Sunday, August 24, 2008

Georgia Update August 24, 7:30 PM, PDT

LOOK AT THIS MAP!

It explains everything. Look at all the regions that border Georgia. Look at Chechnya.

Now to go Wikipedia and enter Beslan. See what city it happened in.

Never were the Russians going to allow any part of this region get out of control; not with Chechnya bordering Georgia and Chechnya also onlyabout 30 km away from North Ossetia. That's about the distance between East Los Angeles and Venice Beach. In 2004, in the North Ossetian City of Beslan, Russian army and police forces recaptured a school that had been taken by a large force of Chechen rebels. After three days of increasing tension and unwillingness to give on both sides, an assault took place in which more than 300 Russian hostages (out of around1,100) were killed. More than half of those who died were children. This is the price that Russia will pay to keep its ethnic"near-abroad" family bound to itself.

Next go back and remember that Russia has fought two recent wars in Chechnya. Remember also that in "Rubicon" I talked in several places about Chechnya; about the presence and involvement there before and after 9/11 of Halliburton and the CIA; about how CIA operations connected to Chechen leader Shamil Basayef also linked to a 9/11hijacker by FBI documents warning of the attacks. The CIA has been allover Chechnya and the region for a long time, securing it for the BTC pipeline and other oil operations -- trying to cut Russia out. Knowing how hard the Chechens fought and how ruthlessly they were put down, could the Russians have ever permiited the U.S. and Europe to pry Georgia away? Had the Russians allowed Georgian progress towards NATO entry and economic alliance with the west, it would have begged another revolt in Chechnya.

It is simmering down but, as I said, Russia is leaving behind acripple. In combat infrantry fighting it has long been a doctrine thatit is better to wound enemy soldiers than to kill them. Each WIA requires two or three other soldiers to care for him. A crippled Georgia, on life support and in intensive care is something which the west must pay for -- and cannot allow to die or it will lose face. More strain on the money. It will also be a place from which no attack against Russia of any kind can or ever will be mounted again.

Game and set, Russia.

-- MCR
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Despite the hardships depicted in the article above, local governments are preparing more realistically for Peak Oil than the feds. See: Local Governments Prepare for Peak Oil
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Somebody should send NASA the article below.
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An Epidemic of Extinctions
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This, of course, from the foreign policy advisor to Obama.
Satellite damage assessment for Georgia
Authorized Classification and Controlled Markings in US Intelligence

Gates Wants to Shift $1.2 Billion to DOD Intelligence

From Global Corp which presages the article above by several years.

Michael C. Ruppert

I recently had a conversation with someone who spent 17 years in the CIA's Directorate of Operations. Thinking of the purge and power shift that has - over the course of the last nine months - decimated the Central Intelligence Agency (long my BĂȘte Noir) and shifted much of its power to the Pentagon, I asked the following question.

"Look, the agency does many things in many roles from raw intelligence gathering, to economic warfare, to satellite recon, to paramilitary operations requiring cover and deniability, to drug smuggling. But since its inception it was always focused in large part on medium and long-term intelligence gathering and covert operations through the costly, patient, expensive means of placing NOCs (non-official covers) or assets in missions where it might take five, ten or fifteen years to bear fruit. These programs were always centered on "what if" contingencies which inherently implied that multiple outcomes were possible; that there were alternative futures to be influenced and shaped.

"Battlefield intelligence is a different critter. It presupposes that there is nothing more important than the battle that has been joined at this moment. If the battle is not won, there are no future choices. Hence nothing matters other than the war that is being fought today. No Yaltas or Potsdams; no future deep cover moles will be needed.

"Every country in the world is betting everything it has on this one hand knowing that after 2007 or 2008 the game ends. The map of the future after that is unknowable and, to large extent, irrelevant. That's why Rumsfeld has won the battle to control American intelligence operations and why the new National Intelligence Director John Negroponte is getting the job.

"Is that right?"

Without the slightest hesitation the former CIA employee answered, "Yes."

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----JO

11 comments:

Rice Farmer said...

Russia warns Moldova against "Georgian mistake"
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSLP59197620080825

Russian Lawmakers Urge Statehood for Georgian Regions
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=a6FnOavAFN6U&refer=europe

karlof1 said...

Let's try this thought experiment. Russia and China agree to a 5 year contract for delivery of Russian oil to fill its strategic petroleum reserve that results in 50% of Russia's exports leaving the market as of 1 January 2009. China will continue to buy oil in ever increasing volumes from its usual suppliers and the spot market. This would meaan the exit of about 3 Mbpd of supply from the market. Would the price of oil come close to reaching the recent prediction of the Yukos CEO--$250? He's been very dogmatic about his prediction, as if he knows something we don't. China is busilly construting its SPR, but has yet to start filling it.

