AFGHAN REBELS

[Andrey_V_Saiko]

It will be very useful for Russia to begin the airstrike against "Taliban" to protect Russian borders (& our friends) by helping North alliance.
I think that after airstrike we (Russia & Former USS Republics) must equip 250,000 of immigrants from Afghanistan, that are living in our country with weapons & with all that is needed & send them to help their own country.
At last we'll have the next friendly government of Afghanistan in Middle East-Asia region that will help us to contain "Drugs aggression" & in other questions.

Andrey V. Saiko (RUSSIAN student)

[Nonson]

Problem with that scenario is the Islamic beliefs held by all the Fundamentalists, and which was expressed by Osama Bin Ladin when interviewed by Peter Arnett in March 1997: "A man with a human feelings in his heart does not distinguish between a child killed in Palestine or in Lebanon, in Iraq or in Bisnia." A muslim is a part of the greater Muslim family regardless where that person may or may not be. If a moral injustice is committed against that person, it becomes an act against the entire Muslim World and against the Prophet (pbuh). The point that a Muslim "may not bargain on his religion" is not understood by too many decision-makers the world over. Peace

[Dr_Woland]

privet Andrey

It's somewhat ironic that 20 years ago, the world was condemning USSR for intervention in Afghanistan, with cries of "Russian bear", "soviet imperialism" etc.

Do you think it is realistic that NATO powers - who cry "Germ Warfare!" if Putin sneezes - will calmly observe a Russian-supported attempt to change the Government in Kabul? Or even assist this?

Considering their view of Kosovo, Chechnya, etc, I doubt that NATO will approve this.

I am not saying that NATO's "approval" is needed, of course, or even desirable - but the western media already have lots of pictures of Afghans captioned "freedom fighter", and of Russians captioned "imperialist aggressor", ready and waiting for the fighting to start :-(

Dr W.

[Andrey_V_Saiko]

Zdravstvuy Dr. Woland

I think that the situation changed greatly! Today people all over the world are shouted not only "Russian Bear"..., but "NATO go home" & "YANKEE go home". Because people of the West, can see the changes in Russia. And this is normal, because we can see the product of US politics. From the other hand, US began "The Mass Media War" & they won this war. To my mind the only thing we must study from the US is the elements of their Global Mass Media War on the Earth. Only this War helped them to protect their interests . I mean not Russian Mass Media but that we must influence European TV & so on…
I don't think that NATO will help us to change the Kabul government, even in the case of their politics in Iraq & Yugoslavia . I don't think that NATO can even understand the human feelings of Afghans people who wants, but can't back to their own country in the case of their todays living in Russia.
Only because of this, I mentioned Mass Media War as the first part of the air strike against "Talibs".

ABC.


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[Dr_Woland]

zdrastvuy Alexiy!

I agree with you, the Americans "won" the media war, but what does this really "mean"? That they convinced themselves that they are right?? Well, they always thought this, so nothing really changed! Only that they do not have Dedushka Leonid banging his shoe in the UN and shouting "we will bury you" any longer.

I think you are right - Russia needs to work on its media presentation in Europe (you won't win USA until you have some support in Europe). This is starting to happen, but slowly, and it will take time, and it will take WORK. Also, although there are some skilled "operators" of the media sytem in Russia - Yastrzhembsky, and in his own way Voloshin - there are too many people being allowed to make ill-considered, inflammatory remarks, and of course, the media love these! They make a whole story, from one out-of-context remark.

You only have to look and see how professional the truth-bending was from NATO during the Kosovo conflict, compared to Tanjug, to see how this works. If a newspaper or TV station is going to be brave enough to challenge what their national army is doing, and be accused of being traitors, they have to have some really firm evidence and strong facts to support it. In all fairness, Tanjug did a very bad job in this way :-( A couple of western reporters were giving a different picture to CNN (Robert Fisk, notably) but where the pro-NATO journalists were getting material, photographs and press briefings every day, these other reporters had to get their own material in a war-zone - a much harder job, because Tanjug didn't help them.

more on NATO/Serbia
http://www.iacenter.org/natowont.htm

more on NATO/USA/media manipulation etc:
http://www.antiwar.com/

I'm not sure, you know? Until now, it has been a hard task to convince NATO about Russian matters. But in Afghanistan, you have the added factor - the presence of the USA's most wanted terrorist, Osama bin-Laden. Bin-Laden is almost certainly aiding Chechen terrorists too. Now, if Russia can convince the USA that this time, they have a common enemy, there is some hope?

Maybe we need to send Allbright and Ivanov to see "The World Is Not Enough" together, and they can make their own conclusions afterwards (apart from the idiotic idea that Azeri's are Orthodox Christians, of course :-)

Dr W.

Greetings,
America supplied the rebels with weapons that included the shoulder fired anti aircraft rocket. Thousands of Russian soldiers were killed by these American weapons. America deserves Bin Laden and all the havoc he can create. Russia should do only what is in it's own best interest. This should be the primary factor in all of their moves. By maintaining their current atomic
weapons in serviceable conditions, they can gain time to re-establish their military.
The world needs that.

[This message has been edited by B.Ungaro (edited 27 June 2000).]

[Dr_Woland]

Good evening, Mr U!

Yes, but what's new? America has a long history of arming anyone who claims to be "opposing Communists". "If it's not right-wing, and it's not Christian, then send the B-52's" - US Foreign Policy.

Thus we've seen America backing Sukharto (yes, back to him...) in Indonesia, supplying the Indonesian Army with not only weapons - but torture equipment, electrical cattle-prods, and other tools of the "Land Of The Free" to "deal with" the East Timorese. In truth - when have we EVER seen the USA going to the support of a left-of-centre country over a non-party moral issue?? No, sir, we LOVE fascist dictatorships!! Allende was democratically elected, but screw the lefty *******, let's help Pinochet eradicate that kind of person!

They even had to reinvent Milosevic, the man who dismantled Communism in Yugoslavia, as a "Communist", in order to justify the fight against him!!

America has proved time and again that it cannot be trusted in its international dealings. As you say, Russia needs to look after its own interests. However, in my view, those interests should include a rapprochement with the other countries of Europe, and furthering ties with Asia. It should be subservient to neither - but it's a lonely world if your only friends are the regimes in Pyongyang and Beijing - both of which could topple like a house of cards, if the wind blows.

Dr W.