Article

2003-12-06 Caucasus

Putin: International Terror is Greatest Threat to Our Country

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Posted by Fred Pruitt 2003-12-06 00:01|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I still wouldn't trust Vladie any further than I could toss the Kremlin, left-handed. The guy just has a smell about him. Danish Mackerel, maybe...

Posted by mojo 2003-12-6 12:42:36 AM|| 2003-12-6 12:42:36 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Well, here's part of my problem with the entire war on terror...as much as I would like to go Medieval on the Islamicists, as well as maybe on all of Islam....It does not seem to have done the Russians much good.

I don't want to hear that the Ruskies aren't good fighters B*S*...they have troops on the ground, going door to door, killing who I would probably recommend killing, and in reference to Grosny...virtually leveling whole cities...to no apparent appreciable good effect.

The US and Europe has given Russia a free hand in Chechnya, (but no atrocities Okay? Wink-Wink, Nod-Nod).

And still the Russians seem unable to pacify the population or subjugate the insurgency.

Hummmmm...I must be missing something here. I was hoping that Chechnya might somehow show the way to solve these problems....but alas.

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-6 1:02:50 AM|| 2003-12-6 1:02:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier today that international terrorism, which challenged the whole world, was also one of Russia's greatest threats.

Question: Were the Russians not targeted, would he be singing the same tune?

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2003-12-6 1:16:40 AM|| 2003-12-6 1:16:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Bomb-a-Rama, you certainly are probably correct that without these Chechnya problems Putin would be singing a different tune...in a Major C Sharp Key of anti-US...lol

And Steve is right also, at some level, Chechnya couldn't have happened to two more deserving peoples, (Put the Chechnyians and Russians in a dark room and let God sort out the bodies in the bright light of morning)

But look what Erdogan of Turkey is saying today, posted in a different thread (when he was elected he scared the crap out of me)....maybe this all will eventually all add up to something.

We can only hope.

Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-6 1:37:22 AM|| 2003-12-6 1:37:22 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Traveller, This is Rantburg. "Best Wishes" is insulting and makes me want kill your secreatary. Death and blood...0_o...

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-6 1:55:08 AM|| 2003-12-6 1:55:08 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 ZF, I live in paradise. Corruption is still a bad thing although always a fact of life. Your right on about societies of corruption. Godless?

Posted by Lucky 2003-12-6 2:07:35 AM|| 2003-12-6 2:07:35 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Dearest Lucky (Bastard...lol):

Traveller, This is Rantburg. "Best Wishes" is insulting and makes me want kill your secreatary. Death and blood...0_o...

Hey! My Secretary is Cool...you definantly don't want to kill her.

Rantburg ='s Civil, Well Reasoned Discourse (?)

Okay, Okay,

Death & Kill and Blood and (Pus and Boils{I couldn't think of anything worse...lol} )

Angry Best Wishes,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-6 3:44:00 AM|| 2003-12-6 3:44:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Corruption's one leg of the losing stool. Conscripts are a second leg - that's why they've decided to rebuilt their military.

The third leg looks like intelligence collection and reporting. I don't know the ins and outs of the way their intel resources are deployed, but they're acting like an army without good tactical intelligence. They have way too many surprises, and they're not nabbing enough mid- and upper-level hard boys.

If I was Putin, I'd be begging Bush to loan me the 501st MI Battalion for a year or so.

Posted by Fred 2003-12-6 11:15:11 AM|| 2003-12-6 11:15:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 The Russian's war in Chechnya has its corruption and problems, big problems. But they are in some ways in the same boat as the US. We are dealing with the WoT somewhat symtomatically, as we are fighting the Jihadi nutcases. We have to do this. It is like Operation Torch in N Africa in WWII. Get a beachead going, start multiple fronts with the enemy to divide his resources.

The big thing, though is that we are fighting the enemy who derives his resources from petrodollars. Which the civilized world turns over to them. The strategic thing to do is to end this resource stream, and that path leads through the Saudi Royal Family and the Iranian Black ~~Turbines~~ Turbans. Dry up the money and the maddrasses will dry up, the terrorist groups will whither, and the Iranians and Saudis may have a chance to lead a decent life, if they want the opportunity.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2003-12-6 1:14:10 PM|| 2003-12-6 1:14:10 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Alaska Paul you have it down. .com how many oil manifolds do you figure SA requires? I'd ask OP but he wouldn't tell.

Posted by Lyndon 2003-12-6 2:55:03 PM|| 2003-12-6 2:55:03 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Lyndon, I'm an Intel puke, not a petroleum guy. It's not that I WON'T tell, but if I knew, I COULDN'T tell. Leavenworth is not my favorite neighborhood! My personal take is that the only thing that will end the petrodollars flowing to A-Q is an invasion of Saudi Arabia. That will take three to four divisions (it's a big place, and you've got to get ALL the ass-hats), which we don't have to spare right now. We need to start gearing back up for the WoT - we can't fight it with a "police force". We need four or five NEW divisions of ACTIVE forces, and a couple of dozen independent operating brigades of reserves/Guard. That'll take three years, minimum, to recruit, train, and equip. THEN we'll have a force to go east-west, and clean out the bad guys. Until Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld get it through their Texas thick heads we need a bigger military, it ain't gonna happen. Of course, even the current level of forces is better than what the Donkeys would like to see - no military at all.

Posted by Old Patriot 2003-12-6 9:24:16 PM|| [http://users.codenet.net/mweather/default.htm] 2003-12-6 9:24:16 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 Dearest Lucky:

I could say Lucky Bastard...would that be a compliment? In any case, I thought I had a "LOL," after it. I did not mean this badly...it was a joke.

Still, be that as it may...Old Patriot has it right...just like Hillary Clinton (Grin maybe, but she also wants a much larger military footprint in Iraq), we do need 3 to 4 more active divisions.

But I don't want them ground up in a meat grinder...in Saudi Arabia or anywhere for that matter. Every American or Coalition death cuts me like a knife, as I am sure is true for everyone here.

I'm coming round to a position of preememtion that sould avoid nation building...I think this will become my new mantra.

I will flesh this out over time...but generally, as with Iraq, go in for a very limited period of time...depose whatever government is there...and just leave, telling them to be good...or we'll be back.

If Iraq breaks up into three constituent pieces...that's not our concern...which ever of the three seems a concern...we're back, for a couple of months that's all, however.

This will depend greatly on long range military lift capacity....hummmmm....if so, maybe forget the 4 or 5 extra divisions, 2 will do, put the extra money into military lift.

The world may scream, but after several successive governments here or there are deposed...maybe they'll get the idea.

Thoughtfully Yours,

Traveller

Posted by Traveller 2003-12-7 12:22:24 AM|| 2003-12-7 12:22:24 AM|| Front Page Top

00:22 Traveller
23:48 Lucky
21:54 Steve
21:50 Bomb-a-rama
21:45 Frank G
21:30 mhw
21:28 Steve
21:24 Old Patriot
21:14 Anonymous
21:10 Old Patriot
21:04 Old Patriot
21:02 Anonymous
20:41 mojo
19:46 snellenr
17:54 Super Hose
16:47 Matt
16:07 JFM
15:43 Charles
15:19 Shipman
15:15 frank martin
15:12 Shipman
15:07 Bomb-a-rama
15:06 Shipman
14:55 Lyndon