The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Armenian, Do you have a main site (or several sites you go to, to find the articles that you find?) I mean you link stuff from so many different sites. I used to go to newsbrew, but they aren't operational any more

I primarily go to Regnum and Ria Novosti regarding news concerning the Russian Federation. I go to Antiwar.com for news regarding the current "war on terror," Israel, Iraq, Iran, etc. For Armenian related news, I monitor PanArmenian.net and A1plus.am. Also, I type key words such as: Balkans-Russia, Iran-Israel, China-Russia relations, Kocharyan-Putin, NKR-military, Russia-military-Venezuela, etc, and do a Google (News) search. The aforementioned is the way I get English language news sources from around the world.

For example: just Google (News) China-Darfur-Sudan; or China-Africa, China-Africa-Oil-natural resources....

You will get a many news sites such as these:

http://www.cfr.org/publication/9557/

http://www.gulfnews.com/opinion/columns/region/10136132.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0627/p01s05-woaf.htm

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0626/p01s08-woaf.html

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/06/26/ap3858160.html

http://forums.csis.org/africa/?p=33

Basically, all the Western world's BS about a "genocide" in Darfur has to do with is a concerted effort by China to secure oil resources in Africa, an effort the West would like to stop. Also, much to Western dismay, China is also buying up massive amounts of real estate, businesses and infrastructure in various strategic locations in Africa as it pumps in billions of US Dollars worth of funds into the continent. Thus, the current bloody turmoil in the Sudan is simply a fight between proxies of Chinese and the West, essentially a battle to control the regions natural resources.

So, a question: Had you not pro-actively looked for it would you have found this particular geopolitical angle in the news coming out of the region in question?

There is allot going on in the world today. There is allot going on in the world that has to do with Russia, China and Iran. I have always said, the global turmoil we have been witnessing for the past ten to fifteen years, especially the current so-called war on terror, have something or another to do with undermining Iran, isolating Russia and securing Chinese and Indian dependency on the Western world. More or less, that's what all the geopolitical issues today boil down to. In order for you to see the big picture and understand what is occurring in the world today you must access the big picture and juxtapose it to your knowledge in geopolitics, history and your senses.

Since we can't get "real" news via mainstream media today, we must rely on the internet - until they figure out a way to sensor it as well.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russia promotes language as symbol of resurgence



The Kremlin believes it can start rebuilding the credibility of Russian as a means of communication outside its own borders, with business and not communist ideology driving the revival

MOSCOW: Russia has launched a campaign to promote the national language after almost two decades of retreat - to match the country’s increasing economic and political confidence. The Kremlin believes it can start rebuilding the credibility of Russian as a means of communication outside its own borders, with business and not communist ideology driving the revival. One recruitment expert has advised expats that if they want a top management job they should learn Russian. In Moscow this week, ministers announced a series of plans, such as expansion of an international cultural foundation comparable with Germany’s Goethe Institute or the Alliance Francaise.

“Russian was the first language spoken in space,” said Education Minister Andrei Fursenko referring to the first cosmonauts and their Cold War-era space race against English-speaking US astronauts. Once the common language across most of the communist world, Russian has been sidelined, especially in Eastern Europe where English has replaced it as the favoured second language. Russian also suffers from an image problem there, with Czechs, Poles and other former Warsaw Pact member states resentful at being forced to study a language linked with an occupying foreign power. Across former states of the Soviet Union, only Belarus still recognises Russian as a state language. In many others, notably Turkmenistan, the post-Soviet leadership has sought to erase all traces of Russian. The number of mother-tongue Russian speakers also continues to decline. Russia’s population is falling by 700,000 every year and now stands at 142 million. Spearheading the campaign, President Vladimir Putin linked the country’s linguistic fate to its morals and values.

“Looking after the Russian language and expanding the influence of Russian culture are crucial social and political issues,” he told Russian parliamentarians in his annual address. Putin said he backed proposals to develop “the Russian language at home, support Russian language study programmes abroad and generally promote Russian language and literature around the world”. The Russian government has launched a Web site in both Russian and English to promote Russian, wwWrussian2007.ru. It provides details on more than 100 international festivals and events, as well as publications and plans to build libraries. Russian is one of six official languages at the United Nations and is still used widely in many former Soviet states.

“In the mid-90s we could put up with people not speaking Russian, because they had other experience and expertise. Now, Russians are catching up,” said Anton Derlyatka, a partner with executive search consultants Ward Howell International. “The complexities of the Russian market have increased so much that you can’t work without understanding the mentality of the people and the Russian context. In order to do that, you have to speak Russian.” The image of Russian can benefit from Russia’s current economic and political resurgence, said Culture Minister Alexei Sokolov. “The evolution of the Chinese society was the reason behind the changes in attitudes to language,” he said.

