Free Republic

The current government has made progress in fixing the economy and reducing the atmosphere of lawlessness. But corruption is still rampant, and the newly centralized government is seen as a return to autocratic rule of the past. The problem with autocratic strongmen is that they tend to stay in power long past the point where they are effective. The czars and communists both suffered from this, and it is feared that new "democratic dictatorship" will do the same. Despite quality control and delivery problems, Russia continues to provide 60 percent of Indian arms imports over the last seven years. But...

Russia arms industry is pushing hard for a major breakthrough into the lucrative Gulf market at the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition in Qatar, the only navy-oriented defense showcase in the Middle East. Qatar's Peninsula newspaper reported that defense analysts are "saying that market demand for maritime defense in the region is expected to reach more than $30 billion in the next 20 years." Saudi Arabia is looking for new frigates but it has been buying them from France for decades and is likely to do so again. Like the United Arab Emirates, it has been building up its naval...