Hovannisian Mulls Election Bloc With Pro-Western Oppositionists

HOVANNISIAN MULLS ELECTION BLOC WITH PRO-WESTERN OPPOSITIONISTS
By Astghik Bedevian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
June 19 2006

Armenia’s U.S.-born former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian is
negotiating with leaders of three pro-Western opposition parties on the
possibility of forming an alliance ahead of next year’s parliamentary
election, an aide confirmed on Saturday.

Vartan Khachatrian, a senior member of Hovannisian’s Zharangutyun
(Heritage) party, said the ongoing talks are involving former
parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian’s Orinats Yerkir party, Aram
Sarkisian’s Hanrapetutyun as well as a smaller group called the
Liberal Progressive Party.

All three opposition forces favor Armenia’s eventual withdrawal from
the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and accession
to NATO. Baghdasarian revealed his pro-Western orientation in an April
interview with a leading German newspaper which precipitated Orinats
Yerkir’s removal from President Robert Kocharian’s governing coalition.

The new opposition alliance would lead to a significant realignment
in the Armenian political arena and would be a major player in the
2007 election. Baghdasarian’s resignation as parliament speaker
and his pullout from the governing coalition was welcomed by both
Zharangutyun and Hanrapetutyun. The latter is the most radical of
Armenian parties opposed to Kocharian, and it remains to be seen if
the extremely cautious ex-speaker will agree to join forces with it.

"We have always been ready to unite the [opposition] field to give
hope to the Armenian people," said Khachatrian.

But Khachatrian made it clear that Zharangutyun may well contest the
parliamentary polls on its own, arguing that Hovannisian is popular
enough to earn his party seats in the National Assembly. He said a
recent U.S.-funded opinion poll found that 74 percent of Armenians
think well of the former foreign minister.

Khachatrian also presented Zharangutyun’s controversial ouster from
its government-owned offices in Yerevan as an indication that the
Armenian authorities see a serious threat to their hold on power
emanating from Hovannisian. His supporters believe that this was also
the reason why he had been controversially barred from standing in
the last presidential election.

(Photolur photo: Raffi Hovannisian.)

Delegation Of Czech Republic Senate To Visit Armenia On June 19-21

DELEGATION OF CZECH REPUBLIC SENATE TO VISIT ARMENIA ON JUNE 19-21

Noyan Tapan
Jun 16 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, NOYAN TAPAN. Members of the delegation of the Czech
Republic Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations, Defence and Security
Issues will be in Armenia on June 19-21.

On June 19, the delegation will be received by Chairman of RA NA
Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Armen Rustamian, then the
members of the delegation will lay flowers at the Tsitsernakaberd
memorial complex of Armenian Genocide victims. The same day the
delegation will be received by RA Deputy Foreign Minister Arman
Kirakosian.

On June 20, the members of the Czech Republic Senate’s Committee on
Foreign Relations, Defence and Security Issues will be recieved by
Chairman of NA Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and
Internal Affairs Aramayis Grigorian. The same day the delegation will
be received by RA Deputy Minister of Defence Artur Aghabekian.

According to NA Public Relations Department, on June 21, the delegation
will meet with RA Deputy Chief of Police Ararat Mahtesian.

BAKU: International Working Group Visits Azerbaijani Occupied Territ

INTERNATIONAL WORKING GROUP VISITS AZERBAIJANI OCCUPIED TERRITORIES TO INVESTIGATE ISSUE ON AZERBAIJANI POWS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 19 2006

Co-chairs of the International Working Group to search for prisoners of
war, missing and hostages, Pata Zakharashvili and Bernard Klazen have
paid a two-day visit to the Azerbaijan’s territories under Armenian
occupation (APA).

The working group intends to meet the authorities of the International
Committee of the Red Cross Office in Khankendi and former prisoners
of war.

In today’s talks with the authorities of the separatist regime in
Khankendi, the group co-chairs stressed the importance of improving
the finding of the missing persons during the Nagorno Garabagh war
and their graves.

