The Dark Heart Of Russia

August 21, 2008

The South Ossetian village of Mul burns following Russian assault (EPA)

When a nation sends its army, navy, and airforce to do battle in another country, never does it hold something so improper as a concert 13 days into the occupation. Whether its going well or not.

In fact, the only reason why you would go to the trouble of high security for the concert participants, the attendees, etc, and the diversion of troops to accomplish it...is to make a big show for the residents, the nation, and the world. This is something you do when you know your hand has been overplayed, so you try to "flip the script", and accuse the accuser of provoking you in the first place. "You pushed me to it! You made me do it to you!" This is many times acted out during an alcohol-driven rage between husband and wife. The Russians are known for their drinking.

On this day, the Russians have announced a cease fire 7 times; every day continuing to blockade naval ports, burn villages, and kill civillians. How could they stop in the middle of this carnage, death, and Stalin-esque behavior to hold a symphony concert?

A statue of former Soviet Communist dictator Joseph Stalin is seen from a window shattered by bullets in Gori, Georgia. Russian forces were continuing their occupation of the city, despite a ceasefire document demanding their withdrawal (AP)

If you understand the macabre, you understand the Russian. There is a certain quality that allows leader after leader for hundreds of years to practice similar acts of madness, without a protest from their people. As if it is as much a cultural experience as any other peoples may have. (Or because no one dares utter a word, lest they be sent away.)

And cultural it was. From the conductor himself, Valery Gergiev, who is the conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, and a South Ossetian. He was conducting in London one moment, then flying into Georgia the next to conduct this, "victory concert."

Valery Gergiev conducts in the ruins of Tskhinvali.

And to add more irony, the conductor continues the propaganda with his own design on how this entire war went down:

Gergiev arrived on stage with a group of children and said that he had come to Tskhinvali “to see with my own eyes the horrible destruction of the city”. He told the audience that Tskhinvali reminded him of pictures of Stalingrad, the city where Soviet troops began to turn back the invading Nazi army. He flatly blamed Georgia for the destruction and repeated earlier Russian claims that 2,000 people had died, which led the Kremlin to accuse Georgia of genocide. (source)

Apparently, from his estate in England, he missed the finer details on just how this thing went down:

A bloodied woman after the Russians bombed Gori, whch is not in either of the breakaway regions.

A Georgian woman is left in tears as her apartment burns after being hit by a Russian shell in Gori (Bela Szandelszky/AP)

As part of Russia's tough response to Georgia's action in South Ossetia, troops moved into Orjosani, between the Georgian capital Tbilisi and the strategic town of Gori (AP)

[Notice even AP categorizes Russia as "tough", while also careful to paint Georgia as the original aggressor. The AP is purposely misleading in this caption. Georgia is not the one who began this conflict. This feud between South Ossetia and it's parent nation, Georgia, has seen the two trade rounds on a regular basis for years now. And all of a sudden, Russia chooses a friday, the first day of the Summer Olympics in Beijing, to claim that they just can't stand by anymore and watch the harrassment of their precious expatriots. Because Russia cares about people.]

During the Russian operation following the start of fighting, the main railway link between eastern and western Georgia, near the town of Kaspi has been destroyed (Reuters)

The conductor should have talked to these folks before he started to warm up the woodwinds:

Syria Lurches Further Into The Dark

August 20, 2008

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad entered into a series of military agreements with Russia today. “Our position is that we are ready to co-operate with Russia in any project that can strengthen its security,” the Syrian leader told Russian newspapers at the start of his two-day trip. “I think Russia really has to think of the response it will make when it finds itself closed in a circle.” (source)

As highlighted on this site before, Syria is a key partner of Iran, allowing for the funding, training, and supplying of Hezbollah and Hamas, two agents of Tehran, to take place on their soil.
The recent turbulence in this region of the world could result in the disturbance of oil flow for Europe (and Turkey). If this happens, then Iranian oil becomes even more of an asset. This plays well for Russia, who’s foray into Georgia could easily result in the sabotage of the BTC oil pipeline.

In recent years, the world community, along with Israel, have levied economic pressures on Syria to break its ties with Iran. In fact, Syria has been holding indirect talks with Israel in search of a peace deal because of their suffering economy.

