Posted on 09/18/2004 12:16:08 AM PDT by pook
Many in the West would prefer to herald the Beslan tragedy as an opportunity for greater U.S.-Russian cooperation in combating terrorism. In reality, however, relations between Washington and Moscow are following a downward spiral. In Russia we find an emerging dictatorship that espouses a subtle anti-American propaganda. What was previously hidden has come into view: the totalitarians are still in charge. Putin’s pretext for strengthening his dictatorship is found at Belsan, in 350 body bags.
What actually happened at Beslan (where hundreds of children were slaughtered by terrorists)? We still don’t know the facts.
Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya says that the FSB poisoned her on a flight from Moscow to Rostov, effectively keeping her from reaching Beslan. She was not alone in being hindered. Journalist Andrei Babitsky was detained at Vnukovo airport on “a specious pretext.” Russian security personnel drugged Georgian journalist Nana Lezhava’s coffee, putting her out of action at a critical moment. The 55-nation Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) took note of these and other incidents in a “scathing” report on the Kremlin’s handling of the Beslan affair. According to the OSCE, the Kremlin forfeited its credibility by preventing journalists from reaching Beslan. From the outset, Russian authorities told one lie after another. As if to prevent accurate information from reaching the outside world, Russian authorities also interfered with foreign journalists, confiscating television footage.
With Beslan as a pretext, Putin has moved to consolidate his already formidable powers. Russia’s so-called “democracy” is now being liquidated. This is not surprising for those of us who have watched the changes in Eastern Europe since 1989. From the outset, secret totalitarian structures were left beneath the surface to guide the process of liberalization, to herd the new business class and infiltrate the various governments. Organized crime became a prominent tool in this process. The secret creatures of the totalitarian apparatus came to power, as “dissidents” or as “reform communists.” Capitalism and freedom were set up in Eastern Europe with this endgame in mind. It was a confidence scheme; and now the scheme has played itself out. Moscow’s strategic gains have been absorbed, now the reversion begins.
Russia’s so-called “oligarchs” have been driven into exile, frightened into cooperation or arrested. The Kremlin has “cemented its control” over the Russian energy sector. The old Soviet anthem is back. Soviet battle flags have been restored. The founder of the Soviet secret police, whose birthday is Sept. 11, is now openly celebrated. The old KGB has taken Russia by the throat. The West’s alarm, however, is muted by hope. Nobody wants to admit that America’s Cold War victory was equivocal; that step-by-step it is coming undone.
Given the Kremlin’s dishonest behavior during the Beslan affair, would it be outrageous to suggest that the tragic massacre was a provocation organized by the FSB/KGB?
Already Izvestiya is calling Putin’s power-grab “The September Revolution.” Other Russian publications are calling it a “restoration.” Wednesday’s Washington Post featured a story by Peter Baker titled, “Critics Say Putin Must Address Security Corruption.” According to Baker, “Putin … had been planning to centralize … political authority for months and took advantage of the school seizure in Beslan to unveil the decision.” This begs the question. If the liquidation of Russian democracy was planned in advance, then how did Putin think he would justify his blatant power grab to the Russian people? Surely he had something in mind.
The following changes have been proposed by Putin: (1) Regional governors, instead of being elected by the people, will be appointed by Putin and confirmed by regional assemblies; (2) Duma representatives will be selected from party lists, making parliamentary opposition all but impossible; (3) the restoration of the death penalty is being contemplated (suggesting a return to the sanguinary “discipline” of the Stalin era). In keeping with recent developments, we can expect that private companies will be seized on various pretexts, bank accounts will be frozen and businessmen will be arrested as the Kremlin rebuilds its totalitarian machinery. Already the Russian government has announced a 50 percent pay increase for the military.
This so-called “September Revolution” has been greeted with dismay in Washington and London. As one might expect, Vladimir Putin will have none of it. He bluntly tells his Western counterparts to “stay out of Russia’s business.” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says that America has no right to impose its democratic ideals on others. “This is our internal affair,” he explained. “We, on our side, do not comment on the U.S. system of presidential elections.”
