What The Hell Are We Doing?!

October, 2007

Asked about a quote in which former Secretary of State Madeline Albright declared that Siberia had too much oil for one country, Putin said, "I know that some politicians play with such ideas in their heads," he said, dismissing the notion as wishful thinking, or "political erotica that ... hardly leads to a positive result." http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Putin_says_Iraq_campaign_pointless_an...

"Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine," Mr Kerry told political, diplomatic and military leaders at the Munich Security Conference."The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight," said Mr Kerry who was due last night to meet Ukrainian opposition leaders...http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/us-and-eu-slug-it-out-wi...

A U.S. warship is readying to depart for Spain on Friday in accordance with NATO plans to strengthen ballistic-missile defenses in Europe.The other three destroyers tasked for fielding in Spain are the USS Ross, USS Porter and USS Carney. All of the ships are to be equipped with Aegis systems and Standard Missile 3 Block 1B interceptors..

The stated purpose of the NATO missile shield is to guard against potential attacks launched from the Middle East, though Russia is concerned there may be an ulterior motive that could effectively weaken its nuclear-deterrent force."The United States is firmly committed to deploying a U.S. missile defense system to Poland," Hagel was quoted in a Pentagon press story as saying in Warsaw. "We look forward to this system coming online in 2018 as part of phase three of the European Phased Adaptive Approach.[...] leveraging cutting-edge technology and enhanced NATO capability," Hagel said.http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/us-dispatches-warship-spain-support-...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_missile_defence_system

The United States notified NATO allies earlier this month of Russian tests of a new missile that could be in violation of a nuclear disarmament treaty, the New York Times reported 1/30/14. The weapon, a ground-based cruise missile, has allegedly been tested repeatedly since 2008 and is considered by senior US officials to have clearly violated the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, the paper said citing unnamed government sources. http://en.ria.ru/world/20140130/187045403/US-Alleges-Russian-Missil...

In 2013, the 4 Americans ejected from Russia for spying: Firestone, Fogle, Dillon and Wagner. There is only one source for the scant coverage of them individually as a related story. http://www.flickr.com/photos/32368051@N08/sets/72157633484696555/show

U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the Pentagon's first Arctic strategy to guide changes in military planning as rapidly thawing ice reshapes global commerce and energy exploration, possibly raising tensions along the way.Hagel, addressing a security forum in Canada, said the military would "evolve" its infrastructure and capabilities and would keep defending U.S. sovereignty in and around Alaska while working to help ensure freedom of the seas.http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/22/us-usa-arctic-military-id...

In mid-September, Russia helped broker a deal under which the Syrian government agreed to eliminate its chemical weapons arsenal. The agreement put on hold a planned US military strike against the Arab country in response to a chemical weapons attack which Washington blames on Damascus. http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/02/01/348751/kerry-presses-russia...

"During the removal of the second consignment of chemical weapons on Jan. 27, 2014, the convoy carrying them was attacked by militants. The attack was defeated," Russian Foreign Ministry Security and Disarmament Department Director Mikhail Ulyanov said in comments reported on Friday. [No Western countries can assist with equipment and materials to Syria due to their own sanctions against this country.]

Ulyanov described the strike as he argued that Syria's government is justified in moving slowly to send its chemical-warfare stocks out of the conflict-torn nation. The United States on Thursday accused Moscow's ally in Damascus of deliberately delaying shipments in the international operation to fully eliminate its chemical arsenal by the end of June. http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/russia-extremists-attacked-syrian-ch...