Re: Russia

Russia is literally dying. Their beirthrate is 9.95/100 and their death rate is 14.65 per thousand.

Per Capita GDP ranks below those /sarcam on economic powerhouses Libya and Croatia /sarcasm off at a whopping $11,100 per year.

Russia ranks slightly ahead of Brazil,Canada and Mexico in total GDP.

The only thing that would keep me awake at night about Russia is it's substantial arms industry.

Russia is awash in energy revenues at a time when for the foreseeable future and beyond, energy prices will only rise as demand surges in China, India and elsewhere. Putin and beyond, you're assuming that a wise (or even a gradual yet still focused) investment in health and social infrastructure could not BEGIN to turn the tide of the terrible health of Russians (especially males and women who are having multiple abortions). Mark Steyn and the CIA get it right now and then, but I somehow doubt Russia's population will contract that much in the future.

Besides, that very scenario should be highly worrisome to the US. Such a state of affairs would be almost too good to be true for the Chinese, who would be understandably tempted into making their peaceful (by Chinese immigration) invasion of Siberia and other farflung provinces of Russia something more lasting and easier to manage to Chinese affinities. Such territorial adventurism could invite a nuclear conflict between Russia and China, or at best a serious border war that would involve the US in some fashion.

Not to mention all the various terror and Islamic tribal groups along and within Russia's southern territories that could wreak havoc and turmoil in that part of the world against substantialy weakened Russian security and military forces.

My point is not to paint Russia as a reemerging USSR, a dire threat to the US.

Really, in this age of asymetrical warfare and high-stakes diplomacy, we shouldn't be worried about a "peer competitor" anyway, but a group of reasonably influential nations opposed to US policy aims and interests.

So its a matter of "have we lost Russia?" for good, or can we still win her back, or at least come to a general understanding of common ground we can continue to work and make progress from?

Re: The Re-emergence of Russia

CIA Factbook

Russia is literally dying. Their beirthrate is 9.95/100 and their death rate is 14.65 per thousand.

Per Capita GDP ranks below those /sarcam on economic powerhouses Libya and Croatia /sarcasm off at a whopping $11,100 per year.

Russia ranks slightly ahead of Brazil,Canada and Mexico in total GDP.

The only thing that would keep me awake at night about Russia is it's substantial arms industry.

Getting an early start on the 4th.

Over in Iraq.

Re: Be Afraid

Noonan, what's your new job again?

I bath and manicure the aliens at area 51.

Be afraid, be very afraid...

Noonan, what's your new job again?

It's not this, is it?

Automated Ontologically-Based Link Analysis of International Web Logs for the Timely Discovery of Relevant and Credible Information

That’s the name of the study. $450,000 for three years.

Or are you the *subject*...?

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently began funding a new research area that includes a study of blogs. Blog research may provide information analysts and warfighters with invaluable help in fighting the war on terrorism.

Interested? Read the rest over at America's Northshore Journal.

What Do We Do About Russia's Re-Emergence?

PINR adds detail to the latest Putin "evolution" in Russia: the reemergence of Russia as a major player on the world stage. It details Russia's partnership with Syria (first noted by John Noonan earlier this month) and its developing "return" to the Middle East.

Is the West (especially America?) guilty of ill-timed Russophobia? . Are we missing the signs from Putin somehow? Wouldn't a stable but less democratic (than most of us would prefer) Russia a better bet for investment, partnership and planning in the "Long War" than a messy democracy populated by obligrachs, arch-nationalists, kleptocrats, fascists and communists (the Russia of the 90's and 4/5 of the opposition to Putin at this point)?

Yet a Russia that emboldens Iran, coddles Syria and seems to act in conflict with US interests across the globe is disturbing. That's the reality now, and the question I pose for my fellow MIlBloggers is:

"How do we react?" Do we try to recouncile our positions with Russia now while Putin is in office, wait till he (reportedly) leaves office in 2008 and hope for the best or prepare ourselves for a future with Russia at best an adversary in diplomatic/influence circles and at worst a potential military adversary in Central Asia and the Black Sea region?

Sigh. Stand by for ram.

BEIJI, Iraq - Five U.S. Army soldiers are being investigated for allegedly raping a young woman, then killing her and three members of her family in Iraq, a U.S. military official told The Associated Press on Friday...

{snippage}

...However, a U.S. official close to the investigation said at least one of the soldiers, all assigned to the 502nd Infantry Regiment, has admitted his role and has been arrested. Two soldiers from the same regiment were slain this month when they were kidnapped at a checkpoint near Youssifiyah.

At least four other soldiers have had their weapons taken away and are confined to Forward Operating Base Mahmoudiyah south of Baghdad. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

Read the rest here.

If they're guilty, the impact of their actions upon the mission in Iraq must be a consideration in the punishment phase. Simply must.

News of Afghanistan, once again.

"Please go read the news. And would somebody tell the Europeans to stop looking over my shoulder, they are wearing me out here."

Camp Humphreys Commander Public Enemy #1

Here is another on of those only in Korea stories for everyone. What does the USFK command do to their biggest pro-American supporters in Korea? Piss them off of course.