Who are they kidding?

Russia wants the United States and its European allies to provide convincing guarantees that a planned missile defence shield is not aimed against Moscow, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying on Thursday.

…”We are open to serious negotiations (on the missile shield). If the United States and Poland are willing to guarantee that the European anti-missile base is not aimed at Russia, then we are ready to consider concrete proposals,” Lavrov told the Gazeta Wyborcza daily in an interview.

“But we should talk about guarantees, not of cosmetic political gestures,” he said.

Russia strongly opposes U.S. plans to establish an anti-missile shield in NATO members Poland and the Czech Republic, Moscow’s Soviet-era satellites, saying they upset the balance of power by undermining its own nuclear arsenal.

First of all, entirely defensive measures cannot be “aimed” at anyone.  What Russia is really asking for is that, should they decide to start a nuclear war, we let their missiles pass by unmolested.  This is a gross and deliberate perversion of “balance of power” theory that Russia hopes exploit to insure that it can continue to bully the caucuses.  Defensive measures do upset the balance of power; they make aggression less likely.

Story here.

The Interfax news agency, citing unnamed sources, said Kovtun fell into a coma immediately after being questioned by Russian investigators and Scotland Yard detectives.

Good lord, what did the interrogators do to this guy? Our boys at Guantanamo are going to have a tough time upstaging the Russians on this one.

Kidding, of course.

Seems that this hit-squad is claiming another victim. Is this a result of accidental contact with the original pollonium, or Is it possible that he is being deliberately silenced?

Russia is also sheltering suspects in the assasination case. Smells more and more like the Russian leadership is somehow complicit in this.

Following Kim’s nuclear hissy fit, the Security Council has implemented sanctions against North Korea.

The resolution:

* Demands North Korea eliminate all its nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles

* Requires all countries to prevent the sale or transfer of materials related to Pyongyang’s unconventional weapons programmes, as well as large-sized military items such as tanks, missiles and helicopters

* Demands nations freeze funds overseas of people or businesses connected with North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs

* Allows nations to inspect “as necessary” cargo moving in and out of North Korea to check for banned items

* Bans export of luxury goods to North Korea

* Calls on Pyongyang to return “without precondition” to stalled six-nation talks on its nuclear programme.

Predictably, what the UN did not do was give North Korea any reason why they must comply with demands that they eliminate “nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles”. From Threatswatch:

With no provision for the use of force as an enforcement mechanism, many observers believe North Korea can be expected to ignore the UN Security Council demands that it ?eliminate all its nuclear weapons, weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles,? as this is a tall order to place without the backing of force.

The BBC article also claimed that the language was toned down over Russian and Chinese “concerns”. That is inaccurate; Their demands are not based on concern, as that implies a desire for a positive outcome. China and Russia have no such desire, their obstruction is deliberate and malicious. These two countries are not our friends. They are deliberating trying to harm us - by encouraging the misbehavoirs of North Korea and others - so as to set the stage for their emergence as a countering global influence. Our continued indulgence of their demands - that we never take any action to stop the aggressive behavoir of the likes of Kim Jong-il - only serves to further their goals and weaken our global influence.