Russia, which has been relatively quiet the
past few months, is beginning to flex its muscles once again. The
overflights by Russian fighters and bombers of the USS Kitty Hawk and the Pacific
Fleet, the forward deployment of long-range nuclear capable bombers within
short striking distance of Alaska and the arrest and Soviet showcase trial
of US businessman Edmond Pope all reveal a hardening and hostile position
by Russia relative to the US. The International
Herald Tribune noted in its December 9 edition that these actions
provide "a hint of what many Russian specialists say has been the
growing influence and prominence of the security services under President
Vladimir Putin, who spent most of his career in the KGB, the Soviet
Union's secret police and foreign intelligence agency."
Putin has elevated veterans of the KGB and
its successor agencies (now the FSB) to his inner circle and installed
them in key government posts according to the Tribune. In doing so he has
sought to restore the security services to the role in Russian political
and economic life they enjoyed in Soviet times, alarming democrats,
environmentalists and human rights activists. Critics say Putin has set a
tone reminiscent of the old KGB - intolerant of political criticism,
hostile to civil society and trying to bring the independent media under
control. Indeed, the Pope trial was a classic Soviet trial in which the
Communist party determined the verdict before the trial began.
While not friendly to the West, Putin has
done a masterful job in bringing Russia back from the brink of total
disaster after Yeltsin and his Oligarch friends raped the country in the
1990s. He has successfully broken the backs of the corrupt Oligarchs and
forced them into line. He has reigned in an increasingly independent group
of regional governments. He has successfully faced down the US in the
enormous powerplays with the US to dominate the former Soviet Caspian Sea
oil and pipeline republics, even convincing these republics to reunite
with Russia on August 18. He has even streamlined the bureaucracy within
the Kremlin to permit greater international trade, especially that of
Russian oil.
A Russian-German alliance weakens the
Anglo-British global axis
But Putin knows streamlining
the bureaucracy is not enough. Developing the enormous pool of oil and
distribution pipelines in its newly reclaimed Caspian Sea oil patch
requires tremendous capital. Russia does not have it. Plus it has a $25+
billion debt left over from the pillaging days of Yeltsin. A December
18 analysis by Stratfor Intelligence notes that
neither Britain nor France – let alone the other European countries –
would be able to shore up Russia's economic and overall revival. As for
the United States, Moscow believes Washington will demand concessions by
Russia until it becomes fully subjugated to the United States.
Although economic and military negotiations with China continue, Russia is
suspicious that China's growing desire to rule the world will eventually
devour eastern Russia.
That leaves Germany. Germany
seems to be both able and willing to support Russia's revival, while not
demanding humiliating concessions. Berlin sees a close partnership with
Moscow as a future geopolitical benefit. Additionally, nearly $20 billion of Russia's debt is owed to
Germany. On December
13, The London Times reported that Germany and Russia are forging an
economic deal whereby Germany will forgive much of Russia's debt by
converting the equity of Russian companies. The deal gives Germany a big
stake in Russia's future. Stratfor
noted "The deal will represent an important move in forging a close
geopolitical partnership between Germany and Russia."
After
eight years of ferocious attempts by NATO and the US to form close
alliances with the former Soviet republics, especially those of
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Ukraine, plus US financial assistance that harmed
Russia more than it helped, Russia is bitter against the US, claims
Stratfor. Russia has made it clear that one of its primary goals is to
destroy the unipolar dominance of the world by the US. According to
Stratfor, the rest of Europe, with the exception of Britain,
strongly supports Germany in its venture with Russia. But why does all of
Europe, except Britain support Germany's policy?
Once
again we are witness to a major geopolitical power play developing between the
US-Britain axis of globalization and the Socialist European-Russian axis
(led by Germany and France). "Forging a close geopolitical
partnership between Germany and Russia, if it is successful, will
dramatically change the global balance of power. Assisting in Russia’s
integration into Europe would result in Germany’s emergence as the
leader of a united Europe with Russia on its side. Such a development
would significantly weaken U.S. influence in Europe," claims
Stratfor. Russia would
not only receive the jump start it needs for economic recovery, but the
partnership would help neutralize the unipolar dominance of the
US--something that the Socialist European-Russian axis has long desired.
Russia sets course on setting up a
regional security alliance
Russia is not stopping with the German
economic deal. It is also planning a new security bloc that will include
allies in the Middle East and Far East to counter
NATO's growing influence. According to the December
18 edition of the World Tribune, "The alliance would include
other friends of Moscow such as China and India and develop a security
regime that would extend from Europe through the Middle East until the Sea
of Japan. Iran and Russia already cooperate in Central Asia and in
Afghanistan."
Putin has already secured commitments for
military and economic reunification with Belarus and Ukraine, and is
finalizing arrangements with the former southern republics of the Soviet
Union's Caspian Sea area. By extending a military security pact to the
Arab states, India and China, as well as economic alliances with Europe,
Russia effectively isolates the US from the rest of the world, thereby
neutralizing or destroying US unipolar dominance just as the world
government begins to take shape, providing Russia with a very big stick to
wield within the new world order.
The implications go far beyond limiting US
unipolar dominance, however. The move to create a military security bloc
with Iran and the other Mideast Arab nations leaps right off the pages of
Old Testament prophecy. Iran-Iraq-Syria are in the final stages of forming
a military alliance to destroy Israel. An alliance with Russia would go a
long ways in fulfilling that dream. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 foretell of an invasion
by Gog and Magog, and her Arab allies against Israel. God will
supernaturally destroy the armies of this invasion, but the fact that we
may now be seeing the first evidences of this pact should cause all
Christians (and Israelis) to pay close attention to what is happening.
After all, Jesus warned all his followers to "...keep watch, because
you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (To read more on this
topic see October's
issue of DTT Digest and DTT
Prophecy Study Guide)
