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

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

> >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>