Russia Checkmated Its New Best Friend (the US)

LA Times ^ | November 29, 2001 | Eric S. Margolis

[VaBthang4]

Ditto

Pure hater speech.

[dread78645]

The new Silk Road is destined to become a Russian energy superhighway. By charging like an enraged bull into the South Asian china shop, the U.S. handed a stunning geopolitical victory to the Russians and severely damaged its own great power ambitions. Moscow is now free to continue plans to dominate South and Central Asia ...

Does anybody else have the sense that the LA Times is trapped in a time-warp, and finally getting caught-up with the "Cold War" ?

[Ivan Ivanov]

It seems you hurry up to give out your wishes instead of actual events in Russia. Today Putin "rules" in the circle of Yeltsin's people. Putin has no complete and real authority in Russia. Yeltsin and his thieves holds Putin by the throat. The genuine reforms in Russia will begin only after Yeltsin's death. I suppose it will be on the way about which you've written: But, more importantly, the Russian people are beginning to rediscover their culture and history. They are gradually beginning to organize their society on the basis of a sound organic nationalism that unites the Russian people behind their Slavic heritage and their Orthodox Christianity. But this way will be death-doing for all communist! Josef Staln was georgian formally because he was COMMUNIST. I can say the same about all Soviet leaders mentioned by you. Putin was the communist too. Nobody have to cherish hopes about communists. They are not humans. They are bastards. I can say it because I'm living in Russia 55 years. With great respect to all Ivan Ivanov

[Ron C.]

Good luck to you Ivan.. don't let the bad guys and the crooks get to you. May the old good of old Russia rise again.

[A. Pole]

It is true that the US under the Clinton Administration supported the Taleban takeover of Afghanistan in 1996 because they assumed that the Taleban would be more reasonable than the anti-American Northern Alliance government which controlled Afganistan from 1992-1996 and was listed all five years on the US State Department list of state sponsors of terror, whereas under the Taleban, Afganistan has never been on that list. In addition, Northern Alliance leader Rabbini was a staunch backer of

OK, OK, OK. So the deal is that instead of Taleban building the pipeline to the Central Asia it will be Russians plus Northern Aliance plus maybe US controlled Pashtun south of Afganistan.

Oil will flow, terrorists will have to find to some less convenient bases, America will be happy, oil industry will be happy, Russia will be happy etc ... So, where is the problem?

[A. Pole]

The Russians are not well loved in Afghanistan by anybody, including the Northern Alliance. The US has much good will here to capitalize on, if we are smart enough to do it this time.

The pipeline can go through American controlled south of Afganistan and north allied with Russia. That way oil flow will be secure and the region will be stable. If Americans and Russians give REAL help to Afgans they will gain a lot of good will. It is a win win situation.

[quebecois]

"What good for the average people was the 'greatest empire in the world"

This is precisely the question that the American middle class needs to be asking right now. In many ways, the USA today mirrors the USSR in the past. We are ruled by an internationalist elite that is bent on establishing world empire. Rather than concerning themselves with the welfare of the american people, our american rulers are attempting to construct a 'new world order' at our expense.

The Russian people learned the hard way what the ultimate price of allowing your nation to be run by an internationalist elite bent on world empire was. The Russian people suffered while their (often non-Russian) internationalist rulers pursued a variety of imperial delusions.

[Stavka2]

Yes, Stalin the great Russian patriot that tried to destroy everything that was Russian. Your bias and ignorance are running rampant.

[Ivan Ivanov]

Both of you (Stavka2 and quebecois) are wrong. Read a history. What is it "empire"? Do you remember what was British empire? Russia was empire WITHOUT COLONIES only up to 1917. The Soviet Union was named as "empire" only in the purposes of west propaganda. Stalin was not patriot of Russia. He tried to carry out erroneous communistic idea. He sent onto death tens of millions Russians for the sake of this idea. However, Stalin was the chief of state and asserted interests of this state. Any human victims could not stop Stalin on ways to realization of the idea, or interests of the Soviet Union. Stalin used totalitarian methods for achievement of his purpose. But he did not have choice. He had no time for suasions and democratic decisions. The situation in the world forced him to work quickly and effectively. Only totalitarian methods could suited at such severe constraints in the time. Russia has lost millions best people. Russia has spoiled genetic fund of a nation. However Stalin's erroneous idea had crash after all. Whole country USSR was crying during Stalin's funeral. If Stalin was ghoul, how propaganda told about him afterward, people might anathematize him. However it was not being.

A couple days ago, website http://www.sobkor.ru/ just began voting on such question:

Whom do you prefer to see as the leader of today's Russia?

