The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is planning to create a large military contingent comprising units and formations of several Central Asian states, the head of the post-Soviet security group said Monday. CSTO members – Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – use the organization as a platform to fight drug trafficking, terrorism, and organized crime, and have pledged to provide immediate military assistance to one another in the event of an attack. The bloc has a Collective Rapid Reaction Force deployed in Central Asia, and is continuing to build up its military forces. (...) >>>
May 16, 2012
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Obama downgrades military -
The Guardian: "Barack Obama sets out plans for leaner military in historic strategy shift"
President says armed forces will move away from large-scale ground warfare and focus more on China in wake of budget cuts (...) >>>
Jan. 6, 2012
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Treaty with Russia frozen -
Global Security: "UK halts military data sharing with Russia"
Britain will stop sharing military information with Russia over Moscow's decision to freeze compliance with the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), a government minister said on Friday. The treaty imposes ceilings on the build-up of troops and forces from the Atlantic to the Urals.
“For as long as the Russian Federation fails to fulfill its obligations towards the United Kingdom under the CFE Treaty, we will cease fulfillment of our key obligations towards the Russian Federation,” Europe Minister David Lidington said in a written statement to parliament. (...) >>>
Nov. 26, 2011
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Russia up to old tricks -
USA Today: "Medvedev: Russia may target U.S. missile defense sites"
Russia threatened on Wednesday to deploy missiles to target the U.S. missile shield in Europe if Washington fails to assuage Moscow's concerns about its plans, a harsh warning that reflected deep cracks in U.S.-Russian ties despite President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" relations with the Kremlin.
President Dmitry Medvedev said he still hopes for a deal with the U.S. on missile defense, but he strongly accused Washington and its NATO allies of ignoring Russia's worries. He said Russia will have to take military countermeasures if the U.S. continues to build the shield without legal guarantees that it will not be aimed against Russia.
The U.S. has repeatedly assured Russia that its proposed missile defense system wouldn't be directed against Russia's nuclear forces, and it did that again Wednesday. (...) >>>
Nov. 23, 2011
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FEATURE - Glick surpassing her own excellence - assigned reading - ideal US foreign policy -
Caroline Glick: "The Jacksonian Foreign Policy Option"Over the past several months, a certain intolerance has crept into the rhetoric of leading neoconservative publications and writers. This intolerance has become particularly noticeable since February's neoconservative-supported overthrow of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, and US President Barack Obama's neoconservative-supported decision to commit US forces to battle against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in March. The basic concept being propounded by leading neoconservative writers and publications is that anyone who disagrees with neoconservative policies is an isolationist. (...) >>>
Aug 14, 2011
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This is pomo defense for you! Handing the enemy the remote control -
NRO: "Trust the Russians"
Were there an award for the worst idea produced in Washington recently, there would be many worthy competitors, but I think I’d put my money on this one: granting Russians the power to tell Americans whether we can shoot down missiles flying toward their intended victims.
Who would even consider such an idea? The Obama administration — or so it appears. In response, last week, 39 Republican senators sent the president a strongly worded letter requesting his assurance, in writing, that he would not give Russia such “red-button” rights. The letter asks for reassurance, as well, that the administration will not give Russia access to American missile-defense information “including early warning, detection, tracking, targeting, and telemetry data, sensors or common operational picture data, or American hit-to-kill missile defense technology.” Here’s how this came about (...) >>>
Apr 21, 2011
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The old world order unravelling fast -
Just a few news items which would have surprised some people even a few months ago. Today no one is even paying attention. With the world's policeman abdicating its duties, looks like we might be reverting to pre WWI conditions -
- Infowars: "Kuwaitis defy orders to invade Bahrain"
- Big Peace: "Why Not Go to War with Mexico Instead of Libya?"
