RUSSIA HAS THE RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF

 

Bret Stephens writes in his column "Russia: The Enemy" (Nov 28, 2006) that the United States should start thinking of Russia as an enemy.  Wonder when did Washington ever stop treating Russia as an enemy?  I have been writing for years that Russia is "still the Bogey No. 1," once you strip the rhetoric and look at the actions successive Washington administrations have taken.  And actions speak louder than words.

 

More than 11 years ago, for example, in an article titled, "Russia is Still NWO's Bogey No. 1" (April 1995), I said that, "kicking Russia out of Europe is still the objective of the U.S. developed, and Washington and Berlin executed, strategy - thinly veiled under the 'Partnership for Peace' slogan... Already, no less than 18 former Soviet dominions have turned into American/German minions, i.e., the NWO (New World Order) vassals. They were conquered by dollars and (German) marks, instead of bullets and bombs. The NWO objective? Projecting its power deep into the soft underbelly of the former Russian empire."

 

Fast forwarding to the current Bush administration's Russia policy, a man who can't shoot straight without hitting a friend instead of a quail, has chosen to shoot his mouth off in the hopes of taming the Russian bear.  Good luck!  In a clear sign of provocation, the Veepotus (Dick Cheney) chose to do it on the eve of VE Day (May 8), a big holiday in Russia, and on Russia's doorstep - in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, a predominantly (80%) Catholic country in which there is no love lost for anything Russian.  In his speech, Cheney praised all of the anti-Russia opposition parties in former Soviet dominions that have gained power, while castigating the pro-Russian government in Belarus.  And then he waded into Russia itself.

How much more provocative can the "Cheney diplomacy" get?

Well, it can. And it did.  From Vilnius, Cheney traveled to Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, another former Soviet satellite on its southern flank, an energy-exporter that controls many of the vast Caspian Sea oil and gas reserves.  Cheney described Kazakhstan as a "key strategic partner of the United States" in terms of energy supply projects and anti-terrorism efforts.  And on the second day of Cheney's Astana visit (May 6), Kazakh Prime Minister Daniyal Akhmetov promptly announced that Kazakhstan would be ready to sign the stalled trans-Caspian oil and gas transport agreements next month.  Since the pipelines bypass Russia, the moves can be seen as another slap in the face for Russia.

If you "follow the money," which is what Wall Street Journal tries to do, you get the same impression.  On a per capita basis, Russia has received 24 times less foreign investment per capita than Israel; 17 times less than Hungary; nine times less than Mexico; six times less than Brazil; and half as much as China, the world’s most populous country.

 

No wonder Russia is fighting back, now flush with billions of oil and gas dollars, and possessing many superior aerospace and military technologies.  Wouldn't you, if you were treated as an enemy by the United States actions all this time, while publicly being patted on the back and smiling for the cameras?  The question in my mind is what took Putin so long to realize that words are cheap, especially when spoken by western diplomats.