I put forth this little experiment because Russia is behaving with a new found confidence; somewhat like Bush when he knew the fix was in for Iraq. An immediate protest would be that Russia has no pipeline to China capable of delivering such a volume. So maybe they will do something else to further push the US closer to bankruptcy and before the election. Something's gonna happen; I can feel it.

trevbus said...

With regard to the "Authorized Classification and Controlled Markings in US Intelligence" available from the FAS website, the four blacked out NSA codes on page 16 would include, from least to most secret:
MORAY
SPOKE
UMBRA

ref: "Secret Power" by Nicky Hager, p205

cornsilk said...

karlof1...

I agree that something is definitely in the air. And since Russia just this morning declared the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the post below about Venezuela makes a lot of sense.

Venezuela has apparently, in the last days, nationalized cement. The question of the linked essay asks, "Why cement? Why now?"

"While cement is used in residential and commercial construction to some extent, the hands down largest uses of it involve transportation and/or military applications."

"The Chavez administration’s relationship with Washington has soured - a goodly portion of the blame for THAT was initiated from the DC side, but Chavez HAS strengthened his ties with the Castro brothers in Cuba, fostered a new friendship with Ahmadinejad in Iran, and cozied up to Putin and Medvedev. A recent BILLION dollar arms/ munitions sale was just inked between Moscow and Caracas. This follows on top of sales from the Russians of four times that amount in recent years since Venezuela was denied access to needed replacement parts for all their US made armaments."

"The placement of a missile 'defense' system in Czechoslovakia and Poland has greatly angered the Russians. Are they now looking for a quid-pro-quo counterbalancing placement in Cuba, or Venezuela?"

http://www.financialsense.com/ed.../2008/ 0825.html

Remember the saying: Nothing is coincidental.

karlof1 said...

Hi cornsilk--IIRC, it was Chavez who said cement production is strategic during his comments on the act. There was also his recent act designating the Orinoco Special Development Zone.

I would argue that Russia is trying very hard to use asymetric actions that cost little monies in response to US provocations as it learned about capital conservation the hard way during the 1980s. Along with the "energy card," Russia also holds a more general "resource card," which means the "West" is dependent upon it, not vice-versa. In another venue, I have put forth the thesis that the US is after Siberia for the same reason it went after and got 1/2 of Mexico. Yes, it sounds insane, but when were Imperialsit megalomaniacs ever sane? (I could also argue on very soild ground that the history of post-WW2 US policy amounts to Imperialist megalomania, so it needn't be a single individual megalomaniac, but a doctrine of such; somewhat along the lines of what Chomsky calls the doctrinal system.) Such a thesis is entirely possible when one remembers what the goals are for the PNAC and Big War.

Jenna Orkin said...

Tyler Havlin has left a new comment on your post "Georgia Update August 24, 7:30 PM, PDT":

Mexico's Cantarell oil output falls again in July

http://www.peakoil.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=42142

karlof1 said...

Mr Medvedev has had his reasoning for Russia's recognition of Abkazia's and S. Ossetia's published here.

Chris XVX said...

Jenna,

Since Mike has always and especially recently has mentioned Gold, I provided a link to a radio show that he can listen to for free. The host's name is Richard Martin and he has a pretty good grasp on the economy but has always been bearish on Gold and thinks in will go alot lower...

http://martin.progressiveradionetwork.org/
Wake-Up Call - 8/18/08

D! said...

Another middle finger from Russia:

"The RS-12M Topol, designed to dodge defence systems, has a range of 6,125 miles — enough to reach Britain — with a 550-kiloton warhead capable of devastating a 14-mile wide area."

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1621970.ece

Jenna Orkin said...

from 'businessman'


I've been reading reports from around the world about joint Naval operations being conducted between the U.S. and other countries, including Brazil and France. It's been referred to as "Operation Brimstone" by different sources.

In addition, the U.S. House of Representatives Bill H.CON. RES 362 mentions some very strong objectives in it. Here is an excerpt from the Bill, which has now been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs:

"The President [shall] initiate an international effort to immediately and dramatically increase the economic, political, and diplomatic pressure on Iran .... prohibiting the export to Iran of all refined petroleum products; imposing stringent inspection requirements on all persons, vehicles, ships, planes, trains, and cargo entering or departing Iran; and prohibiting the international movement of all Iranian officials not involved in negotiating the suspension of Iran's nuclear program."

In addition, the Bill also calls for the President to impose sanctions on the Central Bank of Iran.

Here are links to two different articles on these subjects:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0808/S00204.htm

http://www.payvand.com/news/08/aug/1127.html

Rice Farmer said...

Kind of a sidelight on this incident, but the cluster munitions used in the Georgia conflict have been attributed to Russia. However, a Norwegian military expert claims that the cluster munitions used were Israeli-made, which would mean that they were used by Georgian forces since they are trained and armed by the US and Israel. A Norwegian friend is following up on this, so if he finds anything worth reporting, I'll post it here.