Apr 24, 2011
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Russia fast-tracking the new START - With lightning speed through the Duma, Medvedev now ratifying -
Fox News: "Medvedev signs New START ratification"
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed the ratification of a nuclear arms cut pact with the United States. The treaty, known as New START, is a centerpiece of President Barack Obama's efforts to "reset" ties with Moscow. The treaty limits each country to 1,550 strategic warheads, down from the current ceiling of 2,200, and also re-establishes a system for monitoring that ended in December 2009 with the expiration of a previous arms deal. (...) >>>
Jan. 28, 2011
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Received this message on the Facebook page:
Senators Isakson and Chambliss have both announced that they are voting for the START Treaty with Russia. Most conservatives very strongly oppose this treaty. Our friends at "Let Freedom Ring" had this to say about START:
President Obama's "New START" treaty ought to be called the "Start to Surrender" treaty, because that's what its effect will be. Most Americans don't know how dangerously unequal it is, so let me ask you five quick questions:
1.Did you know that New START will leave the Russians with thousands more nuclear weapons than we will have because it fails to address their 10-to-1 advantage over us in so-called "tactical" nuclear weapons?
2.Did you know that these tactical weapons can be more destructive than the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima in World War II? Some may wind up in the hands of the Iranians or North Koreans or some other rogue nation who could launch them on low-tech missiles from freighters off our coasts - with devastating effect.
3.Did you know that this treaty would effectively give Russia a veto over our ability to improve or expand our missile defense capabilities, unless we got their permission first? President Reagan said that missile defense is essential to protecting us from rogue nations, but New START would restrict this protection.
4.Does it make sense to turn critical U.S. national security decisions over to the Russians, especially when they have been selling nuclear weapons-related technology and materials to Iran for years?
5.Don't you think that our fellow citizens would be outraged if they knew these facts about New START?
Our friends at the Heritage Foundation have this to say about START:
Morning Bell: The Ghost of Broken Promises Past
"New START is a bad deal for national security at any time. The Administration still refuses to release the treaty's negotiation records. The Congress elected last month has a far more legitimate claim to approve this treaty than the one sworn into office two years ago, despite Senator John Kerry (D-MA) saying new members don't count. The tax rates have been frozen. The spending has been frozen. This Senate should just leave New START to the next Congress and go home."
Please contact both Senators and express your disappointment with their vote and ask that they change their minds and vote no. The people made their voice heard loud and clear on November 2nd. The newly elected Senators should make the decision on the SALT Treaty. President Obama and Sen. Reid are pushing to have the SALT Treaty ratified now instead of waiting on the new Congress. Remind Senators Isakson and Chambliss that you are the ones that elect them, not President Obama and others that are pushing this treaty on the American people. Especially contact their D.C. offices.
Sen. Isakson:
Tel: (202) 224-3643 / (202) 224-3643
Fax: (202) 228-0724
Link to Isakson's Facebook Note
Main: 202-224-3521
Fax: 202-224-0103
TWT has the secret details. The Obama administration - in another violation of the president's promise of government transparency - has sealed the negotiation record -
TWT: "EDITORIAL: Obama's START secrets"
The Obama administration is frantically trying to deliver a ratification win on the New START (or START II) nuclear arms treaty. The harder Democrats push the agreement, the more troubling questions arise. On Sunday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said, "It is time to move forward on a treaty that will help reverse nuclear proliferation and make it harder for terrorists to get their hands on a nuclear weapon." Rebranding START as a counterterrorism tool in this way is disingenuous. The treaty has nothing to do with terrorism, and the word doesn't appear anywhere in the text. The treaty limits strategic nuclear warheads, weapons that terrorists wouldn't be able to deploy even if they had them. (...) >>>
Dec. 27, 2010
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Voight on START -
TWT: "JON VOIGHT SPEAKS"
"Beware, America, of President Obama's dangerous START treaty," warns Academy Award-winning conservative actor Jon Voight in a telephone conversation with The Washington Times.