The working group will also make investigations on the basis of
appeals from the Azerbaijani citizens.

Armenian pianist staying in Utah

Deseret News, Utah
June 17 2006

Armenian pianist staying in Utah

By Rebecca C. Howard
Deseret Morning News

Aram Arakelyan left his home in Armenia when he was 17 to compete in
the Young Artists division of the Bachauer. That was five years ago,
and he hasn’t been home since.

Aram Arakelyan

"I do get homesick," he admitted, adding that he talks with his
parents – whom he hasn’t seen since he left – several times a week.

But for Arakelyan, it’s worth it. "I feel strongly that it’s one of
those things that’s meant to be. I don’t feel that it’s an accident
that this is what I’m doing. This is an enormous part of my life. I
feel that it’s definitely a gift from (God)."

The Arakelyan of today is a far stretch from the boy who, by his own
admission, didn’t practice much. "It was more of a fight between my
mom and I whether I should practice or not for a long time."

But at the age of 14, Arakelyan found a teacher who lit his enthusiasm
for music. "After seeing that I could do it, that it was possible,
it just kind of started growing on me. It was kind of a life-changing
experience, you might say."

Now Arakelyan is completing a bachelor’s degree at Utah State
University under the tutelage of Gary Amano. He said Bachauer director
Paul Pollei helped him find his teacher and college after the Young
Artists competition.

Arakelyan says that he plans to continue studying in the United
States, hoping to get I at least one more degree, and "see whatever
life brings after that."

If you go

What: Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition Where: Rose Wagner
Performing Arts Center, 138 W. 300 South When: Monday-Friday, noon-5
p.m. and 7-10 p.m.

How much: through June 28, $15; June 29 and 30, $22-$42 Phone:
355-2787 or 888-451-2787 Web:

,1 249,640187544,00.html

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0
www.arttix.org

Kocharian: Russian Law Enforcers Should Suppress Xenophobia

KOCHARIAN: RUSSIAN LAW ENFORCERS SHOULD SUPPRESS XENOPHOBIA

Yerkir
16.06.2006 17:11

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – On June 16 Armenian President Robert Kocharian met
with the delegation of the South Federal Okrug of Russia led by RF
President’s plenipotentiary Dmitry Kozak, reported the RA leader’s
press office.

The interlocutors discussed the whole scope of the Armenian-Russian
relations. Noting the importance of developing ties between the
administrative units Robert Kocharian said it creates a good basis for
strengthening interstate relations. He also remarked that thanks to
the activation of business ties the Russian business tends to deeper
integration into the Armenian economy. The importance of establishment
of efficient transport communications was as well marked out.

Dmitry Kozak emphasized that numerous Armenian community residing in
the South of Russia is engaged in almost all the fields of regional
life. The parties condemned the murders through national hatred
committed recently in Russia and underscored that the situation
does not meet the interests of Russia and the Russian nation. In
Robert Kocharian’s words, the Russian law enforcers should suppress
xenophobia by sharp and precise measures.

The Russian President’s plenipotentiary also attended the Russian
military base deployed in Gyumri and thanked the Armenian authorities
for the creation of favorable conditions for the service of the
military.

The Munks’ Tale: Trio Of Singing Critters Ready For Another Close-Up

THE MUNKS’ TALE: TRIO OF SINGING CRITTERS READY FOR ANOTHER CLOSE-UP
By Valerie Kuklenski, Staff Writer

Los Angeles Daily News, CA
June 15 2006

Ross Bagdasarian Jr. and wife Janice Karman have revived the Chipmunks
with a recent DVD release and an upcoming anniversary edition of the
classic Christmas show. (Handout)

In 1958, a young father in Van Nuys who supported his family working as
a songwriter came up with a novelty group of three singing chipmunks,
taking them from hit records to an animated TV show.

Nearly 50 years later, his son, Ross Bagdasarian Jr., and his wife,
Janice Karman, have made that imaginary trio – Alvin, Theodore and
Simon – their livelihood and their life.

