Dogs of war versus the emerging caravan

And when Dr Zbig says that the Russians are "fearful of stability in the Caucusus," and "Putin has a stake in the Winter Olympics," and "there is leverage here that we can use intelligently," he sounds eerily like Bandar Bush threatening Putin to unleash "his" Chechens in Sochi in 2014. 

More enlightening, and with no double talk, is what the manipulated "opposition" wants. It's all about Iran -- and "terrorist ally" Hezbollah (scroll down to page 6 here.) 

The Xi-Putin show
 
Even immersed in all this hysteria, the BRICS caravan managed to engage in serious business at the G-20. They held a mini-summit to coordinate their common position -- which, as far as Syria is concerned, is totally anti-war (you won't see this reported in Western corporate media). They did say, en bloc, that Obama's war will have "an extremely negative effect on the global economy."  

So they discussed, as a group, how to increase their trade using their own currencies; how to develop their markets (that's part of the original Russian agenda for this G-20); and how to improve trade relations. Common strategy: multiple escape routes against US dollar hegemony. 

They advanced on negotiations relative to the capital structure, shareholding and governance of the BRICS development bank; initial capital of $50 billion and an emergency fund of $100 billion, a sort of emerging powers International Monetary Fund. The bank should have a head start in the next BRICS summit in 2014 in Brazil. 

And as far as Russia and China are concerned, there's the annual meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) next week. Before that, already contemplating the prospect of $200 billion in bilateral trade by 2020, Xi and Putin discussed a rash of mega-projects -- not only revolving around Pipelineistan -- and the proverbial "further strategic international coordination." The official Chinese version to their strategic partnership is a beauty: "Sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn." 

It's like sleeping in one of those fabulous beds at a Four Seasons resort. No hysteria. No "red lines." No Tomahawks. No "credibility on the line." 

This is what Obama said in August 2012:

"We have been very clear to the Assad regime, but also to other players on the ground, that a red line for us is we start seeing a whole bunch of chemical weapons moving around or being utilized. That would change my calculus. That would change my equation."

Note the "my" and then again another "my" invoking responsibility, not "the world."  

So while the Xi and Putin caravan reenacts the spirit of the Silk Road, the dogs of war keep barking; and informed public opinion everywhere starts to consider the possibility that Obama, by not assuming full responsibility for what he said, and blaming "the world," may also be a coward.