Filed under: Latin America, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: chavez, cia, correa, military, morales, obama, putin, russia, southcom, us
Looks like the increased U.S presence in Colombia is causing South American nations, especially those involved in the ALBA contingency, to continue preparations for a potential U.S proxy-conflict. With Colombia, the U.S now has a visible military presence on every continent, a precedent which is not lost on Morales, Chavez, Correa and others, especially with the recent increase of violence of the northwest border of Venezuela.
Russian F.M Sergei Lavrov and Ecuador President Rafael Correa
Vedomosti: Ecuador Seeks Russian Aid Against U.S. Military Buildup In Colombia
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa will come to Moscow to discuss weapons supplies, but the Kremlin also expects him to speak about the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“We need to restore the might of our army,” Correa said about the goal of his visit to Moscow, which he will make together with Defense Minister Javier Ponce.
Ecuador has been alarmed by the decision of Colombia, with which it severed diplomatic relations in March 2008, to allow U.S. troops to use its bases.
The Ecuadorian officials plan to sign the contract, which was initialed last week, for the delivery of two Mi-17 Hip multirole helicopters for its Defense Ministry’s civilian purposes, said a representative of the Russian state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
However, Moscow also expects Ecuador to sign other contracts. A source at Russian Technology said Russia could supply six Su-30MK2 Flanker multirole fighters, several helicopters, and air defense systems to Ecuador, which would increase the value of their military cooperation to over $200 million.
In response, Russia expects Ecuador to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. A source at the Russian Foreign Ministry said Ecuador had unofficially promised to announce its intention during the president’s visit…
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Reuters: Venezuela arrests eight Colombian ‘paramilitaries’
Xinhua News: Venezuela Strengthens Military Presence On Colombian Border
Filed under: Latin America, Russia / Caucacus | Tags: correa, ecuador, medvedev, putin, russia, weapons
Latin American countries are becoming more involved in military exchange with Russia as the ALBA alliance is drifting more conspicuously away from U.S/NATO influence. This includes not only military partnerships with Russia, but also the summary rejection of U.S presence in the region through military bases in Colombia.
Vedomosti: Ecuador Seeks Russian Aid Against U.S. Military Buildup In Colombia
October 27, 2009
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa will come to Moscow to discuss weapons supplies, but the Kremlin also expects him to speak about the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“We need to restore the might of our army,” Correa said about the goal of his visit to Moscow, which he will make together with Defense Minister Javier Ponce.
Ecuador has been alarmed by the decision of Colombia, with which it severed diplomatic relations in March 2008, to allow U.S. troops to use its bases.
The Ecuadorian officials plan to sign the contract, which was initialed last week, for the delivery of two Mi-17 Hip multirole helicopters for its Defense Ministry’s civilian purposes, said a representative of the Russian state arms exporter, Rosoboronexport.
However, Moscow also expects Ecuador to sign other contracts. A source at Russian Technology said Russia could supply six Su-30MK2 Flanker multirole fighters, several helicopters, and air defense systems to Ecuador, which would increase the value of their military cooperation to over $200 million.
In response, Russia expects Ecuador to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. A source at the Russian Foreign Ministry said Ecuador had unofficially promised to announce its intention during the president’s visit.
There are no indications that the decision has been taken, but we have strong hopes for recognition by Ecuador and Bolivia, said South Ossetian Foreign Minister Murat Dzhioyev.
Positive signals are coming from all Latin American countries, said Maxim Gvindzhia, deputy foreign minister of Abkhazia. “Following recognition by Nicaragua and Venezuela, the other ALBA countries will eventually recognize us too,” he said.
The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) is an international cooperation organization comprising Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Antigua and Barbuda.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega announced the recognition of the two breakaway Georgian republics in September 2008, and in December Russia granted Nicaragua a $1 billion loan.
Venezuela was issued a $2.2 billion loan for the purchase of Russian weapons during the visit by President Hugo Chavez in September this year, when he announced the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
However, Gvindzhia recalled that a $1 billion loan had been granted to Venezuela in September 2008, when Chavez was in Moscow, but Venezuela did not recognize the two republics then.
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RIA Novosti: Ecuador to sign strategic partnership deal with Russia
Filed under: Central Asia, China / SE Asia, Resource Wars, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: china, iran, russia, sco
Press TV: Iran Offers SCO Alternative To U.S. Control Of World Resources
VOA News: Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit Concludes in Beijing
Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states agreed to work together to combat the global economic crisis and find ways to increase cooperation on financial issues.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, meeting in Beijing Wednesday, brought together the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The SCO is a regional security grouping. However, this time, economic difficulties took center stage.
Continue reading
Filed under: Central Asia, China / SE Asia, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: china, india, iran, NATO, nuclear, obama, russia, us, venezuela, War
The force of NATO’s operational doctrine of continual expansion and disruption of opposing forces is now extending their presence into Asia. The battles for the favor of India and the so-called “string of pearls” around the eastern coast of China have set the stage for potential future conflicts. Now, with deepening ties to Western power, India represents another potential wedge for the U.S/NATO, bent on establishing strategic positions on the periphery of their two main economic and political rivals–China and Russia. Historical and geographical considerations also compel the Indians in their current position, to adopt a policy of “superalignment” with the West as opposed to “counteralignment”; represented by the Russia, China, Iran and the Bolivarian alignment based around Venezuela.
Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya: Geo-Strategic Chessboard: War Between India and China?
Here is another great article from Rick Rozoff at ‘Stop NATO’. This also discusses U.S/NATO presence in Asia being used as a bulwark against Russia and China in a variety of arenas.
Rick Rozoff: Dangerous Crossroads: U.S. Expands Asian NATO Against China, Russia
Here is an article from Foreign Affairs in 2006 which suggests that the U.S could use preemptive first strikes against the arsenals of Russia and China.
“For four decades, relations among the major nuclear powers have been shaped by their common vulnerability, a condition known as mutual assured destruction. But with the U.S. arsenal growing rapidly while Russia’s decays and China’s stays small, the era of MAD is ending – and the era of U.S. nuclear primacy has begun.”
“It will probably soon be possible for the United States to destroy the long-range nuclear arsenals of Russia or China with a first strike.”
Filed under: Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: armenia, obama, oil, pipeline, russia, turkey, us
This is an extremely interesting article from the Hindu regarding the potential normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations and what that could mean for Russia and the United States– specifically of note is the discussion of pipeline deals that are contingent on Turkish, Armenian and Azeri participation.
Vladimir Radyuhin: New security configuration in the Caucasus
…Both Russia and the U.S. are interested in the Turkey-Armenia settlement. Russian business, which effectively controls the economy of Armenia, will benefit from the opening of the Turkish border with Armenia, as Russia is also the biggest trading partner of Turkey. In another gain for Russia, the role of its foe Georgia as the main transit route for Armenian trade will greatly diminish once Turkey opens up its border. Russia has already reaped the first benefits on the energy front. Within days of the Turkey-Armenian agreement, its gas monopoly Gazprom signed a contract with Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR on Azerbaijani gas supply to Russia. The deal came as Baku denounced the Turkey-Armenian pact as running “completely against the national interests of Azerbaijan,” because it was concluded without a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. It is for the first time that Azerbaijan will sell its gas to Russia, which could undermine the West’s plan to build the Nabucco pipeline to ship Caspian and Central Asian gas to Europe bypassing Russia…
Filed under: Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: china, medvedev, nuclear, obama, oil, putin, russia, sco, War
There are several developments coming out of the Russian Federation: calls for a new European Security Plan, moving away for dollar denominated trading, persistent rejection of Iranian sanctions and preparing for military engagement on multiple fronts. Here are some articles detailing some of these recent developments.
Yahoo! News: Russia uses ambiguity to boost its power
Space War: ‘Too early’ to focus on Iran sanctions: Putin
Asia Times: Putin lays down the law for Clinton
RIA Novosti: Russia ready to abandon dollar in oil, gas trade with China
Space War: Russia to adopt first strike nuclear policy
Remember the U.S has several plans put into operation under Bush that are similar to this. Check out the 2002 Nuclear Policy Review and it’s discussion of “adaptive nuclear capabilities” or COMPLAN 8022, reported by Washington Post writer William Arkin.
Global Research: Russia Renews Call For Multipolar World, New European Security System
Russia is currently reaching out to the European community in a concerted effort to boost their prestige and friendlier relations without the assistance of the United States as an intermediary.
Filed under: China / SE Asia, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: afghanistan, fraud, mcchrystal, NATO, nobel, obama, peace, War
Wall Street Journal: Afghanistan: Top Troop Request Exceeds 60,000
Yahoo: Obama approved 13,000 more troops to Afghanistan
Global Research: October Surprise: Peace Prize to a War Criminal
Check out this article–it’s an excellent summary of the dizzying hypocrisy involved in Obama receiving what amounts to an modern oligarchical title of nobility. Remember that the nomination deadline for the Nobel Prize was only 1 month into Obama’s administration, when even less had done towards the advancement of the peace issue (if that’s possible).
Obama and the Nobel Prize: When War becomes Peace, When the Lie becomes the Truth
by Michel Chossudovsky
When war becomes peace,
When concepts and realities are turned upside down,
When fiction becomes truth and truth becomes fiction.
When a global military agenda is heralded as a humanitarian endeavor,
When the killing of civilians is upheld as “collateral damage”,
When those who resist the US-NATO led invasion of their homeland are categorized as “insurgents” or “terrorists”.
When preemptive nuclear war is upheld as self defense.
When advanced torture and “interrogation” techniques are routinely used to “protect peacekeeping operations”,
When tactical nuclear weapons are heralded by the Pentagon as “harmless to the surrounding civilian population”
When three quarters of US personal federal income tax revenues are allocated to financing what is euphemistically referred to as “national defense”
When the Commander in Chief of the largest military force on planet earth is presented as a global peace-maker,
When the Lie becomes the Truth
Filed under: Empire, Middle East, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: china, iran, medvedev, nuclear, obama, putin, russia, War
The Russians understand that the U.S is attempting to placate them into supporting new sanctions by offering hollow conciliations like the “moving” of European missile shields and the EU recognizing Georgia as the aggressors of the 2008 conflict— and thus far they are not participating.
