The Rise of the Russian Empire: Russo-Armenian Relations

[Armanen]

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

Don't get me wrong Federate, I don't like pakistan either and I also support India, but I don't want to see India become the new pakistan for the u.s. I'd rather see a deepening in relations between Russia and India.

[Armenian]

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

Federate, you shouldn't approach politics emotionally or ethically. As the region's closest US ally, Pakistan has been for many years a criminal state and a major sponsor of global terrorism. Most "Islamic" terrorist activity on earth today can be directly traced to Pakistan. Pakistan has been for many years a tool for western intelligence and, as a result, has had a bloody hand in terrorist activities that primarily targeted Russian interests. That is why we saw direct Pakistani involvement in Afghanistan, in Bosnia/Kosovo, in Chechnya and in Nagorno Karabagh. Needless to say, Pakistan is also the home of the covert CIA operation called Al-Qaeda. Nevertheless, something has been occurring between Washington and Islamabad for the past few years. There seems to be a serious schism developing between the two as of late. I don't know what is their contentious issue, however, Musharaf's fall from power, Butho's assassination and the increasing number of military strikes by NATO forces inside Pakistani territory are definitely related. The issue here must be very serious because Pakistan is a major power that also happens to be a nuclear power. Nonetheless, regardless of how negatively we view Pakistan, the greater regional geopolitical agenda being implemented by the US is a greater longterm threat to nations like Russia and Armenia. The worst thing that can happen now as a result of the recent terror operations is if India enters some kind of an alliance with the US. For many years India had been a non-aligned power that only slightly leaned towards Russia. With limited success, there were even some efforts by Moscow to forge an alliance between itself, China and India. However, it now seems as if there are other forces attempting to recruit the world's "largest democracy." Thus, regardless of how we see Pakistan, we should be able to observe regional geopolitics unemotionally and rationally.

I wouldn't give a rat's ass if they attack Pakistan. Good, America and Pakistan can kill each other.

[skhara]

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

If they get India, they kill two birds with one stone -- China is a friend of Pakistan and a foe of India -- and Russia who has quite large co-operation with India in the military-industrial sphere.

I wouldn't say India has been non-aligned. India was been an ally of the Soviet Union and a friendly state with Russia. As far as Washington is concerned, they are aligned.

[Federate]

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

Interesting analysis, you're right. However, regardless of what India does in the near future, Armenia must remain a close friend and maybe even ally of it as there is a Armenia/India vs "Azerbaijan"/Pakistan de-facto tag-team competition here, for a lack of a better way to phrase it lol. While it's low-level, we could really feel the existence of such a thing at the UN resolution vote from a few months ago.

Nevertheless, something has been occurring between Washington and Islamabad for the past few years. There seems to be a serious schism developing between the two as of late. I don't know what is their contentious issue

The contentious issue is India itself, specifically this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...ooperation_Act

[Armenian]

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

Pakistan: Assessing Military Options

Summary

Despite demands from India in the wake of the Nov. 26 militant attacks on Mumbai, Pakistan is unlikely to be able to shift troops around to please New Delhi (or Washington, for that matter). Islamabad’s military capacity was already extremely constrained before the attacks and has only become more limited.

Analysis

Pakistani daily The News reported Dec. 1 that Pakistan’s military is monitoring the border with India closely and has not detected any mobilization of Indian troops in the wake of the Nov. 26 attacks in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Press Trust of India quoted an Indian army official saying no orders for mobilization have been given, and the Indian External Affairs Ministry rebutted television reports that said the Indian-Pakistani cease-fire was being suspended. As tensions mount between India and Pakistan over the Mumbai attacks — in which at least some of the attackers apparently arrived by boat from Karachi — the possibility has loomed of increased troop deployments along the border shared by the two South Asian rivals. Meanwhile, an assertive New Delhi, with little choice but to react strongly to the attacks, appears likely to demand increased Pakistani operations in Kashmir to control militancy there, while the incoming U.S. administration will be placing even more demands on Islamabad in the war against jihadists along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Pakistan, however, is in a military bind. It is already stretched thin and does not have the resources to fulfill its core mission while also taking on other operations to placate India and the United States — meaning New Delhi and Washington are likely to be disappointed. Before the attacks in Mumbai, the Pakistani military was already overwhelmed with four major operational demands, none of which has gone away:

* Defend the border with India, being prepared for possible conventional Indian military aggression.
* Combat the home-grown Taliban insurgency raging across the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and the Pashtun districts of the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP).
* Combat a much lower-intensity — but nonetheless very real — mounting insurgency in the southwestern province of Baluchistan.
* Provide heightened military security in Islamabad and other major urban centers in order to defend against an uptick in radical Islamist suicide bombings domestically.

(Further compounding things, ethnic clashes and rioting broke out in Karachi on Nov. 28, with scores of people being killed on a daily basis. Though the army itself has not yet been called in — paramilitary units are currently attempting to rein in the situation — Karachi-based V Corps is closely monitoring the potential need for military force.)

Strategically, defending the border with India is the military’s paramount objective because it represents the most direct existential threat. Pakistan’s 550,000-strong force is only half the size of the active Indian army, and New Delhi also fields technologically superior hardware, from the latest Russian T-90 main battle tanks to the modern Su-30MKI “Flanker” fighter. As such, Pakistan is very hesitant to pull away military units from this mission. (Islamabad has committed resources to the jihadist fight along the western border only under immense U.S. pressure. Currently centered around Swat in the NWFP, this mission has been complicated as U.S. airstrikes by unmanned aerial vehicles have inched ever deeper into Pakistani territory.) Looking at the Indian border, Pakistan is most vulnerable in the open lowlands of Punjab. Not only does this region offer little in the way of terrain features that would impede the movement of large mechanized formations, there is little distance at this point between the Indian border and the Pakistani heartland — where most of the population resides along with Pakistan’s core industrial and agricultural sectors. The more barren terrain of the southern border along Sindh province is also vulnerable, but it is also more distant from the core population areas that Pakistan needs to defend. The mountainous Kashmir region, while it is the most disputed area of the border, is also extremely difficult terrain that favors the defense.

