Russia under a smouldering Putin isn’t going to cop any more sh*t from the Americans. The Russians have lost big face ever since they started to dismantle their once-mighty Soviet empire and consequentially gave in to most American interventions in several countries, principally because of their own disorganized state and also because of a then urgent dependence upon American financial aid.
They lost mucho face when they couldn’t do anything as their Serbian cousins were pounded mercilessly by American air power. They did make a feeble but insignificant attempt to show Slavic solidarity by moving in on Slatina airport in the Kosovon capital of Pristina before NATO forces, but everyone knows that was just a desperate face-saving but futile gesture.
They have also regretted giving in to the Americans on Iraq.
Now Russia is sternly telling the Americans to back off on Iran. I believe there is unspoken Chinese backing for the Russian stand.
The Russians and Chinese know at some stage they had to stand up to an increasing arrogant USA, the sole global superpower. This has probably become more urgent since India has been seen to discard its traditional policy of non-alignment to move into the American camp.
China of course has had experience warring against the Americans in Korea in the ‘50s while the Russians and Chinese fought a surrogate battle against the USA in Vietnam. The 3 wars in Korea, Vietnam and now Iraq demonstrated that America, for all its military might, could be beaten and thus warned off. To make matters worse for the American administration, its public is also re-gaining its distaste for foreign wars and the consequential attrition of young American soldiers.
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Heh, I remember during the "Iraqi liberation", Russia sent several submarines and warships to the Persian Gulf to protect Russian interest.
ReplyDeleteAfter the war, the news died out.