"RAF fighter jets were
scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading for British
airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the North
Atlantic once again. The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served as a
telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the murder of
Alexander Litvinenko." (Times Online, Richard Beeston; "RAF
scrambles to intercept Russian bombers, 7-18-07)
"Men are always wicked at bottom unless they are made good by some
compulsion." -- Niccol� Macchiavelli
When a political heavyweight, like Henry Kissinger, jets-off
on a secret mission to Moscow; it usually shows up in the news.
Not this time.
This time the media completely ignored -- or should we say
censored -- Kissinger�s trip to Russia and his meetings with Russian President
Vladimir Putin. In fact, apart from a few short blurps in the Moscow Times and
one measly article in the UK Guardian, no major news organization even covered
the story. There hasn�t been as much as a peep out of anyone in the American
media.
Nothing. That means the meetings were probably arranged by
Dick Cheney. The secretive Veep doesn�t like anyone knowing what he�s up to.
Kissinger was accompanied on his junket by a delegation of
high-powered political and corporate bigwigs, including former Secretary of
State George Schultz, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, former Special
Representative for Arms Control, Nonproliferation and Disarmament Ambassador
Thomas Graham, Jr., former Senator Sam Nunn and Chevron Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer David O'Reilly.
Wow. Now, there�s an impressive line up.
The group was (presumably) sent to carry out official
government business as discreetly as possible. The media obviously complied
with White House requests and kept their mouths shut.
Isn�t the First Amendment great?
The array of talent in Kissinger�s delegation suggests that
the US and Russia are engaged in sensitive, high-level talks on issues ranging
from nonproliferation and missile defense to energy exploration and
development, to the Iranian "enrichment" program and partitioning of
Serbia (Kosovo) to the falling dollar and the massive US current account
deficit. The US and Russia are at loggerheads on many of these issues and
relations between the two countries have steadily deteriorated.
No one really knows what took place at the meetings, but
judging by Kissinger�s parting remarks; things did not go smoothly. He said to
one reporter, "We appreciate the time that President Putin gave us and the
frank manner in which he explained his point of view."
In diplomatic phraseology, "frank" usually means
that there were many areas of strong disagreement. Presumably, the main
"bone of contention" is Putin�s insistence on a
"multi-polar" world in which the sovereign rights of other nations
are safeguarded under international law. Putin is ferociously nationalistic and
he will not compromise Russia�s independence to be integrated into Kissinger
& Co.�s wacky the New World Order.
The empire strikes back
Less than 48 hours after the "Russia-USA: A View on the
Future" conference had ended, British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband
announced that the British government "would expel four diplomats from the
Russian Embassy in London in response to Russia�s refusal to extradite Andrei
K. Lugovoi, whom British prosecutors accused of using radioactive polonium 210
to poison a Kremlin critic and former KGB agent, Alexander Litvinenko, last
fall." (New York Times)
The expulsion of the diplomats is a clear indication that
Bush ordered his "new poodle," Gordon Brown, to begin a campaign of
harassment against Russia.
The British action is unprecedented and outlandish. The
Russian Foreign Ministry was evidently thunderstruck by the move. After all,
Britain has refused to honor 21 requests from Russia to extradite
gangster-oligarch Boris Berezovsky and the Chechen rebel leader Akhmed Zakayev,
who currently live in London. As Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander V. Grushko
said, "If Russia used the same formula, the British embassy would be short
about 80 diplomats now." The hypocrisy is shocking to say the least.
Besides, who is going to believe that the British government
has taken a sudden interest in the death of a former KGB agent? Heck, the Brits
kill more Iraqis in a day around Basra then anyone in the Kremlin kills in a
year. The whole thing stinks of political opportunism, much like the
investigation of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.