But now, Russia may give Syria both economic and military cover to halt these low-level talks with Israel, and galvanize their anti-Israel, anti-West alliance with the Bear and Iran.
To further deepen the chasm between Israel and Syria, the Georgian conflict of late has an Israeli component: reserve Brigadier-General Gal Hirsh, well-known for commanding a division of Israeli soldiers during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. Hirsh is serving as an advisor to the Georgians.

This small fact was used by al-Assad to assert Syrian relations with Russia: “I think that in Russia and in the world everyone is now aware of Israel’s role and its military consultants in the Georgian crisis,” he told the Russian newspaper Kommersant. “And if before in Russia there were people who thought these forces can be friendly then now I think no one thinks that way.”

Poland Signs The Pact

August 20, 2008

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski shake hands after a meeting in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. Rice came to Warsaw to sign a deal with Poland that will see a U.S. missile defense base built in northern Poland. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz)

As Russia claims yet another cease-fire with Georgia while continuing to drop rounds, kill civilians, and annex South Ossetia, Poland agrees to allow us to construct a missile defense base in their country. We are also giving them many Patriot missiles, as a safegaurd against short-range attacks from Russia.

At this moment, NATO is answering the Russian whinning that they feel threatened by our missile defense system. NATO, in essence, is responding, "nonsense". (source)

The Iranian Chess Board

August 19, 2008

This is a reproduction of the 9th century set found in Nishapur, Persia (now Iran).

The recent saga unfolding in Georgia is but the latest move in a chess game that has been going on for many years. As you recall, Russia has defacto agreed to back Iran if tensions ratchet up to a point of nuclear hostility. By Russia warning Poland last week that its missile defense agreement with the US and western Europe could very well bring on a nuclear response from the Bear, the possibility of Russia stepping in to the current Israeli-Iranian saber rattling is more likely.

Because we have publicly cited Iran as our primary reason for deploying missile defense systems in Poland, it is by implication possible to believe that Poland could launch an attack on Iran, either as a response to a nuclear attack from Iran, or as a pre-emptive strike.

With Russia already eager to retaliate with Poland, an Israeli attack on Iran could easily escalate to a Russian attack on Polland.

The Ukraine, as well.

THE POSITION OF THE PIECES TODAY:

Given the knowledge that one of the key ingredients of a nuclear bomb is enriched plutonium. The process to create enriched plutonium is long and complicated, but ep happens to be one of the by-products of nuclear power plants. If a country has nuclear power plants, it has one of the precious ingredients needed to arm a nuclear bomb.

Russia is helping Tehran build Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which will be ready to go online later this year. An Iranian flag is seen outside the building housing the reactor of the Bushehr nuclear power plant. The United States on Friday set a weekend deadline for Iran to answer an international offer to freeze its nuclear drive and warned of new sanctions if it rejects the package.

Iran has already touted their desire to be a nuclear player in recent years. The West has reacted with alarm and caution, as Tehran has made explicit calls for the eradication of Israel in the last few years, and the destabilization of the Middle East. As a belligerent nation with a death pledge towards another country, the world community has roundly criticized Iran for beginning a nuclear program.

Besides having Russia to back their nuclear aims, Iran wages proxy wars with Israel regularly through regional attacks from Hezbollah and Hamas. These low-level attacks provoke Israel into constant bouts of respond-or-don't-respond, weakening their standing in the Middle East and with many anti-Semetic nations around the world.

The links of Iran to Hamas and Hezbollah can be seen here. They depend on the willing cooperation of Syria.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad with Ahmadenijad.

Today, Iran announced that they will build many more nuclear power plants (source). Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (centre) and unidentified officials are pictured at a space station at an undisclosed location in Iran on August 16. Iran has said that a home-built rocket sent into space in a move that triggered US concern over possible military use will be able to take a satellite into low orbit around the earth.

Even Kadhafi has seen the light enough to warn Iran of it's missteps.

Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi is pictured after he received an honorary doctorate during a ceremony held at INSAT university in Tunis. Kadhafi on Tuesday warned "arrogant" Iran that it faces military humiliation on the scale of Iraq for its refusal to respond to western powers over a nuclear impasse.

What is our response?

The U.S. response has been to avoid dire warnings of dangerous Israeli attacks, while instead showing support for non-violent solutions, such as economic sanctions and political pressure on Iran.

