Russia may offer US Afghan access

Russia may offer US Afghan access

news.bbc.co.uk

Russia has agreed to discuss the transit of American military supplies to Afghanistan across its territory....

Last month, Russia began allowing the movement of non-lethal supplies to US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.

The new offer of discussions comes a day after Russia and the US agreed to resume negotiations on reducing their nuclear arsenals.

Washington has been seeking alternative supply routes into Afghanistan since militants in Pakistan stepped up attacks on shipments moving by road.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Interesting. I see this as a win-win situation for both countries.

1. It would be a serious tactical gain for US Forces, whose supply lines suffer regular ambushes and attacks through Pakistan's lawless, autonomous provinces, which are just descending further into chaos on a daily basis.

2. Russia can prove to the world it's not trying to undermine American security or influence in the region (via the continuous connections with Iran) and Medvedev will have won a major concession from the US Military Brass, in that they would be trusting Russia enough to allow them to act as their supply line or "enabler" if you will.

I can only see good entailing from such an agreement in the future.

Russia and America have more interests in common than they do apart.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 3/4/09 by The Godfather of Conspira]

Medvedev has let us down, and you have to wonder if these people have gotten to putin, in some way.

Shame.

reply to post by andy1033


By "us" who are you referring to exactly?

This is a step forward for Russia, not back.

Russia proposed this of their own accord. The US hasn't even considered this proposal yet, I was simply stating it's within both countries best interests to go ahead with this.

We need to put these ever-lasting Cold War resentments and vestigial emotions to rest already. Russia & America should be allies.

[edit on 3/4/09 by The Godfather of Conspira]

Some additional links:

www.telegraph.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...
www.nytimes.com...

I used to think..

Russia is huge. why not let them go through before...

But, example.

Would you want the Russian army flying and driving through your country into mexico fight to fight the gangs?

reply to post by xbranscombex

Would you want the Russian army flying and driving through your country into mexico fight to fight the gangs?

This proposed deal, doesn't affect Russia nearly as much as it affects it's former Central Asian Republics which border Afghanistan, which is where the majority of the supplies would be flowing through.

All the Russians are doing here, is vouching for the Central Asian States cooperation and assurance in such a deal.

It's not like American G.I.'s are going to be parading through Moscow...

[edit on 3/4/09 by The Godfather of Conspira]

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira


It's not like American G.I.'s are going to be parading through Moscow...

[edit on 3/4/09 by The Godfather of Conspira]

No, you're right.

But the thought is delicious.

reply to post by xbranscombex

No, you're right.

Concurred.

But the thought is delicious.

I didn't know you could take something as sexually unappealing as Russian-American politics and put a faintly erotic spin on it, but you learn something new everyday.

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
Interesting. I see this as a win-win situation for both countries.

I agree. Now that Bush is out the door and the US is back in tackling real issues such as the economic meltdown, any agreement on cooperation between Russia and US is a positive step no matter which way you look at it. Dialogue is good, and each side offering concessions to another is even better. The cooling of relations between Russia and the US during the Bush administration was really unnecessary and avoidable, especially given that there is no break in the political idealogies between the two anymore.

Sure those who oppose Obama and are still stuck in the Cold War mode will criticize fiercely any dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. Well they have an agenda, especially now that they lost their place at the helm, so them bark at the wind as they please. The mutts can bark all they want, but that should never stand in the way of progress.

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
1. It would be a serious tactical gain for US Forces, whose supply lines suffer regular ambushes and attacks through Pakistan's lawless, autonomous provinces, which are just descending further into chaos on a daily basis.

Definitely. It also will save the US considerable money on trasport, since Russia has very well-developed rail links with central asia. Rail-transport for supplies into Afghanistan would be far cheaper than airlifting them or trasporting them through volatile border with Pakistan.

Originally posted by The Godfather of Conspira
2. Russia can prove to the world it's not trying to undermine American security or influence in the region (via the continuous connections with Iran) and Medvedev will have won a major concession from the US Military Brass, in that they would be trusting Russia enough to allow them to act as their supply line or "enabler" if you will.

Not only that, but Russia is now also looking to help out with strengthening of the new Afghan government and military. Russia has recently concluded talks with Karzai and his administration regarding selling of equipment to the Afghan military. After all, the Afghanis are much more used to and have extensive expertise with Russian and Soviet equipment and arms as opposed to those from the US. Also the current Afghan government is fighting the very people that the Russians fought in 1980's.

Currently Russia is still very concerned about the militant Islamists in Central Asia. Central Asian republics like Kazakhastan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan have always been a soft underbelly of Russia, and a hazard for islamist insurgents. Russia would be very interested in a stable Afghanistan, and it wants the Americans to succeed there.