Russia is presently exploring its options for retaliation,
but the implications of unexpected clash are obvious; the US and Britain have
placed Russia on their "enemies list" and are planning to execute a
guerilla war of harassment, slander, and covert operations intended to deepen
the divisions between Europe and Russia. Naturally, Putin will continue to be
demonized in the Western media as a looming threat to democratic values.
Ultimately, the goal is to pit Europe against Russia while
the Pentagon, the CIA, and MI6 settle on a long-term strategy for gaining
access to vital petroleum and natural gas supplies in Central Asia and the
Caspian Basin. That is still the main objective and both Putin and Kissinger
know it.
So far, Putin appears to have the upper hand in this regard
because he has skillfully strengthened alliances with his regional allies --
under the rubric of the Commonwealth of Independent States -- and because most
of the natural gas from Eurasia is pumped through Russian pipelines. An article
in "Today�s Zaman" gives a good snapshot of Russia�s position
vis-�-vis natural resources in the region: "As far as natural resources
are concerned Russia's hand is very strong: It holds 6.6 percent of the worlds
proven oil reserves and 26 percent of the world's gas reserves. In addition, it
currently accounts for 12 percent of world oil and 21 of recent world gas
production. In May 2007, Russia was the world's largest oil and gas producer.
"As for national champions, Putin has strengthened and
prepared Gazprom (the state-controlled gas company), Transneft (oil pipeline
monopoly) and Rosneft (the state-owned oil giant). That is why in 2006 Gazprom
retained full ownership in the giant Shtokman gas field (7) and took a controlling
stake in the Sakhalin-2 natural gas project. In June 2007, it took back BP's
Kovytka gas field and now is behind Total's Kharyaga oil and gas field."
("Vladimir Putin�s Energystan and the Caspian" Today�s Zaman)
Putin -- the black belt Judo-master -- has proved to be as
adept at geopolitics as he is at "deal-making." He has collaborated
with the Austrian government on a huge natural gas depot in Austria which will
facilitate the transport of gas to southern Europe. He has joined forces with
German industry to build an underwater pipeline through the Baltic to Germany
(which could provide 80 percent of Germany�s gas requirements) He has selected
France�s Total to assist Gazprom in the development of the massive Shtokman gas
field. And he is setting up pipeline corridors to provide gas to Turkey and the
Balkans. Putin has very deliberately spread Russia�s influence evenly
throughout Europe with the intention of severing the Transatlantic Alliance
and, eventually, loosening America�s vice-like grip on the continent.
Putin�s overtures to Germany�s Merkel and France�s Sarkozy
are calculated to weaken the resolve of Bush�s neocon-"Trojan Horses"
in the EU and put them in Russia�s corner. Putin is also attracting
considerable foreign investment to Russian markets and has adopted "a �new
model of cooperation� in the energy sector that would �allow foreign partners
to share in the economic benefits of the project, share the management, and
take on a share of the industrial, commercial and financial risks�". (M K Bhadrakumar
"Russia plays the Shtokman card," Asia Times) All of these are
intended to strengthen ties between Europe and Russia and make it harder for
the Bush administration to isolate Moscow.
The CFE and the impending missile defense crisis
Two weeks ago, Russia announced the suspension of the
Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE) in retaliation for Bush�s
plans to put missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic. The
United States had never really complied with the provisions of the treaty
anyway, but that hasn�t stopped Europeans from reacting with genuine concern.
Russia is now free to redeploy its troops and heavy weaponry to its
western-most borders. This is bound to cause a stir among the former-Soviet
states in Eastern Europe. The move does nothing to enhance Russian security,
but it does raise awareness of how Bush�s provocative missile defense is
putting Europe on the firing line. Missile defense is a "lose-lose"
situation for everyone involved; it greatly increases the likelihood of a slip
up which could end in a nuclear exchange. Still, the expansion of NATO is a
crucial part of the neocon plan for controlling the world�s dwindling
resources; so we can expect that the present standoff will only intensify as
the warring parties jockey for position. The sudden appearance of Kissinger,
Schultz, Rubin and Nunn suggests that the situation has gotten so worrisome
that the Masters of the Empire are actually emerging from the shadows and
getting directly involved. They have dropped the silly pretense that our
celluloid-figurehead president is actually directing foreign policy at all. He
isn�t.
