Resurgent Russia Running Rampant?

By Charlie

Yes, my skills at alliteration are breathtaking. Moving on, is Russia destined for a comeback?

Putin's provocative actions have become so frequent that they barely generate much attention or protest. Yet these recent news items underscore the challenge a resurgent Russia poses for Bush and his successor:

* Russia 's Navy has test-fired tactical missiles off the coasts of France and Spain , the kind of action not seen since the Cold War. The clear intent was to show Russia is again a military power.

* Putin is offering a bear hug of nationalist solidarity and economic incentives to Serbia . He champions Serbia 's claim to Kosovo, countering the U.S. view that the Serb province deserves independence. Russia has also just bought Serbia 's national oil monopoly and is extending a gas pipeline there.

Putin's aims are no mystery. He wants to revive as much of the old Soviet influence as possible. He's in a much stronger position than in 2001. Unlike then, Russia is flush with oil and gas money, and it has paid off debts to international banks and organizations.

They’ve also been going a little heavy on the crazy by blaming NATO for copyright infringement for making illegal AK47’s:

MOSCOW, January 24 (RIA Novosti) - The new Russian ambassador to NATO has raised the issue of military patent infringement and promised to look into the production of the famous 'Kalashnikov' brand of automatic weapons by NATO countries.

Plus, they’ve given Poland flak over the upcoming missile defense deal with the US , and have released Cold-War-esque statements about “fears” and “wariness” over NATO troop build-ups in Europe . (Huh? Build-up? NATO couldn't get troops to Afghanistan, so they're building up in Europe?? Right...)

One might ask, what the hell is going on in Moscow ? Is Russia struggling to regain its superpower status and return to a bi-polar world? Do they see a militarily weakening and economically shrinking EU, and see a golden opportunity to impose influence over it? Do they fear a hyper-powered US, with technology leaps and bonds above Cold-War era tech, hopping around the world killing terrorists and fear that display of power. Or, do they see a bogged-down America over-committed militarily across the globe and seek to selectively project their power to areas that we have ignored –Africa, Eastern-bloc European countries, and South America ?

Whatever is going on, Russian “help” to petty dictatorships is working out about as well now as it did during the Cold war. Just ask Syria how that new air defense system they bought from Moscow worked out for them. When/if Russia becomes a problem in the future, it will likely be along political, not military lines. That doesn’t mean that the US Army will stop planning to go to war against the Krasnovian motorized rifle regiments any time soon… that would be too much to hope for…

January 25, 2008 12:10 PM Strategery