Washington believes economic and political pressure are the best ways to dissuade Iran from seeking atomic weapons, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday, following an appeal by Israel's defense minister to keep "all options" on the table. The comments followed a closely held meeting at the Pentagon Monday between Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

This policy of the US means that candidate Obama has got to seek out something different to define himself with, so he undermines the nonviolent method of sanctions and political pressure, to instead warn Iran of Israel's plans to bomb them. (source)

Barrack reassured Israel that "America must always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself against those who threaten its people". He needs to court them. Israel seems quite anxious about a President Obama. Very uncertain, in need of his special attention.

Presumptive US Democratic presidential candidate Illinois Senator Barack Obama, seen here on July 28, 2008, believes Israel will launch a military strike on Iran if nuclear sanctions fail, ABC News reported Wednesday.

Obama with former Israeli PM Shimon Peres.

What Now?

August 18, 2008

Pakistani President Musharraf has resigned from his post in order to avoid impeachment. Largely seen as a secular Muslim when he seized power in 1999, Musharraf's rule has been fraught with turbulence in a nation that regularly assassinates its leaders.


Candidate George W. Bush was asked about this new leader on the campaign trail in 2000, and even though he could hardly pronounce Musharraf's name or explain the significance of Pakistan's military coup, the two leaders would become very close for the next eight years.


President Musharraf has won re-election, survived at least 2 assassination attempts, and prevented Pakistan from cascading even deeper into a theocracy...yet he is so threatened today that he must flee in exile after resigning. Here is a timeline of his tenure as President.

Not All Of China Is Putting On A Good Face

August 18, 2008

The Chicoms have been working hard for at least a year, now, to scrub clean Beijing of all its pollution. They have established a perimeter around the city which is reported to be free of air contaminants, water-born toxins, and even cigarette smoke.

China has been making sure that it presents a modern face to the world community during these weeks of Olympic attention. But, to the south in China, we see that things are churning along as normal: the Chinese communists have confiscated 300 bibles from a small group of Christian missionaries who just flew into Kunming, China yesterday. (source)

Were the Chinese language bibles containing subversive rhetoric meant to incite the Chinese into overthrowing their government? Hardly.

But for communists, it doesn’t matter. (read about China’s persecution of Christians here.) The book itself represents competition for the hearts and minds of its people. This is the communist way, as practiced in the U.S.S.R. and North Korea. “Religion is the opiate of the masses”, and all that. In fact, the only places you can find this hate of Christianity is in leftist circles, where trust-fund babies sit and mock the commoners and their superstitious ways.

But the will of the people is a deep well that’s source the State can never obliterate. There are many stories of Russians who kept pictures of Jesus Christ hidden beneath the state-mandated pictures of Stalin on their walls. Try as they might, darkness lost to Light. Score Christ 1, U.S.S.R. 0.

The condition for Christians in China is perilous, just as it was for John Birch 70 years ago. But, because of their passion and faith, the missionaries in the East are as important to China as Pope John Paul II was to Poland.

Ukraine Steps Into The Light

August 17, 2008

Ukraine said it was ready to give both Europe and America access to its missile warning systems after Russia earlier annulled a 1992 cooperation agreement involving two satellite tracking stations. Previously, the stations were part of Russia's early-warning system for missiles coming from Europe.
-- Telegraph of UK, source

As Europe quietly tenses up in reaction to Russia's power grab in Georgia this past week, we have seen two notable responses: Ukraine and Poland. Both have emerged from what must have been an almost paralysis of fear, to join in partnership with the US, and the rest of free Europe against the early intimidation of Russia.

These two enter agreements with the West at great peril. Russia immediately answered these developments with a belicose pledge to place Poland on it's list for retaliation, even nuclear. We must remember WWII, where Poland was promised support against Hitler, then nothing came their way as Poland fell in weeks.

Welcome Back, Old Foe

August 16, 2008

BEIJING - AUGUST 16: Erinn Smart (L) of the United States competes against Victoria Nikichina of Russia in the Women's Team Foil Gold Medal Match at the Fencing Hall on Day 8 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 16, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

This past week should have given all Americans reason for pause. As we watch the Olympics, hibernate from high gas prices, and drink beer, there is a quickening of events taking place in Europe. This is rapidly developing into something that will deserve great leadership for many years to come. We are seeing the return of the U.S.S.R. in the Georgian mountains, Poland, and the Ukraine. There are many analysts who will tell you that they never really went away in 1992.

