Translated into English: Original Russian version: Saker Commentary: I have to say that I am extremely impressed by Sergei Lavrov whom I consider to be one of the best diplomats I have ever listened to (the other one being James Baker whose views I never shared, but who undoubtedly was a top level diplomat). Russia is really fortunate to have such an excellent team as Sergei Lavrov and Vitalii Churkin
On on 7 May 2012 Vladimir Putin was inaugurated, again, as the President of Russia having successfully completed what is called a “castling move” in Russia – he exchanged positions with (now) former President Medvedev. Even though only two months have passed since his inauguration, it is already possible to make a preliminary assessment of his first 60 days in power. I will take a look at his performance issue
I don’t have much respect for the corporate media and, for that matter, very little for most of the alternative media. But the prize for stupid, delusional, or even outright psychotic reporting goes to the Iranian Fars news agency which managed to print the following: “Russian atomic submarines” and “1000” tanks will soon come to Syria. Right. I don’t know what the hell the folks at Fars are smoking, but
From the BBC website this morning: Ship ‘carrying Russian attack helicopters to Syria’ halted off Scotland The UK has made moves to stop a cargo vessel allegedly carrying refurbished Russian-made attack helicopters from completing its journey to Syria. The MV Alaed had its insurance withdrawn by The Standard Club in London while it was about 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland’s north coast. The insurer said it had sought more information
A much quoted article of the Moscow Times says the following: Russia is preparing to send Marines to defend its naval base in Syria amid continued unrest in the Arab state, Interfax reported Monday, citing a Navy source. The information confirms reports in Russian and Western media Friday. No, in fact it does not, as shown by the very next sentence: Two large troop transport vessels and a rescue tugboat
Press TV recently interviewed Webster Tarpley in a report Press TV entitled Russia will confront any US-led attack on Syria. In that interview, Tarpley mentioned an article in the rather reputable Russian newspaper Nezavisimaia Gazeta which, according to Tarpley, mentioned the preparation of one Motor-Rifle Division, one Airborne Division and one Spetsnaz Brigade for this operation, I looked up the article and I found it (here). Tarpley made it sound
The Brits are going totally overboard with Russophobia. Check out the intro to this Guardian article: A brutal crackdown may be coming for Russia’s renewed opposition. The growing sense of unrest in Russia may lead Vladimir Putin to take drastic and possibly violent action. While they are at it, why don’t they add that Putin may eat babies of breakfast, the Russian military may be about to nuke Monaco and
Bad day for the Empire, good day for the rest of us. First, Hollande won the Presidency in France. Or, to put it in a more realistic way, Sarko lost. Which is good, even if Hollande is likely to be as “Sarko light”. Sarko was all about rabid turbocapitalism and Zionism, whereas Hollande at least pretends to care about social issues and has declared that he would recognize a Palestinian
According to official website of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, Moqawama.org, A Hizbullah delegation visited on Monday Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin in the Embassy headquarters, and delivered greetings on behalf of Hizbullah’s leadership for the presidential victory of Vladimir Putin. The Hizbullah delegation was led by Head of Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc member Mohammad Raad, and included MP Nawwar Saheli and Hizbullah International Relations Official Ammar Moussawi.
After Iran, now Russia. According to exit polls and preliminary results, Putin wins in one tour with a crushing 64% of the vote. Funny, since 64% was also the voter turnout in Iran yesterday. According to various media reports, the conservatives in Iran say that these results are a “great slap in the dirty and hateful face of the West” whose “Green” minions (Rafsanjani, Mousavi & Co.) had called for
Sergei Mironov I was just watching the Russian TV news (Channel One) when I heard the leader of the Russian “liberal” opposition, Sergei Mironov, declare that if he becomes President he would name General Vladimir Shamanov, the current Commander of the Russian Airborne Forces, as Minister of Defense. If the most pro-Western (relatively speaking) candidate to the post of President openly nominates a “super-hawk” (according to the Jamestown Foundation) it
I was recently asked by a reader to update two of my past articles, Iran’s asymmetrical response options and For Israel war is the continuation of national suicide by other means, and that is an excellent idea, considering that the first one was written in 2007 and the second one in 2010. I did touch upon these issues in a more recent article, Iran in the crosshair again, which does
by Vladimir Putin Society cannot have sustainable development without a viable state, and, conversely, genuine democracy is an indispensable condition for building a state that serves the interests of society. Genuine democracy cannot be produced overnight. You cannot just copy it by reproducing somebody else’s model. Society has to be ready for democratic mechanisms. Most of the people should consider themselves citizens, meaning they should be willing, on a regular
The BBC reports: Russia’s deputy foreign minister says his country “cannot support” a draft United Nations Security Council resolution on Syria. According to the Interfax news agency, Gennady Gatilov said that despite changes that took some of its concerns into account, Russia could not support the text in its current form. “This is not enough for us,” he said. The resolution, drafted by European and Arab countries, endorses an Arab
This is encouraging. To my surprise, and relief, it appears that Russia refused cave in the the US/NATO demands on Syria and that they two key provisions (regime change, weapons embargo) were dropped from the next UNSC Resolution. Good. As you probably know, I am not exactly an Assad fanboy, but turning Syria into the next Libya would be a disaster for the entire region and a calamity for the
by Vladimir Putin For Russia – with its wide range of languages, traditions, ethnicities, and cultures – the national question is, without exaggeration, of fundamental importance. Any responsible politician or public figure must recognize that one of the main conditions of our country’s very existence is civil and interethnic harmony. We see what is happening in the world, the serious risks that are accumulating. Escalating interethnic and interreligious tensions are
The Guardian reports: Britain was behind a plot to spy on Russians with a device hidden in a fake plastic rock, a former key UK government official has admitted.Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff to prime minister Tony Blair, admitted in a BBC documentary that allegations made by the Russians in 2006 – dismissed at the time – were in fact true.“The spy rock was embarrassing,” he said in the
by Vladimir Putin On March 4, the people of Russia will be going to the polls to elect a president of the country. Extensive discussions are currently underway across society. I consider it necessary to state my position on a number of issues which seem to be important in this broader debate: the risks and challenges Russia will, inevitably, encounter. The position we must take in global politics and the
Dimitri Rogozin, the official Russian top envoy to NATO (and who is also one of the most interesting Russian public figures), has just declared that Russia is considering revising its support for NATO operations in Afghanistan. This is a direct consequence of the US decision to deploy an anti-missile system along the Russian border in Europe. And since Pakistan has decided to close down (probably for a limited time) the
