This morning I heard McCain say once again that he intends to kick Russia out of the G-8. That made me think of this recent article I read. Russian anti-aircraft guns in Iran. Poulos also wrote this recently. Right on Russia.
The Reuters article notes that Iran already has Russian anti-aircraft systems in place. The have just bought an upgraded system that they hope to have running in six months to a year. Poulos writes that Russia could be a key to resolving many of our foreign policy issues. It may not be possible to be friends, given our history, but it seems that we could benefit from some attempts to cease hostilities. Russia would benefit from not having a failed state in Afghanistan. Securing the nukes and nuclear material from the old USSR would benefit everyone. Sanctions against Iran or other countries seem less likely to be effective without Russian participation.
How does kicking Russia out of the G-8 help us then? Russia has become Europe’s primary natural gas supplier. What will Europe gain from ostracizing Russia? What does it risk? McCain was a cold warrior for many years. Is this just a habit he cannot kick, or is there some advantage to isolating Russia I am just not seeing here?
Steve
