An awkward visitor

You wrote: "it's Western countries which are main arm suppliers in the Middle East."

We are talking about Syria, aren't we ? If you don't know who has supplied Syria with arms and amunitions for decades, and who maintains a naval base in Syria, - well, I can't help you.

the world is ober lucky to have the US as a supper power and NOT the Russians.
America gave the world Elvis , what did the Russian give ?

His other option is to hire a mighty Ukrainian brigade to assist Syria in this dark hour. Nothing will stop cossacks!

snubbish tone of Economist's articles hide weakness, state of UK fleet is so poor that Philip Hammond made hysterical speeches in Washington appealing to Americans not to leave Europe.

Russian army's plight it's partially true, Putin's regime imposed severe austerity measures in early 2000s. Only recently docks became so busy that delivery of ships for Indian navy was delayed.

But Russia doesn't need to match every American fleet as Economist writer suggest, Russians do not have so many military campaigns as Americans have, they do not have trade to protect etc. To rival Americans they need just subs with Bulava missiles.

As for Dydomuk's rhetorical words about bullets, it's Western countries which are main arm suppliers in the Middle East.

You said: "The war with Georgia, which was won by Russia in 2008 "

Come on … that's like the USA victory over Panama or Grenada … you've got to be kidding … the Russians need to roll over Georgia to feel 'strong'? It's been a few years since the Beatles sang 'Back to the USSR' … with 'Georgia's always on my mi-mi-mi-mind'

Assad and Putin … alike? … don't make me laugh … One is a dentist from an English University … the other pulled teeth out of the mouths of 'terrorists' without a degree … LOL

They're both ugly … but Assad has some size … WHILE Putin is the little man … acting big and tough …

hmm … similarity … oh ya … 

THEY'RE BOTH ARROGANT …

Russia supplies Syria with arms, Ukraine supplies Iraq with weapon systems, US supplies Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar and other regimes with arms. Everyone has its own friendly regime that needs military equipment and bullets.

"America gave the world Elvis , what did the Russian give ?"

I think they actually beat Elvis. They gave us Trololo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6FUR_nhGX8

The real question is will the Russians let NATO impose a no-fly zone on Syria and repeat the Libyan exercise. Once the western sponsored civil war begins in earnest, it will be difficult to stop a UN push for a cease-fire including a no-fly zone. If Russia wants to salvage this regime, they may have to be more aggressive because a wait-and-see attitude will mean a new Islamic government will be in charge of Syria this time next year.

Mike Ballantine is a Green Party candidate for US President.

one nite was watching Dave Letterman (who i love) and the guest was Tony Blair , Dave asked him what the world thought of America ? Blair responded :
you measure the success of a country by how many people wants in and how many people wants out of it .
God bless the USA AND CANADA.
when butcher Assad falls , i`m not going back , I would live and die here in the greatest country in the world Canada.

give the russians the green card and they will all leave , including Putin.

Rusky would back anything to blackmail the west for US$$.
under the CCCP they did the same , they NEVER believe in any idealogy exept what`s in it for me .
they dont gave a rat`s ass about Assad , and they will sell him out as they did to their Slav boy Milosovic ,remember Slobo ??

That Russia has been supplying arms and ammunition to Syria is uncontroversial, that has been known for decades. The latest eposide is focused on a Russian ship, flying the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag, carrying ammunition to Syria that was allowed to leave Cyprus after giving assurances to change its destination.

The cargo ship had left St. Petersburg in early December carrying some 60 tons of ammunition destined to the Syrian port city of Latakia. It docked off Cyprus on Tuesday amid rough seas.

At that point the Cyprus authorities, under pressure from EU, intevened. As a compromise, Cyprus agreed to let the ship go but declined to explain the reasons for it switching course or to identify its new destination. Undoubtedly both Israel and Turkey had something to say in this matter.

One Cypriot paper reported the name of the vessel as the M/V Chariot sailing under the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag. It confirmed that the cargo was ammunition of various calibers with the recipient being the Syrian Defense Ministry.

Just a few days ago when the Russian navy flotila, including an aircraft carrier, docked in the Syrian port, Moscow offered a childish explanation that the crew was short on food and water. There was no reference about any shortage of Russian vodka.

INDEED

Indeed, why would Turkey provoke a war with Russia?

You wrote: 'If Russia wants to salvage this regime, they may have to be more aggressive .."

Unfortunately for Putin, sending a Russian paratroop brigade to Syria is not an option. Neither can Russia afford to land a couple of thousands of Russian marines on Syrian beaches. Looks to me like Putin has allready lost this round.

The Russians have proven again that their assurances about their ship's destination are worthless. Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily News reported that the Russian ship MV Chariot, carrying weapons and amunition to Syria, docked today in Tartus despite assurances given to the Cypriots it would change destination.

“The Turkish navy has learned that the Russian ship MV Chariot docked at the Syrian port today,” the paper said, citing a Turkish Foreign Ministry official. This opens up a question what, if any, action the Turkish navy is prepared to take to stop Russian ships from re-supplying Syrian military.

Russia maintains a Soviet-era naval maintenance site at Tartus, which is Russia's only military base on the Mediterranean.

As stated earlier, the Russian cargo ship MV Chariot, flying the St. Vincent and Grenadines flag, sailed from Petersburg to the Syrian port Latakia carrying up to 60 tons of ammunition and explosives for the Syrian Defense Ministry.

so, your association is "dick - soft", huh? no crystal ball is needed to tell that u got problems with girls. is that what yo nick really means? well, at least u got a sad ukrainian with similar problems to talk too. good luck

well you seem to be just as mature as a far easterner. you think it really is a dick sizing contest?

Who cares about Elvis?

The violence in Syria continues, a day after the Syrian Free Army, composed of defected soldiers whose leader is based in Turkey, called on the United Nations to invoke Chapter 7 of its charter to take military action against Syria to end the killing of civilians.

The emir of Quatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, called Saturday for the Arab countries to send troops to Syria to end the regime's brutal crackdown on protesters and stop the violence. The emir’s statement was the first of its kind by an Arab leader.

According to the UN, at least 400 people have been killed in the last three weeks, adding to a previous toll of some 5,000 people killed in 2011.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry “absolutely rejected” any plans to send Arab troops claiming that “the Syrian people reject any foreign intervention in its affairs, under any title, and would confront any attempt to infringe upon Syria’s sovereignty and the integrity of its territories”.

Would that "any intervention"..."under any title" include any and all interventions sponsored and financed by Comrade Putin ? How about if Comrade Putin arranges to send a brigade of loyal 'volunteers' from an "allied peaceful state" of Abkhasia ?

We all know the scenario. It has been tried and tested before.