Saturday, August 23, 2008

Washington lunatics and various foreign policy think-tanks had apparently neither looked at a map nor studied history!

VHeadline's Washington DC-based commentarist Chris Herz writes: At the very moment when the world was awaiting the arrival of US and European aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf, and their maybe commencing there yet another war for oil, Russia struck down forever the brave new American empire.

The lunatics in the Washington government and their homologues in the various foreign policy think-tanks had apparently neither looked at a map nor studied their history.

Had they done so they might have noted that Russia has hundreds of kilometers of common frontiers with Georgia. They might also have read of Russian influence in if not outright dominance of the entire Caucasus region beginning in the time of Catherine the Great -- before there even was a United States of America.

But no, the temporary weakness of the Russians after the collapse of the late Soviet Union had seduced our elites, always ignorant as they are ever greedy, into believing that Russia herself could be made another colony of the US empire. These wise men even ignored the famous comment of General Eisenhower: "There are three things not to do in war; that is to attack Russia, repeated three times!"

Then the dingdongs added fuel to the fire by signing with Poland an agreement for the establishment of counter -ballistic missile batteries in that country. The ostensible reason being to defend against Iranian missiles. But Poland has no frontiers with Iran. Indeed the two countries are thousands of kilometers apart.

Obviously these anti-missile batteries are aimed at the new Russian Topol weapon.

The only moment that this new missile is vulnerable is just after launching as it climbs through the atmosphere at a relatively slow speed. Stationed in Poland the US anti-missiles perhaps have some small chance of hitting a few of the Russian Topols.

And this is important because the US elites have had since 1991 the fantasy that not only could they penetrate and subordinate former Warsaw Pact nations, but also oil- and gas-rich former Soviet Republics in Central Asia. Perhaps they might even be able to encourage more centrifugal tendencies in the minority regions of Russia herself. Thereby winning for themselves the ability to loot all the territory of their former adversary.

Few commentators care to note the terrorist attack of 11th September 2001 only happened after various US corporations informed the then-Taliban government of Afghanistan that its Western territories would be required for a series of pipelines from Central Asia to the sea in Western Pakistan. This pipeline route would be yielded up or else. But along with the ongoing popular resistance within Afghanistan, the very evident Russian determination to assert themselves in all the territories of the former USSR has now placed in jeopardy this entire plan.

We learn that Russian troops are not going to completely leave Georgian territory. Some will remain in place in some of the prospective future pipeline routes as well as keeping in position to potentially interfere with the existing BP pipeline. Also, the Russian aircraft carrier, Admiral Kuznetsov with four missile-carrying submarines accompanying will visit Syria; obviously to put some pressure on Israel in the event of an attack on that country. Syrian President Assad commented that Russia has asked about stationing missiles in his country. As a result Israel promptly announced through its Interior Minister its loss of interest in attacks on either Syria or Iran.

The new pipelines through Georgia, to the Turkish Mediterranean coast, constructed by Western interests at immense expense are now to be seen as operational only at the pleasure of Russia. The corrupt post-Soviet oligarchies of Central Asia see a resurgent Russia at their doors, with the only counterveiling force, the USA ten thousand kilometers distant. Further, the US military are bogged down in the Persian Gulf region, unavailable for operations elsewhere.

Not since the years immediately prior to World War I has the world seen such a naked clash of imperial ambitions. Russia's bold new oligarchs have now made it quite clear that years of Russian retreat are at an end. We are in the presence of an whole new ball game in international relations and Washington is not happy, and is quite likely, considering the poor quality of its leadership, to do something really, really stupid.

  • But in this arena, the Caucasus and Central Asia, Russia can win, she can "git thar fustest with the mostest."

A fantasy cherished since 1991 by our own oligarchs has been most rudely interrupted by a very unpleasant reality.

From the imperial capital

Chris Herz
cdherz44@yahoo.com

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1 comment:

  1. When I read about the recent Venezuelan nationalizations of steel and now cement... my imagination went bezerk because I wasn’t expecting this curve ball at all. Chavez doesn’t just do things – he’s got a master plan lurking in the back of his brain. In that regard, he is a lot (or appears to be a lot) like Vladimir Putin. Boy… would I have loved to be a mouse listening in on the discussions between those two recently in Moscow.

    You said that Chavez just bought a Russian Sub for the Venezuelan Navy. And during the discourse Chavez told Putin something like. “OH YEAH… Vlad baby… have your navy stop by for a visit and some R and R the next time the fleet is in the Caribbean or the neighborhood…” I don't think it was quite that simple. Those two are really sharp cookies - you don't get to their positions by being naive trusting, or stupid. They each know EXACTLY what they are doing -- dancing the Nut Cracker at the Ballet Russe or the Bolshoi meanwhile Georgie Bush, and Condi Rice are clogg dancing with a concrete block tied to each foot at the local McCain Campaign headquarters.

    Governments control or seek to have control over steel and cement for two reasons. (1). They want to control and maintain levels of output/production for a huge national project they have in mind (2) they want to keep a lid on public knowledge of those production levels so outsiders can’t put 2 and 2 together. (THAT is exactly why FDR did what he did just before we got involved in WWII.)

    Steel and concrete are used in a lot of things, but the hands down largest uses for them involve big transportation/ infra structure building projects like roads, railroads, and harbor breakwaters on one hand… and defense projects like military airfields, radar and defense bunkers, missile silos, and submarine and naval installations on the other. Hummm?!?!?!

    Think about it… just what are the real hot button news stories/ developments that are being reported around the globe (US excluded of course). (1) the US naval build up in the Persian Gulf, (2) the escalation of crises in Georgia (3). preparations for some new military action against Iran (4). that new missile system being set up for deployment in eastern Europe (where the US is thumbing their nose at Putin and Russia.)

    Now IF you were a Putin… what counter maneuvers would you seek to employ (or deploy) in USA’s backyard and just where would you seek to locate them… Cuba…??? Venezuela… ???? Think about it. NOW… THAT IS REALLY SCARY!!!

    I feel this CEMEX story is but the tip of an iceberg. This is no isolated/ orphan maneuver to suddenly develop an interest in cement – out of the blue – for no apparent reason. There are massive, long term -- economic, financial, strategic, geopolitical, and military implications at work here – I am convinced of THAT.

    The newly proposed high speed and freight railroads between Caracas and Buenos Aires was another big surprise. Toss that juicy little tidbit into all the highway and pipeline talk... and the cement business makes a huge amount of sense for nationalization.

    BTW I was also amazed that the 2027 maturity issue of Venezuelan capital bonds were being so well priced and received. But then, if non petro related growth was over 7% - double the petroleum sector growth for the second quarter of this year– that should be no surprise either.

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