Why Russia is standing by Syria's Assad

BBC News ^ | 15 June 2012

[MinorityRepublican]

As the United Nations warns that Syria has descended into civil war, Russia continues to back President Bashar al-Assad in the face of growing international condemnation.

Konstantin von Eggert, political commentator for Kommersant FM radio in Moscow, looks at why the Kremlin is steadfastly supporting the beleaguered Syrian government.

Foreign policy analysts usually tend to explain Moscow's inflexible stance on Syria by evoking arms sales to Damascus (Bashar al-Assad's regime is said to have placed orders for Russian hardware to the tune of $3.5bn) and the Russian naval station in the Syrian port of Tartous.

But this alone does not account for Russia's seeming indifference to the adverse effect that its international advocacy of the Assad government has on its relations with the United States, the European Union and the majority of the Arab states.

The explanation has a lot to do with Russia's domestic policies and the obsessions of the Russian political class.

By standing up for Damascus, the Kremlin is telling the world that neither the UN, nor any other body or group of countries has the right to decide who should or should not govern a sovereign state.

If one looks at the Syrian crisis from this angle, many of Moscow's previously inexplicable actions take on a new, clearer meaning.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Once in awhile, I agree with the Russians. Of course, they will eventually be punished for standing up to the folks who run the world.

[bruinbirdman]

The Syrian rebels are Mohammedan Brotherhood and Al-Qaeda? Backed by Saudi Arabia?

Assad is secular, Christian protector, ally of Iran.

Why again are Rooskies backing their southern flank Assad? They have enough trouble in the south Caucasus.

yitbos

[Tupelo]

“Why Russia is standing by Syria's Assad”

Maybe because Putin remembers an adage from the cold war. I do not remember the author but it went something like; “He may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch.” This is something the United States has forgotten. Now in the fourth year of the famous ‘Reset’ in foreign policy, we are damn near out of friends. Especially in the Mideast. (and Arizona)

[piytar]

Why again are Rooskies backing their southern flank Assad? They have enough trouble in the south Caucasus.

Your question is the answer: Putin would rather fight - and slaughter - jihadists in Syria than in the Southern Caucusus. He won't be sending troops there to nation build, but to break things and kill people.

Putin is corrupt as heck, but he does understand the real world about 1,000,000,000 times better than obastard...

[zerosix]

Why indeed.......according to a former Air Force General(Sada) in Saddam"s inner circle, Syria was where the Russians were taking all of the WMD that they had been working on in Iraq before we invaded.

Remember a convoy of black limos that were "accidentally shot at" while speeding across the border of Iraq into Syria?????

Russia's scientists were hard at work in Iraq and when the U.S. was "working with the U.N. to get their 'approval' to enforce the sanctions against Iraq," needed to get the evidence of the WMD before being discovered by the rest of the world.

Now, Russia needs to move, protect or destroy the various WMD, such as germ warfare, airborne poisons, etc. before the world catches on.

Actually, Syria or another totalitarian country, friendly to the interests of Russia, is a friendly place in which Russia's secrets are better kept than in mother Russia.

[Roccus]

“He may be a son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch.”

SoS Hull speaking of Trujillo

[null and void]

Your question is the answer: Putin would rather fight - and slaughter - jihadists in Syria than in the Southern Caucusus. He won't be sending troops there to nation build, but to break things and kill people.

Hmmm. This would be an irony of Biblical proportions.

Formerly Christian America becomes Israel's defacto enemy.
Formerly Atheist Russia becomes Israel's defacto savior.

[justa-hairyape]

IMHO - WMD's from Iraq have nothing to do with this. Syria has its own stockpile of Chemical and Biological WMD. They have had them for years. So unless they got nuclear WMD warheads from Iraq, the WMD angle is mute.

The author of this linked article fails to explain why the Russian sea base is not enough justification. It is their only base in the Med. Where are they going to dock in the Med ? Also, a Russian land bridge from the Caucasus through Georgia, Armenia, Iran, Iraq and Syria would be the ultimate prize. They can take Georgia in a few hours. Armenia lets the Russians have their way with them already. Russians still maintain bases there.

