Regular readers may know that your humble correspondent is frequently in eastern Europe. I’ve developed a view of contemporary Russia which may be “non-standard,” but it comes from experience. Vladimir Putin isn’t a “protegé” of Josef Stalin; his model is Peter the Great. Putin can look at Russia’s multitude of social problems and conclude that Russia is perishing. And his take is simple – Russia must re-aggrandize itself as the cure for those problems.
Because of this, the Russians are in a hurry – since they see themselves as being in a race against time. As an Obama Presidency began to appear likely last fall, I offered the guidepost that in terms of international problems, “Russia won’t be the worst, but they’ll be the first.”
And indeed, it literally only took a few hours after the election results were in for Putin sock-puppet President Dmitri Medvedev to immediately issue a challenge, threatening to put nuclear-capable missiles in the Kaliningrad enclave – as an “or else” with regard to the missile defense agreement with Poland (and the Czech Republic).
More recently, there has been this ongoing “gas crisis” which has threatened to freeze Europe solid in the middle of winter – and a rather harsh one at that.
Now, Russia has quietly announced plans to establish naval bases in Syria, Libya, and Yemen.
More below the fold.
There’s a news item tucked quietly into the Monday (1/18) edition of The Moscow Times:
Naval Bases Planned for Libya, Syria
Russia has decided to establish naval bases in Libya, Syria and Yemen within a few years, a military official said Friday, in a sign of Moscow’s growing foreign policy ambitions.
“It is difficult to say how much time it will take to create the bases for our fleet in these countries, but within a few years this will be done without question,” the unidentified military official told Itar-Tass.
“The political decision on this question has been taken,” the official said.
As noted above, the Russians are in a hurry. And clearly they regard political developments over here as a stroke of incredible good fortune. And they are obviously moving quickly to take advantage of that good fortune.
So I guess a good question for our incoming President on this one would be, “What do you intend to DO about this?”
Steve Maley
Moe Lane
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Scary!
Ned Reck (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 8:25PM EST (link)Quick! I need to call my local gun dealer… minister… and bookie… in that order!
Just joshin’…
Heck… if you can’t joke ’bout our… nearly insurmoutable future confrontations… best get a GOOD BOOK… and read. And… I am not joking about that.
Ned Reck
On the plains of “Hesitation”… lie the blackened bones of
countless millions… who… at the dawn of victory…
sat down to rest… and while resting….. DIED.
~ Anonymous
Oh, nothing to worry about....
USNJIMRET (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 8:26PM EST (link)Hillary will just jet over and take care of everything.
Billary is out of her league with Putin
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 8:35PM EST (link)Putin will eat her up and spit her out. He cannot wait to get it on.
“It is difficult to say how much time it will take to create the bases for our fleet in these countries, but within a few years this will be done without question,” the unidentified military official told Itar-Tass.
I am sure they have had these plans for years. All the work Reagan did is slowly unraveling as Obama helps Putin tear the wrapping off.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
I was being sarcastic re:
USNJIMRET (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 10:09PM EST (link)Hillary and any capacity she thinks she has as an International Diplomat.
Guess I’ll have to indicate such, sarcasm, in the future.
I knew that
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 10:15PM EST (link)I love jumping on the band wagon. I have never taken Bill or Hillary seriously for even 2 secs.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Here's what Teh Mess-I-Yah is gonna do about Russian bases in Libya, Syria & Yemen......
Kenny Solomon (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 8:31PM EST (link)…… Scene: 20 January 2009, approximately 3pm, Eastern US time ; The Oval Office, White House, Washington DC ; Teh Mess-I-Yah having a quiet moment after taking office, standing at one of the windows looking outward at his new kingdom.
Enter, Rahm Emanuel……….
“Your Magnificence, we have received official word that Russia has opened their new naval bases in Libya, Yemen and Syria. That communication a few days ago wasn’t exactly accurate. They weren’t announcing they were building the bases, they were announcing the bases were built and would be operational within days. What are we going to do ?”
Teh Mess-I-Yah: “Rahm, that’s not good news. Oh well…. Cancel all my appointments for the next few hours. Where’s my Blackberry? I’ll get the guys together and play some basketball…. but first, I need a cigarette.” With that, The One starts walking to the door…….. “I’ll be outside of you need me.”… and under his breath we hear trailing off……….”…..Michelle….. outside to smoke… I’m the boss now……. who does she think she…..”.
Remember folks, there’s truth in humor.
Cheers !
What Navy?
fisk2521 Sunday, January 18th at 8:38PM EST (link)It has been my impression that the Russian Navy is pretty much a wreck these days and that the Government of India had placed an ‘order’ with the Russians for a refurbished russian ship quite a long time ago, and they never delivered because they couldn’t do it.
I may be wrong – - but I also think the US is ‘sending money’ to the Russians to clearn up the nuclear submarines that they have rusting at the bottom of the ocean in the north – - waiting to become a nuclear disaster into the ocean.
We are also sponsoring the continuing clearn up of Cherynobyl, which was never truly made safe.
What a world – - now we have to fear their aggression again and at the same time ‘help’. Bush’s attempt to ‘make nice’ with Putin after he took office was admirable, I guess, but as I watched the two next to each other, I thought to myself “once KGB, always KGB.
LDavis
Rahm... Get Dick Cheney on the line... Quickly...
rbdwiggins (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 8:54PM EST (link)Well, his experience dealing with bear would be invaluable, and besides, not one of Obama’s current slate of nominees can be trusted to get it right.
“Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
uhhh one small problem....
Jack (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 9:17PM EST (link)Russia has an old out of date Navy…they can have all of the ports they want but what are they intending on sailing into them?
Jack
“If at age 20 you are conservative you have no heart. It at age 30 you are liberal you have no brains.” Sir Winston Churchill
Russian Navy
izoneguy (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 9:23PM EST (link)http://rusnavy.com/
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
When it comes to the battle of the wits...
Ned Reck (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 9:20PM EST (link)With anybody… she starts out… unarmed.
The smartest person in the world… just got defeated in the primary… by the smartest person in the world.
Ned Reck
On the plains of “Hesitation”… lie the blackened bones of
countless millions… who… at the dawn of victory…
sat down to rest… and while resting….. DIED.
~ Anonymous
Who will fight Russia's wars?
DerKrieger (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 9:42PM EST (link)Their in steep demographic decline. I think within a decade or two China will seize much of Eastern Russia for its resources and Russia will be powerless to stop them.
“In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution.” – Thomas Jefferson
“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents.” – James Madison
Whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience.” — John Locke, 1690
China
Skanderbeg (Diary) Sunday, January 18th at 9:59PM EST (link)China is on the verge of demographic collapse as well.
Putin is in a hurry because in his view, he has to re-aggrandize Russia before it collapses. If he can do that, that will fix the social problems, such as the demographics.
Russian Navy
erp Monday, January 19th at 9:21AM EST (link)Don’t you some boats to dock at the new naval yards? Is the Potemkin back in service?
erp