Crossfire
War: Middle East - Central Asia: Teheran - Dushnabe - The Offensive
Spectrum
Willard Payne
2005/05/27
Night
Watch: TEHERAN -
Tajikistan
, represented by her Defense Minister Sherali Khairulloyev, conferred here
Saturday with his Iranian counterpart Rear Admiral Ali Shamkani, as
reported by IRNA. In an obvious signal to
Russia
and those who provide
Moscow
with her hard currency, principally
Berlin
, the two defense ministers signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on
expansion of defense cooperation between the two countries.
What
the international investment community must realize is that there is no
luxury of time anymore. The automatic response to serious warnings is
“Let’s wait and see what happens”. In the meantime serious
preparations
Iran
, and other Islamic countries are making for all out war are ignored.
Because of this extended visit the Council of Guardians know that
Russia
’s military base in
Tajikistan
, designed to monitor high orbital objects, is at extreme risk. So are the
investments and projections the industrialized world has made to develop
more of the regions vast resources. Teheran wants the development to
occur, but under their control. Unfortunately more realization will not
occur until the shooting becomes all out. A year ago it was somewhat
reassuring that the New York Times did mention that
Russia
can wage a defensive war.
This
visit may have led to the announcement by
Moscow
of the withdrawal of Russian units from the Afghan-Tajik border to a less
vulnerable position. The MoU calls for expansion of technical, logistics
and educational cooperation between the two nations. I assume the
educational part of the agreement really means training in use of
equipment.
Addressing
reporters, Shamkani said that under the MoU,
Iran
will help Tajik military personnel maintain and overhaul military
equipment, provide them with various educational courses in military and
enforcement of border guards. He continued that the expansion of defense
and military cooperation between countries in the region will deter
foreign forces who aim to find a foothold in the region on the pretext of
restoring security.
In
making reference to the visit by Khairulloyev as well as Shamkani’s
recent visit to
Baku
, on the Caspian Sea, he said the Islamic Republic of Iran has embarked on
confidence-building measures and expansion of defense and military
cooperation with Central Asian states and
Caucasus
to reduce the threats resulting from the ceding of military bases to third
countries. That could be a direct reference and threat to Allied bases in
Kyrgyzstan
,
Uzbekistan
and
Afghanistan
.
Tajikistan
’s defense
minister first visited
Iran
in 1999 and he remarked on how
Iran
has experienced, what he described, as a very successful scientific
breakthrough in the field such that it could be considered as among the
top military powers in the world.
Khairulloyev
was especially impressed by
Iran
’s advanced capabilities in military industries and that
Iran
had helped
Tajikistan
’s “juvenile” military industry to undergo significant development
among its counterparts in Central Asian states and reach the highest
defense capabilities. He also repeated
Iran
’s public posture of peaceful application of nuclear technology.
I
assume he will be given private access to
Iran
’s command and control centers of their military-industrial complexes,
constructed by Bechtel Group. During the Gulf War, 1990-91, the media
would be given a tour of the underground facilities Bechtel built for
Saudi Arabia
and they would mention the facilities were nuclear bomb proof. Bechtel no
doubt did no less for
Iran
. The day after the Gulf War ended CNN showed Bechtel’s
London
branch office, in Hyde Park, invited to
Iran
. Bechtel went through
London
to avoid the
U. S.
economic embargo.
During
the five-day visit the Tajik defense delegation, in
Iran
, will meet with a number of political and military officials to
familiarize themselves with the country’s defense industries and
capabilities. They are probably establishing an Islamic joint headquarters
in direct communication with other Islamic governments that are supporting
the Jihad.
One
of the first areas we may see their military cooperation is against
India
. The snows of
Kashmir
melt in May.
India
has complained regularly about militant bases inside
Pakistan
. A year ago one of the wire services reported there were 3,000 militants
poised to enter
Kashmir
. Eventually
New Delhi
will attack them.
Pakistan
has stated all along if that ever happens they will be forced to respond.
In December this site mentioned news that
Saudi Arabia
conducted ground forces maneuvers with
Pakistan
, inside
Pakistan
.
The
statements from Adm. Ali Shamkani are the boldest yet as to Iran and the
Jihad’s intention to control the Central Asian economy benefiting not
only them but other countries, like China, which have played such a
crucial role in Iran and Pakistan’s and other Islamic countries military
preparation.
Beijing
wants to see a weaker West,
Russia
and
India
since they often, throughout history, have had problems with all three.
These
meetings and exchanges fall within, quite naturally, the offensive
spectrum of Teheran - Dushanabe -
Riyadh
-
Ankara
-
Islamabad
-
Kuala Lumpur
. The Jihad is always offensive and today’s example has a very definite,
specific, economic agenda. The control of Central Asia’s raw materials,
remove
India
from any involvement with the pipeline through
Pakistan
and expand Islam’s hold over the raw materials of
Southeast Asia
.
If
Russia
had not become so massively corrupt, as she did right after the Cold War,
the assistance
Tajikistan
is now receiving would be coming through
Moscow
instead of Teheran. Fortunately Russian President Vladimir Putin, found by
Germany to put Russia’s budget back in Russia instead of Switzerland,
has been able to arrest a lot of the corruption and made Russia’s
decision making more responsible. Unfortunately he cannot recall all the
Russian scientists that went south when the
Soviet Union
broke up. I never found out how many.
We
are about to see the result of their capabilities that
Iran
purchased. The initiative is with
Iran
completely. A year ago the New York Times mentioned that not one Russian
air unit was fully operational. Hopefully the situation has improved since
then. This is why my most important suggestion to any investor in Eurasia
is to support
Russia
’s military industrially. To manufacture any spare part or equipment any
branch of
Russia
’s military may require.
During
the Beslan fighting last year the news showed a Russian soldier who ran
out of bullets. It wasn’t his fault. He had not been adequately
supplied.
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