"In my lifetime, I have seen America go through five wars. if America wasn't the strongest nation in the world, we could have been taken over many times by evil regimes. President Obama is trying to convince the American people that if we give up our nuclear weapons, we would set an example, and all other countries would follow suit. What a naive and dangerous notion. (...) >>>
Dec. 21, 2010
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Obama's dangerous Utopia -
TWT: "Don't START"
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell threw his weight behind the START II nuclear-arms treaty on Wednesday, and President Obama is making a full-court press to rally senators with promises of future nuclear modernization. Sweet nothings aside, the treaty is problematic, and the president's word isn't strong enough to fix it. (...) >>>
Dec.3, 2010
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Morality is back! -
XE News: "France and UK plan unprecedented military cooperation"
Britain and France will launch a broad defence partnership on Tuesday that includes setting up a joint force and sharing equipment and nuclear missile research centres, a French government source said.
Treaties to be signed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister David Cameron at a meeting in London will pave the way for an unprecedented degree of military cooperation between the two neighbours.
The NATO allies, western Europe's biggest defence spenders and its only nuclear powers, have a centuries-old history of military rivalry and, more recently, have differed sharply over issues such as the Iraq war.
Their new partnership is driven by the desire to maintain cutting-edge military capabilities while at the same time reducing defence spending to rein in big budget deficits.
France and Britain will agree to set up a joint brigade-sized army contingent with air and sea support, which could assemble as needed to take part in NATO, European Union, United Nations or bilateral operations, the French source said. (...) >>>
Nov. 2, 2010
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Backdrop of the spy swap story -
AiM: "The Russian Agents, Obama, and the Cover-up"
Our media do not seem to be interested in the curious matter of why the Russian agents accused of trying to acquire sensitive nuclear information from the U.S. Government were so quickly released. Why were they were sent back to Moscow less than two weeks after they were arrested? It is certainly the case that a continuing spy scandal threatened to undermine U.S.-Russia business “opportunities” and “cooperation.” It is also true that there is evidence that the Russian agents targeted the Obama Administration and former Clinton Administration officials.
Just before the scandal broke, a $4 billion deal had been announced between Boeing and a Russian firm. During the visit of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to the U.S., Cisco Systems had announced it was going to spend $1 billion in Russia, in part to develop a Moscow version of Silicon Valley. The United States Export-Import Bank had also announced a new deal to underwrite, with U.S. taxpayer dollars, U.S. business exports to Russia. Plus, Obama had submitted a U.S.-Russian nuclear cooperation agreement, backed by powerful business interests, to the U.S. Congress. (...) >>>
Jul 16, 2010
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Don't START! - Well, can you blame some for pondering if the Obama is perhaps a KGB/FSB agent? He's consistently acting against the national interest ... and then there's this: "Obama OKs arms sales to Arab League states on eve of Netanyahu visit" - You can sign a petition from the Heritage Foundation against the Obama START sell out here -
Washington Times: "Obama's worst foreign-policy mistake", by Mitt Romney
(...) New-START gives Russia a massive nuclear weapon advantage over the United States. The treaty ignores tactical nuclear weapons, where Russia outnumbers us by as much as 10 to 1. Obama heralds a reduction in strategic weapons from approximately 2,200 to 1,550 but fails to mention that Russia will retain more than 10,000 nuclear warheads that are categorized as tactical because they are mounted on missiles that cannot reach the United States. But surely they can reach our allies, nations that depend on us for a nuclear umbrella. And who can know how those tactical nuclear warheads might be reconfigured?
Astonishingly, while excusing tactical nukes from the treaty, the Obama administration bows to Russia's insistence that conventional weapons mounted on ICBMs are counted under the treaty's warhead and launcher limits. By all indications, the Obama administration has been badly out-negotiated. Perhaps the president's eagerness for global disarmament led his team to accede to Russia's demands, or perhaps it led to a document that was less than carefully drafted. Whatever the reason for the treaty's failings, it must not be ratified: The security of the United States is at stake. (...) >>>
Jul 6, 2010
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Our ally ... Russia -
BBC: "Nato future strategy set out by expert panel"
Reform of Nato is essential if the organisation is to be effective in meeting its responsibilities in the 21st Century, a panel of experts says. The alliance must retain the ability to act beyond its territorial limits, said the panel, led by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. It also must be better at communicating its achievements, or risk losing public support, the report concluded. Nato is due to agree on a new strategic concept at a summit in November. The Afghan war has been Nato's largest and deadliest mission. (...)
