There is a mounting body of evidence of a global alliance directed against the United States, running from Moscow to Tehran, Damascus and Caracas. United by hatred of America, funded by oil and narcotics revenues (including our own), and unanimous in their contempt for free societies, the leaders of Russia, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Bolivia publicly declare their intentions and demonstrate their resolve. Manhattan District Attorney, the legendary Robert Morgenthau, recently spoke of the Iranian-Venezuelan collaboration in very stark terms: “ [Iranian President Mahmoud]Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez have created a cozy financial, political and military partnership rooted in a shared anti-American animus.”
We know some of the consequences already. Secretive flights from Tehran to Damascus and thence to Caracas arrive at a special area in the central airport, where men disembark, are not checked by immigration authorities, and are given Venezuelan passports. Containers are unloaded and do not pass through customs. Similar secrecy attends the return flights. Neighboring countries believe that many of the men are officials of Hezbollah, who then fan out across the region (and perhaps across our southern border) to recruit foot soldiers for their expanding terror bases, and we know, thanks to a paramilitary operation by the Colombians at the beginning of the summer, that Chavez’ regime provided Swedish anti-tank missiles to the Colombian terrorist group FARC. We also know, thanks to years of hard work by the DEA and South American partners, that Venezuela is a major transshipment port for cocaine and other narcotics. The drugs are sent to Africa, and then to Europe, and finally into the United States.
There hasn’t been anything quite like this since the early days of the Second World War, when Argentina’s anti-democratic leaders, in league with like-minded tyrants in other South American countries, forged a secret alliance with Nazi Germany. As today, there were plans for military cooperation to aid anti-American groups all over the continent, with the ultimate aim of establishing control over South America. Both the United States and Great Britain had to devote considerable resources to thwart this scheme.
Today’s evil alliance is broader still, and you can see it easily. Chavez was just in Iran, where he announced that Venezuela would provide Iran with gasoline (and it’s a safe bet that other deals and promises were made). From Tehran and Mashad he went on to Moscow. When he gets back to his own continent, he will no doubt talk with his comrades to explain their next steps. As Morgenthau tells us, they are intent on enabling Iran to launder money, which in turn is closely connected with weapons purchases, drug smuggling, and terrorist finances.
You can see the machinations in several intriguing stories that have appeared in the past few days, all having to do with Russia and Iran.
Russia has begun deliveries of Pantsir S1 air-defense missiles to Syria, some of which are expected to be passed on to Iran, Syria’s strategic ally that has largely bankrolled the deal, according to the Interfax-AVN military news agency.
Interfax quoted Yuriy Savenkov, deputy director general of the Instrument Design Bureau, or KBP, as saying that deliveries started several weeks ago. KBP produces the Pantsir and other high-precision weapons.
Then there’s the very tantalizing story of the Russian weapons ship destined for Iran, that the Israelis snafu’d. The outstanding Israeli military journalist Ron ben Yishai reported that the Russian secret services hijacked their own ship, apparently after receiving warnings from the Israelis. When a Russian journalist started writing stories along that line, he was “warned,” ran from the country, and has no intention of going back.
In the middle of this affair, Israeli President Shimon Peres suddenly flew off to Moscow for a few hours. And just this past Monday, it seems that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu did the same thing. Both reportedly talked to the Russians about Iran.
Meanwhile, our man at the International Atomic Energy Agency came out and said that the Iranians can produce an atomic bomb most any time they wish, since they’ve got enough (low grade) enriched uranium on hand.
As usual, nobody really cares to add up all this information, because their sum comes quite close to a potential “end of the world” scenario. Russia and Venezuela and several other countries are now in cahoots to strengthen Iran (and its regional colony, Syria) in the Middle East and radical Marxist regimes in Latin America. The target of this conspiracy is the United States.
It’s a serious threat, and any sensible person would have to take it seriously, but we do not have sensible people in charge of our policies. When the president is not tied up lecturing school children on the importance of taking the high road, he’s “making history” by embracing the United Nations, or actively catering to our enemies, from sending back-channel messages to Tehran, to slapping sanctions on the legitimate government of Honduras in favor of a Chavez and Castro buddy.
We know that Obama does not particularly like America, but failing to respond to a threat of these dimensions, not to mention actively helping our enemies, is grave indeed. And the hell of it all is that the keystone of the whole anti-American structure–Iran–is clearly ready to be toppled. Supreme Leader Khamenei increasingly reminds me of Gorbachev in the days when I satirically suggested that he was a CIA agent. Gorbachev mastered the delicate art of attacking his opponents just enough to keep them furious, but not enough to crush them. Khamenei is now following his lead. In recent days, security forces have raided the offices of the two top dissident leaders, Mehdi Karroubi and Mir Hossein Mousavi. They arrested many top aides and innocent citizens, seized audio and video tapes along with computers and printed documents. Surely they know that there are copies of all that material, some of them safely outside the country. Mousavi responded by comparing Khameni to the late shah, which seems appropriate enough.
To get a sense of the atmosphere in Tehran these days, it suffices to know that when Karroubi’s office was raided, the chief security guy said to him, “This is the last time we will come and not arrest you.” Karroubi replied, “No need to wait, why don’t you arrest me now? It would be an honor.”
I’m impressed by that sort of response. I only wish that the feckless leaders of the West lived up to their job titles and gave the Iranian Green Wave the sort of support it so richly deserves. And not only for them. For us. That global conspiracy aimed at our destruction is for real.
It would have taken all the skills of the greatest espionage writer–Charles McCarry perhaps?–to have conjured up this conspiracy, but there it is, in black and white, obvious to anyone who takes the time to read.
The good news is that the American people get it. Here’s another very important headline from the last few days: “Smith & Wesson Reports 1st Quarter Results (Net Income Up 458%)”.
Dirty Harry is smiling.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member