Free Republic

MOSCOW—After a decade as a largely unknown body bringing together Russia, China and a number of Central Asian states, the Shanghai Co-operation Organization is evolving into a security and political bloc that could become a key global player with the clout to challenge NATO, experts say. Russian and Chinese leaders praised the organization this week as parliamentary leaders from its six member states met in Moscow ahead of a major SCO summit on June 15 in Shanghai. Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan founded the group as the "Shanghai Five" in 1996 and it was expanded to include Uzbekistan, renamed...

The geopolitical history of the last century, in the course of which totalitarianism emerged, developed, and evolved to become the ineluctable lot of mankind that it is today, may be encapsulated in three short sentences. One: Stalin created Hitler. Two: Stalin sicked Hitler on the West. Three: Stalin got the West to become his ally in order to defeat Hitler. The bitter fruit of Stalin’s strategy was half of Europe falling into his lap. Bitter for no other reason but that all of Europe had been meant to fall to the prospective scourge of Nazi evil, as surely it would...

Americans were rightly outraged over the possibility of an Arab nation with ties to terrorists taking control of six major American ports. Protests from across the nation helped to squelch the deal. However, the job’s not finished. The Communist Chinese still control ports at Long Beach. Congressman Charlie Norwood, (R-GA) made a strong case for getting the Chinese out of the port of Long Beach when he noted that while Dubai has been a reliable partner for America in the War on Terror, Red Chinese officials have threatened invasion of America’s ally on Taiwan and nuclear war against the United...

China, Russia welcome Iran into the fold M K Bhadrakumar April 18, 2006 The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which maintained it had no plans for expansion, is now changing course. Mongolia, Iran, India and Pakistan, which previously had observer status, will become full members. SCO's decision to welcome Iran into its fold constitutes a political statement. Conceivably, SCO would now proceed to adopt a common position on the Iran nuclear issue at its summit meeting June 15. Speaking in Beijing as recently as January 16, the organization's secretary general Zhang Deguang had been quoted by Xinhua news agency as saying:...

As the Iranians are moving closer to developing a nuclear weapons program, the Russian government is telling the world not to worry. An Russian official is being quoted as saying the centrifuges available to Iran are not sufficient to launch industrial uranium enrichment. A Russian nuclear expert concurred. "Uranium enrichment in Iran is not arousing concerns in Russia. There is nothing unexpected in this. The availability of 164 centrifuges in Iran is a fact that has been known for a long time," Russian Atomic Energy Agency chief Sergei Kiriyenko told China's communist party-controlled news agency. "These centrifuges allow Iran to...

According to the Central Intelligence Agency, China is the world’s second largest economy.[1] Sec­retary of State Condoleezza Rice has observed that China is becoming a “military superpower,”[2] and Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte has testified before Congress that China “may become a peer competitor to the United States” in the Asia–Pacific region.[3] By itself, the rise of a new power in Asia need not be alarming, but a new superpower that works against the interests of freedom, free trade, and glo­bal stability is now becoming a reality. On the eve of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit, it is time...

Russian news agency Interfax: The Russian state arms trading agency Rosoboronexport has denied reports by a number of US media alleging that Russia will sell outdated Kalashnikov assault rifles to Venezuela instead of modern ones, as it promised to do earlier. "We would like to express our surprise and even outrage at an April 10 article published in the Washington Times. The allegations it makes are untrue and absolutely absurd," Rosoboronexport spokesman Valery Kartavtsev said at a press conference, Saturday. According to a contract signed in May 2005, Russia will sell 100,000 AK-103 rifles to the Venezuelan army and security...