I expect it will strengthen over time, since both governments want it.

Just look at how Germany and Russia faced down the vituperative opposition of the US, Poland, and the Baltic States over the Nord Stream gas pipeline. The USG positively *hated* the thing, since it undercut Ukrainian and Polish leverage over Russia back when both governments were run by Russia-haters (Yushchenko and the two Kaczynkys). We sometimes overlook the strong tradition of German-Russian cooperation, going back to Tauroggen.

I posted the entire series, single part in one film from a Chinese stream video sites...

http://www.austereinsomniac.info/blog/2010/2/13/russian-godfathers-series.html

Replies: @kovane

The documentary itself was produced by a Jacob Rothschild owned production company for the BBC hence leaving out all the nasty details about the Oligarchs and portraying Khoderkovsky as the persecuted democrat neglecting to mention he was the frontman for Rothschild in London who ran the rigged privatisation auction which created YUKOs and the Menetap Bank located in the Isle of Man British tax haven transfering about $500 million to avoid paying taxes.

Actually that documentary series got an award here in Britain.

@AG

The Purim story ends with a Jew being reinstituted in the position of VP to the Persian emperor. Did you read the story? It's simply not about it. Purim is a story of a court intrigue.

And Netanyahu can appear on the US TV every single day. He is by far not the only leader in the Middle East who is preoccupied with the Persian nuclear program, but unlike others he does not share borders with Iran, nor has territorial disputes with the Persians, nor has a Shia minority in his country. The moment Velayat e Faqih finishes its career in Iran, Iran and Israel will happily forget about each other. These days the concept is not endorsed even by Shia Ayatollahs in Iraq and actually anywhere in the Shia world. Iran's Islamic Revolution can no longer be exported even to Shia countries around, it has become a historic anachronism that outlived its purpose.

"I suspect you probably know this already, and are engaging in “hasbara.” (see link below).
http://www.counterpunch.org/cook07212009.html

Judging by the quality of you “hasbara,” (propaganda), you’re most likely new at this game."

This is too silly even by you standards. Well, what can I tell you....hmmm... But basically you are right, you are surrounded by Mossad agents from all sides. They are watching your every single step. So ... Behave ...

:D :D

Replies: @Alexander G

"Alexander G says
As far as our Arab allies are concerned, I'm sure they were equally displeased when Israel acquired nuclear weapons, but life goes on, and we still buy their oil."

Arabs don't care so much for Israel's nuclear weapons, which officially Israel don't even have. In the Arab perception, Israel's territorial ambitions, if they exist, don't extend beyond the already half evacuated by Israel West Bank, which is a tiny piece of wasteland devoid of any strategic or economic importance. Iran's nuclear program, however, has already spawned at least six parallel programs in the Arab world.

Another thing is that Israel's existential paranoia notwithstanding, Israel is a mini state surrounding by Arab nations, has a significant Arab minority, is hosting Islam's third holiest site and, as rumors in the Middle East have it, is targeting with its nuclear warheads Mecca and Medina as an option of last resort. No regime in the region, let alone a regime run by Muslim clerics, is very likely to dare to consider dropping a nuclear bomb on Israel.

One should also understand that contrary to the nonsense you and Larius are spewing here all over the place, Israel does not have any real issues with Iran as Israel and Iran are separated by two thousand kilometers. There is no real historic precedence to the obsession of the current regime in Tehran with Israel. If anything, one of the Persian emperors is accorded a messiah like status in the Bible for restoring Israel after the exile in Babel and rebuilding the grand temple. The Romans during their campaigns in the Middle East have habitually and correctly suspected Jews of being sympathizers and agents of Rome's Persian rivals. Israel used to have full relations with Iran during the Shah.

On the other hand, the Arab Persian rivalry is a thousand years old and continues unabated to these very days. It includes everything from an Arab minority in Iran that occasionally together with Kurds and Baloch stage uprisings against the Persian rule to territorial conflicts. Territorial conflicts are ranging from Iran's occupying presumably Arab land to territorial incursions into Iraq and occasional musings that Bahrain is actually not an independent Arab state but one of the Persian provinces. Never mind Arab suspicions that Iran is heavily involved with the restless Shia minorities across the region. http://www.stratfor.com/memberships/148952/analysis/20091116_iran_naval_deployment_and_houthi_rebellion

The anti Israel obsession of Tehran will be over the very moment this regime, which is already showing cracks all over the facade, goes away. But the Arab Persian conflict will probably continue for another millennium. Under these conditions the Saudis and Emiratees have been apparently offering China to replace one million of foreign workers in the Gulf with Chinese in exchange for China's support for action against Iran. This year more Saudi oil was sent to China than to the US. If America continues to delude itself that Iran's nuclear program is Israel's problem, nobody should be surprised when America's Arab proteges in the region start shopping around for a better patron.

Replies: @Anonymous

It will be too costly for Israel to be simple punishment - lost planes, captured pilots, Iranian missiles hitting Israel, emboldened Hizbollah, eroding support for Israel and increasing support for Iran in western Europe...
But if the price is keeping US involved in Middle-East, it definitely is not too high. And if US seems to try to distance itself, it has to be forced to chose sides - thus the need of conflicts now and then.

"Alexander G says:
August 23, 2010 at 1:09 pm

I don’t think its possible to really stop Iran from acquiring nuclear capabilities by bombing them?"

I would like to stop this parade of silliness. May I? It would take the US exactly one day to burn to the ground all Iran's refineries and power stations bringing the country to a total halt. The sanctions against gasoline imports to Iran are already in place. The state of Iran's economy is dire, it's absolutely unprepared to handle such confrontations. As long as the US is not committed to bringing democracy to the Middle East and engaging in nation building projects in the region, it's unstoppable. The US Arab allies in the region, which basically include major Arab countries in the Middle East, have already let it be known, that co-existence with the nuclear Iran is not an option for them at all and they expect America to take action. Given the near total dependence of the US on petroleum imports and escalating competition between it and China for access to natural resources, the US should better heed their advise.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,706445,00.html

If Obama's advisors think they can drive a "wedge" between Putin and Medvedev by courting the latter, then they are idiots. There aren't many things I'm sure of in politics but this is one of them.

Replies: @Alexander G

A book I think you would enjoy (if you haven't read it already) is Paul Klebnikov's Godfather of the Kremlin. Klebnikov (who is unfortunately dead, as he was an exceptional journalist and admirable man) wrote a scathing indictment of the scum (as you have aptly called them) who were ruling Russia.

I'll be sure to tell you if I think of anything else (feel free to email me if you want; my email is on my blog), but the truth is that there is precious little in English that actually is fair and honest about Putin. Most of what's out there is just drivel about how Putin is an evil ex-KGB agent who's bent on making Russia into the neo-USSR and dominating the world.

I second Natalie, Paul Klebnikov's book is a great choice. If you don't want to read the book, there's this article of the same name.
If you want unadulterated cynicism, read Wilson's Virtual Politics. If you want something more academic and centrist, Herspring's and Wegner's After Putin's Russia (ignore the atrocious choice of title!).
You'll find quite a few (pro-Kremlin) articles on the oligarchs in this section of the site.