into this. Israel has been fighting terrorism longer than anyone and they don't seem to get slack from anybody for defending themselves except the U.S.

[F16Fighter]

"What's in it for them [Russia]?

A front row seat at which to undermine any incoming proof of their own involvement in procuring WMDs for Iraq.

Russians, if nothing else, are NOT known for their tact.

[ZOTnot]

No, not confusing. Don't trust them. Evidence exists that France, Germany and Russia supported Iraq, and stalled on invading Iraq. Didn't Russia have 'military advisors' in Iraq until just days before our troops headed to Baghdad?

Nor do I hear the President referring to him any longer as 'Putie' or any other pet names. Seems 'Putie' may have been exposed.

[struwwelpeter]

Now if we can get them to send a few mirotvortsy (peacekeepers), like Ukraine.

[ZOTnot]

No, not confusing. Don't trust them. Evidence exists that France, Germany and Russia supported Iraq, and stalled on invading Iraq. Didn't Russia have 'military advisors' in Iraq until just days before our troops headed to Baghdad?

Nor do I hear the President referring to him any longer as 'Putie' or any other pet names. Seems 'Putie' may have been exposed.