The Kremlin Wants A War in Iran

RadioFreeEurope ^

[nuconvert]

If his spokesman Dmitry Peskov is to be believed, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in his Valdai club discussions with foreign experts came out against both military action and against imposing further sanctions on Iran.

The paradox here is that it was the Kremlin's decision not to support the UN Security Council proposal to impose new sanctions that pushed Washington, Israel, the Persian Gulf, and Europe closer to consensus on a military solution to Iran's nuclear crisis. By blocking sanctions, Moscow is trying to deprive the international community of any leverage against Tehran.

In the short term, Moscow's approach is anything but absurd. Sanctions would inevitably precipitate a catastrophe in the form of serious economic problems within Iran and Russia losing its influence in Europe, the Caucasus, and most Persian Gulf Arab states.

Moscow could even find itself in a situation where its already limited options for asserting its importance would be reduced to following Nikita Khrushchev's lamentable example in banging his shoe on the table at the United Nations.

[ryan71]

Low oil prices are killing them.

[taxcontrol]

Were I an Illuminati power broker, I would push the US to implement an strategy of becoming an oil neutral country, then work on becoming an oil exporter. Taxing exports would provide the cash needed to relieve the debt over time (assuming spending can be contained). Second, it would push Russia to attack Iran to prop up oil prices.

[US Navy Vet]

Read the Holy Bible about Gog and Magog.

[American Constitutionalist]

Yes, looks like things are happening faster now.

[PhilDragoo]

The author is not a clear thinker.

Only once does he approach clarity:

There is simply no chance either for a real improvement in relations between the present Russian leadership and the West, or for implementing the domestic political and economic reforms that Russia desperately needs.

Our Islamo-Communist president-poseur Barry the Boy-King wrote the Stalinophile-in-Chief a super-secret letter--

--which Putin leaked as the Kremlin rang with hoots of derision.

War in Iran? Absurd; impossible. More chance of a meteor hitting Chicago or Barry besting Michelle in arm-wrestling.

Our limp-wristed Abdullah-kisser has killed our anti-missile program, killed our F-22 program, cautioned Georgia against bullying Russia and done everything but apologize for executing the Rosenbergs.

Let us be clear: Russia is pursuing oil; Iran is the object of its affections.

Russia has signed historic oil agreements with China.

Obama is starving America for oil--like the good little bastard of the KGB Active Measures Program he is.

Obama wants to hug Rat Boy in Tehran--and will blow through the September 30 deadline.

There are no red lines for Obama--Putin may do as he wishes.

War?

When Rat Boy murders hundreds or thousands?

When Rat Boy pursues his anti-Jew/anti-America bomb?

No, no, no; not war.

We must negotiate--just as Zbigniew Brzezinski and Robert Gates instructed in their 2004 CFR paper "Iran: Time for a New Approach".

There will never be war with Obama's comrades in Tehran and Moscow.

[cizinec]

Now, now. Let's not all go onto blaming Russia for everything.

[mkjessup]

Damn Phil, that graphic is freakin AWESOME! NICE work!

I’m gonna save it and spread it around ;)

[sjmjax]

The Kremlin Wants A War in Iran...

Well of course, you’ve got to have a suitable testing ground for meaningful evaulations of competing weapons systems!

Korean, Vietnam, Kuwait and now Iran. Let the games begin...

[JasonC]

They don't want a war, they want no war and no sanctions. They want Iran to simply win and get nuclear weapons, and they want the west to sit on its backside. Which is very likely what they will get, too.

[FARS]

If the Russians are “pushed” into war they acquire immediate control of islamic iran and warm waters of the Indian Ocean for their fleets. Ahmadi-Nejad the Turd has already granted Putin permission to anchor his fleet and disembark troops on Iranian soil at will to “protect Russian interests in the Nuclear plant they built down South”.

Keeping status quo by opposing sanctions or military actions, also protects the estimated $200 MILLION EVERY MONTH being sent back to mother Russia, generated by some 60,000 Russian consultants attached to virtually every islamic iranian office, industry and NGO. From their paychdecks.

Add building another SIXTEEN nuclear power plants as added incentive to the current purchases being made from Russia under the urgings and kickbacks by all those consultants

Not many countries ever make $200,000,000 a month even from tourism, so this revenue from islamic iran is something Russia would protect, even if it meant dealing in the Chinese.

[Brilliant]

I would rather have Russia in Iran than the mullahs. Particularly since it would be a headache for them.

[Sola Veritas]

Well....one more thing to keep me awake at night....