“Russia is also currently on the brink of a significant breakthrough in the areas of nanotechnology, science and culture, and that is why it should be expected that the language will benefit.” Learn Russian: Foreign ballet dancers, US astronauts and Moscow-based ambassadors who speak Russian were photographed for a new public exhibition in central Moscow to promote the campaign. Japanese dancer Morihiro Iwata said he was proud to promote Russian but didn’t speak it when he first arrived in the country 17 years ago. “I think more foreigners should learn Russian,” he said as he stood in front of a large photo of him performing in a ballet. At home, Iwata only speaks Russian with his wife and fellow Bolshoi Theatre dancer, Olga.

He had to learn the language quickly when he first arrived in the country, he recalls, because rehearsals for performances in the Bolshoi Theatre are conducted in Russian. Convincing foreigners to learn Russian is not an easy task due to the complexity of Russian grammar and to the spread of English. Russian’s main competitor abroad has also cast its corrosive spell inside Russia, with Russians using numerous English words, such as “biznesmen” and “kompyuter”, every day. The Kremlin has banned the use of the word “dollar” in official communiques. Instead, it has instructed officials to break the habit of expressing figures in the US currency and to speak only of Russian roubles. But Sokolov downplays the historical and modern-day importance of English.

“In Russia there were periods when there were special attitudes towards Western languages, in the 19th century it was French, and you know that many people then hired German governesses. By the way, English was less widespread.” “Now it is an international language - but it’s a more simple version of English that has become a means of communication, like a kind of esperanto.”

Source: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default...-7-2007_pg4_12

[skhara]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Thanks Armenian.

BTW, although I hate to admit, I probably would not know that there exists a Darfur, if we didn't hear about it all the time.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Russian analyst: “Does Azerbaijan need Karabakh? No”

“Karabakh. Does Azerbaijan need it? Certainly, no,” said Ramil Latypov, director of the center of terror threats analysis and minor intensity conflicts. “The Azeri people don’t need and have never needed the territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Moreover, there have been no preconditions for it,” he told Yerkramas, the newspaper of Armenians of Russia.

“The Azerbaijani government has taken an unswerving stance – war till victory, victory that can’t be. This stance is a synthesized catalyst of an artificial process. It promises destabilization in the region for many years. It’s pregnant with destabilization, weakening of economy, deterioration of living conditions, atmosphere of fear and diffidence, hysteria, waves of internal protests in Azerbaijan, Karabakh and Armenia,” the expert said. All this is beneficial for those, who wish to take control over the world energy resources in a long-term outlook, according to him.

“It’s time to stop and resolve the problem, guiding by historical justice, reason and interests of ordinary citizens, who carry the load of this theater of absurdity where the director and stage manage is Mister X.” Ramil Latypov said.

Source: http://www.panarmenian.net/news/arm/?nid=22845

[Siamanto]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Basically, all the Western world's BS about a "genocide" in Darfur has to do with is a concerted effort by China to secure oil resources in Africa, an effort the West would like to stop. Also, much to Western dismay, China is also buying up massive amounts of real estate, businesses and infrastructure in various strategic locations in Africa as it pumps in billions of US Dollars worth of funds into the continent. Thus, the current bloody turmoil in the Sudan is simply a fight between proxies of Chinese and the West, essentially a battle to control the regions natural resources.

Considering that the EU does not consider it as a genocide, what does "the West" and "Western" mean in the above? Just curious.

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Considering that the EU does not consider it as a genocide, what does "the West" and "Western" mean in the above? Just curious.

The term "Western" or the "West" equals - USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and all the major nations within mainland Europe. In other words, nations of European decent - excluding some eastern European nations.

Although its not "official" yet, Washington DC, London as well as the entire European continent is talking about a "genocide" of sorts occurring in the Sudan. It's only a matter of time until they officially label it as such, similar to what they did in the Balkans. In my opinion, what is occurring the Sudan can indeed be considered a genocide, unlike what happened in the Balkans.

Any other curiosities?

[Siamanto]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

The term "Western" or the "West" equals - USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, and all the major nations within mainland Europe. In other words, nations of European decent - excluding some eastern European nations.

Although its not "official" yet, Washington DC, London as well as the entire European continent is talking about a "genocide" of sorts occurring in the Sudan. It's only a matter of time until they officially label it as such, similar to what they did in the Balkans. In my opinion, what is occurring the Sudan can indeed be considered a genocide, unlike what happened in the Balkans.

