When are you going to answer the question about why Russia is propping up communist regimes TODAY, 2012?
In the same way we are "propping" up the communist China regime? Or building relationships with the Vietnamese?
it's politically expedient.
The Russians desperately want to say "We're big boys, respect us. RESPECT US." -- it's whining. Their navy is a joke and hardly a threat to any European country bar the Baltics, leave alone the US.
They've stood behind and aided open enemies of the US, such as Saddam Hussein/Iraq, Hugo Chavez/Venezuela, Kim Jung-Il/North Korea, the Castro bros/Cuba, Ahmadinejad/Iran, -- Saddam Hussein was business -- they got money selling him weapons when we didn't allow that, Cuba, Venezuala -- this is posturing, and again, money.
they don't support the North Koreans -- our "Most Favored Trading Nation" China does that
Iran is little more than posturing -- he doesn't want a powerful Iran to his south.