The US has never
allowed Putin to join the 'War on Terror' much in the same way it refuses to
allow China to access the TPP. Why? These 'moves' are essentially imperialist
in nature and are tools and cover utilized by the Americans to move against and
contain these foes.
The Chechen terrorists
have been permitted to operate out of Georgia and the Russians and others have
believed they have been supported by the US for many years.
Why bring up the
Chechens now?
For years their exile
community has fanned out across the Middle East with not a few living in Syria
and Jordan. The Sufi-style Islam found in Caucasus has been overshadowed by the
growth and export of Salafi-type movements. Radicalised members of the Chechen
exile community have had extensive contact with organizations the US has
labeled as terroristic. And yet this has little disturbed the US if these
Chechen Salafis and Jihadists go back to the Caucasus. At that point by
agitating Russia they serve US interests. Interestingly many Chechen fighters
seem welcome in US allied states like Turkey, Jordan and Qatar. They're not
hidden but openly embraced and supported. Russia knows something is up and
there's been a secret war of assassination that's been going on for years as
the Russians seek to eliminate this threat.
It's like something
out of a movie but in real life the plot is far too complicated. I appreciate
the line from Armin Mueller-Stahl's ex-Stasi character in The International. He
said, “There’s a difference between truth and
fiction. Fiction has to make sense.”
It does make sense,
but it's amoral if not overtly sinister. It's a power game.
From Russia's
standpoint, Chechen involvement in the Syrian War and in particular their
affiliations with al Nusra and ISIS are a cause for great concern. Whenever the
Syrian conflict winds down they will be looking for a new fight and many will
likely return to the Caucasus. Even now some have moved to the front in Eastern
Ukraine where they can directly engage the hated Russian troops.
Putin has suggested
that his government is better served by fighting them in Syria than at home.
While the US will undoubtedly laugh if not scoff at this, it must be pointed
out this same rationale was repeatedly appealed to members of the Bush
administration in reference to both Afghanistan and Iraq.
While no one doubts
Putin's motives are both complex and less than pure, the US administration can
hardly point a finger of accusation. His policies are actually wholly in line
with the public statements and policy of the past two US administrations.
And yet as early as
2002, Putin realized the War on Terror wasn't real and the US had no interest
in partnering with Russia. The Chechen terroristic threat was not viewed as a
politically legitimate interpretation nor was it granted moral validity. Putin
was excluded and he knew the Bush administration's posturing was fraudulent.
The War on Terror was not about eradicating violent extremist forms of Islamic
radicalism. Instead this was a pretext for accumulating domestic powers and for
geopolitical expansion.
And yet how many
American Christians will beat the war drum and profit from it? The US throws
gasoline on the fires of war and the Christians in these lands suffer the
consequences. And then when those caught in the middle flee, seeking solace and
respite - they are reviled.