Space War: Washington readies fresh Iran sanction
The United States is ready to slap fresh sanctions on Iran in the event international negotiations over its suspected nuclear weapons program fail, a senior US Treasury Department official said Tuesday…
At the same hearing, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said efforts to rally other veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council behind fresh sanctions, most notably Russia and China, were making progress.
“The Russians seem to be more open to additional sanctions,” Steinberg said pointing to recent comments made by President Dmitry Medvedev.
“You’re seeing a coming together of countries around the world to recognize that this is Iran’s last opportunity and if they fail to take it there is a greater openness to this.
Washington Times: Russia resisting Iran sanctions
Russian FM Lavrov: “At the current stage, all forces should be thrown at supporting the negotiating process,” he told reporters at a joint news conference with Clinton. “Threats, sanctions and threats of pressure in the current situation, we are convinced, would be counterproductive.” …
….U.S. officials said they were disappointed that Lavrov had come out against even the threat of new penalties.
AP: Russian general challenges US on missiles
Pressing Russia’s position on another prickly issue, Shvaichenko criticized plans aired during the Bush administration to fit some U.S. strategic missiles with conventional non-nuclear warheads, saying the launch of such missiles could provoke a mistaken nuclear strike in retaliation.
A state that detected such a missile heading in its direction “would determine the risk it faced according to a worst-case scenario,” RIA Novosti quoted Shvaichenko as saying — meaning that it would likely respond with nuclear weapons. He said such a shift “would seriously undermine … international security as a whole.”
Filed under: Central Asia, Russia / Caucacus, Technology, War | Tags: czech, military, missiles, obama, poland, russia, shield, space
Updated missile shields plans have nothing to do with a decrease of tensions with Russia nor a desire by the Obama administration to repudiate any of the confrontational military policies of the Bush adminsitration. These recent actions with regards to Obama’s missile shield are simply an attempt to goad the Russians into supporting anti-Iranian policies while continuing to maintain a crucial strategic presence in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. In fact, these systems are decisively more aggressive as they offer the opportunity for movement of the once static shields and a more varied pattern of deployment possibilities to meet international challenges.
Rick Rozoff: Dangerous Missile Battle in Space
On September 28 a feature called “BMD fleet plans Europe defense mission” appeared in the Navy Times which reported that “Ballistic-missile defense warships have become the keystone in a new national strategy….Rather than field sensors and missiles on the ground in Poland and the Czech Republic, the U.S. will first maintain a presence of at least two or three Aegis BMD ships in the waters around Europe, starting in 2011.”
This development is in keeping with U.S Pentagon chief Robert Gates’ presentation of September 17 in which, confirming President Obama’s announcement to replace and supplement his predecessor’s project of placing ten ground-based interceptor missiles in Poland and a complementary radar installation in the Czech Republic, he laid out a three-step strategy to enhance (his word) U.S. missile shield plans in Europe.
“These capabilities offer a variety of options to detect, track and shoot down enemy missiles. This allows us to deploy a distributive sensor network rather than a single fixed site, like the kind slated for the Czech Republic, enabling greater survivability and adaptability.”
That is, as Russian officials have over the past two years openly stated that the stationary missile radar facility intended for the Czech Republic and silo-based missiles planned for Poland would be targeted by their own missiles if the U.S. went ahead with the deployments, mobile and rapidly deployable alternatives would have, in Gates’ terms, “greater survivability and adaptability.”
Land-based facilities are easy to monitor and, if the suspicion arose that they would be part of an imminent first strike attack, neutralize.
Sea-based, air-based and spaced-based surveillance and missile deployments would be harder – if not impossible – to track and to take out…
Full story here
Filed under: Arctic, Central Asia, China / SE Asia, Empire, Latin America, Middle East, Resource Wars, Russia / Caucacus, War | Tags: afghanistan, Arctic, china, iran, NATO, obama, russia, War
The United States is continually expanding the presence of their forces to several points throughout the globe. The locations of these engagements form a “belt of conflict” which stretches the length of the globe. Now, the conflict in these areas is escalating to a point at which, some time in the future, the possibility of an international conflict with nuclear overtones can be seen. From military bases in Colombia, destabilization of Bolivia and Venezuela, funding and arming separatist groups in Africa, manufacturing humanitarian precepts for Sudanese involvement, the continuing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, NATO expansion in Eastern Europe, strategic maneuvering in the Caspian basin, attempts to gain control of the “string of pearls” and the escalating competition over Arctic resources– the U.S is pursuing a policy of confrontation for the sole purpose of gaining access to natural resources, subverting potential international coalitions and securing freedom of international military deployment.
RIA Novosti: U.S. could deploy missile shield in Arctic – Russia’s NATO envoy
Ice News: US could launch missiles from the Baltic Sea
GeoPoliticalMonitor.com: U.S weapons end up in al-Qaeda hands
Telegraph: NATO commander warns of conflict with Russia in the Arctic Circle
Rick Rozoff: U.S., NATO Poised For Most Massive War In Afghanistan’s History
Duty Now For The Future 