But what can they do?
It is true that NATO has pushed itself into Poland, Hungary,
the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Latvia, Estonia and
Lithuania. But to what advantage? Putin will never allow NATO in Ukraine or
Georgia -- even if it means turning off the gas spigot and letting Europe
freeze to death in the dark.
Cheney calls this blackmail.
Maybe. But to others it looks like a straightforward way of
telling people that there's a price to pay for bad behavior. If that�s
blackmail -- let them hire an attorney.
Kosovo: "The chances of independence are
nothing"
Russia and the US are bitterly divided on the issue of Kosovo
independence. "Kosovo independence" is nothing more than a catchy
moniker that was cooked up in a far-right think tank to express the
geopolitical objectives of its advocates. It�s also a way of minimizing the
US-generated ethnic cleansing which has made "partition" seem
palatable. Its supporters are the usual assortment of Western busybodies,
neocons and globalists. Their dream is to weaken Serbia by splitting it up and
making it more accessible to foreign interests.
Pro-American UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon tried to
quickly push through a resolution on independence at the UN Security Council
this week, but Russian diplomats stopped him in his tracks.
No dice, Ban.
"I am deeply concerned about the lack of
progress," Ban muttered apologetically. "Any further delay is not
desirable for the Balkan States or the European countries."
Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin was uncharacteristically
outspoken in his rejection of the proposed resolution. When he was asked by a
reporter about the likelihood of the Kosovo independence," Churkin
growled, "The chances of that are nothing."
Well said, Vitaly.
Kosovo is an interesting case that sheds a bit of light on
the maneuverings of the globalist-claque and their plans for world domination.
Chaos and death follow their every move. Their modus operandi is "divide
and rule" through indiscriminate violence and massive clandestine
operations.
Russia deserves credit for not buckling under US pressure.
Putin is opposed to rewarding "separatist" movements or of letting
the United Nations dissect sovereign nations according to the whims of its main
contributors. This angers the scheming globalists, but it is a sensible
position. The UN�s mandate is to prevent wars of aggression, not redraw
national borders. Just ask the Palestinians how well it worked out last time
the UN got involved in the "nation-inventing" business.
Irina Lebedeva reveals the real motives behind Kosovo
independence in her article "USA-Russia: Hitting the same gate, or playing
the same game?"
"The North Atlantic alliance documents indicate that
the bloc aims at the 'Balkanization' of the post-Soviet space by way of
overtaking influence in the territories of the currently frozen conflicts and
their follow-up internalization along the Yugoslavian lines are set down in
black and white. For example, a special report, titled 'The New North Atlantic
Strategy for the Black Sea Region,' prepared by the German Marshall Fund of the
United States on the occasion of the NATO summit, already refers to Black Sea
and South Caucasus (Transcaucasia) as a 'new Euro-Atlantic borderland plagued
by Soviet-legacy conflicts.' And the 'region of frozen conflicts is evolving
into a functional aggregate on the new border of an enlarging West.' Azerbaijan
and Georgia in tandem, the report notes, provide a unique transit corridor for
Caspian energy to Europe, as well as an irreplaceable corridor for American-led
and NATO to bases and operation theatres in Central Asia and the Greater Middle
East."
Okay. So, NATO�s real goal is to break up existing countries
into smaller parts, undermine nationalism, incite ethnic conflicts and create a
"new Euro-Atlantic borderland" that provides a "transit corridor
for Caspian energy to Europe" as well as a jumping off spot for other
military bases.
Sounds a lot like Iraq, doesn�t it?
This should dispel the notion that the US cares about the
Muslims of Kosovo or that America bombed Belgrade into rubble to "get rid
of the dictator, Milosevic." That�s all half-truths, misinformation or
outright lies. America�s only interests are bases and oil. Period.
