I found an extended rant in La Russophobe about Vladimir Putin and his fiefdom:

[I]nstead of reform, neo-Soviet Russia still thinks it can just pull the wool over our eyes. This repugnant little troll, presiding over a country with a declining population, sub-60 male life span and $300/month salary average actually thinks he’s smarter than us AND smarter than his Soviet predecessors. Truly, this is Zaire with permafrost. You have to admit, though, he’s at least clever enough to realize that if you go around saying “we will bury you” that’s only going to galvanize and motivate your enemies, but if you tell them they have “nothing to fear” then you can lull them into complacency and stab them in the back when their guard is down. (Emphasis in original. For more interesting reading, see La Russophobe’s “Top Ten Reasons to be Russophobe“.)

Indeed, the recent flagrant muscle flexing of the Putin regime is cause for concern to all of us in the “civilized world”. Notable examples are the untimely “deaths” of Anna Politkovskaya last month and Alexander Litvinenko on Thanksgiving Day. Of course, Mr. Putin denies involvement in the demise of either of these outspoken dissidents, brushing aside accusations of his culpability with platitudes like “the death of a man is always a tragedy”. And in the increasingly authoritarian atmosphere in neo-Russia, Putin really need not elaborate-such is his grip over the Rodina. The suspicious deaths of Russian dissidents aside, there are other reasons for us to be concerned about the behavior of the Kremlin. Russian support for the Islamic Republic of Iran is another example. Pravda illustrates an active Kremlin role in helping Iran consolidate its growing influence in Southwest Asia:

Russia intends to sell 29 Tor M-1 anti-missile systems capable of downing cruise missiles and air bombs to Iran, the Vedomosti newspaper wrote with reference to an anonymous manager of a defense enterprise. According to the newspaper, the contract on the matter has already been signed.

Russian intentions to sell the anti-missile systems have now become a reality. Breitbart.com reported yesterday that deliveries of the system have already begun.

A quick look at a map of the region better explains recent Russo-Iranian cooperation. The former Soviet satellites of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia lie sandwiched between the two nations. And all three are engaging in differing levels of cooperation with the government of the United States (to include aid, training, and basing activities between the American military and the three “runaways”). One has reason to suspect that both Russia and Iran resent the de facto military wedge the U.S. has driven between the two nations.

But Kremlin aid to Iran extends beyond the sale of mere anti-missile systems. It also falls into the realm of nuclear proliferation, as noted by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs:

Since the mid-1990s, there has been a continuous stream of leakage of Russian technology, technicians, materiel, contracts, and activities to Iran from some 20 companies, institutes, universities, and engineering firms in the two critical domains of missile capability and nuclear development.

An economic incentive for Russia to obstruct[tag] [tag]U.N. sanctions against Iran? You bet. As noted by an Associated Press release of July 22:

Unexpected Russian opposition to key wording of a U.S.-backed Security Council draft resolution is straining international unity on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear defiance, U.N. diplomats said Saturday.

It appears that the Kremlin has every reason to support an Iranian attempt at achieving hegemony in the region. And it seems that the lessons of realpolitik-learned over decades of communist imperialistic expansion in the 20th Century-die hard in the heart of an old KGB hand. When one engages in nuclear proliferation and assassination, after all, politik really can’t get any more real.

Go read La Russophobe. You’ll be glad you did. She’s got some good stuff.

Update: Also see Political Critic’s “Mother Russia Accused of Killing Their Own“.

Technorati Tags: Vladimir Putin, regime, Anna Politkovskaya, Alexander Litvinenko, dissidents, death, authoritarian, neo-Russia, Rodina, Kremlin, Islamic Republic of Iran, Pravda, Southwest Asia, anti-missile systems, Russo-Iranian, cooperation, Soviet satellites, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, United States, aid, training, basing, American military, military wedge, U.S., nuclear proliferation, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, economic incentive, obstruct[tag] [tag]U.N. sanctions, hegemony, communist, imperialistic expansion, 20th Century, KGB, assassination

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