Lenin - 4.73%

Stalin - 18.34%

Khruschev - 5.33%

Brezhnev - 2.37%

Gorbachov - 5.92%

Yeltsin - 0.00%

Putin - 48.52%

Another leader - 14.79%

Do you see who is who today?

Ivan Ivanov

[lavaroise]

Keep th UN out of it, make Afghanistan an international protectorate, divided between US, RUssia and England.

[Go Gordon]

There will be no repeat of the US-Russia-UK Grand alliance against Fascism. The Russians are longtime backers of some of the most extreme Islamic terrorists and state sponsors of terrors in the world, many if not most of which they trained at terrorist schools inside Russia.

So what. The US also backed Iraq vs Iran, but not anymore. We backed the Taliban, but not anymore. Russia is helping keep the entire global economy from a shipwreck by neutering the OPECkers. Its a new world out there. If we don't team with Russia, think what the world would be like with a China-Russia alliance. We need to cut Bush some slack, give him a chance forge a strong alliance with Russia, and see what happens. Whats the downside if it doesn't work out? We go back to our former relationship?

At this point in time, we may need Russia more than they need us....

[Go Gordon]

Oil will flow, terrorists will have to find to some less convenient bases, America will be happy, oil industry will be happy, Russia will be happy etc ... So, where is the problem?

I don't know, maybe because that whole chunk of wasteland over there is infested with terroists (aka peace loving muslims)? Lets say the pipeline is built. If I'm a terroist, I simply blow up the pipeline. I mean how many miles of pipeline can really be safeguarded 24/7.

[A. Pole]

Lets say the pipeline is built. If I'm a terroist, I simply blow up the pipeline. I mean how many miles of pipeline can really be safeguarded 24/7.

Maybe it is not so big problem. If pipeline is occasionally damaged in some spots it can be fixed. You just replace a very limited part of it. It can be more costly to the terrorists to keep repeating risky operations.

[Alexandre]

Re: to #49 Whole country USSR was crying during Stalin's funeral.

According to "Pravda" and those who grew up under Bolshevik selection machine (VChK-GPU-NKVD). Those who would not cry after Stalin's death were silenced. In many ways, we know those ways now. Don't we?

Plus, being a member of communist party and being a communist is not the same, you also shall know this. 99% (or so) of us there were members of the Young Communist League. Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov (plus hundreds of thousands less prominent fidures) were members of the party. Many were under influence of teaching for a while, others needed a membership to unlock a career opportunity.

I would not be that concerned about crying crouds in March 1953 as shown in "documentaries". This sould be staged same way as May 1 demonstrations. Remember how it was done? Since you live in Russia for 55 years, you shall know. Even under Gorby it worked same way for years - and how sincere were those expressions of proletarian internationalism? What do you expect under Stalin's followers?! Beria says: -everyone criesT! And they do so.

[Alexandre]

I doubt if Afghan guys will blow the pipe if they will see a cash peeling of it. For some time there will be few crasies, but once their chiefs see a profit - they will manage the thing themselves. Probably even without occupation zones.

But here comes drop of doubt - oil money did little good to Arabs...

[Ivan Ivanov]

I study genuine history of Russia only now. For long years Russian state's history was contorted by communist historians. Many points of Russian history conceal and nowadays. However now, we have opportunity to read books, issued mainly in USA from 1919 up to present time (thanks to Internet). I'm statedly repeating: "Anybody can find any knowledge in American libraries. We need to be able to separate the husk from the grain in searching of truth." Unfortunately, common Americans live under influence of propaganda from newspaper and TV. A couple of years ago I began to write a book about my sight on Russian history. I may honestly say, that I stopped on chapter Stalin. This person and his role in history were too complex to understand and to write without prejudices. Undoubtedly, he was a great statesman and did make so much useful for USSR (people did cry about it during funerals but no under Beria order). His human qualities were horrible (though Lenin was much more horrible). However, some members of communist party were full moral monsters. I think almost impossibly to sort out what happened - mountains of corpses, dirt and blood can fend us off from doing clear conclusions. But methods of realization of communistic ideology were a long string of crimes. Therefore, communist party was criminal organization. Normal man could not became a member of such organization neither with goal " to unlock a career opportunity" nor with others, exonerative goals. Communists proclaimed themselves as "fighters for people happiness". If it would so, the people would follow them. However, members of CPSU numbered no more 5% of inhabitants of country (6,5% at Gorbachov's times). Only social climbers or bastards could become members of CPSU. I only be sorry that Solzhenitsyn and Sakharov were among them. Honest people (as you can see they were absolute majority) avoided membership in CPSU.

With all respect

Ivan Ivanov