IRAN: Russia and China Are Bought and Paid For

Strategy Page ^ | 2006 Feb 28

[Wiz]

February 28, 2006: Production of nuclear material has started, the UN knows about it, and Iran doesn't care. Iran says it will promise not to develop nuclear weapons if the United States and the rest of the word got rid of theirs. Iran appears pretty confident that China and Russia will provide diplomatic support of the UN tries to stop Iranian nuclear weapons developments via sanctions.

[Brilliant]

I can't see what Iran has to offer Russia. Russia has more oil than Iran. This nuke deal Russia is doing is small change compared to the pain Russia will suffer if Iran gets the bomb.

[The Lumster]

Russia is using Iran and other muslim nations to fight a proxy war against the U.S. Their strategy is to use these nations to weaken us.

China is also involved with N. Korea as it's primary proxy.

[ARCADIA]

Iran cannot buy itself out of the current political mess. They may get China and Russia to block us at the UN; but, that body is no longer relevant, or taken seriously, and we may not even go there. No amount of money will get Russia and China to declare war on the US and those are the kinds of allies that Iran needs now. They are playing by yesterday's hand book and they have been incompetent throughout this.

[Brilliant]

Very shortsighted, though. We engaged in a cold war with them for 50 years, but did not blow them up. They won't be so lucky if Iran gets the a-bomb.

[kAcknor]

I can't see what Iran has to offer Russia.

In a word: Schadenfreude

There is a generation in Russia still hurting over the loss of the cold war. Anything that makes us look bad, or hurts or interferes with our goals, is OK with them. Preferred actually.

[TemplarAkolyte]

This is my humble opinion. Russia knows its oil position and it's strong. She is the #2 oil producer in the world behind Saudi Arabia (CIA Fact book).

Russia is currently positioning itself in the pro-Iranian middle. If there are threats from Iran it will be directed at the West. Any detrimentally destibalizing dynamic in the Middle East region benefits Russia. Russia sits pretty when the dust settles. She gains or loses nothing.

Juxtapose this with Russia's recent history of strong arm tactics leveraging its natural gas. I see a global game that they're playing. The game is world energy. If you thought OPEC was bad, think of a newly resurgent Russia with Topol-M hypersonic nukes in their left hand and oil in their right.

Obviously this assumes that the government of Russia abandons it democratic views in favor of oil money.

[Brilliant]

We need to engage Russia more than we are doing. The reality is that we need Russia on our side both in this war on terror, in the struggle with China, and economically. Putin has definitely not moved in the direction that we want him to go, but in the long run, our future depends on enlisting Russia on our side, and for some reason, Washington seems unable to see that.

[humint]

Iran says it will promise not to develop nuclear weapons if the United States and the rest of the world got rid of theirs.

Hmmmm... The U.S. is downsizing its nuclear arsenal while China is making more warheads. Iran is signing energy contracts with China but asking the U.S. to get rid of its nuclear weapons? Based on what Iranian officials say, the Iranian government is comprised of hypocrites who assume no one is paying attention. The Chinese and the Americans are paying close attention, and they have limited time for official Iranian duplicity.

[zarf]

There is a generation in Russia still hurting over the loss of the cold war.

I agree. I don't think that Putin is necessarily calling the shots in this situation.

[FlipWilson]

If I were President Bush, I would write a letter that sounds like this:

Dear Russia and China,

It has recently come to our attention that you are actively assisting Iran in its quest to obtain nuclear arms. Given this development, it will henceforth be the policy of the United States that if Iran obtains and uses nuclear weapons against the U.S. or its allies, we will regard it as a direct attack on the U.S. by Russia and China. Since you wanna play Cold War, then lets go back to the good ole days of Mutually Assured Destruction.

Love and kisses,

GWB

P.S. I wonder if Taiwan and the Chechens want to buy some suitcase nukes. . hmmmmm.

[Wiz]

ping

[Mike Darancette]

China and Russia will provide diplomatic support of the UN tries to stop Iranian nuclear weapons developments via sanctions.

The death of Communism has been the birth of state prostitution.

[Petey139]

Bush using slang, Now thats new. The next thing bush wants to do is see the Chicom empty that whooping $800 Billion US in their reserves and spend them on $800 Billion worth of Russian weaponry. They will just have a reason to stock up.

[TemplarAkolyte]

I don't doubt our policy on Russia. The policy is to support democratic systems of government ever since the Berlin wall fell. With much thanks to the United States her former satellites are leaning or are democratic. The Russian sphere of influence in the region is diluted but still very potent. Historically, this is a continuation of the Eurasian Great game of geopolitics.

Engagement is a two way street. How that's done on our end can be argued ad infinitum. The West obviously needs Russia in a multitude of political and economic facets; Russia needs money, not necessarily Western money. The question ultimately is: What is Russian policy towards the west? Their skitishness with nearby democratic states along with what their actions have been this past decade do not promote much confidence of what their western policies may be.

Russia is the fulcrum and it's hard to tell which way she will side. I think some of our Freeper comments harking back to the rhetoric of the Cold war may very well be appropriate. Perhaps to some Russians, the Cold War never ended.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving up on Russia, she has a great people and tradition but they share that knife's edge in this pivotal time in history. I think the eggheads in Washington see this and more. The ball is in the Russian court.

[Brilliant]

The problem is that after Russia leaned our way, it is now leaning the other way. We really need to mix things up and see if we can change that. The most logical way to do it is is to establish more extensive commercial ties with them. They apparently are motivated by $$$, so give them a reason to be motivated in our direction.

[FlipWilson]

Uhhh, yes, unlike what they are doing now, which is, well, stocking up.

[Tailgunner Joe]

bump

[Thunder90]

Russia/CIS has been engaging in a massive modernization of their armed forces. So has China.