Friday, August 17, 2007

Russia Rising

Russia is getting more and more bellicose.

Russia is resuming a Soviet-era practice of sending its bomber aircraft on long-range flights, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Mr Putin said the move to resume the flights permanently after a 15-year suspension was in response to security threats posed by other military powers.

He said 14 bombers had taken off from Russian airfields early on Friday.

The move came a week after Russian bombers flew within a few hundred miles of the US Pacific island of Guam.

A few days ago Moscow said its strategic bombers had begun exercises over the North Pole.

It’s more troubling considering that Russia has had 15 years to absorb Western technology.  A Russia that can match the West in technology and overwhelm it in people is very powerful.  That, and its newfound friendship with China, should make everyone worry.

(10) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1959 hrs
Foreign Affairs + Military

  1. We’ll have a half-dozen of these babies up in a few years, thank God.

    Posted by Tony Turner on August 17, 2007 at 2051 hrs


  2. Add to that is the fact that China has embarked on massive military buildup- aircraft carriers, subs, and missiles.  We are financing this, folks!  If you think not, just look at the source of most of the products we purchase.  Does not suprise me that the dems are not even discussing this issue in their debates..

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 17, 2007 at 2052 hrs


  3. “Resuming”??  Hmm.  No. We’re just finally noticing.

    For some reason everyone jumped to forget that Putin is a former KGB director.

    When I was in Moscow a few years ago, I walked among the graves in the Kremlin necropolis just behind Lenin’s tomb.  All the big shots of the Soviet era USSR are buried in there.  On each of the little markers, a cheap plastic rose.  Stalin, cheap plastic.  Chernenko, cheap plastic.  Even Yuri Gagarin, plastic. 

    But as I moved down the line I hit the graves of Dzerzhinsky and Andropov which were piled high with real roses.  Piled a couple of feet deep.  I asked one of our Latvian friends why.  He leaned in closely and said, “The KGB always looks after its own.”

    It’s safe to say I was skeptical about W looking into Mr. Putin’s soul and seeing anything but darkness.

    hiho
    Mpeterson

    Posted by Mpeterson on August 17, 2007 at 2318 hrs


  4. Oh Oh, Roses on graves.
    They never really went away, they were just percieved as a
    “peace dividend” that allowed progressives in America to cut funding. BJ Clinton cut the CIA by over 30%. 200 agents were let go to accomodate the cuts. Think about that.
    BJ gutted the agency. What were the results of that? I think 3000 innocent Americans died.
    Check me on those facts.
    Dems always cut funding for international policy, yet they are the first to claim that our reputation overseas is in shambles.
    Gee, I wonder why.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2007 at 0235 hrs


  5. The one positive note is that Russia cannot overwhelm us with people when their population is cratering. They wouldn’t stand a chance against us in a conventional land war if we were willing to fight; the Chechans fought them to a standstill armed in part with zipguns.

    Posted by triticale on August 18, 2007 at 0704 hrs


  6. Triticale is right.  The only question is whether Italy will run out of Italians before Russia runs out of Byeloruss.

    Posted by dad29 on August 18, 2007 at 0840 hrs


  7. IOW, Russia is a 20th-century concern.  PRC (and the Muslim extremists) are the 21st-century concerns, as Fred Thompson astutely noted.

    Posted by dad29 on August 18, 2007 at 0841 hrs


  8. I’d call any nation with more than 1,000 nuclear weapons a concern.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on August 18, 2007 at 1721 hrs


  9. Displaced—

    The roses were pretty revealing about what the Russian hierarchy thinks is important.  You must be too young to remember that it was President Bush the Father (the smart one) who coined the phrase “peace dividend” and was the one who pushed hard to close unnecessary bases to save the taxpayer money.  Frankly, he was right to do it. 

    The Russians can’t even work out decent plumbing or water distribution.  dad29’s comment nailed it brilliantly.

    And, remember, Young GW Bush has now killed over 3000 Americans so I think he’s ahead on that score.

    hiho
    Mp

    Posted by Mpeterson on August 18, 2007 at 1846 hrs


  10. Important to know that the birth rate in Russia is very low. The population in Russia is less than that of the US after they lost their subject (and mostly Muslim) provinces.

    Posted by Don Meaker on August 18, 2007 at 2326 hrs


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