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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: KLP who wrote (238470)	2/12/2008 2:49:01 PM
From: ManyMoose	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793955

Yes, aren't the Russians the ones who are overflying our carriers with Nuclear capable bombers just to see what we will do? Maybe we should ask the question in reverse? Why are the Russians doing what they are doing?

To: KLP who wrote (238470)	2/12/2008 8:29:13 PM
From: skinowski	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793955

Why are the Russians doing what they are doing? OK, let me try to answer. Some of what I know comes from Stratfor articles, some from many other sources. Contrary to popular belief, Russians do not speak in one voice. For the past few centuries they had powerful political movements - some of them nationalistic, focusing on the mysteries of the Russian soul, destiny, etc. - while others were strongly pro-Western. Those traditional tensions became very intense with the demise of the Soviet system. Regrettably, many in the West followed the philosophy that what's a better time to kick a guy than when he's down. Almost instantly, the consensus became that Russia - with all their tens of thousands of nuclear warheads - is no more than a third world sh*thole. Whether this is true or not, the Russians were pissed off because of this attitude. The worst was yet to come. I always thought that the historic breaking point for the US - Russian relationships was the bombing of Serbia by NATO. It took place against the strongest possible objections from Russia. Some may recall that they even sent their troops into Kosovo, in a fairly confrontational manner. They did this to protect their traditional friends. The bombing of Serbia convinced Russians that the West - and the US - have absolutely no concern about their interests. By the time Ukraine will join NATO, the Russian border will be about as deep East as it was at the point of the deepest penetration by Nazi Germany. To go to the beginning of my remarks, to make a long story short, the Nationalistic forces have overwhelmed those who sought more proximity with the West. The West and NATO did a great job at convincing Russian voters that the Free World is no friend of theirs. At this time Russia seems to follow the same model as most oil rich nations - Use oil profits to buy influence with their own people. This is, I think, how the cookie crumbled...