U.S.S.R. Reunion??

MOSCOW (AP) - Seven former Soviet nations including Russia will form a joint rapid reaction force, the Russian president said Wednesday—as the Kremlin seeks to squeeze the United States out of energy-rich Central Asia.

The announcement was made just a day after Kyrgyzstan said it would end its U.S. lease of a key air base that supports military operations in Afghanistan. Evicting U.S. troops from Kyrgyzstan would mark a victory for Moscow in its battle for influence in what it considers its historic backyard.

President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia, Armenia, Belarus and four Central Asian nations—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan—had reached the agreement to form a new security force during a summit of the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization on Wednesday.

The force would add a military dimension to the Moscow-dominated alliance, which so far has served mostly as a forum for consultations.

"We all have agreed on the need" for the force, Medvedev said, but he did not give details of how the force would be composed. On Tuesday, he said Russia and Belarus would also be forming a joint military system to monitor and defend their air space.

Russia, the U.S. and China have been vying for influence in the Caspian and Central Asia region, which is believed to contain the world's third-largest energy reserves. The rivalry has been compared to the 19th-century Great Game between the British Empire and Czarist Russia for dominance in the region.

Well, isn't this cozy? Russia just tightened the belt another notch. Who will make the next move? This just may create problems for our upcoming plans in Afghanistan as well.

Iran to the Rescue. Hey Mr. Obama you can access the area from here. We just need the following from you....

www.breitbart.com...

[edit on 4-2-2009 by jibeho]

Russia didn't tighten anything.
Medvedev is a capitalist not a communist.
There is nothing different here to there.
The power brokers all work for the same company.

reply to post by jibeho


The battle lines are being drawn, are they not? Reminds of an Independent UK article I read last year of how even the underground are burying hatchets between themselves to combine against foreign counterparts. In particular the three Italian houses and the Yakuza clans. Dare say they were spooked by Russia's star rising so rapidly. I'll try to find it out.

Good call jibeho. Flagged!

reply to post by Catesby


I think this augurs well for the reigon that all these countries are coming together, and definitely is a slap on the face of the US. The US infact triggered this situation with the Poland missile shield and by interfering in the Georgian conflict. It bodes well for the countries in the reigon too as they do not have to depend on US for all their needs and can do without the thumb sucking of the US

The battle lines indeed are being created once again...

When I read of the ousting of the U.S. installation in Kyrgyzstan yesterday; a little bulb in my head lit up, reading this story makes it very clear now. I personally believe in many of the prophecies, I have my own mixes though, as in I look at all the available works of prophecy and analyze them all. Looking for similarities, differences, things that might link them all together or completely reveal them as hoaxes.

It seems as if the Great Bear is returning; while it's not exactly the re-creation of the old USSR it does create an alliance of the nations.

We have the technology to phase out our over reliance on imported fossil fuels. This is one conspiracy I am fairly certain of. One needs only look to the attack on the hemp industry to see that things do not work themselves out for the best for the rest of us, just the best for the "best" of us or so it seems.

Of course it is in the interest of the military indistrial multi-national elite that we have unending armed conflicts.

One can't help being reminded of the supposed LONG term plan/plot by the USSR to sink the USA by playing dead and waiting for us to go broke. Long term planners know about the Art of War and how to get your enemies to do your bidding with out you even realizing it.

Are we ever going to get to shuffle the deck again?

[edit on 2/4/09 by stikkinikki]

Putin is a worthy player. He has guided Russian Nationalism, enriched those who are his allies, excited the new Russian youth and now he is expanding Russian influence.

Iran will feel some support from these moves and it may embolden Iranian/Russian/Pakistanian secret forces in Afghanistan toward bolder control of certain areas.

This is not the tipping point yet.

India will beef up Kashmir.

The mountain pass supply routes will come under heavy Iran/Pakistan/Russian influence.

China will pump more money toward the heroin trade and the US/Canadian forces on the front lines will need to move toward bolder Pakistan Border operations.

As the grunts say.......www.militaryphotos.net...

Moral is good and they aim to win and come home victors.

What do you all miss most....PUSSY!

I hear yas.





[edit on 4-2-2009 by whiteraven]

US had its chance to befriend and even ally with these Central Asian countries, and it failed. For the last 6 years, US influence was rapidly growing in the area thanks to the War on Terror. At one point US could even consider countries like Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to be within its sphere of influence, and was getting very cozy with oil-rich Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan.

Then during the second phase of the Bush administration the US got greedy. Incontent with the slow pace of development and to speed things up, CIA attempted to stage coups or "color revolutions" in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and potentially even Kazakhstan. US also started to increasingly criticize the authoritarian local leaders, in an effort to bring about "democratic change". These development seriously scared a lot of US's new allies in the area, and made them rethink their cooperation with the US.



Russia on the other hand used this opportunity to step up its efforts to bring these countries back under its geopolitical umbrella. Since US started using bases in countries like Kyrgyzstan in 2002, Russia has demonstrated its disapproval to the US multiple times, and the US ignored it. Now Russia is the one holding the better cards.

US had its chance in Central Asia, and failed. Don't blame Russia - blame the arrogant short-term tactics of the US foreign policy. If US was a better partner for countries like Kyrgyzstan, today they could have been major allies of the US and NATO. Instead all US did was piss off that region of the world - and practically handed that sphere of influence back to Russia.

