Cedarford, NATO is as scary as a troop of Boy Scouts. They couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag. Russia knew damn well what the ABM was for, their Iranian buddies nukes and ICBMS aimed at Europe, as Iran assumes the role of Europe’s Muslims “protector.”
What’s left out of your little tale is the deal Putin cut with Iran and AQ after Beslan. They laid off assistance to the Chechens. He pulverized (eventually) Chechnya. In return, Russia was useful to Iran and AQ, providing the former with protection and nuclear assistance. The latter with useful intel and training.
Russia’s only hope of being an irrelevant obscurity conquered by China and/or Muslims from the South is setting the Muslim world against America in nuclear exchanges and play LAST MAN STANDING. Which is Putin’s whole goal. Putin’s whole AIM is to get IRAN TO NUKE THE US. Kill a few US cities and let Iran get destroyed in return. Russia is the LAST MAN STANDING as a major military power.
There never was, and never could be, a “deal” with Russia or Putin that would have ever held. Russia was bound to produce a semi-competent leader who would realize that was his only strategic card. It is quite true Bush is lazy, stupid, and incapable of rallying the Nation to confront the threat of nuclear proliferation which is a mortal threat to our cities. But there never was a deal.
Pakistan? It’s a collection of tribes with a flag and nukes. That’s it. Looking for a long-term deal THERE was stupid as well. Stupid for Bush, stupid for Dems.
Iraq can be supplied by the SEA. Tit-for-tat, hit Putin’s Iranian buddies hard with air power to destroy their infrastructure. Recognize the independent nations of Baluchistan, Azeristan, and Arab-stan. Encourage the Baluchis in Pakistan as well to fight (give the Pakistanis a big freaking dose of their own medicine). Provide “military assistance” to the break-away regions, which are oil rich, and continue to keep Iran’s remaining regions (Persian) without power, roads, or communication. They can’t make nukes without all three, and though they spread everything out, that means each part is useless by itself. Moving them by bicycle and donkey won’t cut it either. Without oil, and the money it brings in, the whole regime of thugs collapses as the remaining Persians in a truncated Iran play “loot your neighbor.”
If we have to leave Afghanistan (and we will), make a pile of trouble and pain for EVERYONE ELSE. Leave Iran crippled and with the loss of provinces populated by non-Persians. Give Pakistan a going away present of a permanent raging insurgency of it’s own.
With an “American Doctrine” of automatic strategic response to Pakistan down to the village level, with the promise of no more Pakistanis left alive, should an American city be nuked. Then visibly create enough nukes “extra” just for that purpose.
