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Russia's Alliance With America's Enemies

Ryan Mauro - 5/16/2005

From the end of World War Two to the end of the 1980s, the world remained divided between two powers indulging in the power struggle of history. While the world remained on the brink of nuclear war, this conflict came to an end, beginning with the collapse of the Berlin Wall. As the Soviet Union retreated from Eastern Europe, and eventually imploded upon itself, the United States became the sole superpower. Astronomical manpower, budget, and military cuts followed, along with the revival of terrorism in a new fashion deadlier than ever.

Yet no one can ignore the eerie look into the past we all saw as Russia and France led an anti-American Coalition against the war in Iraq. Ever since NATO's war on Serbia in 1999, the new Russia, now independent of the Soviet Union, transformed its impression of an upcoming democratic power to a hostile power open the world, gently balancing on the lines between friend and foe.

Lacking a strategic mind-set towards the former Soviet Union, lack of good intelligence and interpretation of events there, and over-optimism has compromised the West's approach to Russia, whom just like its predecessor, continues to ally and sponsor the sponsors of terrorism, be run by KGB and Communist officers, and actively work to undermine American influence.

Russia and her allies have undertaken a bold offensive against the West, to construct a multipolar world. While courting the United States as a friend, most likely for financial, technological and political reasons, we see an unstable Russia whose "capitalism" is dominated by either state-owned enterprises, the Russian Mafia staffed by the remnants of the Soviet intelligence community, or the legions of former Communists and KGB officers whom actively work to pressure Putin to do their bidding. Putin has been said to acknowledge this himself, that often these forces undertake missions and duties without his knowledge, particularly the SVR intelligence agency.

Whether it is sending engineers to improve Iraqi mobile anti-aircraft missile batteries or building alliances in Western Europe to thwart American ambitions, Russia has a coordinated effort meant to undercut American power while expanding the influence on the former Soviet Union and their new allies.


Iraq

Some have speculated that at least some of Islamic terrorist threat emanates from rogue elements in Russia and China, with financing, arming, training and support of the regimes coming from mobsters and corrupt government officials. Among those suspected of receiving aid are Cuba, North Korea, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya. The Russian Mafia, employing former KGB intelligence officers, have been suspected of playing assorted roles for radical Islamic groups opposing pro-West regimes in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq.

As tensions built up around Saddam Hussein, even before George Bush came to power, Russia had played a critical role in Iraq. Aside from leading the opposition to the 1998 air strikes, Russian sales of military hardware to Iraq increased over the years. By mid-2000, intelligence estimates reached "hundreds of millions of dollars" worth sales from Russia to Iraq of military-related goods. The largest increase occurred in spring 2001, after Iraq opened military-intelligence offices in Moscow, Russia and Minsk, Belarus-the anti-American dictatorship known to be one of Russia's closest allies.

According to Iraqi defectors, Iraq had carried out a nuclear test just prior to the Gulf War underneath Lake Rezzaza using "a gun assembly nuclear warhead bought off the peg from Russia". The test went undetected because the Russians had also sold Saddam Hussein the data showing the movements of American spy satellites over the area. With all this, it is not a surprise that Saddam Hussein agreed to, once sanctions were lifted, allows Russia to explore the southern oil fields. Probably in relation to this, according to the highest ranking GRU defector ever from Russia, Colonel Stanislav Lunev, Russia provided intelligence to Saddam Hussein on the movements and intentions of UN inspector.

But Russia's assistance to Iraq is not limited to intelligence or conventional arms, as Dr. Ken Alibek, the former first chief deputy of the civilian branch of Biopreparat, Russia's biological weapons program, says. He has testified that the Soviet Union assisted Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs, and that Russian scientists even in the late 1990s were helping Saddam's biological weapons program.

Middle East

Russian interests in the Middle East are said to be the prime motivation between her threatening assistance to Arab states whom act in defiance of freedom, liberty, and Western values. As stated, the influence of former Soviet officers and personnel (whom were heavily indoctrinated against the West and capitalism - indoctrination which was reinforced when capitalism came into Russia and the standards of living fell, while Western companies arose) has a lot to do with these activities.

This is vital to analyze Soviet intentions against Israel in the Middle East. As Henry Kissinger wrote in his book, "The White House Years", Soviet resentment towards Israel was not a result of Arab influence, but rather vises versa. In a conversation Kissinger had with a Soviet ambassador in 1971, the ambassador said if Israel went to war with Egypt or any other Arab, the Soviet Union would "wipe them out within two days". The ambassador claimed that contingency plans for such a scenario had already been developed.

Regardless of talks with the United States, Russia will not repent of her campaigns to exalt herself, and as a consequence undermine the West. This was clearly shown when Russia wanted to sell advanced arms to Iran; they simply withdrew from the agreement signed in 1995 agreeing not to do so. While the US withdraws from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, to protect against threats from such states as Iran that Russia is helping, we see Russia warning of a "New Cold War", among the numerous other provocative statements meant to scare the US into Russia's will.

Several terror sponsors have been linked to Russia. Libya has been a long-time Soviet ally, remains such. Syria is also equipped with Russian technology, and has shown revived interest in a nuclear program-a program Russia is willing to accommodate, as Russia has in the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran. It is highly likely that without Russia's assistance, Iran would have collapsed by now. And now, the bold state of Iran is openly expecting an American assault and accelerating the pace of the reconstruction of ties with the Arab states, and the construction of a Russian nuclear reactor at Bushehr, which will allow Iran to have nuclear weapons in 2005.

In fact, it is likely that Russia realizes that countries that can align themselves with the US will do so, and thus, it has chosen to build an alliance with America's enemies.