[Rushmore Rocks]

Thank you, FARS. “Pushed”, indeed. The game is afoot, and has been for quite some time. I appreciate your insights and input.

[JasonC]

No, the money is chickenfeed. We've offered Russia 10 times as much as Iran ever could to knock it off, but they've said no thanks every time. It is grand strategy - make threats that annoy enemy great powers while you feel weak, hoping to buy time on the board. It is cynical and stupid and 19th century or worse, but that is what is going on. Material interest is irrelevant, toying with nuclear fireballs and millions of innocent lives is a pastime. It is pure powergames for pure prestige, same as it ever was. The perennial stupidity of power-crazed tyrants...

[Cold Heat]

Makes sense that the hardliners would want the U.S. tied up in so many places they fall apart just as the Soviet Union did. To them it would be payback and good fun.

Obama apparently does not understand this.

China also sees this as a good thing, should it occur. This is why they keep the N. Korea thing in play.

The other smaller players are pawns on the board like Venezuela, Pakistan, Syria, Lebanon and the list gets longer.

[FARS]

Obama only understands one thing - low-life Chicago style corruption and hardball.

He is an agrandized Community Organzeer with Communist idealogy and Islam woven in to broaden the scope.

Did you know these details?

http://noiri.blogspot.com/2009/09/unbelievable-stench-of-ob-ama.html

[FARS]

Obama only understands one thing - low-life Chicago style corruption and hardball.

He is an agrandized Community Organzeer with Communist idealogy and Islam woven in to broaden the scope.

Did you know these details?

http://noiri.blogspot.com/2009/09/unbelievable-stench-of-ob-ama.html

[ETL]

Makes sense that the hardliners would want the U.S. tied up in so many places they fall apart just as the Soviet Union did.

Exactly. They want us tied up so that they can go about "expanding their influence" around the world.

"the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the [20th] century" -Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the collapse of the Soviet Union...
"World democratic opinion has yet to realize the alarming implications of President Vladimir Putin's State of the Union speech on April 25, 2005, in which he said that the collapse of the Soviet Union represented the 'greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century.'
http://www.hooverdigest.org/053/beichman.html

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Venezuela Set to Develop Nuclear Power With Russia
September 29, 2008
CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez said Sunday that Russia will help Venezuela develop nuclear energy — a move likely to raise U.S. concerns over increasingly close cooperation between Caracas and Moscow.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,429441,00.html
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Venezuela's Chavez welcomes Russian warships
Nov 25, 2008
LA GUAIRA, Venezuela – Russian warships arrived off Venezuela's coast Tuesday in a show of strength aimed at the United States as Moscow seeks to expand its influence in Latin America. The deployment is the first of its kind in the Caribbean since the Cold War and was timed to coincide with President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Caracas — the first ever by a Russian president.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=%22Venezuela%27s+Chavez+welcomes+Russian+warships%22&ei=UTF-8&fr=moz2

More Yahoo search results for Russia and Venezuela connections:
http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=A0geu_X30pZJCJEAfCtXNyoA?p=Russia+Venezuela+bombers+tanks+arms&y=Search&fr=404_news
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From National Public Radio (NPR):
August 29, 2006
"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been visiting countries such as China, Iran and Russia as part of an effort to build a 'strategic alliance' of interests not beholden to the United States. He considers the United States his arch enemy.":
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5729764
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Russia and China have been holding joint war games every other year since 2005. The latest apparently took place on July 22-27 of this year.

"Russia and China will hold their joint military exercise on July 22-27 on the territories of the two countries. About 3,000 military men, 300 units of military hardware, over 40 planes and helicopters will take part in Peace Mission-2009 drills. About 1,500 servicemen, T-80 tanks, BMP-1 and BTR-70 armored vehicles, 22 aircraft, including two Il-76 cargo planes, five Su-24, five Su-25, five Su-27 fighters and five Mi-8 helicopters will represent Russia in the drills."

http://www.russiansentry.com/?area=postView&id=1409
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Russia, China hold Peace Mission 2009 joint exercise

The exercise involves about 3,000 Russian and Chinese servicemen, nearly 300 units of army military equipment and over 40 fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Photo: BMP-86A infantry fighting vehicles of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China.

http://en.rian.ru/photolents/20090724/155604547.html
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[2009] Russia, China plan new joint military exercises

By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst
Published: March 26, 2009

WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- The continuing tensions over Russia's refusal to sell its state-of-the-art land warfare advanced weapons systems to China hasn't interrupted the rhythm of major joint military exercises between the two major land powers on the Eurasian landmass. The latest in the regular, biennial series of exercises between the two nations has been confirmed for this summer.

