AFGHAN REBELS

[Nonson]

Coming over the news wires is the possibility of Russian airstrikes against the Afghan rebels. Prediction: it will happen. It must. It must happen not so much that it supplies the rebels operating within the Russian borders, but because it makes sense militarily and politically. President Putin can make a very powerful statement right now. He should not hesitate to do so. He should do it as a confirmation of his actions of September past. Such an affirmation of his willingness to continue with the military option until there is a resolution can greatly stregthen his image globally. Failure to do so will probably result in another significant loss for the Russian people. Credibility is on the line, and there are going to be any number of insidious attacks on Putin to discredit him and the country. Already there is hot propaganda about the Russian army being bogged down in the mountains in the current effort. Change the face of that ploy by an all-out assualt on the Afghan rebels. They have earned it, to the fullest measure. Lets hope that President Putin has surrounded himself with people who are still in touch with the real world, and who have developed an adequate immunity to the Zionist propaganda. For there will be an attempt to shame him and the military into not taking the absolutely necessary action. Now is the time. Not tomorrow. Do it.

[Dr_Woland]

there is a second reason. by attacking a force which is effectively led by Osama bin-Laden, Russia gains credibility on the world stage, as taking action against an international terrorist...

Dr W.

[Nonson]

We have at least one on the board with foresight and discernment. Getting bin-Laden in the correct fashion might plug a lot of credibility holes, one would think?

[Dr_Woland]

it would be nice to believe it was that easy :-)

I think that Russia has been consciously looking for a way to "rehabilitate" itself with the world community for several years now, but the Russian way is with actions, not words. Look at Primakov running between Moscow and Belgrade prior to Rambouillet - what a coup it would have been for Russia, to make a peace where war was expected! (also not bad for his Presidential election hopes either).

But remember how those attempts were portrayed in the Western media? As "pan-slavic empire-building". Also, how the involvement of Russian troops in Kosova later - they were regarded almost as the enemy!!

So whatever Russia does, it will be regarded with suspicion (at best) or hostility (at worst). It's a win-win for the West - have Russia do their dirty work for them against bin-Laden and the forces he trains/pays/supports... meantime, criticise Russia for doing... exactly what the West would otherwise have had to do itself?

However, we can at least hope that "getting" bin-Laden - if they could do it? the CIA failed so far... - would score a few points for Russia with the West.

Just look at yesteday's NATO conference... the Russians go, and Solana and Allbright are being abusive and insulting before the discussion even began...

Dr W.

[Nonson]

My belief is as follows. After Yeltsin came to power the economic and social landscape was profoundly altered, and not to the benefit of all the Russian people. Being caught between a smelly bureaucracy and and a facade at privatisation the people was buried under a morass of conflicting ideas, actions, and idiocy for policy. It is not in our interest right now to re-trace a decade of failed leadership. However, out of the choas inherited by Putin he seems to be doing a credible job of putting things in context. It is my belief that Primakov was badly used in those undertakings. Perhaps, the truth will come out at a latter date. As I stated in another post, the U.S. is most definitely using Russia to do the grunt work, and making Russians look stupid or loke international *******s for doing some necessary house-cleaning. On M. Albright, there is something going on here that I can't yet get a handle on. However, I suspect that it will not be to improve U.S.-Russian relations. Lets give it a couple of days.

[Dr_Woland]

I suppose that Allbright cannot afford, on the domestic front, to look like a patsy for the Russians - so this may be a bit of sabre-rattling with the US sound-bite market in mind?

I had a lot of sympathy for Primakov, but he's the greyest of grey wolves, and he knew exactly what might happen. I'd hoped we might see him emerge as Ambassador to the UN or some similar role to that? Oh well....

Dr W.

[Nonson]

Ditto on Albright. There will most definitely be a shift of emphasis in the State Dept.'s dealing with Russia. Or its one of those nasty deceptions she's known for. I agree. The old grey, Primakov, deserves a position and voice in the nation's affairs. His knowledge might be used as counter-measures to some of the more obvious excesses.