It wasn’t in Ross Jr.’s early plans. He was a sports fanatic as a
kid whose dad had no expectations of hanging out a Chipmunks & Son
shingle someday. What changed all that was his father’s sudden death
from a heart attack when Ross Jr. was just 21.

"He was like the Armenian version of Zorba the Greek, you know?

Vital, virile, loved life, funny," Bagdasarian recalled recently
over lunch. "So when he died in 1972 at the age of 52, that was like,
honestly, the universe had turned completely upside down."

The Chipmunks at the time were mothballed, the elder Bagdasarian
having decided they had run their course through recordings and a
couple of TV series. He had purchased vineyards in the San Joaquin
Valley and was making wine for various labels when he died.

"I really didn’t want his memory to pass away that quickly, and I
thought the surest way of giving that kind of life was bringing these
characters back again," Bagdasarian says. "Now, being a complete idiot,
I had no idea how difficult that would actually be."

He invited his sister and brother to join him in the endeavor, but
they passed. "Not ‘Let us get back to you, we’ll think about it.’ The
answer came startlingly fast: ‘Not a chance.’"

So he went to law school and got involved in the family wine business,
always thinking about orchestrating a Chipmunks comeback.

Meeting Janice Karman, a girl with a creative streak and fond memories
of "Alvin and the Chipmunks," in 1978 was fortuitous.

"On our first date, he brought me to his father’s office and showed
me the films, the cartoons, and reignited my memory and asked me if
I thought the characters were viable," Karman said.

"And I said I don’t know why they wouldn’t be – I loved the show."

They got involved, personally and professionally, and began pitching
the franchise at the New York Toy Fair and other outlets, but there
were no takers.

Then late one night, a bored radio disc jockey somewhere back East
decided to put on a Blondie record and speed it up – just as Ross Sr.

had done when he created the Chipmunks’ sound by double-timing his
own slow-tempo harmonic vocals.

"He told all his listeners that it was the latest and greatest song
from Chipmunk Punk," Karman said. "His switchboard started lighting
up and he got inundated with calls asking where we can get this
album. And a record company heard about this and called us and said,
‘Are you interested in doing an album called "Chipmunk Punk"?’

"It wasn’t really punky. It was Billy Joel, Blondie. And it sold a
million overnight and then people were willing to have lunch with us."

More popular records led to a TV deal with NBC for specials and, in
1983, a new series that ran for eight seasons. With Bagdasarian and
Karman writing, producing and recording the voices, it stayed true
to the boyish characters, originally named for three executives at
Liberty Records, and their paternalistic manager, Dave Seville.

Alvin, wearing the baseball cap and the oversize A on his jersey,
is the troublemaker, while lean, bespectacled Simon is the voice of
reason, and Theodore oozes good-natured charm.

Cranking out all those episodes wasn’t easy, and they often were
frustrated by the compromises in quality that stemmed from the volume
of work and budget constraints. "(Animation) would come back from
overseas and there’d be no head on Alvin and you go, ‘Geez, that’s
a problem,’" Bagdasarian recalled.

That inspired them to make a feature that would allow them to create
the rich look they wanted. But midway through the production of "The
Chipmunk Adventure," the director quit, and Karman, then pregnant
with her first child, took over the job.

The production ran horribly behind schedule and they found themselves
farming out animation work to every artist in the field they could
find.

"It was just an extraordinarily tough time," she says. "But I learned
so much. And you’d better hold onto that, because when you feel like
you’re drowning, you have to hold onto something: I’m learning!"

Now that Bagdasarian Productions owns all rights to the characters
following the settlement of a lawsuit against Universal Pictures,
Alvin, Simon and Theodore appear to be poised for another comeback.

"The Chipmunk Adventure" came out last month on DVD, the first
Chipmunks production in that format, and "Alvin and the Chipmunks:
A Chipmunk Christmas" will be out in September in a 25th-anniversary
edition of the holiday show.