Any other curiosities?

Thanks but, I thought it was clear enough when I said that the EU does not consider it as a genocide so your above explanation cannot be as accurate as you seem to think. Maybe you need to reconsider your understanding and perception on the issue????

Good Night!

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

More on Chavez-Russian connection...

Chavez Goes Shopping


Chavez Aiming AK-103 Assault Rifle

London’s defused car bombs, the defeated Senate immigration bill and Hugo Chavez’s sophisticated arms buying world-tour paint a complex and serious security challenge for the United States. In response to 9/11, the US took the terror fight to Central Asia rather than to wait for the next attack. Unfortunately, America has failed to take a similar approach over two dead-in-the-water policies: immigration and Venezuela. Last week, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez departed for a three nation arms buying tour. He negotiated a deal with Belarus, Europe’s last dictatorship, for a sophisticated long-range (125-200 miles) anti-aircraft system. Chavez visited Russia to check on his $3.4 billion investment in 24 Sukhoi SU-30 fighters, 35 MI-24 armored helicopters, 100,000 Russian-made AK-103 assault rifles and a license for an assault rifle factory.


MI-24 Armored Attack Helicopter

While in Russia, Chavez shopped for submarines and indicated he might be interested in a nuclear program. It’s not yet clear why he may buy five Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines and four state-of-the-art Project 677 Amur submarines; perhaps he believes the US might blockade or attack his country and submarines will be a deterrent. While in Russia, he also defended Iran’s right to have a nuclear program and stated Venezuela “might follow suit.” Chavez then left Russia to visit his close ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who claims Iran’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. What happened in London and Washington last week -- the foiled car bombings and defeated immigration bill -- is related to America’s Venezuela policy because each reflects a naïve “wait and see” approach jeopardizing our security.


SU-30 High Performance Multi-Role Combat Aircraft

The British have waited too long to reform their immigration policies. On Friday, London’s finest defused two car bombs designed for mass murder. Although yet to be confirmed, the would-be bombers may have sought to punctuate the suicide attack that struck London’s tube two years ago. Those homegrown bombers were sons of Muslim immigrants who although legally living in the UK had failed to assimilate and were followers of radical Islam. America faces a similar homegrown and illegal immigrant danger because it lacks a common sense policy. Fortunately, last week, concerned Americans flooded Senate offices demanding the immigration bill be junked and a serious debate happen before it’s too late. Hopefully, it’s still possible to fix US immigration policy before post-9/11 America suffers more violence at the hands of radicalized immigrants. However, it might be too late to reverse the damage Chavez has done which has serious economic and security implications for the US. More of the same “wait and see” approach regarding Venezuela would be profoundly stupid.


MI-28M State-of-the-Art Assault Helicopter

Chavez is a malignant narcissist, according to Dr. Jerrold Post, who profiled the Venezuelan for the US Air Force. Post suggests that Chavez, who was elected for his second term last December, is a masterful political gamesman and is “increasingly messianic.” These personality traits are likely to compel Chavez to declare himself president for life, Post states. Chavez has plotted a clear course for Venezuela and Latin America. He wants to minimize Washington’s influence in the world, to set-up a socialist republic in Venezuela and wants much the same for his neighbors. His heroes are “Che” Guevara and Fidel Castro, not known for their democratic roots. He has consolidated dictatorial control over his national assembly, the courts, and, on May 27, he closed the 53-year-old independent broadcast station, Radio Caracas Television, the only remaining opposition voice of reason.


Amur Class Diesel Powered Attack Submarine

His muscle comes from oil wealth and a compliant military. Venezuela is home to the Orinoco Belt, which holds the world’s largest reserves of heavy oil. Half of the annual oil revenue flows into Chavez’s government. Venezuela’s military has been bought off. It enjoys the best weapons high-priced oil affords and, beginning this week, loyal soldiers are expecting an up to 30 percent pay raise. Perhaps that’s why they are willingly saluting and sounding off with the slogan “Fatherland, Socialism, or Death.” Venezuela’s foreign policy focuses on blaming Latin America’s problems on the US. That’s why he relishes choosing allies that share his anti-Washington views such as North Korea and Iran, rogue nuclear powers, which earn Chavez’s special praises as does his mentor Fidel Castro of Cuba.