And concerning the "USSR Reunion" - don't bet on it. The Central Asian countries in question are now fiercely independent thanks to their authoritarian leaders who do not want to lose their power and wealth. Even if Russia so wanted, it would not be able to bring them under its control. It can however form a military and economic bond with them that will benefit for sides. And of course this has a lot to do with energy as well. These countries are already connected to Russia's oil and gas infrastructure network dating to the Soviet era.

Cheap labour, plenty of oil, gas, minerals, ...The Caspian Basin and area is going to make certain countries rich and powerful.

The question is who?

President Obama may be Putin's match. I guess we will see what the next moves are soon.

Originally posted by whiteraven
Cheap labour, plenty of oil, gas, minerals, ...The Caspian Basin and area is going to make certain countries rich and powerful.

Most definitely. Forget labour though - energy is the main factor. Of second impotance is geopolitics, and the region's proximity to the Middle East (read "invasion route").

I have been saying that the Caspian Basin is the "next Middle East" on these boards for years, and have watched the region very closely. You can also add Georgia and Azerbaijan and the recent developments there to it.

Originally posted by whiteraven
The question is who?

Well US and Russia are the obvious culprits. But also consider Iran. It too borders the Caspian Sea, and is involved in the ongoing dispute over who gets what share of the oil and gas beneath it. Then there is China, which too has been eyeing energy deals with the likes of Kazakhstan.

So this is a perfect recipe for trouble. The region is surrounded by all the big players, and the turmoil in Afghanistan creates a soft underbelly. Soviet Union and even the Russian Empire have always considered the Caspian Basin to be of utmost importance for security and stability.

Originally posted by whiteraven
President Obama may be Putin's match. I guess we will see what the next moves are soon.

My guess is that the economic troubles take precedence for Obama. He might even seek cooperation with Russia if it means betterment of the economy and trade.

Hate to be a pedant, like Afghanistan and Pakistan, Russia and the USSR were not and are not in the Middle East. therefore, this thread is in the wrong forum.

[edit on 122828p://pm2848 by masonwatcher]

Afghanistan is a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location, connecting South and Central Asia and Middle East

en.wikipedia.org...

Iran is on the border....and it is a historical crossroads in relation to the MI.....and has been under Persian influence for hundreds of years.

Originally posted by masonwatcher
Hate to be a pedant, like Afghanistan and Pakistan, Russia and the USSR were not and are not in the Middle East. therefore, this thread is in the wrong forum.

[edit on 122828p://pm2848 by masonwatcher]

The story clearly relates to issues and countries in the Middle East. Tajikistan and Uzbekistan share borders with Afghanistan last time I checked.

If there was a Central Asia forum I would have posted this there.

Edit to add map link
www.worldatlas.com...

[edit on 4-2-2009 by jibeho]

[edit on 4-2-2009 by jibeho]

reply to post by jibeho


Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan are not in the Middle East so I don't understand your point.

The Middle East can be classified into categories Middle East, Middle East political boundaries, geographical Middle East and Middle East. The modern Middle East as presented in the Middle East political boundaries includes the nations of Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.

The term “New Middle East” was introduced to the world in June 2006 in Tel Aviv by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (who was credited by the Western media for coining the term) in replacement of the older and more imposing term, the “Greater Middle East.”

This shift in foreign policy phraseology coincided with the inauguration of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Oil Terminal in the Eastern Mediterranean. The term and conceptualization of the “New Middle East,” was subsequently heralded by the U.S. Secretary of State and the Israeli Prime Minister at the height of the Anglo-American sponsored Israeli siege of Lebanon. Prime Minister Olmert and Secretary Rice had informed the international media that a project for a “New Middle East” was being launched from Lebanon. This announcement was a confirmation of an Anglo-American-Israeli “military roadmap” in the Middle East.

This project, which has been in the planning stages for several years, consists in creating an arc of instability, chaos, and violence extending from Lebanon, Palestine, and Syria to Iraq, the Persian Gulf, Iran, and the borders of NATO-garrisoned Afghanistan.

Map of 'New Middle East'

www.globalresearch.ca...

Currently, the hegemonic idea of the 'New Middle East' is further expanded by the US to include more unlikely countries.

www.njscvva.org...

[edit on 022828p://pm2838 by masonwatcher]

reply to post by masonwatcher


So, Who's map is right? According to my map the countries in question are in the Middle East. I guess there is a map to fit every need.

Change the forum when you become a MOD.

Originally posted by jibeho
reply to post by masonwatcher

 

So, Who's map is right? According to my map the countries in question are in the Middle East. I guess there is a map to fit every need.

Change the forum when you become a MOD.

You responded while I was editing. The first map is correct. It is the one the people in the Middle East identify with because of historical and cultural factors, however, they also include North Africa but is generally ignored by the West.

Two things defines the ME for the US, oil and Israel and engagement orients around these issues.

[edit on 022828p://pm2851 by masonwatcher]

reply to post by jibeho

Change the forum when you become a MOD.

Have been reading my u2u when you shouldn't have?

Originally posted by masonwatcher
reply to post by jibeho

 

Change the forum when you become a MOD.

Have been reading my u2u when you shouldn't have?

You are indeed creepy. How can I read your U2U? If you are craving some mail for your inbox, I'll gladly send you a message.

reply to post by jibeho

You are indeed creepy. How can I read your U2U? If you are craving some mail for your inbox, I'll gladly send you a message.

Creepy? OK. Now what do think about the maps. I think it reflects new geopolitical influences being developed and new dynamics imposed.