Once upon a time, Russia was our mortal enemy - then - out of the blue - they became our "new friends" : partners in the War on Terror...at least that's what People In The Know said.
In 1992, Congress passed legislation designed to help Russia dismantle its WMD programs , and , from 1993 to 1997, we pledged (and paid out) millions to help the Russians with this staggering task: aid that was greatly appreciated and wisely (?) used by our new friends to rebuild and improve upon their biological warfare program !
"The GAO reported in May 2000 that poor oversight of the CTR program and lax attitudes toward security allowed Moscow to divert aid directly to Russia's ongoing germ-warfare program - a program that is illegal under the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention. The Clinton/Gore administration spent $20 million on biological-research projects in Russia between fiscal 1994 and 1999 and planned to expand it elevenfold to $220 million between fiscal 2000 and 2004."
Fot the last three years , Russia has been complaining about the US Strategic Missile Defense program - apparently because , it it can be deployed sucessfully,it would eliminate the threat posed by...Russian Missiles !
Speaking of Russian missiles, an article in RIA Novosti - one of Russia's leading publications - quotes Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov , who reports Russia plans to buy 17 new ICBMs from its internal suppliers.( Russia has a "mixed" economy in which private capital participates in vital industries under government control.)
Russia now has - according to the Global Security website- approximately 20 nuclear Intercontinental Ballistic Missile facilities ,and it is presumed the new ICBMs now on order will replace older, less reliable missile stocks.
As you can see, the Russians are increasingly "loaded for bear" , and are our friends only when it suits them (translation: when they need our help).
I might add, there's nothing wrong with this attitude - as long as we understand it up front - and make the proper allowances for it .
Going a step further, there is -from what I read in the Russian papers-absolutely no reason we should be sending these folks financial assistance , as they seem quite solvent these days : thanks to sales of natural gas to Eastern Europe...and arms sales to just about anyone who has money.
The Russians are flexing their military muscles , but don't appear to be a threat to us at the moment. Should that situation ever change, the New "Russian Bear" could prove a very dangerous adversary !
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