From Russia with Love

by Dr. Robin McFee

“All warfare is based on deception” – Sun Tzu

THE “CSTO”

Can this messiah stand up to this devil? This messiah is an amateur!

Last week, Russia and six ex-satellite nations – former Soviet States – agreed to jointly (translation – Mother Russia rules) create a special military force designed to challenge the influence of NATO. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) members Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have also pledged to deploy their “special forces” units as well as collaboratively contribute to this new military alliance. According to several sources, the scope of the military presence will be significant – the name “rapid reaction unit” notwithstanding. In typical Russia-speak, language designed to deceive, this will not be a SWAT team or even a SEAL team in the U.S. definition of “rapid reaction” force, to handle small insurgent attacks, but a force to be reckoned with. Russia, increasingly sensitive of .U.S and Western influences with their border nations, has expended significant effort and various forms of persuasion – economic, military, energy and political – to rein in or reestablish relations with the “Stan” nations and others critical to creating a buffer zone. Moreover, the members of the CSTO have valuable transit routes for United States interests – supply lines and military bases to support the war effort in Afghanistan, and Russia – pipeline routes for oil and gas.  

Though publicly billed to be able to suppress “terrorist” aggression, Dmitry Medvedev let there be no room to miss the Sicilian message “the military alliance would allow operational reaction to threats and would not be less powerful than NATO forces.” The Armenian president Serzh Sarkisian tried to put a more temporizing tone – “the rapid reaction force is aimed at strengthening the military capacity of our organization.” Uh huh – sounds good, but Medvedev (here to fore considered “Putin lite”) was letting the world know….”we’re baaaaack!”

The “Stan” nations are critical to US interests. Russia is turning the screws on us at every opportunity. Putin has a map; where is global AAA when we need them? U.S. foreign policy is lost and leaderless, if you exclude the military. Consider we have just lost a key military supply base in Uzbekistan; Putin may, repeatmay allow us to use it for non military supplies. Big deal! That base was important for our Afghanistan (MILITARY) efforts. But “Putin, Inc” has been tossing money, military and probably a few babes towards the “Stans” and wooing them back, much more than the CSTO of the past would have revealed. These nations are important for our war on terrorists. But, they are essential in Russia’s romp to the sea – giving a virtually uninterrupted region of states from the Motherland to Iran, Iraq and surrounding Turkey.

Which brings me to the question – how many “friends” can we afford to lose? You don’t have military bases in countries without some friendship developing. We are letting Uzbekistan slip through our fingers.

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