Re-Building the Eastern Bloc

In recent years, Russia and China have worked together economically and militarily through the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. most of the “former” Soviet Union’s central Asian vassals are involved, while Iran, Nepal, India and Pakistan are observers, or have indicated they plan to join.

Rest assured though readers-the Russians promise that SCO will not become a “military alliance”.

From Novosti


NARO-FOMINSK (Moscow Region), June 1 – Russia will hold a counterterrorism military exercise with China and other members of the “Shanghai Six” in August, the Ground Forces commander said Friday.

“The main [of the six international counterterrorism exercises planned for the year] will be a joint exercise of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in August,” a regional grouping dominated by Russia and China, Army General Alexei Maslov said.

The exercise will be held in the Russian Urals and will involve 500 vehicles from Russia and China, about 2,000 Russian and 1,600 Chinese personnel, a company (around 100 men) from Tajikistan, and smaller units from other members, including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the general said.

While China has yet to decide how its troops would be transited through Kazakhstan, he has already suggested an alternate route directly across the Sino-Russian border in the Far East.

Officially, the SCO focuses on fighting drug and arms trafficking, terrorism and separatism. Although it has conducted a number of joint military exercises since 2003, Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov earlier this month reassured critics concerned about SCO countering U.S. and NATO influence in resource-rich Central Asia, saying the grouping would not turn into a military bloc.

Russia also held its first-ever joint military exercise outside the SCO framework with China in 2005, several exercises with SCO observer nation India, and has raised the prospect of the other two SCO observers Pakistan and Iran participating in such exercises in the future.

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7 thoughts on “Re-Building the Eastern Bloc

  1. Steve, you have no gall to suggest what a “wonderful guy” the likes of Hugo Chavez really is. Chavez is misusing Venezuelan democratic process to promote his brand of totalitarianism. I’m pretty sure you folks would rather complain about how Bush is doing it with the Patriot Act or other sort of anti-terror measures, but I guess it’s okay for you to bash Bush, but to praise Chavez who is closely aligning himself with Fidel Castro and other brutal dictators around the globe such as Robert Mugabe.

    And should I also tell you Steve that Anatoliy Golitsyn was a high-ranking Soviet KGB defector who came to the West with a warning? But I guess with your lack of logic, you are certainly rooting for the Moscow-Beijing military pact. You can’t stand free societies that elect leaders like Bush, but then go to other societies such as Venezuela, where Hugo Chavez misuses that prviledge to promote his totalitarianism.

    Don’t go come around me Steve of how I am a “fascist”, a “holocaust Nazi”, when you are certainly blind by the mental disease of totallitarianism that you always side with the most totalitarian candidates. I don’t care if it’s Chavez or his buddies in Moscow and Beijing. You would instead of believing Putin or Hu to be threats and replace them with Dubya and Dick, wouldn’t you?

    You’re nothing more than a blatant Useful Idiot for Putin and Hu’s scheme for conquest.

  2. Hey boys, no need to stick your heads in the sand. Colectivism is on the comeback. Socialism is in the future. This is not just nutty talk but the way things are going to be within our lifetimes. Well, unless you are rich enough to be above it. In that case things might be about the same. However, if I were you, I Just wouldn’t count too highly on that option becoming a reality.

  3. Listen hypocrite – who elected Chavez – Pasadena Boy Scouts ? You do your nuts about him, and the people of Venezuela, democracy notwithstanding.

    They have repeatedly given a democratic result that “you” and your tin soldiers don’t like. So it’s all different. You spit your dummy. Hypocrite ! Egocentric, inward looking idiot.

    You’ve even started to get mouthy about domestic NZ politics. Please declare your choice. Death knell for whoever you choose.

  4. Mah, I acknowledge that you’re getting marginally more rational than you are generally but still you live with this historical hatred. This is a problem in the “modern” world.

    Surely, if even the Chickenhawk (not noted for tolerance of spare rib marinade different from that which is “de rigeur” in Crawford) can actually engage in dialogue with nations, it’s not up to you to militate for a “Crusades” approach to life.

    What hapened to you early on my friend ? And don’t tell me you were there during the Boxer Rebellion. I’d have to say you were bullshitting again.

    Thank Christ there’s no pluto’ in your home lab. Being a fanatic you’d have nuked that cheeky black kid who stuffed your newspaper back to front in your letter box, and his family, well, 50 times by now !

    Give The World a break you fanatical, hate filled fool.

    Oh, PS – wonder how that wee girl running down Jalan whatever, you know the one in the famous advertisment for American “kindness” in Vietnam, body covered in napalm, feels about the freedom loving US ? Got no feelings about that, you guppy ? Especially when it was patently representative. And 56,000 Americans went to their graves in the whole pointless madness.

    You like that ? It was cool was it ? 56,000 ? Just so you could yell “Im close, I’m close !”

  5. Steve, have you read New Lies for Old by Anatoliy Golitsyn? With your illogical responses to any of my posts or to any one who disagrees with you is the answer is going to be no.

    You Steve believe how Dubya and Dick are the “graeter threats” to “world peace”. Where were you when nearly 150 million innocent people died because of Soviet-style Communism in Russia? Where were you when 200 million people died because of Communism in China and that same horrible foundation continues to exist today? You believe that free societies that elect people like Dubya and Dick are societies that are a “greater threat” to “world peace” but say zip about all the totalitarian societies out there?

    Where were you Steve when human rights groups came out about reports of human rights abuse in Vietnam under the Communist Party of Vietnam where religious circles of variations kinds and other political parties were beaten? That’s the sort of government you allowed to come to power when you attacked how “horrible” the U.S. was to Vietnam but never gave the same sort of anger toward the regime(s) that followed suit?

  6. I think there’s a distinct “possibility” of a “likelihood” revealed in your wise anticipations Mah Mah……thanks heaps for the early warning.

    I shall don my Bloomingdales leaden suit within the hour. Would be just like that martian-faced Putin’s crappy 50s technology to fail and have a few tons of pluto’ land fair on top of my happy little Animal Farmlet tucked away here in Nice Northland Nooo Zeee’.

    I mean, it would have to be down to sucky solenoids though.

    I know Putts wouldn’t nuke me on purpose. I’m too valuable and staunch a comrade for him to do it deliberately. My possums and stoats are very committed, very bright, and together we control the South Pacific on Puttie’s behalf.

    Can you imagine if there was just you and me left in The World after the onset of The Nuclear Winter Mah ? Be similar to but not the same as marital union with Phyllis Diller – heaps of screeching but no laffs. And such arguments about which day the sabbath !

    I’d have to be watching you like a (Chicken) Hawk. I just know you’d covet my suit. Very smart it is, double breasted, buttonhole, two pairs of trousers.

    Ka Kite Apopo Bro’.

  7. I am certianly wondering what is Putin’s real plans with Iran and the U.S. missiles heading into Central Europe (i.e. Czech Republic). I am pretty sure Putin doesn’t want the U.S. to have any presence in any of his “former” blocs.

    More likely, he may want to use this as an issue to bind more time for Iran so that Iran can use a ICBM likely the new “Satan” one, Iranian modified of course and use it against Western Europe at a future date in time with a nuclear warhead likely attached to it.

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