"In these circumstances we see no reason why the question should be sent to the U.N. (Security Council)," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on its Web site www.mid.ru
Great. This shows the difference between the ideal of the international community banding together to stop threats to the common good and the international community as it exists where the need for consensus allows any thug-supporting state to halt the entire world. Russia sees narrow national interests in allowing Iran to go nuclear and so will use their veto to stop us from rallying the UN to stop the mad mullahs. They'd rather see America under an Iranian nuclear threat even though Iran might just as easily threaten Russia itself.
This just means that we will need to jump to unilateral or military means to stop the Iranians. Will the Europeans join us to back their claims that they think Iran must be stopped? Or will the Euros use the Russian veto as an excuse to shrug and say nothing can be done?
The Russians refuse to see that they should join the West. The Iran issue is just the small mistake that is part of their strategic mistake. How long do they think they can ride the Dragon before they get burned? China will turn on Russia eventually. China will want to be the senior member of that relationship before too long. Does Moscow really think the ancient Middle Kingdom will accept even equality with the barbarians who slogged through the woods as interlopers to the Far East? And when China sucks Moscow dry and demands what Peking thinks is rightfully theirs--respect, power, and maybe land--Russia will find they have alienated the United States and Japan. That will leave Belorussia to come to Moscow's aid.
Russia seems to be counting on the United States and Japan going to war with China to take down Russia's perceived competitors. It is a long shot gamble that shows Putin's Moscow is a reprehensible government. Russia is choosing poorly.
