Russia and China

Shall we start worrying about Russia and China again? The idea carries a certain nostalgic appeal -- until you learn the details.

Missile mistake. Just in time for the upcoming war with Iran (which, as we know, will start a few days after Big Wedding II), the Pentagon has modified some nuclear missiles with conventional warheads. Unfortunately, the Russians may not know that the things have been de-nuked:

"Any launch of a long-range nonnuclear armed sea or land ballistic missile will cause an automated alert of the Russian early warning system," Postol told reporters.

The triggering of an alert wouldn't necessarily precipitate a retaliatory hail of Russian nuclear missiles, Postol said. Nevertheless, he said, "there can be no doubt that such an alert will greatly increase the chances of a nuclear accident involving strategic nuclear forces."

So if you wake up one morning to discover that a nice, localized oil grab has suddenly turned into On the Beach, you'll know how it happened.

We forbid you to speak of it. Given the total lack of attention paid by the American news media, you probably don't know of the escalating crisis between Russia and Georgia. The Georgians, in a rather hyperbolic fashion, have spoken of a "mild ethnic cleansing." That's not really true, but the threat of a Russian invasion is quite real.

Here's the part that may interest even the most ethnocentric American. Russian President Putin has warned America (which favors Georgia) not to assert itself in any way -- "not even to speak out forcefully, lest Moscow interpret such statements as provocations."

And Bush has done as commanded. Good boy. Doggy gets a Snausage. Can you imagine how the pundit class would have reacted if the Russians had pushed around any previous president?

Speaking of Russia: Why have signs warning of "mines" popped up all along the "special border zone" between Russia and Norway? The only explanation the Russians have offered was a vague statement about leftover mines from WWII. Those mines, if they exist, haven't prompted any warning signs throughout the past 60 years.

China hacks. From Agence France-Presse:

Chinese-based hackers, especially in the Chinese province of Guangdong, have mounted systematic efforts to penetrate US government and industry computer networks in order to access secret information, according to computer security experts.

No way this sort of thing could happen unless China's government had so ordered.

The bureau's work is sensitive because it supervises US exports of software and technology for commercial and military uses, as well as commodities.

(Emphasis added) Bush has borrowed a lot of money from Asia, more than we can repay. Perhaps China has adopted a "We bought it; we'll do as we please with it" attitude toward the American government.

Bringing it all together: At the recent G8 Summit, there was a side meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chinese Premier Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Karat said the 21st century was not going to be an American century. "This will be an Asian century. Two countries, India and China, are to power Asia through their economic growth and political clout," he said.

Well, we coulda been a contenduh -- if not for you-know-who.

The following passages will be of great interest to those tracking the reasons for and likely results of the upcoming war with Iran. Note that "SCO" refers to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, composed of Russia, China, and "the Stans," with India and Iran as "observers":

"The SCO countries are going to be the new power house of the world. It is in India's enlightened interest that we understand its importance as we are a country which desperately needs energy," he said.

If the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline became a reality, the country would get gas at one-fourth of its price in the international market.

Gee. How do you think the Russians will react when we nuke Iran?