Only regrouping for the next century.

In a way, it seems refreshing to enter battle again with an old nemesis, far different, and, dare I say, more respectable than the sinister bedouins we've been fighting since the Soviet Bear entered its hibernation. At least Russia (mostly) wears it's uniforms, lives in designated camps separate from it's civilians, and doesn't run and hide behind it's boys and women. No, this foe has a bit more dignity and evolution than the tribal goats we chase, currently.

See, we're used to fighting people like the communists, who present us with a sobering reality: instant destruction via nuclear holocaust. Both we and the Russians could turn this world upside down, if we were so unreasonable. So fanatical. But we don't do that. Yet. I can't say the same for the current jackals we hunt down in Iraq, Afghanistan, and various other places in in the world, today.

If they had the tools of destruction to the degree we do, what fool doesn't believe that these jihad-driven, brainwashed, mutants would have unleashed them on the infidels long ago?

Poland Sees The Light

August 15, 2008

For the past 18 months, Poland and America have been in stalled negotiations. We want to place missile interceptors in their country, for defense against any rogue states (like Iran), that may launch an airborne attack against them. Poland has been dragging their feet on allowing us to spend our money and hardware for their sake, because of fear about how this may be perceived by Russia. Their fear is understandable, as the Kremlin feels this protection is aimed at Russia’s missile force, and warns it will worsen tensions.

This is just one of the reasons that these former Soviet bloc nations still live under a cloak of fear of their communist oppressor.

Finally, though, Poland gave way to allow us to install these defense systems in their country, in an agreement signed with the U.S. yesterday. Do you think the Russian vacation in Georgia this week had anything to do with it?

"We have crossed the Rubicon," said Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. It is a big deal to Poland, of course. Russia doesn’t play around with other countries.

Russian General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said today that Poland’s agreement to accept a U.S. missile interceptor base exposes Poland to an attack, possibly even a nuclear one. If you doubt the gravity of this situation, I advise you to spend some time reading up on this site.

"Poland, by deploying (the system) is exposing itself to a strike — 100 percent," Nogovitsyn, the deputy chief of staff, was quoted as saying.

He added, in clear reference to the agreement, that Russia's military doctrine sanctions the use of nuclear weapons "against the allies of countries having nuclear weapons if they in some way help them." Nogovitsyn said that would include elements of strategic deterrence systems, according to Interfax.

Russia Brings Out Our Cowards

August 14, 2008

It didn’t take too long, eh? I was wondering how long it would be until the nervous little bedwetters in our country start their smug nattering about whether or not America has the authority to criticize Russia for its invasion and slaughter of Georgia.
For liberal cartoonists like Oliphant, Toles, and Rall, there is no shred of patriotism as common Americans define it. They are the type who have never worn the uniform, but are sure they know how to criticize those of us who have. When the chips are down, and America has its back to the wall, it is the cowards who throw stones at the men who do the fighting.
Does America really deserve to be slandered like this?

Honestly, I don’t feel as if President Bush needs to be defended for criticizing Medvedev, Putin, and Russia, for their imperialistic invasion of Georgia, but, for the faint of heart in our country, allow me to remind you:
Russia’s pattern of behavior for the past 100 years should scare every moral judge who dares to read their history. They have rolled their tanks into innocent countries whose only crime was to resist the godless communism that Russia wanted to inflict on them.
When America sends its good men and women into a country, it’s to help liberate their people. Just because you’re too lazy to study American history, compared to Russia’s, doesn’t mean that everything is the same in this world.

Iraq started their reign of terror over thirty years ago, when Saddam Hussein rose to power. As a Sunni, he savaged the Shi’a and Kurds in Iraq, feeding innocent people into wood chippers (while alive), raped and indiscriminately killed hundreds of thousands of his people, a’la Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Pol Pot. We only started our “brutal, stupid, war” with them in 1990, after Saddam turned his murderous gaze outside his own country, towards Kuwait.
Since then, Iraq has defied UN resolutions 16 times, fired on our men in no-fly zones, attempted to assassinate one of our presidents, and supported Islamic suicide bombers throughout the world.

Now, when you can find a similar example that Georgia has committed against Russia or the world, then maybe there would be an argument to make. Until then, we patriotic Americans shake our heads in shame at the Oliphant’s of this great nation.