Moscow’s attitude is nothing new. The most distressing fact in all of this, however, is the ultimate non-reaction of the Western elite. There is a strong tendency to self-deception in Washington, especially where Russia is concerned, and this tendency is struggling mightily against truth. And what is this truth? Former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko spelled it out in his book when he described Putin’s objective as “the total destruction of the foundations of a constitutional society built on the admittedly frail but, nonetheless, democratic values of a market economy” in Russia.
The failure of freedom in Russia is a major event. No other country is as dangerous as Russia. No other country has thousands of nuclear weapons pointed at America. None has missiles as advanced as Russia’s. None has a submarine fleet as large. To rate Russia as “just another country” is to negate the last 100 years of history.
I should like to end with a quote from Bill Gertz’s new book, Treachery: “The record of Russian proliferation – to Iraq and other dangerous countries – is long. Classified intelligence reports show that for more than a decade Moscow used its arms sales to rogue states as a strategic hammer against the United States.”
Now ask yourself: Why has Russia done this?
They aren't selling the upgrading military systems to China, the Putin government is.
The ColdWar was never over. Look at all the commynists they got planted in our country. Trying to bring us down from within.
You can, President Reagan gave a speech that spelled it very well.
Keep in mind, Putin has repeatedly blamed Russia's problems on the fall of the Soviet Union, and is now taking steps to consolidate power in his own hands; the hands of a veteran KGB agent (16 years, two with the East German Stazi).
Look back in history. We fought that for 50 years.
Provide a link please.
If you scoll through this and the other Putin threads you can find THEM. I don't have them linked.
Russia is in a profound cash crunch. China has a lot of money ... or did ... because of the "Food for Oil" conspiracy IMO. They received smuggled UN Iraqi oil at discount prices all those years, and they sold a lot of RPGs, AK47s et al back to Iraq and they were flush.
That jig is up.
China's allure is WAY down today in Moscow. As if it ever was.
The Russians have hated the Chinese since Mao kept Stalin waiting for a meeting, while housed in Moscow, for two weeks.
Nobody likes or trusts the Chinese. It's black market economy, pure and simple. Putin has nothing to do with it.
It seems Comrade Putin is above putin the past behind him to make a buck. Look at his BS excuse for selling ballistic missile technology to North Korea...for peaceful space exploration research only. Sure.
No! He's trying to END IT! Cripes.
MOSCOW - In a timely seasonal greeting, on the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year, China's defense ministry and Russia's arms export monopoly Rosoboronexport have clinched a US$1 billion deal regarding the shipment to the Chinese navy of 24 Su-30MKK multi-role naval fighters from the KnAAPO plant in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russia's defense ministry officials told Interfax news agency on January 27.
However, the Russian Kommersant daily argues that last week China purchased 28 Su-30MKKs, and was mulling procurement of 22 naval fighters in the future. Despite these discrepancies in the media coverage, the new deal is a clear step in Beijing's drive to increase its naval capabilities. The fighters, with a maximum altitude of 17 kilometers and a range of some 2,700 kilometers, are armed with supersonic X-31A missiles designed to strike sea-based targets.
Furthermore, Russia lost little time to indicate that it had something else to sell. On January 27, AVPK Sukhoi announced that it had resumed tests of the Su-47 experimental swept-forward fixed-wing aircraft. The Su-47 (earlier known as the Su-37) is powered by two D-30F6 engines and has a maximum speed of 2,200 kilometers per hour, a maximum altitude of 18 kilometers and a range of some 3,300 kilometers.
However, Russian officials opted to counterbalance the Chinese deal by making overtures to India. On January 28, the head of AVPK Sukhoi, Mikhail Pogosian, held a press conference in Moscow for Russian and Indian journalists at which he announced that India is due to start manufacturing Su-30MKIs under license at plants in India as soon as 2004.