With almost no strategic depth to insulate its core from any potential Indian attack, Pakistan maintains six of its nine Corps formations in Punjab. This includes offensive “Strike” Corps (I and II) designed to make pre-emptive thrusts into Indian territory in the event of war in an attempt to acquire breathing room and leverage for subsequent negotiations. At times of increasing tension with India, the overarching military imperative for Islamabad becomes the conventional reinforcement of these six corps. This would have to come at the expense of other missions such as those that Washington and New Delhi would like to see. Indeed, Pakistan already suggested as much when it told commanders in Afghanistan that it would have to withdraw forces from the western theater in the event of a crisis with India. But Pakistan’s problems run deeper than its military’s myriad and conflicting responsibilities. The civilian government is weak at an extremely challenging point in the country’s history — when an undercurrent of radical Islamist leanings is on the rise and the country’s intelligence service, the ISI, is infiltrated by both jihadist and Taliban elements. Even if it had more freedom of action, the military could hope to do little more than keep a lid on these deepening crises. If the Pakistani army was unable to muster the resources for the demands being placed on it before the Mumbai attacks, it is unlikely to be able to meet the demands of a hostile India and a new U.S. administration.

Source: http://www.stratfor.com/analysis 20081201_pakistan_assessing_military_options

[Armenian]

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

If they get India, they kill two birds with one stone -- China is a friend of Pakistan and a foe of India -- and Russia who has quite large co-operation with India in the military-industrial sphere. I wouldn't say India has been non-aligned. India was been an ally of the Soviet Union and a friendly state with Russia. As far as Washington is concerned, they are aligned.

Much of what occurs in Pakistan remains a mystery. Pakistan is perhaps the most dangerous nation on earth at this point. The nation is a melting pot of different armed tribes, paramilitary groups and Islamic militants. Islamabad has not been able to control its armed factions. For some time now Washington has been blaming Islamabad for its failures in Afghanistan. Basing my view on developments in US-Pakistani relations since the 9/11 attacks, it seems as if Washington has lost total control over the vicious monster they created in the 1980s. And since Pakistan is a nuclear power and has connections to a vast array of terror groups worldwide, they have decided to do something to remedy this serious problem. India, being Pakistan's natural foe, is more than willing to eliminate the threat posed by Islamabad. As a result, India is more than willing to join the agenda regardless of who has prepared it. I have no doubt the recent terror attacks in Mumbai were orchestrated by forces outside of Pakistan. This was one of them classic false flag operations, complete with a confessing young militant (who is also said to be the only surviving terrorist), bountiful of evidence found on a lifeless boat, western media working overtime to cover every detail of the unfolding events, well spoken witnesses with political messages, and of course "Islamists" again bringing the wrath of the world upon them by their actions... With the departure of the Bush administration and the arrival of Obama's team, I feel as is the scare over Iran is slowly lifting and is being replaced by Pakistan. In the short term, this may be good news for us Armenians. However, I can't say the same for the longterm.

[robertik1]

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

Much of what occurs in Pakistan remains a mystery. Pakistan is perhaps the most dangerous nation on earth at this point. The nation is a melting pot of different armed tribes, paramilitary groups and Islamic militants. Islamabad has not been able to control its armed factions. For some time now Washington has been blaming Islamabad for its failures in Afghanistan. Basing my view on developments in US-Pakistani relations since the 9/11 attacks, it seems as if Washington has lost total control over the vicious monster they created in the 1980s. And since Pakistan is a nuclear power and has connections to a vast array of terror groups worldwide, they have decided to do something to remedy this serious problem. India, being Pakistan's natural foe, is more than willing to eliminate the threat posed by Islamabad. As a result, India is more than willing to join the agenda regardless of who has prepared it. I have no doubt the recent terror attacks in Mumbai were orchestrated by forces outside of Pakistan. This was one of them classic false flag operations, complete with a confessing young militant (who is also said to be the only surviving terrorist), bountiful of evidence found on a lifeless boat, western media working overtime to cover every detail of the unfolding events, well spoken witnesses with political messages, and of course "Islamists" again bringing the wrath of the world upon them by their actions... With the departure of the Bush administration and the arrival of Obama's team, I feel as is the scare over Iran is slowly lifting and is being replaced by Pakistan. In the short term, this may be good news for us Armenians. However, I can't say the same for the longterm.

I was wondering what you think of the alex jones interpretation of the crisis, Armenian. You seem to agree with most of what he has said.

[Armenian]

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

I was wondering what you think of the alex jones interpretation of the crisis, Armenian. You seem to agree with most of what he has said.

I have not seen it yet. Can you please post it here?

[robertik1]

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

here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7dpuCfoBu4

[Armenian]

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

here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7dpuCfoBu4

Thanks for the link, robertik. For the most part I agree with Alex Jones' take on this matter. His claim that Western backed ISI (organizers of the so-called Al-Qaeda) and the democratically elected Pakistani government are at war with each other is very interesting and something I had not yet considered. Although it may be a bit too simplistic to characterize it as such, it does make some sense.

For those interested, here are two relevant interviews from Fareed Zakaria's GPS show:

Fareed-Kissinger interview: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor...inger.intv.cnn

Fareed Mumbai panel: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor...mbai.panel.cnn