Article

2009-02-05 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

Post-Soviet nations to form military force

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Steve White 2009-02-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 "Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan"

RABKKUT?

Posted by mojo">mojo 2009-02-05 00:10|| 2009-02-05 00:10|| Front Page Top

#2 This will be a nice match for the EU rapid reaction force, I imagine.

Posted by trailing wife 2009-02-05 01:35|| 2009-02-05 01:35|| Front Page Top

#3 See also TOPX/FREREPUBLIC > RUSSIA'S MEDVEDEV: CSTO RAPID-REACTION FORCE WILL BE THE EQUAL OF NATO'S!

Posted by JosephMendiola 2009-02-05 01:43|| 2009-02-05 01:43|| Front Page Top

#4 CSTO RAPID-REACTION FORCE WILL BE THE EQUAL OF NATO'S!

I can't help thinking that one or both parties should find that insulting.

Posted by SteveS 2009-02-05 02:13|| 2009-02-05 02:13|| Front Page Top

#5 So instead of one ineffective cluster-fuck, we get two.

Genius!

Posted by DarthVader 2009-02-05 08:27|| 2009-02-05 08:27|| Front Page Top

#6 War games:

After announcing $2 billion in loans from Russia, the president of Kyrgyzstan announced the United States will no longer have access to the Manas air base, the lone base U.S. commanders have permission to use in Central Asia and a key supply line for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

"More than once we have discussed with our American partners the subject of the economic compensation to Kyrgyzstan for the presence [of the U.S. base], but unfortunately, we did not find an understanding from the United States," Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said Tuesday. "For over three years, we have been talking of the need to review the terms of the agreement, which do not satisfy us completely, yet we have not seen an understanding from the United States."

Less than 24 hours later, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said he and his ex-Soviet allies want to cooperate with Washington in Afghanistan in return for no expansion among NATO membership and a U.S. reversal on a missile defense shield for Europe that Russia opposes.

"Missile defense is a piece of it," said George Friedman, CEO of Stratfor Security. "The entire question that's on the table here is will the U.S. recognize the Russians' sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union in return for providing a supply line into Afghanistan?"

Posted by ThealingBorgia 122 2009-02-05 11:45|| 2009-02-05 11:45|| Front Page Top

#7 Enjoy your new Russian bride President Kurmanbek Bakiyev.

Posted by Besoeker 2009-02-05 11:58|| 2009-02-05 11:58|| Front Page Top

#8 Azerbaijan has got to be feeling the cold sweats tonight. Armenia just signed the practical equivalent of a military alliance with Azerbaijan's Caspian neighbors, or at least, those of them other than Iran and Turkmenistan. Couple that with last year's little demonstration in Georgia and Azerbaijan's backed into a corner.

I betcha we're going to see a Turkish/Persian axis in a few months, if Obama can't back up the implicit Bush/Clinton alliance with Azerbaijan. The Kyrgyz eggsplat doesn't bode well for *that* bet.

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2009-02-05 12:39|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2009-02-05 12:39|| Front Page Top

#9 Can't or won't, Mitch?

Posted by lotp 2009-02-05 13:38|| 2009-02-05 13:38|| Front Page Top

#10 Why would the Azeris sweat. They are going to be rich and can afford to swamp the Armenians. It's the Armenians who need the alliance w/ the Russians. Armenia is land locked and surrounded by muslims except for Georgia, and that route is definitely closed to any Russian help.

Posted by ed 2009-02-05 14:09|| 2009-02-05 14:09|| Front Page Top

#11 They should be sweating because the Azeris can't fight for shit & their wealth is dependent upon secure pipelines which the Georgia war just demonstrated to be easily disruptable, and a Caspian oil industry shared by, oh, you know, all the other members of this new "anti-terrorism force". Armenia's dependence upon Russian handouts isn't anything new. They've got a Russian division or two parked in their backyard. But Armenia's membership in a Warsaw Pact Part II with the non-Turkish members of the post-Soviet Near East *is* new.

Look, I'd prefer to favor the Armenian cause. They're plucky, pugnacious, resilient, and a regional underdog. But they've got some damned poisonous relations with the Azeris & their deal with the Russian devil puts them firmly into the category of international "black hats".

Posted by Mitch H.">Mitch H. 2009-02-05 17:06|| http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/]">[http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2009-02-05 17:06|| Front Page Top

23:41 JDB
23:28 Procopius2k
23:28 3dc
23:26 Barbara Skolaut
23:18 Barbara Skolaut
23:11 JosephMendiola
23:08 KBK
23:07 JosephMendiola
23:06 mojo
23:03 JosephMendiola
22:59 JosephMendiola
22:31 Rednek Jim
22:30 Sherry
22:18 trailing wife
22:05 Frank G
22:02 Frank G
22:02 Barbara Skolaut
21:59 Barbara Skolaut
21:56 trailing wife
21:55 lotp
21:54 badanov
21:54 Barbara Skolaut
21:50 trailing wife
21:43 crosspatch