[lbo-talk] Russians Sense the Heat of Cold War Intensifying U.S.Criticism of Government and Its Role in Region Provokes Resentment

Yoshie Furuhashi furuhashi.1 at osu.edu
Wed Apr 5 20:50:08 PDT 2006



> >Does Chris Doss care to comment?
> >
> >Jim F.
> >-----------------------------------------------
> >Russians Sense the Heat of Cold War
> >Intensifying U.S. Criticism of Government and Its Role
> >in Region Provokes Resentment
> >
> >By Peter Finn
> >Washington Post Foreign Service
> >Monday, April 3, 2006; A14
> >
> >MOSCOW -- In this city, it's beginning to feel like a
> >new Cold War, driven by what many people here see as
> >an old American impulse: to encircle, weaken or even
> >destroy Russia...
>
> Awaiting Chris's reply, I'll add my two cents: I don't think this
> cold war
> revival is being driven by Russophobia particularly. Now that
> wheels have
> come off GWB's anti-Islam jihad, the military-industrial complex needs
> another looming menace -- any menace at all -- pronto to keep the
> Pentagon's
> budget well stuffed. Russia seems the logical choice since,
> compared to the
> Bushian crusade, the cold war was easy to stage-manage.
>
> Carl

Take a look at Russia's main trading partners:

Exports $245 billion (2005 est.) Main partners Netherlands 9.1%, Germany 8%, Ukraine 6.4% Italy 6.2%, China 6%, U.S. 5%, Switzerland 4.7%, Turkey 4.3% (2004)

Imports $125 billion (2005 est.) Main partners Germany 15.3%, Ukraine 8.8%, China 6.9%, Japan 5.7%, Kazakhstan 5%, U.S. 4.6%, Italy 4.6%, France 4.4% (2004)

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Russia>

Russia's trade profile is far more diversified than China's <http:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_People's_Republic_of_China> and Brazil's <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Brazil>. That gives Moscow more room for independent action (regarding its periphery, Iran, Palestine, etc.).

Yoshie Furuhashi <http://montages.blogspot.com> <http://monthlyreview.org> <http://mrzine.org>



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