Posted on 05/13/2017 10:53:20 AM PDT by LSUfan
Recently within the American conservative and Christian zeitgeists I have noticed a growing positive view of Vladimir Putin and desire for a U.S.-Russia Christian military alliance against Islamic terrorism. As both a conservative Christian American and a policy specialist on Russia and Eastern Europe, this is a perilous line of thinking. The growing trend among conservatives to support Putin’s Russia is problematic because Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) engage in activities that run directly contrary to U.S. national security objectives, values of Western civilization writ large, and teaching of Christian scripture.
Perceptions that Russia is a defender of Christendom in an increasingly secular world are not based in reality. Any discussion concerning the relationship between Christianity and Russia cannot fail to take into consideration the Russian Orthodox Church, which dominates practically all aspects of Christianity in Russia.
(Excerpt) Read more at providencemag.com ...
Nope. Fracking has changed all that. We have centuries of usable gas and oil in gigantic shale deposits. This has already derailed Moscow's "oil diplomacy" vis-a-vis the United States. They still have some leverage with Europe, as transportation by pipeline is possible. The same is true of OPEC.
Czarist Russia was never an American ally (Only a circumstantial one in WWI!) but we always had a cordial relationship with them. There is no reason we can return to a similar state of affairs.
I'm assuming you actually meant "......no reason we can't return.....".
If so, I agree completely. Americans and Russians are far more alike than different (the only major countries in the world with a "frontier" tradition, although Australia might also qualify). And we both have far more to fear from Muslim culture than from each other.
Load of crap. Saying they interfere with US interests.
Load of crap. Aiding an Islamic theocratic state that has a long history of murdering Americans with a nuclear program is clearly against US interests... and everyone else's.
The problem is that our interests are supporting Sunni theocracy,
We're not helping the Sunnis with a nuclear program. Meanwhile, Russia's been supporting a Shiite theocracy - and so was Obama. Obama lifting sanctions to help Iran conduct more terrorism and get the bomb certainly wasn't in the interests of any Sunni theocracy. Obama releasing billions of dollars to aid Iran in its aggressive endeavors certainly wasn't benefitting any Sunnis. I'd love to hear from you how this helped Sunnis.
expanding nato directly up to Russias border.
Well, since we still have Cuba, friendly as ever to the Russians not far from where I sit, and Alaska butts up next to Russia in the far north, and Russia's been planting their flag off the coast of Canada under the ice trying to claim their continental shelf as its own, we shouldn't cut the Russians any slack on that, nor reward them with territory. These countries have a right to look out for their own interests ; it should be no surprise that they view becoming vassal states of the Russians is not in their interests. It is out of their long experience and quite justified fear of Russian expansionism that they seek NATO membership- it's not being forced on them. Russia only has itself to blame for these countries' interest in NATO, since it is according to Pootie Poot himself that Russia intends to recreate the Soviet Union - which of course means to subjugate eastern Europe as before under the one-way Warsaw Pact. And to do that he has been using military force to invade and take territory he could not gain through peaceful persuasion.
Demanding access to their people for our NGOs to start destabilization efforts,
These places were stable? Russia's a better talent at destabilization than we'll ever be... they just don't call Spetznatz an NGO.
and demanding they kiss the western bankers ring.
So instead of western loans, groveling at the feet of Russian oligarchs holding a gun to their head is better?
Oh, and also they must “freely” install a western puppet as leader.
An election is not the installation of a puppet. A Russian invasion is. The US has never threatened to cut off the energy supplies of any European state to manipulate its foreign policy.
In short, our leaders are bond villains wanting world domination, and only need a cat to stroke.
But you, like George Bush, looked into his soul, and discovered that Pootie Poot is not a villain but is really a nice guy... in spite of assassinating his opponents in the most grisly and unique ways, in spite of decades of service in the KGB funding US antiwar groups so they can undermine our security, in spite of helping Saddam Hussein with his weapons programs even as Saddam was running people through plastic shredders and infiltrating Europe with spy cells to assassinate dissidents, helping Iran with their nuclear program even as Iran was blowing up Kobar Towers, even when it was sending teams of IRGC fighters into Iraq to set IEDs to dismember US soldiers and slaughter Iraqi police, and even when Iran's Hezbollah was helping al Qaeda with their bomb design to sink the USS The Sullivans and the USS Cole; Putin's such a nice guy, importing North Korean slaves to work the timber in the far east without pay, allowing North Korea to keep the slaves in camps under Nork guard so as to prevent escape; and the " niceguy" invaded what, four countries in the last couple years, without a peep of protst from an accomodating Obama...even recently this paragon of virtue has been threatening the Scandinavian states, threatening the Baltic states, and threatening Poland... none of which are a threat to the Russians in any way, shape, or form.
Why is it you think it's bad for countries to freely join NATO but somehow OK for the Russians to use force to prevent it ... to assassinate opposition candidates and journalists, threaten to cut off heating oil if they don't get their way, and forcibly expand their control until their tanks overlook western states?
Yes I meant ‘.. I see no reason why we can’t return....’?
