Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Russia Wants To Be More Involved With NATO In Afghan Planning

Russian ambassador to NATO Dmitry Rogozin (Photo from The Daily Mail)

Russia Seeks Afghan War Role as NATO Deaths Climb -- Bloomberg

Russia is seeking a role in planning NATO’s war in Afghanistan two decades after Soviet forces were ejected from the country.

As East-West ties improve under President Barack Obama, Russia wants to be involved in setting the political, military and intelligence strategy for the war against the Taliban, said Dmitry Rogozin, Russian ambassador to the alliance.

“We want to be inside,” Rogozin said, in English, in an interview in Brussels today. He spoke for the rest of the hour- long session through a Russian translator.

Read more ....

My Comment: I love how Bloomberg spins this story ....

.... as East-West ties improve under President Barack Obama, Russia wants to be involved in setting the political, military and intelligence strategy for the war against the Taliban ....

I would be very surprise if Russian Ambassador Dmitry Rogozin said this .... the Russian media/ punditry back in Russia are singing a different story. Their perception and altitude is that U.S. and NATO forces will be leaving Afghanistan when public opinion and the anti-war crowd start to make their feelings known ... which they expect will be soon.

Russia is more concerned on what a power vacuum would mean to them and to their border allies in the region. A Taliban/Al Qaeda Afghan Government would be a threat to them just as much as it would be a threat to us.

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