Nonetheless, China tops the list of Russia's arms importers and is heavily reliant on assistance from Russia, according to a Pentagon report to Congress released last July.
Over the past decade, Russia has steadily increased its arms sales to China. The Chinese air force received its first Russian-made Su-27 in 1992, under a deal to sell 20 Su-27SK fighters and six Su-27UBKs. China was later supplied with another 50 Su-27s as well as 57 Su-30MKKs. In 2003, China is expected to receive 19 Su-30MKKs, according to earlier contracts. On the other hand, in 1996, Russia and China inked a $2.5 billion deal to manufacture 200 Su-27SKs under license at a plant in Shenyang.
In addition, last year agreements were signed for the shipment to the Chinese navy of two ship-based S-300F Reef anti-aircraft missile systems. These systems are designed to provide major naval task forces with air defense.
In 1999-2000, Russia sold two Project 956E Sovremenny (Modern) class destroyers to China in a $603 million deal. In January 2002, the two countries clinched yet another $1.4 billion contract to build another two Project 956EM destroyers. The destroyers are equipped with Sunburn anti-ship cruise missiles. China has also been supplied with two Project 877EKM diesel-electric submarines and two Project 636 vessels (an upgrade of the 877EKM). In May 2002, a $1.5-billion contract was signed to build another eight Project 636 vessels. It has been reported that China plans to procure Russian Akula nuclear submarines to supplement its ongoing purchase of eight Kilo-class conventional submarines, as well as two Slava-class cruisers armed with 16 P-500 anti-ship missiles with a range of more than 500 kilometers.
Russia has sold eight regiments of the S-300PMU1 long-range anti-aircraft missile system and 27 short-range Tor-M1 systems for China's air defense. In 2001, Russia and China reportedly signed a $400 million contract to supply another four regiments of the more modern S-300PMU-2. China has also been reported to be considering the purchase of MiG-31M interceptors, Tu-22MZ bombers with Granit cruise missiles, Project 949 nuclear missile subs with 24 Granit cruise missiles, and Project 1144 nuclear cruisers with 20 Granit systems.
However, some Russian politicians have questioned the strategic wisdom of the Kremlin's policy to sell arms to China, a neighboring state that obviously becomes stronger with each purchase. On January 22, at a meeting of the Russian State Council, Viktor Ishayev, governor of the Khabarovsk region, vocally complained that Chinese maps allegedly painted vast areas of the Russian Far East "in Chinese colors". Ishayev speculated that China was considering the annexation of at least 1.5 million hectares of Russian territory. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed Ishayev's concerns and stated that borders issues between the two nations were close to final resolution.
Moscow's and Beijing's respective positions have recently converged on a variety of important international issues. They have said that they currently see no cause for war against Iraq. And as Pyongyang's longtime allies, they support a nuclear-free Korean peninsula and a cautious approach towards dealing with North Korea.
When Putin traveled to China on December 1-3, 2002, in Beijing he warned against US unilateralism. And in a joint declaration signed on December 2, Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin called for diplomatic solutions to the Iraq issue and North Korea's nuclear weapons program. The declaration called for a "multipolar world" - a phrase used by both governments to oppose perceived US global dominance.
The "multipolar world" mantra still remains fixed in the Kremlin's vocabulary. On January 27, Putin sent New Year greetings to Jiang and Communist Party chief Hu Jintao. "[Our] bilateral strategic partnership has become a strong factor in forming a multipolar and just world," the Kremlin's press service quoted Putin's letter as saying.
Russia and China have also opposed the planned US missile shield. However, Washington has ignored their warnings that this could trigger a new arms race. Last year, President George W Bush dismissed the 1972 Anti-ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Russia as a "Cold War relic", withdrew from the treaty and announced plans to build a shield against ballistic missile attack - National Missile Defense (NMD).
