Topic: Russia: Rebuilding an Empire While It Can

[jpatrickham]

By Lauren Goodrich

November 1, 2011

"U.S.-Russian relations seem to have been relatively quiet recently, as there are numerous contradictory views in Washington about the true nature of Russia’s current foreign policy. Doubts remain about the sincerity of the U.S. State Department’s so-called “reset” of relations with Russia — the term used in 2009 when U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton handed a reset button to her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, as a symbol of a freeze on escalating tensions between Moscow and Washington. The concern is whether the “reset” is truly a shift in relations between the two former adversaries or simply a respite before relations deteriorate again.

The reset actually had little to do with the United States wanting Russia as a friend and ally. Rather, Washington wanted to create room to handle other situations — mainly Afghanistan and Iran — and ask Russia for help in those two issues (Russia is aiding in moving supplies into Afghanistan and withholding critical support for Iran). Meanwhile, Russia also wanted more room to set up a system that would help it create a new version of its old empire."

Read more »http://www.stratfor.com/weekly/20111031-russia-rebuilding-empire-while-it-can?utm_source=freelist-f&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20111101&utm_term=gweekly&utm_content=readmore&elq=5bfb3889dcb54466a34b888bedd0ab25

[Libertas]

Anybody putting trust in the Russian Bear deserves the mauling they are about to receive.  In the end I hope they continue in their dieback trend and her neighbors pounce upon her in the depths of her weakened state and rape and pillage that whore with glee.

[Sectionhand]

The Russians are more than happy to help us get more deeply bogged down in Afghanistan while doing nothing to help with Iran . They are following their agenda which is nothing less than to see the crap beaten out of us . To think that they could be trusted to do otherwise was and is monumental stupidity .

[jpatrickham]

Anybody putting trust in the Russian Bear deserves the mauling they are about to receive.  In the end I hope they continue in their dieback trend and her neighbors pounce upon her in the depths of her weakened state and rape and pillage that whore with glee.

That Country truly has soil made up mainly of blood.