Politics | 02/04/2009 1:25 pm

Weight of the World: Iran, Kyrgyzstan Test Secretary Clinton

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

The world isn’t making Hillary Clinton’s life any easier.

The secretary of state held a press conference yesterday to discuss Iran, which, she says, she intends to deal with diplomatically. To a point. "President Obama has signaled his intention to support tough and direct diplomacy with Iran, but if Iran does not comply with the UNSC and the IAEA mandate, there must be consequences," Clinton said on Tuesday. And, as is their style, Iranian officials won’t be making Clinton’s job any easier — the state media reported yesterday that Iran launched its first domestically manufactured satellite into orbit, raising fresh concern that Iran’s looking to launch long-range missiles.

Besides the Middle East, Eastern Europe also has Washington worried.

Russia seems poised to expand its reach into former Soviet nations to curb the United States’ influence in the resource-rich region. Today, at a summit of the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russia, Armenia, Belarus and four Central Asian nations — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan — agreed to set up what’s being described as a "joint rapid reaction force." The move would boost the military dimension to the alliance, which, until now, has served mostly as a forum for security consultations. The AP reports:

The move would boost the military dimension to the alliance, which until now has served mostly as a forum for security consultations. The force is expected to consist of about 10,000 men and function under a central command. The alliance now has a rapid reaction force of about 3,000, but it is not under unified command. Kremlin foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko said Russian paratroopers would form the core of the force. Russia’s envoy to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, said Wednesday that Kyrgyzstan may host some of the newly formed rapid reaction forces at the base currently leased by the U.S. military.

The ex-Soviet summit comes one day after the president of Kyrgyzstan said he was closing a key United States air base in its territory. Kyrgyzstan President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said he and Washington failed to reach an agreement on what was a fair price to pay for its services, and has accepted a more promising offer from Russia. Russia has reportedly offered the country $2 billion in loans and other assistance — a move being described as a "risky political game."

Both Kyrgyzstan’s Bakiyev and Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev stressed that they would continue cooperating with Washington on Afghanistan. "No one is trying to evade responsibility," said Medvedev, who was also at yesterday’s press conference. "But the forms of cooperation are to be agreed with partners."

The U.S. military base in question, Manas Air Base, is a key supply center for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Moscow has lately become worried that the Western conduct of the operation has only increased instability in Afghanistan. Medvedev has suggested that Russia, China and their Central Asian allies should have a stronger say in efforts to restore peace in the war-torn nation. Meanwhile, the most recent actions could be looked at as a nasty blow.

"One could not have chosen a worst moment for such move," Alexei Malashenko of Carnegies Endowment for Peace think tank said.

Secretary Clinton definitely has her hands full.

63 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

yeah, a lot packed in there—-but a simple motive—-‘what-to-bleep’ IS the source of ‘disorder’, political or otherwise? as ‘S’ has shown up in Game Theory, Information Theory, etc., it’s hardly a simple Thermodynamic process—-something is going on that leads both individuals, societies to go awry over time—-didn’t mean to swamp ya—-it’s taken me 40+ years reading everything from abstracts to their source, like a bloodhound, tracking this down—-little wonder such would make ya ‘glaze over’—-apologies—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 02/05/2009 4:29 pm

e-mail alert

in hopes of relieving any ‘glaze-over’ i went looking for some ‘less-glazing’ data—-and more suitable to a politically astute soul, vs. myself. i found ‘Social Entropy’ on good ol’ wiki—-never expected such—-you may wish to take a look. oddly you’ll see a link to ‘peak oil’, that will intrigue you. and a very odd statement, ‘as creative intelligence rises, social adhesion falls.’ ???—-worth a look—-as it goes to politics vs. physics—-:)

By gulliver fourmyle on 02/05/2009 6:56 pm

e-mail alert

Throw more money at it—-answer to all Dems problems.

By Queenie . on 02/04/2009 8:38 pm

e-mail alert

not really, they simply have a better record of Life Over Money—-ya object to loot spent on kids vs. tanks? probably.

