Modern Russia is on a fast track strategy to rebuild the power it enjoyed under the former Soviet Union by building strong trade and military ties to the Middle East and by reestablishing itself as a counterbalance to the United States. In 1991 the avowed enemy of the free world, the Soviet Union, collapsed and in that downfall arose a new hope that the Russian people and those oppressed by the Soviet state would become free and live in peace with the rest of the world. The rise to power of current Russian President Vladimir Putin, however, has both aspired Russia to new heights and has accelerated the nation backwards toward the Soviet Union’s sinister past.
Nothing is more evident in this strategy than Russia’s ties to the Middle East. The collapse of the Soviet Union left a vacuum of influence in Iran, Syria, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Libya, and in other areas. Putin, through steady and sure-footed diplomatic efforts, has regained much of the sway of the old USSR in these countries. Most evident in this steady progression was the behind the scenes efforts to continue arms sales to Iraq under United Nations restrictions. The U.N. Food for Peace bribery scandal revealed that Putin’s Russia was not to be trusted. Russia put its vote on the U.N. Security Council up for sale, and Saddam Hussein bought it for as long as he could.
Russia is still brokering power in the Middle East using its U.N. Security Council vote. Russia fought to keep sanctions away from Iran using a veto threat from the Security Council. All the while, Russia has learned well how to use capitalism with mob-style Soviet dealings to parley multi-billion dollar deals with terrorist states. Russia is building Iran a nuclear power plant. Russian scientists are helping Iran build missiles capable of carrying nuclear payloads. Russia is a leading supplier of arms to Iran and Syria. It just so happens that the nations and entities Russia supplies with its weapons and death technologies are also the main perpetrators of sponsoring terrorism in the world.
Now Putin announced that he does not believe that American anti-missile batteries that will be installed in Poland and the Czech Republic are defense against Iranian missiles. He says Iran doesn’t have missiles that can reach Europe and is planning to counter the U.S. installation with a new Russian intercontinental ballistic missile—indicating a new arms race in the making. Just a decade ago, Russia looked as if it would never again rise to a new world power. Today Russia stands on the threshold of ancient prophecy where it is written in Ezekiel 38:16: “You shall come against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days.”
Bill Wilson
Word of Life Ministry
www.dailyjot.com