Apparently the only way you can dismiss the sea port as the cause, is to note that the rebels have assured the Russians they can use the port. Yeah. Right. We all know how predictable the Arab Spring has been. As the Russians tried to point out, just today, to President Bonehead.

Obama and Hillary are in way over their heads.

[cpdiii]

“SoS Hull speaking of Trujillo”

Actually it was in reference to Somoza

Anastasio Somoza García - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastasio_Somoza_García

President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) supposedly remarked in 1939 that “Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.” According to historian ...

[ETL]

Why indeed.......according to a former Air Force General(Sada) in Saddam"s inner circle, Syria was where the Russians were taking all of the WMD that they had been working on in Iraq before we invaded. Remember a convoy of black limos that were "accidentally shot at" while speeding across the border of Iraq into Syria?????

Exactly what I was thinking. How easily people forget things.

[zerosix]

I’m not dismissing the sea port as the cause. I’m merely pointing a reason for Russia’s disregard for the “tough negotiators” of Clinton/Obama, might be another component.

[Roccus]

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKtrujillo.htm

It seems this quote has been attributed to several different people about several different people. My initial reaction was that it sounded like something out of LBJ.

[UCANSEE2]

Remember a convoy of black limos that were "accidentally shot at" while speeding across the border of Iraq into Syria?????

IIRC, they were trucks, not limos, but they did have some 'diplomatic' members in the cabs of the trucks.

[UCANSEE2]

How easily people forget things.

Yeah.

And now we have more than one generation that were not even taught things (like history) and seem bent on repeating it.

[UCANSEE2]

Of course, they will eventually be punished for standing up to the folks who run the world.

Yeah, but they always take it out on the little people.

[ETL]

Obama and Hillary are in way over their heads.

Obama and Putin are on the same "new world order" page. You can add Iran ally Syria to the following list.

The Putin-ChiCom-Chavez-Iran-North Korea-Obama "New World Order"

“We are creating a new world, a balanced world. A new world order, a multipolar world,” Chavez told reporters during a visit to Communist China, one of many. His “new world order” includes [RUSSIA], China, Iran,... and a significantly weakened United States, he explained.

Resurgent Communism in Latin America
by Alex Newman, March 16, 2010:

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/south-america-mainmenu-37/3122-resurgent-communism-in-latin-america?tmpl=component&print=1&layout=default&page=
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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
______________________________________________________________

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
______________________________________________________________

"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/research/commentary/2005/09/war-games-russia-china-grow-alliance

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,170287,00.html
______________________________________________________________

Russia's Medvedev hails "comrade" Obama

Associated Foreign Press (AFP) ^ | April 2, 2009 | Anna Smolchenko

"Russia's Dmitry Medvedev hailed Barack Obama as "my new comrade" Thursday after their first face-to-face talks"

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gEo4B1heuBvO6KK7EiBHKigO1UrA

April 1, 2009:
"Obama, Medvedev pledge new era of relations":
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/specialreport/news/419496_88/1/.html
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President Obama and Venezuela dictator Hugo
Chavez at the 2009 Summit of the Americas in Trinidad.
Note the "soul bro" handshake. (my caption)

Obama, Chavez shake hands at Americas Summit:
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2009/04/17/2698451-obama-chavez-shake-hands-at-americas-summit
______________________________________________________________

From CBS-News, July 29, 2006:

Chavez Vows To 'Stand By Iran'
After Oil Talks In Tehran, Venezuelan Leader Called 'Brother' By Ahmedinejad

"Chavez pledged that his country would 'stay by Iran at any time and under any condition,' state television reported. Ahmadinejad said he saw in Chavez a kindred spirit." "'We do not have any limitation in cooperation,' Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying. 'Iran and Venezuela are next to each other and supporters of each other. Chavez is a source of a progressive and revolutionary current in South America and his stance in restricting imperialism is tangible.'":
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/07/29/world/main1847331.shtml
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http://article.wn.com/view/2009/06/16/Iran_president_visits_Russia_despite_protests/
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The two sides [Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Russia] agreed to "promote and enhance friendly relations" in line with the joint declaration of July 19, 2000 and the Russia-DPRK friendship and good neighborly cooperation treaty of February 9, 2000.