Ms Albright said the organisation now faces a variety of "new threats from non-state actors", including terrorism, cyber-crime, and maritime piracy. The alliance also faces internal differences over its relationship with Russia. While some countries are keen to improve relations with Moscow, some new members from central and eastern Europe have deep-seated suspicions about Russia's plans, our correspondent says. (...) "Missile defence is most effective when it is a joint enterprise, and co-operation... between the alliance and its partners - especially Russia - is highly desirable," the report said. >>>
May 17, 2010
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Strategic update -
Charles Krauthammer explains why the Left's error of 'immoral' weapons is leading to bizarre situations, insane and very, very dangerous. Obama is 'leading by example' in a dangerous neighborhood filled with sociopaths - allies in the lurch will feel the need of armament - so much for peace divident -
Image via WikipediaPresident Obama jam-packed early April with events that overhaul America’s nuclear weapons policies which shout naivety and weakness. (...) This week and next Obama will introduce policies that advance his nuclear vision. He is advancing those policies via three events: the announcement of his Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), signing the new Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with the Russians and hosting world leaders next Tuesday at a summit on locking down nuclear material. These events when viewed in the context of Obama’s nuclear-free vision communicate four confidence-busting messages.
First, Obama is marginalizing our nuclear umbrella. His policies sap allied confidence and could prompt some to field atomic arsenals. (...) This is a great achievement for Moscow. (...) Obama’s nuclear vision is laudable but naïve. He trusts the Russians, conventional over nuclear deterrence, international enforcement and aging weapons. Our enemies and allies are listening to Obama’s nuclear messages. They will rightly understand America’s commander-in-chief is naively walking the nuclear plank expecting others to follow. But at the end he will find himself all alone. >>>
Apr 9, 2010
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Obama leveling the playing field - While the Obama is making enemies of friends and friends of enemies, Russia is selling arms to the bullies - Obama is on the fast track to become the first anti American President -
American Thinker: "Russia Moving Fast Before 'Arms Control' with US", by Jane Jamison
The New York Times says that President Obama's nuclear arms reduction agreement, to be signed within a few days, will significantly alter U.S. defense policy to "substantially narrow the conditions under which nuclear weapons could be used, even in self-defense." Is anyone in the Obama administration paying any attention to Vladimir Putin? The Russian prime minister has just returned from his first-ever trip to Venezuela, with bear hugs for dictator-"presidente" Hugo Chávez. Russia and Venezuela signed no fewer than 31 agreements in twelve hours. Russia has already sold Chávez $4 billion in military armaments, and now he has signed on for at least $5 billion more. (...) >>>
Apr 7, 2010
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Obama handing geosecurity to Putin - Bet the old KGB hack can't believe his luck - Giuliani: Obama's Nuclear Plan 'Left-Wing Dream' - in Europe meanwhile zombies are taking a walk on Memory Lane -
NewsMax: "U.S. Unveiling New, More Restrictive Nuclear Policy"
The Obama administration is unveiling a new nuclear weapons policy that seeks to narrow the circumstances under which the United States would use such weapons while preserving long-standing assurances of nuclear protection for allies, U.S. officials said. It is a delicate balance that the administration will describe in a policy document, called a nuclear posture review, to be released Tuesday following a full year of deliberation led by the Pentagon in consultation with allied governments. (...) The document is expected to include language reducing U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons for its national defense by narrowing potential U.S. nuclear targets. That reflects President Barack Obama's pledge to move toward a nuclear-free world, and could strengthen U.S. arguments that other countries should either reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons or forgo developing them. (...) >>>
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- One Progressive's Two Red Lines on National Security (tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com)
- Obama administration to announce new nuclear strategy (telegraph.co.uk)
Apr 6, 2010
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Prospects for an Obama-Putin bear hug -
America's Right: "Treaty or Not, This Bear Ain’t Hibernating" - WEEKEND FEATURE
London, England (CNN) — Rare photos of Russian strategic bomber jets purportedly intercepted in British airspace show Moscow’s war machine is becoming increasingly bold, analysts said Thursday as Russia denied any territorial violations. (...) Be sure to check out the photos at the CNN site. Scary stuff.
