Eurasian Century?

Same picture because it is the same subject

Russia and China are becoming close pals and a lot of people are noticing.  The two countries just signed a $400 billion dollar natural gas deal (that looked doomed for a while), and they have military excersices planned.  The Russians do not seem too worried about being thrown out of the G8 for they seem more intersted in BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).  They are also sending new aid to Iran for the reactor that is being constructed much to Israel and the US angst.

Russia is performing her own "pivot"--going East



The United States is $17 trillion in the hole, has cut its military back, and is pivoting toward Asia to confront a huge China while a not quite as huge but still pretty big Russia is resurgent in Europe. 

There is an old Chinese curse: "May you live in interesting times." 

It is getting a little too intersting

This article sums it up well:

 http://rt.com/op-edge/160160-pipelineistan-brics-economy-deals/

Just follow the pipelines......

May 12!

Always a big day on the Haas calender!

It has been a busy month but a pretty good one!

This whole Ukraine thing is taking a turn for the surreal.  I don't think World War III is going to break out but this could still have some repercussions in the long run.

May 12 is the day I defeated The Citadel, graduating with two degrees despite threats of court-martial and lots of underhanded behavior on their part that violated their Honor Code both in letter and spirit. 

Ask for forgiveness and you will have it.

On the other hand, I don't see them doing that although they keep begging me for money.

I am not holding a grudge.

After all, I won :-)

Happy Easter!

HAPPY EASTER!

Russian-Chinese concert?

Between Russia's annexation of the Crimea and China's increasing assertiveness in the South China Sea and the Pacific in general, you begin to wonder if Moscow and Beijing are coordinating their actions.   Toss in Iran and you have another Axis powers.  If India remains faithful to their BRIC partners, you will have nearly a third of the world's population and a good chunk of its oil reserves in a bloc that encompasses most of Asia.

US SecDef Chuck Hagel was treated to a tour of China's first aircraft carrier and then bluntly told that "China cannot be contained."  The pivot to Asia is being seen by China as a threat but with Russia probing westward, that pivot might be a little slower and the downsizing US armed forces stretched out all over the world.

Sometimes,the world is a little too interesting....

Happy Greek Independence Day!

Gryos for everyone!

Blackout!

The lights went out on Saturday night for some reason.  No storm, no bad weather...just an exploding transformer!

The power was out for about an hour and it really sucked...LOL

Some philosopher, I think it was Aristotle, once said you should go one winter day without a coat so you appreciate it.  I went without an hour with electricity and you suddenly realize, especially at night, how much you need it.  Fortunately it was only for an hour but Michelle and I got to see a lot of stars that you usually don't see because of the city street lights.

The cats did not seem to mind.....

I am glad the Internet is back!

Russian takeover of Crimea

The Russians moved into Crimea and the whole world is looking at a Cold War rerun.

The whole thing started with the overthrow of the democratically elected government of Ukraine.  Granted it was unpopular and corrupt (sound familiar?), but it was democratically elected.  It was overthrown by a mob with a lot of border-line Nazi fanatics in it.  The Russians reacted by rolling into the Crimea where their Black Sea fleet is headquartered.  There is also a lot of bad blood between Ukrainians and Russian-speakers in the eastern Ukraine and Crimea.  The Russians saw a threat and reacted, like any other country would do when its interests are threatened.

Like the United States for instance.

In 1962, the Soviet Union placed nuclear weapons in Cuba, ninety miles from Miami.  The US imposed a blockade, called a quarantine, and threatened an invasion unless the Russians pulled the missiles out.  Now in 2014, the Russians see a threat on their doorstep.  And they reacted.

This is not to excuse anything but as Lord Palmerston once said, "Nations do not have friends, they have interests."

There is also the practical angle.

Do not screw around with a nuclear armed superpower on its front doorstep.  Remember 1962?

The Western press has also pointed out the 1994 agreement where the US, Russia, and Britain pledged to respect Ukraine's territorial integrity.  What they seem to forget is the US promise to the Soviet Union that when Germany war reunited in 1990, NATO would not expand past Germany.  The membership of Poland, Slovakia, and Czechia in 1999 violated that and the inclusion of the Baltic States in 2004 breached the old Soviet frontier, something Russia regards as her sphere of influence.  And we know what happened in 2008 in the CaucasusMountains with Georgia.  Now that I think about it, the situation reminds me of the justified US response to threats against Americans in Panama back in 1989.

Conclusion #1: Spheres of influence lead to stability

Conclusion #2: Look at issues from the other side.

With that in mind, I present the following article:
 http://news.yahoo.com/russia-west-were-good-guys-crimea-195700381.html?vp=1