Putin and Kim agreed during their talks to promote a Russian- DPRK political dialogue on the Korean issue and international affairs, and discussed many topical international problems, deputy head of the Russian presidential administration Sergei Prikhodko told reporters following the talks.

The two leaders spoke for an independent and peaceful solution to the issue of reunification of the Korean Peninsula, and against "any outside obstacles to this process" as "unacceptable."

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2001/Aug/17008.htm

[ETL]

KGB Putin thinks the "COLLAPSE" of the mass-murdering communist Soviet Union was the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th Century"

"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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"'The Black Book of Communism,'; a scholarly accounting of communism’s crimes, counts about 94 million murdered by the supposed champions of the common man (20 million for the Soviets alone), and some say that number is too low."

Forgetting the Evils of Communism: The amnesia bites a little deeper
By Jonah Goldberg, August 2008:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmY0MjI1MDgyYjg1M2UwNDMzMTk2Mjk5YTk0ZTdlMWE=
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[ETL]

Russia’s military spending soars
February, 2011

Russia has revealed details of its ambitious plan to upgrade its army over the next ten years, planning to spend US$650 billion on the project.

­The unveiled large-scale plans of the Russian defense ministry propose the spending of vast sums of money up to 2020.

First and foremost, Russian defense will focus on the development of strategic nuclear weapons, construction of over 100 military vessels for Russian Navy, including construction of four originally French-made Mistral-class amphibious assault ships, and the introduction into the Air Force of over 1,000 helicopters and 600 military planes, including fifth generation PAK-FA fighter.

Most of the military hardware will be equipped with next-generation weaponry.

http://rt.com/news/military-budget-russia-2020/
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China and Russia Launch Military Exercises
April 22nd, 2012

China and Russia launched joint naval exercises Sunday in the Yellow Sea between the east coast of mainland China and the Korean peninsula.

Sixteen Chinese surface vessels and two submarines as well as four Russian warships will take part in the six days of drills. ...

China and Russia have conducted four bilateral and multilateral military exercises since 2005.

http://blogs.voanews.com/breaking-news/2012/04/22/china-and-russia-launch-military-exercises/

China and Russia Launch Military Exercises
April 22nd, 2012

[ETL]

Open Mic Catches Obama Asking Medvedev for Space on Missile Defense
March 26, 2012

"In a private conversation about the planned U.S.-led NATO missile defense system in Europe, President Barack Obama asked outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for space on the issue.

“This is my last election,” Obama told Medvedev. “After my election I have more flexibility.”

“I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” Medvedev said, referring to incoming President Vladimir Putin."

http://fox8.com/2012/03/26/open-mic-catches-obama-asking-medvedev-for-space-on-missile-defense/
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Obama was talking with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev when neither of them realized that their conversation was being picked up by microphones. Here is what they said:

Obama: “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space.”

Medvedev: “Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you ...”

Obama: “This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility.”

Medvedev: “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir.”

“This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” That statement tells us much about the president’s mindset.

The specific mention of missile defense is worrisome enough. Mr. Obama has retreated from the missile defense plan that was negotiated with European allies during the George W. Bush administration. Apparently, he is signaling Moscow that he intends to retreat further. The clear implication from the president’s comments is that he cannot tell the American people before the election what he plans to do after the election.

In addition, there is the phrase “on all these issues,” implying more is at stake than just missile defense.”

Article: Obama plans double cross on missile defense
When it comes to keeping America safe, we shouldn’t be too flexible:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/29/obama-plans-double-cross-on-missile-defense/print/