See, these nations are doing this stuff because they can, because the United States of America is already bogged down in two wars, because the American president has already proven to be more lamb than lion, and because the world’s greatest superpower is headed on a road to financial ruin.
I have little doubt that what Vladimir Putin sees in America right now is reminiscent of what he saw in his own country in the 1990s, as the former Soviet Union’s insolvency manifested itself in ways many could see happening here. Heck, at the World Economic Forum in January 2009, Putin warned the United States against against making “simple and popular decisions in times of crisis,” against “excessive intervention in economic activity,” and against “blind faith in the state’s omnipotence.” And what, instead, did we go on to do during Barack Obama’s first year in office? Exactly. (...) >>>
Related articles by Zemanta
- U.S., Russia agree to reduce nuclear weapons by 30% (calgaryherald.com)
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Britain's renewed sense of realism
Telegraph.co.uk: "Barack Obama is gambling with Europe's security"
(...) Be in no doubt about the stakes: the defensive system that Mr Obama has chosen to scrap was the West's ultimate insurance policy against a nuclear-armed Iran. If all our efforts to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear arsenal were to fail, this anti-missile shield would have provided a measure of assurance. (...) This case is wholly specious: it places too much reliance on intelligence assessments which we know, from bitter experience, have a mixed record – at best – when it comes to forecasting the technical progress of weapons programmes in hostile states.
What if Iran deploys long-range missiles sooner than America now predicts – and the only defences available are designed to deal with short- and medium-range weapons? Highly sophisticated anti-missile systems cannot be rustled up in a hurry. A prudent defence policy guards against every realistic menace, not a selection of threats. Mr Obama is behaving like an eccentric homeowner who refuses to lock his front door, but points out that a gleaming smoke detector will protect against fire. (...) >>>
Sept. 20, 2009
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Cold War veteran Lech Walesa blasts pomo rookie President ...
Politico: "Walesa blasts Obama"
The Solidarity leader, like many of a generation of Polish and Czech leaders shaped by confrontation with Russia, isn't pleased:
"Americans have always cared only about their interests, and all other [countries] have been used for their purposes. This is another example,” Mr Walesa told TVN24. “[Poles] need to review our view of America, we must first of all take care of our business,” he added.
“I could tell from what I saw, what kind of policies President Obama cultivates,” the former president added. “I simply don't like this policy, not because this shield was required [in Poland], but [because of] the way we were treated” (...) >>>
Sept. 19, 2009
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Politeia: "Obama's Paradigm Shift in Geopolitics" (includes initial reactions from Poland and the Czech Rep.)
On the eve of the Soviet Union invading Poland 70 years ago US President Obama has made it formally known he's flinging Europe under the appeasement bus. How sensitive and empathic! After the debacles of the Iran uprising and the Honduras enormity, Obama is now pandering to the next autocracy. It is unmistable. Obama is not the champion of liberty-hungry peoples. (...) >>>
Sept. 17, 2009
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As was to be expected ... only the most delusional must still have any illusions left as to the nature of the Obama administration:
The Washington Times: "EDITORIAL: Obama jilts Poland and the Czech Republic"
The United States is poised to dump a critical missile-defense agreement with two of its most dependable NATO allies. The Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza reported yesterday that the Obama administration is going to scrap the "third site" anti-missile system scheduled to be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic. Missile interceptors in Poland and a radar station in the Czech Republic were scheduled to be deployed by 2013. Now the plan appears to have been shot down.
This move sends the wrong signal to our allies in Eastern Europe. The former Soviet satellites have been among the strongest proponents of a robust U.S. role in Europe because they believed they could count on the United States to defend their interests against perennially predatory Russia. Both countries showed good faith by sending troops to fight in Iraq as part of the multinational force. The Polish and Czech governments acted courageously when they agreed to host the missile-defense system. (...)
