Russia's President Putin Delivers Stern Warning On US Military Aggression

Submitted by Chris Elliott on February 11, 2007 - 8:15pm.

Russia's President Putin made a very eye-opening speech at the Munich Conference on Security Policy this Saturday. The speech was widely reported in the media but in most cases was incomplete or inaccurately translated, no surprises there. Amongst other things, his speech contained a scarcely veiled warning to the United States and other NATO countries that they were pushing Russia to the brink of a direct confrontation.

Deploying anti-ballistic missile systems on Russia's border under the ruse of "shielding America from North Korean nuclear missiles" was not fooling anyone, especially as North Korea, if it had such weapons, would be pointing them in the exact opposite direction across the Pacific ocean. He also warned "Simultaneously the so-called flexible frontline American bases with up to five thousand men in each. It turns out that NATO has put its frontline forces on our borders..."

Speaker: Putin, Wladimir W.

Funktion: President, Russian Federation

Nation/ Organisation: Russian Federation

Speech at the 43rd Munich Conference on Security Policy

02/10/2007

(The speech was held in Russian. Find the English translation below.)

Thank you very much dear Madam Federal Chancellor, Mr Teltschik, ladies and gentlemen!

I am truly grateful to be invited to such a representative conference that has assembled politicians, military officials, entrepreneurs and experts from more than 40 nations.

This conference’s structure allows me to avoid excessive politeness and the need to speak in roundabout, pleasant but empty diplomatic terms. This conference’s format will allow me to say what I really think about international security problems. And if my comments seem unduly polemical, pointed or inexact to our colleagues, then I would ask you not to get angry with me. After all, this is only a conference. And I hope that after the first two or three minutes of my speech Mr Teltschik will not turn on the red light over there.

Therefore. It is well known that international security comprises much more than issues relating to military and political stability. It involves the stability of the global economy, overcoming poverty, economic security and developing a dialogue between civilisations.

This universal, indivisible character of security is expressed as the basic principle that “security for one is security for all”.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt said during the first few days that the Second World War was breaking out: “When peace has been broken anywhere, the peace of all countries everywhere is in danger.”

These words remain topical today.

Incidentally, the theme of our conference – global crises, global responsibility – exemplifies this.

Full transcript of President Putin's Speech

US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, and a likely Republican presidential contender, Senator John McCain sat stony-faced throughout Putin's words. McCain told The Observer the speech was 'the most aggressive from a Russian leader since the end of the cold war', adding that it was confrontational, with some of the observations bordering on paranoia.

Gordon Johndroe, press secretary for the White House National Security Council, said: "We are surprised and disappointed with President Putin's comments. His accusations are wrong."

Moscow demands clarification from U.S. over remarks about Russia

Submitted by Chris Elliott on February 13, 2007 - 11:59pm.

Moscow demands clarification from U.S. over remarks about Russia threat

www.chinaview.cn 2007-02-13 09:08:56
    MOSCOW, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russia has demanded an explanation from the United States over Defense Secretary Robert Gates' remarks, which suggested that Russia was being identified as a potential threat, the Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

    Russia has asked the United States to clarify whether Gates' remarks represented the official position of the U.S. administration, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin in a statement.

    On Feb. 7, Gates addressed a committee meeting of the U.S. congress, suggesting that Russia poses a potential threat to U.S. security.

    He said: "We don't know what's going to develop in places like Russia..., in North Korea (DPRK), in Iran and elsewhere."

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Albert Einstein

Russian Bear Growls At U.S. Hypocrisy

Submitted by Chris Elliott on February 14, 2007 - 8:08pm.

Here is an excellent essay on the increased tension between the US, NATO and Russia.

Russian Bear Growls At U.S. Hypocrisy02/14/07 "ICH" -- -- At the 43rd annual International Security Conference held in Munich on 10 February, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the importance of the role of United Nations , U.S. missile defense, NATO expansion, Iran's nuclear program and the Energy Charter. He accused Washington of provoking a new nuclear arms race by developing ballistic missile defenses, undermining international institutions, trying to divide modern Europe and making the Middle East more unstable through its clumsy handling of the Iraq war.
Ever since Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev ended the cold war in 1989 , more out of naiveté than misplaced goodwill which after USSR's collapse the US ruling elite claimed as the victory of the capitalist West over Socialist Russia ,this is the first blunt criticism of US unleashed rampant forces trying to coerce the whole world to its will for total domination while using brazen lies and illegal , brutal and inhuman means .

While calling a spade a spade Russian leader Putin was only articulating what a majority of peoples in the world think of US policies .A BBC poll covering more than 26,000 people in 25 countries, including the U.S., held in November - January, found that 49 % believe U.S. playing "mainly negative" role in the world, compared to 32% who said it was "mainly positive." In 18 countries asked the same question earlier , which had called U.S. influence positive, it fell from 40 % in 2005, to 36 % last year, to 29 % in 2007. In Germany and Indonesia, nearly 3 out of 4 respondents had a mainly negative opinion of U.S. influence while it was 69 % in France and Turkey.

Nearly 73 % disapproved of Washington's role in the Iraq war. In Egypt, France, and Lebanon where more than 3 out of 4 respondents "strongly disapproved" , while more than 68 % said the U.S. military presence in the Middle East provokes more conflict than it prevents."

follow link at top for the full essay.

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Albert Einstein

Giants meet to counter US power

Submitted by Chris Elliott on February 15, 2007 - 8:28pm.

The London Times

February 15, 2007

Giants meet to counter US power

Jeremy Page in Delhi

India, China and Russia account for 40 per cent of the world’s population, a fifth of its economy and more than half of its nuclear warheads. Now they appear to be forming a partnership to challenge the US-dominated world order that has prevailed since the end of the Cold War.

Foreign ministers from the three emerging giants met in Delhi yesterday to discuss ways to build a more democratic “multipolar world”.

It was the second such meeting in the past two years and came after an unprecedented meeting between their respective leaders, Manmohan Singh, Hu Jintao and Vladimir Putin, during the G8 summit in St Petersburg in July.

It also came only four days after Mr Putin stunned Western officials by railing against American foreign policy at a security conference in Munich.

(report continues at link)

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Albert Einstein

V. Putin and the Geopolitics of the New Cold War

Submitted by Chris Elliott on February 21, 2007 - 5:33am.

V. Putin and the Geopolitics of the New Cold War:

Or, what happens when Cowboys don't shoot straight like they used to...

F. William Engdahl

www.engdahl.oilgeopolitics.net/

Feb 19, 2007

The frank words of Russia's President Vladimir Putin to the assembled participants of the annual Munich Wehrkunde security conference have unleashed a storm of self-righteous protest from Western media and politicians. A visitor from another planet might have the impression that the Russian President had abruptly decided to launch a provocative confrontation policy with the West reminiscent of the 1943-1991 Cold War.

However, the details of the developments in NATO and the United States military policies since 1991 are anything but 'déjà vu all over again', to paraphrase the legendary New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra.

This time round we are already deep in a New Cold War whose stakes are literally the future of life on this planet. The debacle in Iraq, or the prospect of a US tactical nuclear pre-emptive strike against Iran are ghastly enough. In comparison to what is at play in the US global military buildup against its most formidable remaining global rival, Russia, they loom relatively small. The US military policies since the end of the Soviet Union and emergence of the Republic of Russia in 1991 are in need of close examination in this context. Only then do Putin's frank remarks on February 10 at the Munich Conference on Security make sense.

Continued at link and I highly recommend reading it.

"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Albert Einstein

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