The rising threat of Mother Russia

[Aramis]

*slight thread derailment*

I don't know if any of you have ever read "Vodka" by Boris Starling, but I found it a really interesting (if fictionalized) look into Russian politics and business. It is at its heart a crime novel, but it seems to also be a labor of love for Starling.

If you're like me and find history books a little dry but want to get a bit of the flavor of Russia, check it out.

It is December of 1991, and the Soviet Union has just collapsed. Russians are used to lines and empty shelves, but now they have to cope with a dangerous power vacuum - and a war between brutal mafia gangs for control of the city. Alice Liddell, an American banker, has come to Moscow to oversee the privatization of Russia's most famous vodka distillery - the Red October. Faced with the charismatic, ruthless Lev - distillery director and head of one of the warring mafia gangs - Alice's very difficult job is.

[MONOLITH]

http://reuters.myway.com/article/20061007/2006-10-07T205727Z_01_L0763562_RTRIDST_0_NEWS-RUSSIA-MURDER-DC.html

[Lostroth]

Her death came on the day Putin turned 54

"Happy Birthday Putin! here's your gift!"

*shakes head*

the world is heading in a very bad direction, and it seems there is no turnig back now.:sad:

[MONOLITH]

And today another....

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aGS5MxeCajYs&refer=europe

[Lostroth]

wow there has been quite a few killings killings of high up business people in Russia recently.

[MONOLITH]

Putin was part of the old KGB.

Apparantly, he still is.

[Lostroth]

Putin was part of the old KGB.

Apparantly, he still is.

who said the old KGB ever died? :yikes:

[MONOLITH]

Remember...I made the call months ago;


Putin grows his Hitler/Stalin type control over the new Mother Russia...

http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-13553599,00.html

http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/1,,2006540900,00.html


And, is totally in bed with Iran...

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/11/24/061124134543.qth288nm.html

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1162378474759&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[DaSmerg]

Along similiar lines with Mono's post on Russia and seeking it's role/old role in the world...

New threat from Moscow: The energy lever - The Globe & Mail

[BajaBravo]

Russia will seem less threatening once the bullets start flying in the inevitable War with China.

[SilentEdge]

Russia will seem less threatening once the bullets start flying in the inevitable War with China.

Not when they're fighting on China's side... :hmm:

[Frozyn]

China won't fight against us. I don't think they can afford the loss of our money flowing into their banks.

Then again, I've been wrong before.

[farmboy]

if theres a war between China and the US, it'll be us who start it.


and we'll get our arses handed to us when we realize we aren't fighting ragtag guerrillas anymore.

[BajaBravo]

Not when they're fighting on China's side... :hmm:

Touché.

[Lostroth]

Not when they're fighting on China's side... :hmm:

*shudder* that is a war i wish to never happen. it's a war in which in no one can win :sad:

[MONOLITH]

Anyone following the rest of the 'fallout' (pun intended) from the russian radioactive assassinations?

I said it months ago; Putin, the ex KGB agent, is clearly re-instating the dark underworld of old world Russian political power.

[DaSmerg]

Anyone following the rest of the 'fallout' (pun intended) from the russian radioactive assassinations?

I said it months ago; Putin, the ex KGB agent, is clearly re-instating the dark underworld of old world Russian political power.

My guess is there's a loose cannon running around doing this considering the very visible trail left and also the two VERY public attempts, one successful and one not so successful.  Not exactly classic cloak and dagger stuff.

[MONOLITH]

My guess is there's a loose cannon running around doing this considering the very visible trail left and also the two VERY public attempts, one successful and one not so successful.  Not exactly classic cloak and dagger stuff.

Take a good hard look at ALL the events initiated by the Putin government over the last couple years.

My guess is Putin would want you to think exactly what you just did. 'Nah, must be just some loose cannon'.

Meanwhile Putin siezes control of his nation's media, exerts pressure on all the surrounding "izbeckistans" to get back in line or lose resources like natural gas, oil. electricity, etc., gets into bed with China and Iran, flaunts his countries restrengthening military prowess, and anti-Putin journalists are being found dead all over the place.


Must be just coincidences.  :tongue:

[DaSmerg]

I'm not totally disagreeing with your P.o.V. Mono.  I'm just guessing that these two events seem a little out of place (as in they seem a little extra ordinary considering who they are and the level of publicity) and wouldn't suprise me at all if we end up pinning this on a Ruskie crazy zealot of one sort or another.

It's not like we have the copyright on these types here in the west if ya know what I mean.

[MONOLITH]

Russian letters 'revealed secret hit squad'

In the message to Mr Litvinenko on November 20, Mr Trepashkin recalls a conversation in August 2002 in which he warned Mr Litvinenko - already living in London - that he and his family were at risk from the FSB.

Pro-western/outspoken against Putin ex spy
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=419874&in_page_id=1770

Pro-western/outspoken against Putin ex premier
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=419497&in_page_id=1770

Pro-western/outspoken against Putin reporter
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/5416218.stm

"Few people expect the murderer to be found given the fact that many other recent
'contract killings' in Russia of high profile figures have gone
unsolved."


Long read about how the KGB became the FSB, for those with nothing to do but read boring stuff. :tongue:

http://www.russiansabroad.com/russian_history_365.html




"This is the latest in a series of thuggish episodes involving critics of Putin, who has steered the post-Soviet Russian state away from democracy toward his own brand of authoritarianism.

Putin.... has asserted tight control over the government and he has seized power over important parts of the economy, including the oil industry and media outlets.

Nongovernmental organizations have been marginalized. In May, Russia’s last popularly elected governor was arrested. There has been a series of mysterious killings, most of which remain unsolved

Putin’s regime has signed major arms deals with Hugo Chavez’s Venezuela, and Moscow is delivering advanced surface-to-air missiles to Iran to help that country protect its illicit nuclear weapons program."

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/opinion/16125695.htm



Putin Rocks. But he's big trouble for the west.


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