Russia weighs increasing military aid to Arab world

[bemildred]

Heckuvajob Ehud!

Syrian President Bashar Assad is scheduled to leave for Russia on Thursday for a two-day visit that has been described by analysts as important at a time when Moscow may be considering closer ties with the Arab world.

Syrian media have described Assad's visit to Moscow as "a working visit" to discuss closer ties in a variety of unspecified areas.

A number of reports in recent months have mentioned large arms deals between Russia and Syria, including advanced anti-aircraft missile systems. Russian and Syrian analysts have said that Israel's military assistance to Georgia has paved the way for a particularly successful visit for the Syrian president, whose country has taken a clear stance on the side of Moscow in the recent conflict in the Caucasus.

"The significant military assistance provided by Israel to Georgia in its war against Russia will affect in the future - and probably in the near future - ties between Russia and Israel, and Russia's attitude toward Arab states," a Russian analyst said in an interview to Syrian television. "Russia will re-examine its ties with Israel, and it is not unlikely that Moscow will now decide to increase its military assistance to Arab countries in conflict with Israel, including Syria."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1013156.html

[Vegasaurus]

1. Russia discriminated, murdered or kicked out most of their Jewish citizens too

It is a century old problem.

Russia has never been a friend of Jews or Israel.

[bemildred]

2. Hmph.

"Recent Developments (Post-Soviet Russia)

The population of Russian Jewry is shrinking due to immigration and aging. Around the time of the fall of the Soviet Union, millions of Jews left Russia and the former Soviet states. The Jews primarily moved to Israel and the United States. Since 2000, however, immigration has slowed down and increased effort has been devoted to revitalizing Jewish life in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

In 2003, Russia had a network of Jewish schools, which included seventeen day schools, eleven preschools, and 81 supplementary schools with about 7,000 students. There are also four Jewish universities. The major towns have a Jewish presence, with synagogues and rabbis. The Chabad-Lubavitch hasidic movement has played a significant role in rebuilding religious Jewish life in Russia. Chabad in Moscow has opened four schools and is building a seven-story Jewish Community Center. Jewish studies programs are being added to universities.

The Union of Jewish Religious Communities supports Orthodox institutions and religious life. The Progressive (Reform) movement and Masorti (Conservative) movements are also making significant inroads. Because the high intermarriage rate during Soviet rule led to many Russians being of Jewish descent but not halakhically Jewish (Jewish according to Jewish law), the Progressive Movement is able to gain among these people, as the Progressives recognition of patrilineal decent welcomes many who are not halakhically Jewish into the Jewish community. Many Russian cities print their own Jewish newspaper and other cultural, social, and religious institutions are expanding. Moscow has five synagogues, six day schools, yeshivas, and a kosher restaurant.

The growth of Jewish religious institutions in Russia also provides targets for anti-Semitism. Signs with anti-Semitic slogans have been posted on roadways. In 2002 and 2003, synagogues and cemeteries have also been desecrated. Some of these signs even include real and fake bombs. In Moscow, a 28-year-old student tried to remove one of these anti-Semitic signs and, as a result, an explosion went off and she sustained serious injuries.

Despite the growing presence of religious institutions in Russia, however, after years of assimilation most Russian Jews are not observant and see Jewry solely in terms of ethno-cultural behavior. After massive waves of immigration in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, there are approximately 400,000-700,000 Jews in Russia, making up approximately 0.27-0.48 percent of the Russian population.

One of the active Jewish communities in Russia is St. Petersburg. The Grand Choral Synagogue is responsible for the majority of Jewish culture in the city. St. Petersburg has two Jewish day schools and Yeshivot for both men and women. A full kosher kitchen and dining hall serve daily meals both to congregants and to poor citizens.

The synagogue also began a home for poor or orphaned children in the community. Many of the members of the Grand Choral Synagogue belong to the community's charity center.

Relations with Israel

The Soviet Union immediately recognized Israel in 1948. Ties between the two nations dramatically deteriorated after Israel allied itself with the West. Ideas about Jews as a nation also furthered anti-Zionist sentiment. In 1967, the Soviet Union cut diplomatic ties with Israel and were only reestablished in 1992. Shortly after the Six Day War, a massive propaganda campaign was launched in the Soviet Union denigrating Zionism and Israel, without distinguishing between Zionist and Jew. After the 1967 War, Jewish immigration to Israel was ground to a halt. The Soviet Union was a major arms supplier to the Arab states.

Between 1948 and the early 21st century, approximately 600,000-700,000 Jews have emigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union. Russian immigrants are a dominant part of Israeli society. In Israel there are several Russian-language newspapers, television stations, magazines, neighborhoods. Russia is also playing a role in the Arab-Israeli peace process as a member of the "quartet" along with the US, UN, and EU. The quartet is the sponsor of the "Roadmap.""

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/russia.html

[Igel]

3. Both (1) and (2) are true. n/t

[Igel]

4. Russia's regarded the ME as its backyard since WWII.

Egypt, Syria, Iraq. Part was Cold War politics, US/NATO stuff. Some's just creating managed instability, either for possible problem areas or for opponents. Part was just wanting to be in control of the area. Part was playing for resources. Some was just propping up allied regimes for one reason or another. Getting non-aligned support, buffing up one's anti-imperialist credentials (which always struck me as odd for the USSR, unless you take their verbiage uncritically and at face value).

That a renewed wannabe empire is playing in its old stomping grounds isn't surprising. But I'm sure that the politics will be interesting: Many old timers will recall support from Russia for Saddam, for Nasser and Assad. Some will recall those times with pride--strong, united, powerful pan-Arab movements--some just as times of continued oppression, so soon after some hope was let into the air. Mixed in will be both Islamist opposition to Russia (Afghanistan?) and support for it (anti-US), and for the secular regimes that Russia supported or will support.

[bemildred]

5. Abdullah, Medvedev discuss cooperation

Russian-Jordanian cooperation received a "very strong push" with a visit conducted by King Abdullah II of Jordan to Moscow, the London-based al-Hayat reported Saturday.

The Jordanian king arrived Friday for an official visit to Russia after being invited by President Dmitry Medvedev. During his two-day stay Abdullah met with Russian Premier Vladimir Putin and discussed a number of subjects with him.

Russian sources were quoted by al-Hayat as saying that both sides are willing to sign a new collaboration agreement.

On Friday Abdullah toured a Russian military camp near Moscow, where he was treated to a presentation of Russia's advanced weaponry. As part of the show, Abdullah watched the launching of a shoulder-held RPG-32 anti-missile rocket, still in experimental stages.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3586514,00.html