Chavez has established Latin American alliances with disaffected states which are financially vulnerable. He helped elect leftist Bolivian President Evo Morales in part by funding social projects like building schools. He has bought a lot of Argentina’s debt and invested in Uruguay. He leveraged his oil wealth to become a member of Mercosur, South America’s trading block. There have also been reports that he cooperates with terrorist groups like Colombia’s FARC and Iran’s Hezbollah. FARC funds it activities by drug sales. Not surprisingly, in 2005, the US government decertified Venezuela as an ally in the war on drugs alleging that Venezuela has become a key transit point for drugs leaving Columbia and two contributing factors to this assessment were “rampant corruption at the highest levels of law enforcement and a weak judicial system.”

What does a messianic, socialist, anti-US, oil wealthy elected Latin president mean to the US? He is a long-term economic and security liability. He sits on top of a large, critical and diminishing economic resource -- oil. He has learned from his membership in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that markets are very sensitive and the US is vulnerable. Perhaps that’s why he has plans to set-up an organization of gas exporting countries in South America in order to expand his influence. It’s noteworthy that technical guidance for that project comes from Russia’s Gazprom. Also, his oil market plans might explain the need for a shiny new submarine fleet.

Seeding militant socialism in our backyard threatens US trade and security. Imagine, Chavez could create proxies to do what Iran has done to Israel and the U.S. in Iraq by fostering Hezbollah-like groups. Instead of advancing radical Islam, Chavez’s cadre could advance a form of anti-US socialism that seeks to disrupt US markets and security by easily infiltrating proxies across our porous border. Chavez is a serious threat. It’s past time the US government embrace a policy that counters him before he becomes a nuclear power with ballistic missiles and forms violent proxies. Mr. Maginnis is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a national security and foreign affairs analyst for radio and television and a senior strategist with the U.S. Army.

Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=21380

Chávez hints at nuclear future for Venezuela

President Hugo Chávez yesterday hinted that Venezuela could try to become a nuclear power, during a visit to Russia apparently timed to antagonise the White House. Mr Chávez defended Iran's right to pursue a nuclear programme and said it might be a good idea if Venezuela eventually did the same thing. Speaking before an audience of communists and other elements hostile to America, Mr Chávez said: "Iran has a right to have a peaceful atomic energy industry, as it is a sovereign country.

"The Brazilian president has declared his atomic energy initiatives, and Brazil has a right to do that as well. Who knows, maybe Venezuela will ultimately follow suit." Mr Chávez said he wanted a "multi-polar world in which "real freedom" was possible as opposed to "American freedom", which he characterised as the right to "threaten other nations and destroy cities". The Venezuelan leader is on a trip that also includes two other US antagonists, Belarus and Iran. His visit to Moscow comes hours before a meeting in the US between Vladimir Putin and George Bush. The two are holding informal talks on Sunday and Monday at the Bush family estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, with deep divisions over the US's proposed missile shield in central Europe, the future of Kosovo and US concerns over Russia's resurgent authoritarianism under Mr Putin.

Kremlin officials yesterday said it was a coincidence that Mr Putin was holding talks with Mr Chávez tomorrow and Mr Bush on Sunday. But the newspaper Vedomosti suggested the visits were designed to demonstrate Russia's independence. Others suggested it was Mr Chávez who was making the running. "The timing wasn't initiated by Russia," said Viktor Semyonov, an economist at Moscow's Institute of Latin American Studies. "It all comes from Chávez. "It's more about money than politics; Chávez is supporting Russia's rapidly increasing economic presence in Venezuela." During his three-day visit to Russia, Mr Chávez is expected to buy more military hardware, including as many as five submarines. He will also tour a helicopter factory and hold talks with Mr Putin tomorrow in Rostov-on-Don.

Last year Mr Chávez spent $3bn (£1.5bn) on Russian arms. But yesterday he said: "We don't want war. We want peace. There were rumours we came here to buy weapons. This is not the priority of my visit ... The priority is cultural interaction and the exchange of ideas." But he also boasted of Venezuela's Russian Sukhoi jets: "When they appeared in the sky over Caracas during a parade on independence day two years ago, then we broke the fetters of dependence on the US." In Belarus, Mr Chávez may also discuss a new air defence system, after saying this week that Venezuela's current system was insufficient. He will then go to Tehran for talks aimed at further deepening ties with Iran.

Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/venezuela/...114634,00.html

In Russia Visit, Chavez Has Military on His Mind

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wound up his visit to Russia on June 30 with a trip to a helicopter factory in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don, accusing the United States of “aggression” and calling for a joint fight against “imperialism.” “Russia and Venezuela are brother nations ... we want a multipolar world free of hegemony and imperialism, but we cannot achieve that without this,” Chavez said, gesturing at different helicopters on display in the Rostvertol factory. “The U.S. empire has plans of aggression. It had already tried something of the sort a few years ago, when a U.S. aircraft carrier entered Venezuela’s territorial waters. It was practically an aggression,” he added. Chavez also praised Russia for “helping to break the blockade that the United States was preparing against Venezuela,” saying that he received “Moscow’s support” at the time.

