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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: maceng2 who wrote (39962)	8/26/2002 12:19:05 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

You make it sound as if the West is doing the Russians a favor here Hawk....letting them beat up Chechens. I don't fully buy into that theory PB.. Certainly some Chechens have received training and fought with Bin Laden (Tora Bora), and increasingly so in past years.. But the Chechen war started as a war of nationalistic independence with the break-up of the USSR, IMO... And many have forcast that so many ethnicities, suppressed and brutalized under the Soviets would inevitably seek independence. But the Russians turned their "prodigal sons" into guerillas over who would control that corridor for a proposed pipeline from the Caspian, rather than "let them go" and await their return based upon economic interest (Russian markets) There isn't that much oil in Chechnya, as I understand it. Certainly not as much as in other Caspian nations. But it, just like Georgia, was significant as a thoroughfare for running a pipeline to the Black Sea, as as a significant refining center. eia.doe.gov And btw, there was a comment made earlier about Turkey's importance because of their control of water resources in the region... Well, they also control how oil is transferred from the Black Sea to the Mediterrenean.. Some folks won't desire to highlight the importance of the oil issue that have turned these geographical and political backwaters into front-burner issues. But one has to do so in order to remain objective in our analysis. But that also doesn't mean that there isn't a higher goal of creating stability and economic and political pluralism in the region because their clearly is. It's just that the presence of oil, and need to diversify our supplies has made it imperative for the US to NOW play a major role in the region, whereas before there was little benefit to getting involved. But once again, let's separate nationalist movements from Extremist movements... There were Islamic Extremists directly involved in supporting Bosnians and Kosovars, but that doesn't mean that either of those nationalities are extremists. Hawk

To: maceng2 who wrote (39962)	8/26/2002 12:19:13 PM
From: Karen Lawrence	Respond to of 281500

EGYPT - SENIOR OFFICIAL THREATENS SUEZ CLOSURE (AUG 21/QNA) Date: 08/21/2002 QATAR NEWS AGENCY -- A senior presidential advisor to President Hosni Mubarak said Egypt would not let U.S. warships use the Suez Canal to strike Iraq, reports the Qatar News Agency. Previously, Dr. Oasma Al Baz, political advisor to Mubarak, said Egypt renounced an invasion of Iraq and that an attack threatens the overall security of the Middle East. He further argued that the U.S. should not interfere with the internal affairs of Iraq nor meddle with U.N.-Iraq weapons inspection negotiations.