Escalation and the prospect of a wider war
An article was posted July 18 by the Times Online: "RAF
fighter jets were scrambled to intercept two Russian strategic bombers heading
for British airspace yesterday, as the spirit of the Cold War returned to the
North Atlantic once again. The incident, described as rare by the RAF, served
as a telling metaphor for the stand-off between London and Moscow over the
murder of Alexander Litvinenko. While the Kremlin hesitated before responding
to Britain�s expulsion of four diplomats, the Russian military engaged in some
old-fashioned sabre-rattling. (Times Online, Richard Beeston; "RAF
Scrambles to intercept Russian bombers)
This is a good example of how quickly hostilities can
escalate when leaders feel overly confident in their poor judgment. Russia is
not to be trifled with. Putin will not be hounded or humiliated into
submission. He won�t be starved like the Palestinians, bombarded like the
Iraqis, or abducted and tortured like the Empire�s other so-called enemies. If
Brown and Bush decide that its "good sport" to poke the Bear with a
stick -- so be it. But, they should be aware of the consequences. Russia only
spends 5 percent of what the US allocates yearly for military expenditures, but
it can still flatten Washington and London in a matter of minutes. That�s
always worth considering.
Putin: "Glavny protivnik," the main
enemy?
Putin is not America�s enemy. He is a fierce nationalist who
has led his country out of depression and anarchy into prosperity and resurgent
patriotism. He has stabilized the ruble, consolidated his regional power, and
elevated the standard of living for every class of Russians. The Russian
Federation now has the third largest FOREX reserves, the largest natural gas
deposits, and -- on many days -- provides more oil to foreign markets than
Saudi Arabia. The country has regained its international prestige and it has
become a force for peace and stability in the region.
The West -- and particularly the United States -- needs to
come to grips with Russia�s ascendant place on the world scene. Russia is not
going away. Petroleum and natural gas are becoming scarcer and more costly by
the day. Russia�s power will naturally grow in proportion to the diminishing of
crucial supplies. This cannot be avoided without initiating a third and,
perhaps, final world war.
America�s preeminence in the world depends to great extent
on its ability to control the global economic system. That system requires that
the dollar continue to be linked to oil reserves. But everywhere the
petrodollar is under attack. The only solution is to control two-thirds of the
world�s remaining petroleum -- which is in the Caspian Basin -- and demand
payment in dollars.
But that plan has failed. The war in Iraq is lost and the
longer America stays, the harder the fall will be. Oil will not continue to be
traded in petrodollars, the USD will lose its place as the world�s
"reserve currency," and America will slide into a long and agonizing
economic downturn.
The machinations and secret "shuttle diplomacy" of
Kissinger and his cohorts will amount to nothing. The situation is
irreversible. Geography is fate.
We need to extend the olive branch to Russia and prepare for
the inevitable shifting of world power. In the meantime, we need to withdrawal
from Iraq and let the inescapable struggle for political power begin. Our
presence only increases the violence.
American leadership can still be salvaged if we eradicate
the cancer that has infected the body politic and restore the principles of
republican government. But that won�t be easy. The small cadres of ruling
elites who control policy are driven by a force more powerful than the
procreative urge or even the will to survive. They are overwhelmed by a sense
of "entitlement" -- the fanatical belief that they were born to run
the world. This is the rich man�s fundamentalism.
The only way the US can play a productive role in the
world�s future, and participate in the species-threatening decisions which face
us all (global warming, peak oil, nuclear proliferation, famine, disease) is by
removing this poisonous element from our political life and holding them
accountable for their long list of crimes. Otherwise our confrontations with
Russia, Venezuela, Iran and others will become increasingly uncontrollable and
violent causing suffering and death on an unimaginable scale.
It�s up to us.
Mike
Whitney lives in Washington state. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com.