Bagdasarian and Karman have a deal with 20th Century Fox for another
feature, this combining computer-animated Chipmunks and a live-action
Dave. If all goes according to plan, it will be released in 2008,
the Chipmunks’ 50th-anniversary year.

And Karman is shopping a TV series titled "Little Alvin and the
Mini-Munks," a show designed to help preschoolers and their parents
understand and cope with emotions.

This time the Chipmunks are large cuddly puppets who talk, play
and sing with Karman on camera. When the show goes into production,
it’s likely to continue as a family affair with Karman on camera and
Bagdasarian and Karman recording the voices and writing scripts and
songs. Daughter Vanessa, now 19, may be brought in as a production
assistant, and there’s talk that son Michael, 16, may do one of
the voices.

"I’m so cheap," Karman says with a laugh.

"This is the beauty when you don’t pay yourselves," Bagdasarian said.

"People say, ‘Oh my gosh, you sold this many videos.’ But I’m sure
if you work it out by the hour, we’re way under the minimum wage."

Bagdasarian readily admits that he and his then-girlfriend were naive
at the outset about how much time and energy producing and selling
animated entertainment required, even with an established product
like the Chipmunks.

He optimistically thought it would take about a year to get the
business up and running, "but after that, the oars go in the water
by themselves, the thing just has a life of its own, but we will
have helped relaunch it." At the time, Janice thought that sounded
reasonable.

"That’s 1978," Bagdasarian says. "Just off by a little."

He says just like actors who come to Hollywood expecting to hit the
big time after six months to a year, "It’s the time thing that throws
most people off.

"I missed it by 31 years," Bagdasarian said, "but damn it, we’re
zeroing in on it."

Showing Their ‘Write Stuff’

SHOWING THEIR ‘WRITE STUFF’
By Geoff Moore/ Correspondent

Lincoln Journal, MA
June 15 2006

On June 8, 13 local writers, collectively known as the Lincoln Public
Library "Write Stuff Group," invited friends and relatives to a public
sampling of the fruits of their writing labor.

On what was an appropriate, if cliched, "dark and stormy night,"
26 people gathered in the wood-paneled Tarbell Room to hear five of
the writers read works ranging from memoir to mystery.

The depth of these talents was to the fore at the first public
reading of the group as Henry Haroian read movingly from the final
chapter of his recently completed memoir. In it he describes his
family’s harrowing and fortunate escape from the Armenian Genocide
that began in 1914 and their new life filled with hope and growth in
the United States.

Dancing Candles, a thriller by Kathy Deickler and set in an old
Victorian mansion, told of a woman’s fear, alone with an intruder
during a storm and power outage that was as chilling as the weather
conditions outside.

Of a gentler nature was the short essay from Wesley Frost recalling
the journey of a durable cast iron cider press from Vermont to Codman
Farm through 60 years of use by three owners, including Frost himself,
who also rebuilt its oak frame.

Intrigue returned with a "twist in the tail" story from Palmer
Faran. Set in an art gallery, two women discuss an abstract painting
that reminds one of them of her artist sister and her death as a
result of using poisoned finger paints.

Geoff Moore read a scene from his mystery novel, in which Scotland
Yard detective Harry Flash, on assignment to Boston Police Department,
is embroiled in a seemingly random act of road rage, which has fatal
and far-reaching consequences.

The evening ended with an inventive piece of fiction from Neil
O’Hara, describing a hedge fund manager’s ingenious, if shocking
plans to mitigate his funds losses after a terrorist attack blocks
the Panama Canal.

What inspires a group of people to come together and share their
creative thoughts and inner feelings in written form? Some are seeking
a nurturing environment for their first foray into writing for an
audience. For others, as at ease with their words as they are with
their lives, it is an extension of a love for the written word that
began a lifetime ago.

>From diverse backgrounds and with differing ambitions, these writers
have many things in common. One of them is a willingness to share
their work, be it a memoir, essay, editorial commentary, short story,
poetry or mystery novel. Another is their commitment to read each
others work, first perhaps for enjoyment, but then again as writers,
looking to provide comments on plot, style, structure, dialogue,
theme or any of the many skills that make up a good writer’s toolbox.