By gulliver fourmyle on 02/04/2009 9:18 pm

e-mail alert

OH then explain the increase in the size of government and government spending under Bush> and the 6 trillion dollar debt and financial debacle he let us in. Go right ahead—I’d like to hear your justification for this,

By f p on 02/05/2009 6:10 am

e-mail alert

That’s funny considering the Republicans out spent any previous Democratic administration by billiions, not to mentioned grew our government to a size never imagined. You Republicans better wise up and quit believing the myths you’re being fed by your Right Wing hacks… they’re getting rich off your ignorance, and meanwhile, you’re voting against your own best interests.

By DeBúrca obj on 02/05/2009 8:43 am

e-mail alert

there, you may see why i consider it some aspect of ‘disorder’ vs. ignorance—-and seek its source—-i feel it simplistic to note apparent ignorance of these people—-the question remains: why do they exhibit ‘disorder’ as voting vs. their clear interest—-‘something’ is going on, on a global scale, not just here—- perhaps ‘disorder’ ‘hits’ them as embryos—-becoming a life-time phenomena—-as ‘Chrons’ disease, autism? my second son, of a 100% Judaic mother, known Chrons risk-factor, did not even know his constant pain was not normal ‘till DXd at 30—-he assumed everyone simply endured such as part of life—-now, most of his stomach, intestines are gone, he wore a bag for 6 month’s—-but he feels much better—- my point? perhaps ‘S’ strikes many, prior to birth, leaving them ‘disordered-mentally’ to seeing their true interest. it’s always ‘easy-to-blame’ but hard to explain—-i turn to The Muse—-deliverer of truth via non-material (field) means—-She uses poetry/song and is easy to spot, if you look—-an example? Billy Joels song, ‘We didn’t start the fire, but it’s been burnin’ burnin’, since the world’s been turnin”. i say ‘it goes with the place’. and always will—-so we leave—-or die—-as Raymond Massey says, closing the magnificent movie, ‘Things To Come’—-‘All the Universe Or Nothing; Which Shall It Be?’—-

By gulliver fourmyle on 02/05/2009 9:53 pm

e-mail alert

Now, this is my kind of article. Reviewing the geopolitical implications of everything that is going on and Secretary Clinton at the helm. I can dig it. Must read more and learn more.

By Frannie Em on 02/05/2009 12:47 am

e-mail alert

It would have been better to have Condi Rice on this mission than Her Thighness Hillary. Condi is recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on Russian and ex-Soviet politics as well as speaking Russian fluently. Oh well.

By Steve Douglass on 02/05/2009 1:11 am

e-mail alert

take your rude sexist vernacular elsewhere bucko

By Buh- Bye on 02/05/2009 11:32 am

e-mail alert

Steve Respectfully, Condoleeza Rice is indeed a Russia expert, but it was under her time at State that Georgia got invaded by Russia. Russia is rising again and Iran has become an even bigger player in the Middle East. I believe that Sec Rice has done some noteworthy things, but I wouldn’t bring up the Russia thing.

By Frannie Em on 02/05/2009 10:03 pm

e-mail alert

i find it hard to buy anyone being expert on Russian politics, before, and certainly not since Putin—-she is not a master spook, he is. and it ‘takes-one-to-catch-one’—-let alone figure ‘what’s-up’—-as my minor was Russian, fluency gone over decades, and i have had numerous Russian friends—-for any academic to understand Russia’s very unique culture is mighty thin—-the Teutonic Knights, Napolean, Hitler—-all viewed Russians as ‘projections’ of ‘everyday-people’—-not so—-an odd bunch, by Western Euro thought—-or ours—- they’re very diffy, a ‘communal’ current has always been a mysterious aspect of Russia, vs. others—-and it endures, as a ‘super-organism’. there remains a huge sentiment to return to Marxism, would not surprise me—-why? the average Russian is no better off than before ‘The Fall’—-yet they now see not one Czar—-a huge rise in crime—-the thieves, as Marx warned, both prosper, and rule—-any opposition? ‘excuse my umbrella’? and the continuing horrors in a former stable state, at war, within these former parts? ongoing, as the Russian attempts to annex former ‘pieces’—-seems, given this odd historic ‘communal’ aspect of Russians a new revolution is a reasonable expectation—-perhaps ‘bloodless’, i doubt it. probable? no idea. Possible? yep—-they are different—-Western Euro? on the map you’d never guess—-but they are.

By gulliver fourmyle on 02/05/2009 11:30 pm