The next in the now well-established series of exercises called Peace Mission 2009 will be carried out in northeastern China, the Russian Defense Ministry announced March 18, according to a report carried by the RIA Novosti news agency.

The first bilateral Peace Mission maneuvers -- described at the time as counter-terrorism exercises -- were held in Russia and the eastern Chinese province of Shandong in August 2005. As we reported at that time, they were a lot bigger than mere counter-terrorism exercises. Warships, squadrons of combat aircraft and more than 10,000 troops were involved carrying out landings against hypothetically hostile shores. The maneuvers also involved large-scale paratroops drops. The scale and nature of those exercises suggested a trial run for a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan with Russian support. ..."

http://www.upi.com/Security_Industry/2009/03/26/Russia_China_plan_new_joint_military_exercises/UPI-25021238094858/
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Russia, China flex muscles in joint war games
August 17, 2007

CHEBARKUL, Russia (Reuters) - Russia and China staged their biggest joint exercises on Friday but denied this show of military prowess could lead to the formation of a counterweight to NATO.

"Today's exercises are another step towards strengthening the relations between our countries, a step towards strengthening international peace and security, and first and foremost, the security of our peoples," Putin said.

Fighter jets swooped overhead, commandos jumped from helicopters on to rooftops and the boom of artillery shells shook the firing range in Russia's Ural mountains as two of the largest armies in the world were put through their paces.

The exercises take place against a backdrop of mounting rivalry between the West, and Russia and China for influence over Central Asia, a strategic region that has huge oil, gas and mineral resources.

Russia's growing assertiveness is also causing jitters in the West. Putin announced at the firing range that Russia was resuming Soviet-era sorties by its strategic bomber aircraft near NATO airspace.
http://in.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idINIndia-29030120070817?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0
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War Games: Russia, China Grow Alliance
September 23, 2005

In foreign policy it’s critical to “know thine enemy.” So American policymakers should be aware that Russia and China are inching closer to identifying a common enemy — the United States.

The two would-be superpowers held unprecedented joint military exercises Aug. 18-25. Soothingly named “Peace Mission 2005,” the drills took place on the Shandong peninsula on the Yellow Sea, and included nearly 10,000 troops. Russian long-range bombers, the army, navy, air force, marine, airborne and logistics units from both countries were also involved.

Moscow and Beijing claim the maneuvers were aimed at combating terrorism, extremism and separatism (the last a veiled reference to Taiwan), but it’s clear they were an attempt to counter-balance American military might.

Joint war games are a logical outcome of the Sino-Russian Friendship and Cooperation Treaty signed in 2001, and reflect the shared worldview and growing economic ties between the two Eastern Hemisphere giants."
http://www.heritage.org/Press/Commentary/ed092605a.cfm
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From the Sino-Russian Joint Statement of April 23, 1997:
"The two sides [China and Russia] shall, in the spirit of partnership, strive to promote the multipolarization of the world and the establishment of a new international order."
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI29Ag01.html
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From the Russian News and Information Agency:
July 27, 2006
"'I am determined to expand relations with Russia,' Chavez, known as an outspoken critic of what he calls the United States' unilateralism, told the Russian leader, adding that his determination stemmed from their shared vision of the global order.":
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20060727/51913498.html
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Russian nuclear bombers in Cuba?
July 23, 2008

The media has been abuzz today at the prospect of Russian nuclear bombers being stationed in Cuba if the US goes ahead with plans for missile defense bases in Eastern Europe.

The story has riled the US enough that a US general has been wheeled out to tell the world’s press that any Russian attempt to build another nuclear base in Cuba would cross US “red line”.

The story broke earlier this week, when Russian newspaper Izvestia quoted an un-named source from within the Russian military. He told the Russian daily:

“While they are deploying the missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, our strategic bombers will already be landing in Cuba.”

The quote hasn’t been independently confirmed, but the Russian Defense Ministry added fuel to the fire when they refused to comment on the story.

The prospect of Russian nuclear forces being stationed in Cuba - which is, after all, only 90 miles from the US coast - would bring back some rather unpleasant memories for the US of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, where the Soviet Union under Nikita Kruschev launched an audacious and foolhardy bid to station nuclear missiles on the Caribbean island.

http://www.siberianlight.net/2008/07/23/russian-nuclear-bombers-cuba/

[Eagles6]

Oh yeah, but your stuff is always welcome.