The Write Stuff group was established in October 2004 and is led
by Lincoln Reference Librarian Jeanne Bracken, herself a published
writer. It meets at 7 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesday of each
month during the summer. New writers of all interests and abilities are
welcome to attend and further public readings are planned in the fall.

Russian Takeover Of Armenia Pipeline ‘Impossible Without Iran’s Cons

RUSSIAN TAKEOVER OF ARMENIA PIPELINE ‘IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT IRAN’S CONSENT’
By Anna Saghabalian

Radio Liberty. Czech Rep.
June 13 2006

A senior Iranian diplomat indicated on Tuesday that the Armenian
government will need to secure Tehran’s consent if it indeed decides
to grant Russia control over an under-construction pipeline running
from Iran.

Russia’s state-run natural gas monopoly, Gazprom, was reported earlier
this year to have secured ownership of the pipeline as part of a
controversial settlement of its recent gas dispute with Yerevan.

The information was initially confirmed by Gazprom but subsequently
refuted by the Russian giant and senior Armenian officials.

Still, Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian, who is closely involved
in Russian-Armenian economic dealings, was more ambiguous on that
score as he spoke with journalists in April. "Let’s leave that for
the next time as there are interesting things here as well," he said
in response to a question about a possible Russian takeover of the
Armenian-Iranian pipeline.

"There are no changes yet in the project," Iran’s deputy ambassador
to Armenia, Ali Akbar Jokar, insisted on Tuesday. "Changes may only
happen with the consent of all parties [to the project.]"

Asked whether his government would object to the possible change of
pipeline ownership, Jokar said, "Since there is nothing concrete,
such a prediction can not be made at this point."

Work on the first 40 kilometer section of the pipeline, financed by a
$34 million Iranian loan, got underway late last year and is scheduled
to be complete by next January. Armenian and Iranian officials say
the construction is proceeding according to plan.

The pipeline is supposed to ease Armenia’s strong energy dependence on
Russia, presently its sole supplier of gas. Critics of the Armenian
government say its ownership by Gazprom would call into question
this objective.

The implementation of this and other Armenian-Iranian energy projects
would be seriously endangered by possible U.S. military action against
Iran over its ruling regime’s controversial nuclear program.

Hence, Armenian leaders’ repeated calls for a peaceful settlement of
the dispute.

Jokar indicated that Tehran is satisfied with Yerevan’s position on
the issue. "Our friend Armenia wants a peaceful solution to the issue,"
he told reporters.

Estonian MP To Advise Armenian Government

ESTONIAN MP TO ADVISE ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT

Baltic News Service
June 12, 2006 Monday 11:57 PM EET

Tallinn

MP Mart Nutt from Estonia’s Pro Patria Union party is to head for
Yerevan this week to give advice to the Armenian government in the
framework of an OSCE program.

Nutt is to leave for Armenia in the middle of this week. The subject
of the program is development of democratic institutions in the
transition period, a representative of the party said.

The lawmaker is going to speak about the Estonian experience of
transition to democracy and a market economy and accession to the
European Union and NATO, among other things.

“Estonia has been one of the most successful of the post-Communist
countries and therefore our experience is highly valued by
international organizations,” Nutt said.

Putin, Iran And The Caucasus

PUTIN, IRAN AND THE CAUCASUS

American Thinker, AZ
June 12 2006

The antique media and the punditry continue to dismiss or ignore the
overall geo-strategic picture concerning our stand-off with Iran over
the development of nuclear weapons technology. Largely unnoticed is the
US and Coalition’s successful maneuvers to establish an outer cordon
around Persia and the other radical Islamist states in the region. A
critical ally in establishing this blockade is the Republic of Georgia.

