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Russia and Central Asian Allies Conduct War Games in Response to US Threats |
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by Michel Chossudovsky GlobalResearch.ca Entered into the database on Friday, August 25th, 2006 @ 17:38:50 MST |
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Barely acknowledged by the Western media, military exercises organized
by Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan under the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation, (CSTO) were launched on the 24th of August. These war games,
officially tagged as part of a counter terrorism program, are in direct response
to US military threats in the region including the planned attacks against Iran.
The Rubezh-2006 exercise, is scheduled to take place from August 24-29 near
the Kazak port city of Aktau: "It will be the first joint military exercise undertaken by CSTO countries,
and will involve 2,500 members drawn from various armed services of member
states, with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan the principal participants.
Uzbekistan, which has recently rejoined the CSTO, will send observers, while
the two other pact members, Belarus and Armenia, will not be taking part .(
IPWR News
Briefing Central Asia) Press reports from the region describe these war games as a response to US
military presence and ambitions in Central Asia: "The growing militarisation is connected with mutual mistrust among
countries in the region, say analysts. Iranian media have speculated that
the United States is using Azerbaijan to create a military counterweight to
Iran on the Caspian. It is possible that the exercise conducted by the CSTO
– in which Russia is dominant – represents a response to concerns
about United States involvement in developing Kazakstan’s navy. Observers
say Russia is leaning more and more towards the Iranian view that countries
from outside should be banned from having armed forces in the Caspian Sea."
Experts say the US is trying to step up the pressure on Iran, as well as
to defend its own investments in Azerbaijan and Kazakstan. It is also trying
to guarantee the security of the strategically vital Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline. A military presence on the Caspian would give the United States an opportunity
to at least partially offset its weakening influence in Central Asia, as seen
in the closure of its airbase in Uzbekistan, the increased rent it is having
to pay for the Manas base in Kyrgyzstan, and the diplomatic scandal that resulted
in the expulsion of two Americans from Kyrgyzstan. According to analysts, genuine security in the region can be achieved only
if the military interests of all five Caspian countries are coordinated. At
an international conference in Astrakhan in July 2005, Russia proposed the
formation of a Caspian naval coordination group, but to date the initiative
has not had much of a response.(Ibid) Iran War Games coincide with those organized by the CSTO The entire region seems to be on a war footing. These CSTO war games should
be seen in relation to those
launched barely a week earlier by Iran, in response to continued US military
threats. These war games coincide with the showdown at the UN Security Council
and the negotiaitons between permanent members regarding a Security Council
resolution pertaining to Iran's nuclear program. "They are taking place
within the window of time that has been predicted by analysts for the initiation
of an American or of an American-led attack against Iran" (see Mahdi
Darius Nazemroaya, Global Research, 21 August 2006): "War games and military exercises are now well underway within
Iran and its territory. The Iranian Armed Forces—the Regular
Armed Forces and the Revolutionary Guards Corps—began the first stage
of massive nationwide war games along border areas of the province of Sistan
and Baluchistan1 in the southeast of Iran bordering the Gulf of Oman, Pakistan,
and NATO garrisoned Afghanistan to the east on Saturday, August 19, 2006. These
war games that are underway are to unfold and intensify over a five week period
and possibly even last longer, meaning they will continue till the end of September
and possibly overlap into October, 2006". (Ibid, emphasis added) While Iran is not a member of the CSTO, it has observer status in the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO), of which China is a member. The SCO has a close relationship to the CSTO. The structure of military alliances
is crucial. In case of an attack on Iran, Russia and its CSTO allies will not
remain neutral. In April, Iran was invited to become a full member of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization (SCO). Sofar no concrete timetable for Iran's accession
to the SCO has been set. This enlargement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,
which also includes observer status for India, Pakistan and Mongolia counters
US military and strategic objectives in the broader region. Moreover, China
and Russia, which are partners in the SCO also have a longstanding bilateral
military cooperation agreement. In August 2005, China and Russia conducted joint
militart exercises. The conduct of the CSTO war games must be seen as a signal to Washington that
an attack on Iran could lead to a much broader military conflict in which Russia
and the member states of the CSTO could potentially be involved, siding with
Iran and Syria. Also of significance is the structure of bilateral military
cooperation agreements. Russia and China are the main suppliers of advanced
weapons systems of Iran and Syria. Russia is contemplating the installation
of a Navy base in Syria on the eastern Mediterranean coastline. In turn,
the US and Israel have military cooperation agreements with Azerbaijan and Georgia.
In recent developments, China and Kazakhstan have initiated war games (August
24, 2006) under the auspices of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
These war games are being held concurrently with those conducted under the CSTO,
which are also being held in Kazakhstan. India-Russia military Cooperation India and Russia have signed on August 20th, a farreaching military cooperation
agreement. Although not officially directed against the US, the purpose of this
agreement is understood. The two countries have "agreed to focus on joint
war games in services-to-services interaction, joint development of new weapons
systems and training of Indian military personnel", (Press Trust of India,
21 August 2006). Michel
Chossudovsky is the author of the international best seller
"The Globalization
of Poverty " published in eleven languages. He is Professor of
Economics at the University of Ottawa and Director of the Center for Research
on Globalization. His most recent book is America’s
"War on Terrorism", Global Research, 2005. (This book also
provides a detailed analysis and review of fake intelligence and the terror
alerts). _______________________ Read from Looking Glass News Beating
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