I wrote:
>
> This "contain Russia" lunacy was of course why the
> US
> supported the Talibs. Slight geopolitical
> miscalculation there. Whoops!
>
Note the date on this letter by Russia analyst guy Ira Straus to JRL. Man, he must feel vindicated. By the way, this is why Russia encouraged the stans to allow US troops into them. (It did not "acquiesce" in them, even though people keep saying it with zero evidence -- it encouraged them.)
From: IRASTRAUS at aol.com (Ira Straus) Date: Wed, 7 Jul 1999 Subject: U.S. shifts toward Russia on Taliban and India-Pakistan
The U.S. shift on Taliban and on India-Pakistan -- a step toward Russia By Ira Straus
The U.S. adoption of sanctions against Taliban is an important geopolitical shift. So is the G-8 statement supporting India against Pakistan. They provide an opportunity for rebuilding U.S.-Russian relations in a serious way, not just putting a good face on things, after all the damage that has been done in recent years.
The sanctions put the U.S. implicitly on the same side as Russia in Afghanistan. A sound next step would be for the U.S. make an explicit statement that it is placing itself on Russia's side.
Potentially, there is a tripartite US-Russia-India alignment in the making here (US being used as a stand-in for the West as a whole).
Realigning decisively in Afghanistan to the side of Russia would mean joining Russia in support of the resistance forces in northern Afghanistan -- forces that might contribute significantly to bringing down Taliban, unlike the meager U.S. sanctions which are not expected to accomplish anything real. It would also have the effect of finally allaying the Russian fears -- fears that were too often justified in the past -- of Western policy in the region.
Russia has regarded Taliban as the worst Islamic fundamentalist regime in the world, and the most dangerous one for Russia itself -- a view that has had some merit, since Taliban, alone among Islamicist regimes, has provided an active base of support for Islamicist militants in Central Asia. For too long, Western policy seemed to be aimed at isolating Russia even if it meant swallowing Taliban. If the US were to correct this mistake publicly, it would go a long way toward defusing the Russian suspicions that have been building up ever since the end of 1991 about the goals of the West vis-a-vis Russia.
Rest here:
http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/3383.html##9
Nu, zayats, pogodi!
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