Prague and Warsaw knew Moscow would react negatively, but after years of patient diplomacy, they chose to stand with the United States. Canceling the deployment will betray the trust of our allies in Warsaw and Prague, leave Europe defenseless against Iranian missiles, enhance the Kremlin's stature and diminish U.S. credibility. There is no upside. The bad news is not confined to Europe.(...) >>>
Aug. 29, 2009
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AFP: "Ex-top US diplomat Albright to aid NATO strategy rethink"
Former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright will be part of a group of experts charged with re-thinking the future direction of NATO, an official at the military alliance said Monday. Former British defence seretary Geoff Hoon will also be among around a dozen experts laying the foundations of NATO's new "strategic concept", the official said on condition of anonymity. NATO's current strategic concept -- which equips the alliance to face security challenges and guides its political and military development -- is a decade old, having been agreed in Washington in April 1999. The new text will have to take into account challenges like cyber attacks, climate change and energy security, as well as the evolution in terrorism since the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. (...) >>>
July 6, 2009
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Update: The German newspaper Bild is reporting that the matter is even worse! In exchange for Turkey not vetoing his appointment as SG Rasmussen will have to apologize at tomorrow's NATO meeting in Istanbul for the cartoon matter (really! apologize for defending the freedom of speech). The Turks are also demanding the prosecution in Denmark of the Kurdish broadcaster Roj TV. And finally Erdogan was rewarded not one, but three high NATO positions, one of which that of Rasmussen's deputy.
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After the minimalistic ceremonies (in itself an insult!) involving a bridge between Germany and France, the matter of the appointment of Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen as SG to NATO was finally settled. Read the text below and my comments. Also - but virtually unreported in the written MSM - is that a Turkish deputy was appointed to NATO to 'communicate' with its strategic partners in the Islamic world ...
IFPS: "Turkey blocks appointment of Dane to post because of cartoons"
Turkey is flexing its new geopolitical muscles by blocking the appointment/election of Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to be NATO’s new secretary-general. While Germany is insisting it be no one else, Turkey is demanding it must be anyone else. (...) Turkey seems to be using the now well known Islamic sensitivities to try and force western nations and organizations to submit to Turkish demands saying a great deal about the rise both of Islam in the world and how Turkey sees itself as a resurgent geopolitical force. (...) >>>
Apr 5, 2009
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Breitbart: "Russia weighs Cuba, Venezuela bases: report"
Russia could use bases for its strategic bombers on the doorstep of the United States in Cuba and Venezuela to underpin long-distance patrols in the region, a senior air force officer said Saturday.
"This is possible in Cuba," General Anatoly Zhikharev, chief of the Russian air force's strategic aviation staff, told the Interfax-AVN military news agency.
The comments were the latest signal that Moscow intends to project its military capability in far-flung corners of the globe despite a tight defence budget and hardware that experts consider in many respects outdated. (...) >>>
Mar 14, 2009
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Dr Sanity: "The Golden Hour' Gives Way to Political Kumbaya" - FEATURE
(...) The reality of the Islamic threat to the world is incredibly sobering. And if you have any doubts about that conclusion, or are tempted to dismiss this discussion as "fearmongering", then I urge you to read this post, and then this post from archives of The Belmont Club. The first link discusses what is called "the strategic issue of our time": Is Islam compatible with a free society. The latter evaluates three conjectures about Islam and terrorism; a discussion that remains all-too relevant today (...) >>>
Feb 21, 2009
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CNN: "Post-Soviet nations to form military force"
A Russian-led bloc of post-Soviet nations has agreed to establish a rapid-reaction military force to combat terrorists and respond to regional emergencies, Russian media reported Wednesday. The decision came a day after reports that Kyrgyzstan is planning to close a strategically important U.S. military base that Washington uses to transport troops and supplies into Afghanistan. On Wednesday, the Collective Security Treaty Organization -- made up of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan -- decided on the rapid-reaction force at a Kremlin summit, the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti reported. (...)
Russian media reported that the force will be used to fight military aggressors, conduct anti-terror operations, battle regional drug trafficking and respond to natural disasters. The force will be based in Russia under a single command, with member nations contributing military units. On Tuesday, Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev announced at a Moscow news conference that "all due procedures" were being initiated to close Manas Air Base, RIA-Novosti reported. The announcement was made after news reports of a multimillion-dollar aid package from Russia to Kyrgyzstan.
