Proxy Wars

 

No doubt China and Russia see themselves as world power counterweights against the power, influence and strength of the United States as the world's sole superpower, a financial, military and political giant whose influence is world-wide, to varying degrees on a shifting world stage. America is forever engaged in attempts to put out raging regional fires. It's a useful purpose that should be relied upon through the auspices of the United Nations, but its attempts have proven frustratingly futile.

And while the United States brings this never-ending migraine on itself through its commitment to democratic order and freedoms and liberties and good governance, hoping that all it might somehow spread by a kind of osmosis of persistence, it seems that both China and Russia occupy themselves with issues of malevolent interference, stirring up problems to keep the U.S. engaged and enraged.

For the moment, the North Korean dragon of irascible war-mongering has settled back into its usual resentful paranoia, attack-collar firmly in place once again, and the peninsula can express the breath it has held in suspense for far too long. China's resistance against U.S. hegemony in its geography put at rest for the moment. Until the next eruption occurs when Kim Jong-un is once again apoplectic over a UN censure reflecting yet another ballistic missile or nuclear test wracking the neighbourhood.

The fireworks in the Middle East, on the other hand, are raging at full throttle. With Iran helpfully goading Syria's Bashar al-Assad on to 'winning the war' against creeping al-Qaeda terrorists slavering at the bit that Saudi Arabia and Qatar have funded, to slaughter Syrian and Palestinian Shias along with Syrian Kurds and Christians. And where is Russia in all of this? Why pledging to restore the long-range missiles that Israel has latterly destroyed.

"We have previously stated that the missiles are potentially destabilizing with respect to the state of Israel. We have made it crystal clear that we prefer that Russia would not supply them assistance. That is on record. That hasn't changed", insisted U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry of the transfer of advanced missile defence systems from Russia to Syria.

They may be used in the regime's defence against the enduring and unendurable rebel advances. And they most certainly are destined to be shared with Hezbollah. Assad is nothing if not eternally grateful to Hezbollah for its defensive presence on Syrian soil. Just as it is happy with the presence of Iran's Basij militias and the Republican National Guard forces, training and arming and aiding the regime's military. 

Russia is determined to proceed with its sale of S-300 batteries, capable of targeting manned planes, drones and incoming missiles, representing a state-of-the-art upgrade for the aging Soviet-supplied defence system currently in Syria's hands. Which outdated system courteously permitted Israeli jets access to bomb northeastern Syria's nuclear reactor site away back when.

It's a fair question; where is Syria getting the $900-million to pay for the package of four batteries, six launchers and 144 operational missiles from Russia? An IOU for the future of indebtedness to Russia and permanent use of the Syrian Tartis port for the Russian fleet? Scarce but undeniably vital Iranian treasury funds to ensure that its crucial partner in the region is not toppled?

What is clear is that Russia is not the least bit averse to upping the ante, determined like Iran that Assad be preserved and the Sunni-led Islamists not prevail. Either way, death and destruction on a horrendously impressive scale continues. Russia brooks no interference, China is complicit, and Western countries wring their hands in despair at the intolerable loss of human life.