Flexing a red muscle.

August 17th, 2007 – In a mounting display of force and effrontery, Russia has pulled another antagoni- sing stunt. President Vladimir Putin’s administration has reinstated long-range strategic surveillance, a measure that was abolished 15 years ago at the end of the cold war. Furthermore, these Tupolev-type bombers are taunting international powers by venturing a bit too close to their borders. So Far, these patrols have grazed the Alaskan North, the Canadian North and Scotland. The large American base in Guam was also flown over. Russia seems to be testing America, Canada and the U.K.'s resolves regarding contested land. They also seem to be demonstrating a fact that has been obvious many times through history, never underestimate or take your eye off of Russia.

This burst of tension began 2 month ago when Putin retracted Russia’s signature from cold war pacts, deplored an American-European missile defence pact and failed to sign the renewed Conventional Forces in Europe Treaty (CFE). This last piece of paper, aimed at the restriction in size of arms deposits and military personnel, was first signed in 1990 and was the culmination of Bush Sr.’s and Gorbatchev’s peace effort. Finally, a week ago, controversy broke out about the proprietorship of the Canadian North and the North Pole waters. These are rich with oil deposits and a retracting ice cap means an accessible terrain. Canada and Denmark are conducting negotiations while Russia has sent a mechanised mission to plant an underwater flag in the contested region; how very imperial. Although the action is dismissed as childish by Western powers, I see this as a very clear and very historically Russian sign of unwavering determination. The lines of conflict are being drawn.

With his withdrawal from this crucial pact and with his refusal to renew such a stalemate peace agreement, Putin will be free to start rebuilding a massive arsenal. This will lead to a similar effort by Western countries as well as by some new nuclear players such as India and Pakistan. You may call me overdramatic but we have just discovered joint military exercises between Russia (Oil, money, technology), Kazakhstan (Oil, land) and China (Money, Manpower, Communism). Not an axis of Evil but rather an Axis of essential military resources. I wish somebody with much more muscle than me would take serious notice of this. As some of you may remember, negligence and a laissez-faire attitude have recently been disastrous to the very same continent.

In 1933, a democratically elected Nazi party took control of the German Chancellery; some were concerned but were mostly content with a pro-business, anti-communist new neighbour. In 1936, Hitler re-militarized the Rhineland, directly breaking a stipulation of the WW1 peace treaty (Versailles). A gutsy move but the Western powers understood that this western province was, after all, IN Germany and populated by Germans. Later that year, Germany formally allied with Italy, creating a massive demographic and economic fascist bloc. “A new trading partner!”, people would say. Using the same logic as with the Rhineland, in 1938, the Nazis took over Austria and annexed it to Germany. The West agreed that Austrians WERE German and thus the move was shunned. Finally, when Hitler wanted parts of Czechoslovakia containing 3 million Germans (Sudetenland), they had to do SOMETHING. They sent British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain to warn Hitler that he was not to transgress any more international borders and that any more belligerences would be met by unilateral military and economic response. At least, this is what should have happened in my head. In reality, Chamberlain signed a treaty with Hitler that gave a foreign land, inhabited by the Czech Germans, to Germany if they stopped their Empire building after that. I personally place this Munich accord near the top of a list of stupid treaties.

As Hitler was building in Germany, Mussolini was invading Africa and Japan was pillaging China, all that the international community would do was sit back, smile and impose a 5% restriction on cotton imports for this or that bad country. This is giving a slap on the hand to a child that stole 1 billion dollars worth pf Ethiopian resources, raped an entire Chinese village and was home in time to invade Poland.

It is a popular saying that we learn from our mistakes but it isn’t true. It is just a quaint notion that portrays human kind in a kinder light than we deserve.

Last week, with the revelation of these joint-military exercises and the reinstatement of bomber patrols, the American reaction was the one I was ready for. “In Washington, state department spokesman Sean McCormack played down the significance of Russia's move, saying: "We certainly are not in the kind of posture we were with what used to be the Soviet Union. If Russia feels as though they want to take some of these old aircraft out of mothballs and get them flying again, that's their decision," he told reporters.” (BBC News Service). The Russian efforts at antagonism are met with ridicule and marginality by it’s once, bitter rival. It is a bold non-move by the American Nation that was three years late in joining WW1 AND WW2, out of sight, out of mind.

People don’t learn, governments, doubly so. I don’t recycle because I will be dead in 100 years when things will get really bad. Governments have a lifespan of 4-10 years and thus apply this same logic to justify their laissez-faire attitude and lack of foresight. I’m off to build a bunker…

(Pictured:1936 parade for Mussolini's Visit to Berlin - Vladimir Putin at a parade for the remembrance of the 25 million fallen Russian soldiers of WW2)

End.