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Politics : Idea Of The Day -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: j g cordes who wrote (43111)	8/17/2002 9:02:12 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 50167

Revival of orthodoxy in Russia as a result of premature death of communism and Arab lost of political capital has now made new strange bedfellows. I will not at all be surprised if a new Russian-Arab-Iran- Indian axis is not in offing, theocracy joining hand with largest dormant nuke force to save its own skin, the dormant nuke power more than happily playing the game to get investment and cash. European Union san UK acting as neutral may help us see some global political divisions in next few years that may bring the memory of cold war, too many 'political and economic orphans cry about US global reach and wish the return of old aura. This is a new axis of some puritans others evil but the purpose remains the same to re-ignite the polarisation of cold war, Russians always short of cash and clout may see this as an opportunity to align with forces in ME, some in ME may find this as new political elixir. I see a strong movement of shift of economic assets in next few months associated with the recent lawsuit by victims of 911. This is new politics with new dimensions and realities. Kabul type change of government in Baghdad may lead to fall of Saddam, all this 40 billion is crap, Iraq is practically bankrupt and its income mortgaged for foreseeable future to the extent of 70% to pay for the follies of Kuwait invasion, but Russian experts in the field may help the Iraqi evade direct hits on its assets, may be that is the goal, to get ‘hostages’ that may act as shields through investment, who may have the balls to attack Iraq if thousands of Russian experts inundate Iraq like Egypt in pre 73 days. It is really dirty brinkmanship on part of Putin to play this game. However in the same vain the economics of this whole unholy Iraqi Russian deal stinks and does not add up together.

To: j g cordes who wrote (43111)	8/17/2002 9:13:48 PM
From: IQBAL LATIF	Respond to of 50167

Putin ambitions are not new..remember this tragedy.. <<There is something else that makes the Kursk tragedy a story with many future repercussions. In retrospect it may turn out to have been a turning point in Russia’s defense and foreign policy position. During the summer of 2000, the newly elected Putin openly showed his favor toward the navy. The exercises in which the Kursk went down were supposed to show the Kremlin and the world that the navy still had the capability to challenge the West, and primarily the United States, on the high seas. After the show of strength in the Barents Sea, a formidable flotilla — including the Kursk and Russia’s only aircraft carrier, Kuznetsov — should have gone to the Mediterranean in the fall of 2000. Moscow planned to reactivate its naval station in Syria, which has been idle since the demise of the Soviet Union, and make it the main operational base of a recreated Mediterranean task force. Putin is reported to have approved the plan and commentators close to the Kremlin say that if it had worked out, Russia’s increased military presence in the region could have prevented the collapse of Slobodan Milosevic’s regime in Yugoslavia.a. Of course, none of these strategic fantasies ever materialized. The Kursk sank, and other ships designated for the Mediterranean deployment were used to salvage the Kursk, to post a permanent naval patrol to guard its wreck from NATO spy ships, etc. The Kuznetsov is currently in dock for repairs and will not sail again earlier than in 2004. There is no permanent Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean and there are no plans for any large-scale excursions to the area. The naval station in Syria has no business to do. Now Moscow is stationing new ships in the land-locked Caspian Sea, where it actually could play the role of a local naval superpower. The Kursk debacle revealed once and for all how completely unfounded our admirals’ global ambitions were. After that Putin turned away from the navy and its ideas of challenging the United States. It may have been the Kursk tragedy in 2000 that made Putin change his posture toward the West in 2001. (Was Kursk tragedy pivotal By Pavel Felgenhauer)>> Now Iraq may replace Syria..and these old ambitions may revive..