Arkady's Thoughts

Outrageous?  Afraid not, according to Stratfor two leaks to two very reputable papers have established a disturbing piece of information;  Russian scientists are assisting the Iranians with nuclear weapon creation.  If these leaks are credible and they appear to be so, the situation with Iran has dramatically worsened.  While Iran was a mere nuisance in the Middle East, they have now catapulted themselves as a credible threat and a threat that must be dealt with.  There are several explanations and outcomes in the next year that could give us clues as to what might transpire. First, Russians were always wary of American presence in the region and understand that American bases tend to be built and seldom dismantled.  They also understand that Iraq was fought to gain dominance in the region and put pressure on rogue states to deal with their radical elements, arguably this is proving to be very effective and the Russians are worried.  What better way...

We live in interesting times and the job of POTUS is probably the most difficult and stressful task in the world. This is of course why so much emphasis is placed on elections, campaigns and public involvement. Obama rode in a wave of irrational popularity bolstered by the nation's vehement dislike of George W. Bush, a souring economy and the attraction to a youthful black male. A great many of us in the political "right" and "center" were put off by Obama as we began to learn about his experience, stances and dubious past. It appears, however, that some sense is starting to creep back into the American public although at a stubbornly slow rate. As of now, the most trusted pollster - Scott Rasmussen suggests that for the first time since Obama's election the number of people who greatly disapprove of Obama's performance outweigh those that greatly approve. Total approval is still outweighing the total disapproval by 9%. I trust Rasmussen more than a...

An ongoing story with the Iranian ship suspected of carrying weapons for Hamas has taken an interesting twist. Last week US released the ship after determining that the cargo was not intended for Hamas , despite the fact that Iran is in clear violation of a UN resolution preventing Iran from selling weaponry. The ship is now in the custody of Cyprus and according to the latest story from DEBKAfile and surprisingly from AsiaNews , Cyprus finds itself in a pickle. US who just let go of the ship is pressuring Cyprus to search the ship and take action. One might wonder why the United States is pressuring Cyprus to do a task, that could have been just as easily done last week. Consequently, Iran is threatening Cyprus with economic and possibly military retribution if the ship is not released immediately. Cyprus fears that if the ship is released, then Israel will be forced to intervene and handle this mess in ways Israel sees fit. This could have the potential of escalating already very t...

This is a story that the good folks over at the PatriotRoom are covering. Tthe gist of the story is as such; Iran's ship was stopped (by US/Egyptians) and it turns out that they are secretly smuggling about 60 tons of weaponry to Hamas . We are talking long ranged missiles, anti-tank weaponry, mines, machine guns, the whole lot. I bet they would find some explosive rigged camels if they search the ship thoroughly enough. Iran can send food, medicine, aid and clothing to the Palestinians, instead they choose to send war materiel. Where is the international pressure? Where? Where are the protesters who go and march in the streets bashing Israel at any opportunity? Why does Gaza need even 1 ton of weapons, let alone 60? Humanity is flipped on its head and it is frustrating. Lastly, Obama has to act on this. Currently the ship is in US/Egyptian control, but in order for them to act in any meaningful way there must be an order from the top. I await extremely strict and damaging rules/...

Remember when Putin invaded Georgia? Remember when Chavez called Bush the devil at a UN Conference? Remember when Ahmadinejad threatened to wipe Israel off the face of the earth? Remember when all of these guys mysteriously came out of the woodwork and rattled their sabres? Well, they were awash in petro dollars and were feeling pretty good about life when oil hit $147/barrel. Well now this torpid trio are singing a slightly different tune. News comes out of the UK suggests that while US maybe hurting, this economic recession has virtually sunk the economies of these countries. Mind you all three have been heavily investing into military expansions. Chavez was buying aircraft carriers, Ahmadinejad is developing nuclear weaponry and long range ballistics and Putin has been resurrecting his military might across all major disciplines. Of course they are all blaming America for their problems, but expecting them to admit that they have no economy what so ever and instead wasted ...