For centuries, Georgia has occupied the strategically vital land bridge
between the Black and Caspian Seas. This has historically placed the
country at the mercies of two powerful neighbors: Russia and Persia.*
It is no different today, given Russia’s covert and overt support
of the mullahs’ nuclear program and the requirement for secure trade
routes. For Putin, his fellow Russian nationalists, and Ahmadinejad
the task at hand is simple: defend and maintain the Eurasian lines
of communication and commerce to permit the flow of banned materials
and to control both legitimate and criminal enterprises in the region.

Russian Domination of Georgia

In the heyday of the Silk Road, Georgia controlled the land passages
through the Caucasus Mountains and port facilities on the Black Sea.

In the late 1700s, its leaders signed a protectorate treaty with the
Russian Empire for help in defending itself from an imminent Persian
invasion. When the Persians attacked in 1795, the Russians ignored
repeated pleas to honor its treaty commitments, and in 1864, simply
annexed the entire country.

Georgia enjoyed a few years of independence in the wake of the
Russian Revolution, but the invasion of the Red Army in 1921 put
an end to dreams of a return to a sovereign kingdom. The Post-WW II
Soviet buildup in the small country again highlighted its strategic
importance. NATO member Turkey was just a few hours away, so Georgia
had the dubious honor of hosting the second largest Soviet base during
the Cold War.

Outside of its military significance, the supposedly classless
communist empire had other interests in Georgia which provided
further incentive for the new breed of Russian Nationalists and the
remaining nomenklatura to doggedly fight any Western expansion into
the Caucasus. Controlling the Silk Road and Black Sea ports also
meant controlling suitable areas for gas and oil pipelines and a
generations-old illicit drug trade. The ability to easily transfer
nuclear technology and know-how to Persia was an added benefit. Once
again at the center of the storm, the Georgians’ fear of Persia is
now only matched by the dread of again coming under the thumb of
the Russians.

Georgia finally started to shed the last vestiges of the Russian Empire
in November of 2003 when they ushered President Edvard Shevardnadze
out of the statehouse during the Rose Revolution.

However, Putin was not about to let another state of the Former
Soviet Union slip away without a fight, especially one that sits on
strategic terrain and if allowed to pursue democracy, would certainly
put Russia’s money interests at risk.

Russia Counters Western Moves

As part of GWOT operations, the Bush administration decided that
radical Islamists would not receive a free ride into Europe from
the Central Region. In 2002, the US responded to Georgia’s request
for assistance in its counter-terrorism program and deployed Special
Forces to train Georgian units and to conduct operations in the Chechen
terrorist haven of the Pankisi Gorge. The military assistance program
has evolved resulting in the establishment of several Georgian combined
arms brigades and a small air force.

The first evidence of resistance to the pursuit of a full-fledged
democracy was the agonizingly slow withdrawal of Russian troops from
Georgian territory. In some cases, Putin stubbornly refused to honor
agreements stipulating integrity of Georgia’s traditional borders by
maintaining a garrison in South Ossetia and by ostensibly “helping”
staff a UN peacekeeping force in the breakaway Georgian province of
Abkhazia. Putin was even so bold as to station troops at a Soviet-era
listening post overlooking a NATO training base before reluctantly
withdrawing them in 2005!

Then an additional 20,000 Russians were withdrawn to the south into
Armenia. From Putin’s point of view, Armenia is the last hope to
secure commerce and pipeline routes into south Asia to leverage his
own and the mullahs’ vast energy resources and to export commercial
and military technology. From the Georgians’ perspective, they are
sandwiched between two large Russian combat contingents.

Russia also flexed its muscles by continuing to play with the flow
of natural gas supplies just as it did with Ukraine. Earlier this
year, a mysterious group of “terrorists” blew up a gas pipeline in
Russian-controlled South Ossetia, which is within Georgia’s traditional
boundaries. Not coincidentally, the detonation was located in the
very southern part of Ossetia, meaning the province and its Russian
troop garrison received all of the gas it needed, while Georgia had
to deal with another electrical power crisis.