A major difference between the U.S. and Russia is the Russian Federation has seven “states” (called “republics” or “oblasts” [provinces]) that are predominately Muslim: Tatarstan, Karachay-Cherkassia, Kabordino-Bulkaria, Ingusetia, Chechnya, Dagestan, and Bashkortostan.
The U.S. has no state or territory that is predominately Muslim.
Fracking changed nothing.
The US burns 20 million bpd (That’s 42 gallon barrels per day).
Shale in both Texas and North Dakota flow about 3.5 mbpd.
Read that carefully. Math trumps propaganda.
Russia’s Bazhenov shale is bigger than both Bakken and EagleFord/West Permian.
There is no good news here.
Good article. When the NWO - SOROS, the Rothschilds and EU countries - and our ‘Swamp Dwellers” all against Putin/Russia - it pays to to do some research and ask yourself why you are with them? For one thing, you’d find that Putin, who has restored the church and rebuilt the churches and cathedrals, was a ‘closet Christian” - laugh, but the proof is there. If you don’t want to do the research - your ‘opining’ means nothing.
I’m wondering if we wont’ see the old alliance of the US, the UK and Russia again pulling together, this time, to stop the encroaching Caliphate.
Might even see China and Japan join in. They, also, are holding off the NWO and NO jihadist ‘refugees’/
I particularly like the last paragraph.
excerpt: “Atlanticist elites dread not only Russian power, but the liberating potential of an ancient Russian ideal articulated by legendary thinkers like Fyodor Dostoevsky: traditional faith instead of sectarian extremism or materialist fanaticism; national and ethnic solidarity instead of either toxic chauvinism or corrosive cosmopolitanism; and a just sovereignty instead of our pleasure-dome police state. Rediscovery of these principles can move entire peoples toward nobility and sanctity, affording them true freedom and a fighting chance to crush the cult of Mammon.”
Better we don’t have to go to war with Russia but it probably will happen. Never trust Russians!
I will drink to the person who splatters Putin’s brains with lead to the head. Maybe someday the drunken fools in Russia will overthrow the thugs who own them and treat them as dogs, but I doubt it.
“They, in turn, would point to America’s support of (and promotion of) the Saudi regime and its repulsive ideology of Sunni Wahabbism.”
You are missing the point. The Iranians are threatening America with missile launched nuclear bombs.
And Russia is helping them build those things.
Someone who helps your deadliest enemy arm himself and improve his ability to attack you, is also an enemy.
The Saudis are nasty, but they are not an existential threat to bomb Russia. They don’t even have a nuclear program, or a missile program.
Of what?? Oil, gas, both. Your statistic is meaningless without better definitions.
"Shale in both Texas and North Dakota flow about 3.5 mbpd."
Again, of what.
"Read that carefully. Math trumps propaganda."
So does HONEST quoting of information.
"Russia’s Bazhenov shale is bigger than both Bakken and EagleFord/West Permian."
Uh, the US has far more shale to tap that Bakken and Eagleford. I "have" actually seen a map.
So tell me....if things are so bad, why are companies setting up to export both oil and natural gas.
What that means is that Russia understands the dangers of Islamic fanatics better than the US. Russia is not our enemy unless we make them such.
that’s flat out wrong.
Have you ever seen room temperature natgas stored in barrels?
All the quotes were about oil, since that is what moves food to shelves.
Just stop a moment and ask why the US would have all the shale oil, or even most of it. There is nothing special about US rocks. How could there be?
As for export, you have to do some studying of API degrees and viscosity and the difference between oil and condensate. Or, you can choose not to and just look at the numbers you were given.
The US burns 20 million barrels/day of oil. Natgas doesn’t move food to cities. Only oil does that. It’s all that matters.
The US total production is about 9.5 million bpd, that’s conventional on and offshore plus shale (unconventional).
So look at those two numbers and ask yourself why one would export anything at all. These are the actual numbers. Not manufactured pitches for investment money (or more often loans). This is the real McCoy. The US imports 9+ million bpd. Why would it export any in that situation?
Answer: to buttress a narrative.
You should show us how to die well.
Don’t worry. I will.
Any nation that builds nuclear power plants in Iran may not be the enemy of the U.S. but they sure aren’t our friend.
Also Russia is providing Iran with Russia’s most sophisticated missile defense system.
“Russia to build 2 nuclear power plants in Iran”
https://www.rt.com/business/385394-russia-iran-nuclear-power-plants/
“Russia To Send Iran $1 Billion-Worth Of Missile Defense Systems.”
http://dailycaller.com/2017/02/20/russia-to-send-iran-1-billion-worth-of-missile-defense-systems/
The Russian Orthodox church is the remnant that survived the 70 years of communist hell. It is integrated into the FSB and plays a significant part of forming Russian foreign policy.
Russia is on a crusade to rechristianize the Balkans, the Caucuses and to prevent NATO from enforcing the secular/moslem new world order on Russia.
As NATO encircles Russia and adds military buildup around the edges of Russia - the more determined are the Orthodox to protect their sheep and they have nukes and cash.
After the USA becomes a balkanized mess, Russia will look like the last man standing.
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