Gen. David Petraeus, who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, including Afghanistan, was in Kyrgyzstan last month, partly to lobby the government to allow the United States to keep using the base. He said he and Kyrgyz leaders did not discuss "at all" the possible closure of the base and said local officials told him there was "no foundation" for news reports about the issue.
The United States is planning to send an additional 30,000 troops to Afghanistan to halt a resurgence of the Taliban. Petraeus described Manas as having "an important role in the deployment of these forces" and in refueling aircraft. (...) >>>
Updated:
- "Clinton: Kyrgyzstan base closure decision 'regrettable'"
- Kyrgyzstan's government said Friday that financial concerns and the killing of a citizen are among the reasons the country will close a U.S. base
Feb 5, 2009
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The Sun: "Brits are left to die"
Secretary John Hutton slammed Nato last night for leaving British and US troops to die alone in Afghanistan — as two more Brits were killed. He hit out at “naive” European allies for not sending enough soldiers to back our boys. His attack came 12 hours after a Royal Marine from 45 Commando and gunner from 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery died in an explosion in Helmand late on Wednesday. Mr Hutton said “only a handful” of Nato countries had sent enough forces. He said: “Nice words of support for the Afghan government will not beat al-Qaeda and the Taliban.” Defence chiefs have again failed to persuade France, Germany, Italy and Spain to send troops to the war-torn Afghan south. (...) >>>
Jan 19, 2009
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News 24: "Russia to play war in Greece"
A Russian aircraft carrier will conduct military exercises in Greek territory later in January, the first such war games to take place in the Nato member's area, Greece's Defence Ministry said on Friday. The carrier Kuznetsov will operate southeast of the Greek island of Rhodes on Jan 3, 4, 8 and 10 and south of the island of Crete on Jan 11, it said. "The Kuznetsov, which is sailing in the southeast Mediterranean, asked Greece's civil aviation authority to operate within the Athens Flight Information Region (FIR)," the ministry said in a statement. "The request was granted."(...) >>>
Jan 3, 2009
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A generation has now grown up, too young to remember, but tit-for-tat's back ...
Yahoo!News: "Russian warships hold exercises with Chavez's navy"
Russian warships have held training exercises with Venezuela's navy in Moscow's first such Caribbean deployment since the Cold War. Russian television on Tuesday showed images of a Venezuelan-operated Sukhoi fighter jet swooping low over Soviet warships in a simulated air attack. The exercises that ended late Monday included an air defense exercise and joint actions to spot, pursue and detain an intruding vessel, Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said. (...) >>>
Dec 2, 2008
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... that was fast work ... guess he'll get a bit of a break now ...
The Age: "Russia's Medvedev hits out at US"
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has blamed the United States for the world's problems and announced new missile deployments in Europe, calling on incoming US counterpart Barack Obama to mend Washington's ways. Medvedev rounded on the United States for ills ranging from the global financial crisis to the recent war in Georgia, in a state-of-the-nation speech that was watched intently by his mentor Vladimir Putin, and omitted mentioning Obama by name.(...) we are being tested to the limit," he said. (...) >>>
5th Nov 2008
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Yahoo!News: "Russia rejects charges that nukes are missing"
Russia's Foreign Ministry is rejecting U.S. allegations that some Russian nuclear weapons are unaccounted for. The ministry says in a Friday statement that allegations made by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates are no more than "insinuations." It insists that no nuclear weapons have disappeared from Russian arsenals. The ministry says all nuclear weapons in Russia have been under reliable protection since the 1991 Soviet collapse despite the nation's economic turmoil. Gates (...) expressed worries about what he called the "tens of thousands of old nuclear mines, nuclear artillery shells and so on," left over from the old Soviet arsenal. >>>
31st Oct 2008
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Related:
- "The Cold War"
- "Caucasian Heat"
- "Rumbling Russia"
- "Communist Crimes on Trial"
To archive >>>
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