Until recently, Russia and China banded together to lead the fight to preserve the ABM treaty. In a joint statement signed on July 16, 2001, Putin and Jiang described the ABM Treaty as the "cornerstone of strategic stability". However, the Kremlin has not only moderated opposition to Bush's missile defense program, in recent days it has indicated a willingness to assist Washington in building the shield. Last week, Putin stated that he did not "rule out possible cooperation with the US in building a missile defense [system]".
In an interview published on January 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Ivanov stated that the US NMD plans should not hinder bilateral cooperation in missile defense. Hence, Russia is probably rethinking its approach to relations with China, as a joint opposition to US missile-defense plans used to be one of the key elements of the so-called "strategic partnership" between Moscow and Beijing.
A point of caution regarding the churches...the Russian Orthodox have been very aggressive...with active government support in suppressing other forms of Christian worship not inimical to its own style. They argue that only "Russian historical cultural" styles of Russian Christianity (ie Russian Orthodox) should be allowed to hold sway in Russia. Baptists get a bit of a pass, but protestant groups in general find it tough going in terms of being licensed or allowing their literature in country.
Increasing Russian arms sales to China are one but very important sign of a growing alliance between Moscow and Beijing aimed at undermining the U.S. position as the world’s sole superpower. After several years of stagnation, Russian arms sales to Red China were restored in 1991 with 26 Su-27 aircraft worth an estimated $1 billion.
In 1994, China purchased four Russian diesel-powered Kilo-class submarines, which the U.S. Navy considers advanced and difficult to detect, and missile destroyers.
Russian specialists also have been spotted by the U.S. intelligence in assisting China’s program to build Tomahawk-type land-attack cruise missiles. They also are reportedly helping China’s development of laser weapons, space-based weapons systems, and nuclear submarines. China also plans to use Russia’s satellite navigation system for missile guidance.
The last arms deal between Russia and China including two cruise-missile Sovremenny-class advanced destroyers, recently purchased by Beijing, which doesn’t have any shortage of money to buy new weapons – thanks to the profitable (for the Chinese) trade with the U.S. The first warship was delivered to China last winter, the second ship is likely to be sent toward the end of this year, and will give Beijing new capabilities against U.S. aircraft carrier battle groups.
As the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) warned in a report released in July, most U.S. Navy ships do not have adequate protection against deadly cruise missiles. According to the GAO assessment, the SLQ-32 electronic self-defense system, for example, is 30 years old and the Navy expects to have versions of it on its ships for another 10-20 years.
I would really like to keep this level of intensity going, but I'm watching FOX and Friends this morning, and recently divorced Juliet Huddy, talking to fellow blonde superspokesmodel Paige Hopkins, said "You have children and a life, which I don't" and I need to stratagerize!!!!
Example of Gertz waffle and clutching at straws writing. Does he not realise that 68mm unguided rockets are ten a penny in the Middle East. Iraq had literally hundreds of thousands of the things supplied during their long western supported war with Iran. Yet to Gertz mind these were factory fresh still dripping with French missile production workers DNA. Gertz needs to get real. I'm still waiting for him to come out with or re-use a report that the MiG-25RB found buried in the Iraqi sand was packed full of new French and Russian electronic gear. Gertz is a scare-mongerer journalist using dodgy and non-factual information. Look out Gertz the sky is falling!
Yes, I can see your point.
Putin is cornered, and he is trying to fight the way he knows.
However, Russia is not sinking into Communist hell again and it never will.
Take a deep breath! Soviet Union is
That's how I understand his message.IMHO
Seems pretty black and white to me. Putin is destabilizing many areas of the world.
I don't take to innundation with 1994 era factoids.
Thanks, I follow along as it happens.
Regards.
Of course it is, this is Soviet Empire, Part II.
Stanislav Lunev is a Jack Ass!
A shame you had to leave...you could see the seeds of Taiwans destruction. Courtesy of Putin.
Three journalists were detained. Is that all who were going to Beslan? That's probably only a tenth of a percent of the press.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.