To help the sometimes shaky electrical power situation, a new pipeline
is planned from the oil-rich Caspian Sea basin through Georgia to the
Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean Sea. But Georgia needs
significant infrastructure modernization before this can become a
viable conduit for energy stockpiles and trade revenue.

Make no mistake; we should expect the “Pipeline Wars” to continue as
Putin attempts to outmaneuver the West to hang on to energy and trade
routes in the region. In this regard, the balance of geo-political
maneuvers seems to be tipping to the US and the West, in that recent
overtures to Azerbaijan have nominally moved this country into
our camp.

Putin’s US Apologists

In a rather surprising commentary in the Washington Times last month,
Arnaud de Borchgrave, editor at large of the Times and UPI, takes
up for Putin and assails a US policy that is supposedly causing the
Russian “democracy” to shrink. It’s amazing that de Borchgrave misses
the entire point of our maneuvers in the Global War on Terror, while
soft-pedaling Russian and Persian cooperation on both the mullahs’
nuclear program and on conventional weapons deals.

Apparently, he views GW as the aggressor because he has dared to take
action to block lines of commerce between a fanatical terrorist state
and a former enemy of now-dubious intentions.

De Borchgrave’s fellow member of the Council on Foreign Relations,
Charles A. Kupchan, opines that the “bloom is off the Rose revolution,”
and tries to make the case that Georgia’s struggle for freedom and
democracy is somehow going down the tubes because the current Georgian
President, Mikheil Saakashvili, dares to fight for his country’s
territorial integrity. He notes in the port town of Sukhumi in the
breakaway province of Abkhazia that,

…resorts that were once the envy of the Soviet elite lay battered
and vacant. Despite the warm sunshine, the boardwalk was devoid of
tourists, populated instead by locals drinking Turkish coffee and
playing backgammon.

It’s ironic that he writes from the port of Sukhumi and claims that
these poor people are being taken advantage of by Georgia. How does
he think the Russians were able to build all of these now-abandoned
resorts on the Black Sea coast? Sukhumi is the major port for opium
originating in Afghanistan to be shipped to Europe. Abkazhia is
therefore a criminal economic cash cow and had been for generations of
Russian/Soviet elites who have taken their cut of this profitable dope
smuggling operation. Now that we back Saakashvilli in his attempt to
regain what rightfully belongs to Georgia, the UN dreams up a plan to
station peacekeepers on the border between the Abkhazia and Georgia –
Russian peacekeepers of course.

The economic aspect of the War on Terror is more than just drying up
financial resources of terror groups. Operation Iraqi Freedom stuck
a dagger in the heart of the Russia – France – Iraq financial nexus
and their allies in the UN. Russian and French economic, military and
technical support to Saddam showed how so-called allies will pursue
their slimy business deals with oil-rich tyrants even if it means
opposing the establishment of a new democracy. The common actor in both
the Iraq and Iran money for dictatorship programs is of course, Putin.

Vice-President Cheney recently admonished Putin for his aggression
against Russia’s neighbors while simultaneously letting his own
country slide into a nationalistic autocracy. Putin’s call for a new
arms race openly communicates what has been going on under the radar
for several years. Rising energy prices have enabled oil-rich Russia
and its ally to the south to mount a steady conventional and nuclear
weapons buildup. Money from contracts for refurbishing Persian nuclear
facilities and ancillary services would further fuel the development of
a more capable Russian military. And all of this depends on ages-old
trade routes through countries that are no longer easy pickings for
Putin or the Persian mullahs.

So the next time Ahmadinejad spouts off with one of his rants, keep
in mind that he has a more rational partner to the north who needs
the mullahs as a source of revenue. We must realize that by design,
Putin is of little or no help in negotiations over Persia’s nascent
nuclear program. And perhaps he is more of a hindrance than an ally
in the larger War on Terror.

* Georgians generally refer to their large southern neighbor as
“Persia,” and do not use the term “Iran,” since they view it as a
modern artificial construct.

Douglas Hanson is the national security correspondent for The American
Thinker. He recently returned from the Caucasus.