During the trip to the factory, the Venezuelan leader eyed the state-of-the-art Mi-28N combat helicopter, called “night hunter,” Sergei Chemezov, chief of arms exporter Rosoboronexport, said. “He asked us why he was not shown it earlier. We answered that our defense ministry did not yet have it equipped, but now it is and we could offer it to him,” Chemezov said, as quoted by the Interfax news agency. Rumors of weapons sales were rampant throughout Chavez’s visit to Russia, which started June 28, but nothing concrete was ever formalized. “That is not the priority,” Chavez said, though Russia confirmed June 29 that talks were held over delivery of five diesel- and electricity-powered submarines.

Russia had already sold 24 Sukhoi fighter airplanes, 53 helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov guns to Venezuela, for a total of 3.5 billion dollars, the Rosoboronexport chief said. Chavez also praised “great progress” in “economic and energy” cooperation between the two oil-rich countries. In Rostov-on-Don, Chavez, also watched horse races, and was accompanied by Russian President Vladimir Putin and other chiefs of former Soviet republics.

Source: http://www.defensenews.com/story.php...0729&C=america

[Armenian]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

The Continuing Brilliance of Russian Military Ingenuity

I will begin to periodically post technical information and videos regarding Russian manufactured military hardware. With the aforementioned posts, I will attempt to reveal the military invincibility of the Russian Federation. In many respects, Russian defense industry today surpasses that of the United States, especially within the field of missile technology - torpedoes, anti-tank missiles, anti-ship missiles, anti-aircraft missiles, surface to surface tactical missiles, battlefield rockets, nuclear ICBMs, and space exploration rocketry. Nevertheless, Russian military aircraft, both combat airplanes and combat helicopters, as well as avionics and radar systems, are beginning to reveal themselves as equals to anything the western world has been able to produce thus far, if not better, as in the case of the late model Migs and Sukhois.

What's amazing here is that the Russian Federation just several years ago was in dire shape economically and politically, and its armed forces were severely degraded both technically and morally. Since Putin's rise to power, however, billions of petro-dollars have been streaming into the Russian Federation's defense industry. There is a clear resurgence in Russian national pride. With a thorough house cleaning in progress, the Russian Federation has been able to regain its composure, rediscover its global role as a superpower and is today confidently looking towards an unsurpassed-unchallenged existence within the twenty first century. Today, Russia's natural military genius, that which it has always been famous for, is flowering yet again.

With Russian weapons sales skyrocketing during the past several years in the tune of tens of billions of US Dollars, I must highlight the universal appeal that they continue to have. In the post World War Two era, Russians weaponry have been widely acknowledged by experts to be of the most reliable, most efficient (low maintenance), most cost effective, most user friendly and, most of all, lethal weapons systems on earth. I must also point out that at times Russian armaments have performed poorly. This poor performance was quite apparent during the Arab-Israeli wars that were fought in the 70's and 80s. Nonetheless, it must be pointed out that at the hands of poorly trained and poorly lead armies the performance of good weapons systems are often times less-than desirable. What's more, the Soviet Union at the time, never trusted Arab nations with it's state-of-the-art weapons systems nor did they really wish to see the Israeli state annihilated.

I will begin here by highlighting the new generation of high performance combat aircraft found within the Russian Air Force today:

SU-32/34 Ground Attack Aircraft:



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zxb0Q6hZgA&mode=related&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkSU...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWWPV...elated&search=
Info: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/su-30.htm
Info: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/su-34.htm


SU-35/37 Multi Role Combat Aircraft:



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uxy0A...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7W5k...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTP3l...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGE1R...elated&search=
Info: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/su-37.htm
Info: http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...ssia/su-37.htm


SU-47 Experimental Combat Aircraft:



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12N98...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg2QI...elated&search=
Info: http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/s37/

Mig-35 Multi Purpose Combat Aircraft:



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xpxL...elated&search=
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWj--d5PgDo
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWLYTAYG-9U
Info: http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/row/mfi.htm
Info: http://www.defense-update.com/products/m/mig35.htm

Mig 39/44 Experimental Air Superiority Aircraft:



Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMIAp...elated&search=
Info: http://www.ausairpower.net/Analysis-MiG-MFI.html

[skhara]

Re: The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

Oh cool war toys!

I love how they say "dogfightinga"