Iran has been working on becoming a member of the "nuclear club" for quite awhile. Recently they seem to have become more belligerent and I think desperate. This is perhaps an indication that they feel an attack by the United States or Israel is more likely than ever or the best defense is an offense. Iran has always been the prize, not Iraq. I also believe this ‘desperation’ may be seen in Iran’s recruitment of suicide volunteers. #msg-3236147
Iran, which owns the Caspian's southern shores, is the most awkward country in the region for the US: American oil companies have yet to find a way there.
Not in a hurry to send troops but we are encircling Iran. The problem is securing Iran’s northern border. #msg-3097785
Now you have me wondering if Russia is also behind the PKK uprising in Turkey. There is the matter of the United States and the Black Sea bases and Turkey’s remark that not only Russia has the right to be present in the Caucasus.
Kurdish Separatists End Ceasefire in Turkey, Foreigners Warned #msg-3209626
PKK kills two in southeast Turkey Saturday, June 12 2004 @ 05:59 AM Central Daylight Time
Russian government does not trust the steps that Turkey has been taking, such as «The Caucasus Security Agreement» signed by Turkey and Georgia, which claims «with no superfluous diplomacy» (as Russian sources put it) that not only Russia has the right to be present in the Caucasus. #msg-3320358
Hürriyet: UNITED STATES WANTS INCIRLIK BASE Turkish Deputy Chief of General Staff Ilker Basbug announced that the United States demanded that Turkey should make some facilitation for bases in Incirlik town of southern Adana province and central Konya province. Basbug hinted that Washington was taking pulse related with establishment of three new sea bases in the Black Sea. Replying to questions of reporters, Basbug said, "we have received some request from the United States. We are working on them." Basbug noted that there was no need for a parliamentary decision to meet some of these demands within the scope of Defense and Economic Cooperation Agreement (DECA). Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he had not received any demand for Incirlik base.
Agreed, like N. Korea you think Iran is working very closely with the Russians on the propaganda front when it comes to nuclear issues, so do I. But when it comes to China and North Korea the Japan factor changes things. This is something I did not consider, China’s preference for a neutral Japan.
China's support for North Korea has backfired. What would China prefer to see -- a Japan armed with nuclear weapons, or Japan's alliance with the United States strengthened by its participation in missile defense? In Beijing, neither option has much appeal. But in relation to Japan, China has been hoisted with its own petard.
That's because a sea change in Japan's security outlook is being wrought by China's quasi-ally, North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is rattling his missiles and bragging that he has nuclear weapons. Not surprisingly, Japan is rapidly abandoning its long-standing delusion that its security problems can be ignored, or left to others to resolve.
No doubt, China would prefer a neutral Japan that it could dominate by virtue of size, proximity and demographic weight. Indeed, immediately after the Cold War, that outcome seemed possible. Many Japanese were inclined to think that "it's all economics now," and thus saw no danger in deferring to China as East Asia's rapidly rising economic power. Moreover, "multilateralism" became the code word for those who urged greater independence from America. That played into Beijing's hands by suggesting that U.S. alliances in East Asia were no longer needed. #msg-3106234
Thus we have the United States urging Japan to rethink its collective defense ban. #msg-2705842
Meanwhile, another defense official said he was not sure if a missile defense system Japan and the United States are to introduce can be guaranteed to intercept ballistic missiles fired from North Korea or other potentially hostile countries, at least initially. http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040328wo41.htm
What one must consider is Chinese missiles are believed to be capable of hitting U.S. military bases in Okinawa, Japan. #msg-3214603
Therefore Japans defensive measures are not only the consequence of North Korea’s nuclear program but also China’s agenda.
N.Korea's Kim May Visit Russia This Month-Report Thu Jun 17, 2004 01:04 AM ET
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may visit Russia this month, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported on Thursday, quoting sources in Beijing.
The sources told Yonhap Kim's visit could start around June 28 and was likely to be to the Russian Far East because he travels by train rather than plane. Russia shares a tiny border with North Korea.
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