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-Signs, Portents, and the Weather-
Iran, China and Russia will 'send a message to the world' with first ever joint war drills
2019-11-29
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] A new axis of evil?
Posted by:Skidmark

#18  so if Islamists take over there, they will also likely be Sunni

Something India and Russia are both trying to prevent. India have a significant carrot dangling before the Samruk-Kazyna, development funds and the like. Russia had a couple of mullahs 'fall out of public work' from 2016 to now.

But it's an uphill task, protecting the muslim from destroying himself.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 23:41  

#17  The real interest lies in Kazakhstan, something Russia and China are both vying for, and benefits Iran only if an islamist could be installed there.

Kazakhs are majority Sunni, so if Islamists take over there, they will also likely be Sunni, unless some Shiite Kazakh version of the Assads manage, by some combo of skill and luck, to win power. And Sunni Islamists generally don't get along with Shiites, unless they're Sunni Islamist fugitives trying to escape Uncle Sam (i.e. elements of al Qaeda currently being sheltered in Iran).
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2019-11-29 23:26  

#16  Iran is seeking a $2 bn advance on crude supply which China would rather decline to pay and Russia is already investing heavily in Bishkek infrastructure, while they play hard to get with China.

The Kazakhs used to have their capital in Almaty, right next to the Chinese border. After consultations over border disputes with the Chinese, they decided to move it ~800 miles to the northwest west, all the way to Nur-sultan aka Astana aka Akmola. It's also much further from the Chinese border. Prudence reared its ugly head. You gotta think they consulted with Russians re how quickly the Russian rapid reaction force could respond to a Chinese incursion. My guess is not all that quickly, given the way funding levels for the Russian military has plummeted since the end of the Cold War, while the PLA has been swimming in cash.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2019-11-29 23:17  

#15  Also, china has made military offers to Iran, but Iran prefers to buy from Russia - small arms and munitions, trucks and tanks and fighters. They don't want fancy knockoffs of kalashnikovs and cost-cut Migs in exchange for their oil you see.

Chinese stuff has only been tested in these countries : Iran, Iraq, Myanmar, North Korea, Pakistan, and Thailand. Understandably so.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 14:46  

#14  Nothing. You are right. In fact Russia is still mulling whether to treat china as a volatile nuisance or an unwilling ally. What they want really, and they're not saying, is that the OBOR thingy is delayed for as long as it can be. A lot of the trade routes that otherwise transit Russia controlled areas shall be replaced by shorter routes owned by China. While they can't really stomp their feet about it, they are both trying to invest and buy influence with central Asian areas like Kazakhstan.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 14:15  

#13  But it's just a confidence building excercise and for the benefit of Iran only. No such axis is possible practically. Maybe Russia-China, in a bilateral alliance, but Iran will never mesh with either. Not in objective, not on the field.

Whew! Ok, back to my regularly scheduled concerns. Russia and China in the end are competitors, not allies of more than convenience.

As for selling Iran stuff, China could trade Chinese-made stuff for oil, but what do they have to trade that Russia would want?
Posted by: trailing wife   2019-11-29 13:59  

#12  The real interest lies in Kazakhstan, something Russia and China are both vying for, and benefits Iran only if an islamist could be installed there. It's a rather interesting game. And somewhere the Hand of Soros is also evident behind contractors from construction to mining, and behind several environmental and social interest groups; all trying to alter central Asian realpolitik to some globalist acceptable modality.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 12:50  

#11  Iran buys Russian weapons. Just a commercial relationship, nothing more.
Posted by: Lex   2019-11-29 12:17  

#10  ^Well, to Russia, Iran is a competitor in oil business.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2019-11-29 11:30  

#9  No not 'commit', they'll just offer to sell stuff. To both of them, Iran is just a customer. Yes, they may just humour them with a slipshod ensemble of stuff.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 11:25  

#8  It's
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance   2019-11-29 11:09  

#7  I'm not disputing what you said Dron66046. Iy's just I doubt that Russian and China will commit serious naval resource to Iran. Most likely as you hinted is that China and Russian will compete to take over Iran. Most likely China.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance   2019-11-29 11:08  

#6  No tenders and boneyard floater, SCFI. You'd be surprised at the SOTA weaponry in both militaries.

Except, there is no real xp. In that they have had no significant throwdowns for decades now, Chinks least of all. Gawd knows if they can even use all that air and sea power as swiftly and effectively as the original designs were meant to be used.

All the armament in China is overtly complicated knockoffs of simple designs researched and practically grown out of real wars by western militaries. The drills and routines that go with those machines of war have evolved within the military industrial complexes. But China have had to improvise, develop their own routines and exercises based on sketchy input from their spies and what can be bought off merc trainers.

Russia is better suited to war in that regard I think. Tough units, they make do with what they have and can probably run a war with one Russian carrying two Chinese on each shoulder while the Iranian draws everyone's fire.

But it's just a confidence building excercise and for the benefit of Iran only. No such axis is possible practically. Maybe Russia-China, in a bilateral alliance, but Iran will never mesh with either. Not in objective, not on the field.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 09:11  

#5  The Chinese have more ships (500 vs 300) than the US Navy, though less tonnage. Their ships are also a lot newer than the USN. Bought with Walmart dollars.
Posted by: Unaitle Panda6599   2019-11-29 08:48  

#4  So Iran, provide most of the targets ships while Russia provide a couple row boats and maybe a tender and China supply a couple rusty (freshly painted) ships from the boneyard?

Sounds about right as both Russia and China have said nothing, Iran is doing all the talking.
Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance   2019-11-29 08:32  

#3  It was heavily lobbied for by the China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec) in both countries. A lot of hotel rooms and chinese starlets and that sort of thing. Wish I could say more. We're going for another JTE with the Russians soon !

Iran is seeking a $2 bn advance on crude supply which China would rather decline to pay and Russia is already investing heavily in Bishkek infrastructure, while they play hard to get with China.

We are busy counting votes and seats over regional fiefdoms and preserving 'culture' in India.
Posted by: Dron66046   2019-11-29 08:15  

#2  If rioting populations are infectious then Russia better use protection.
Posted by: ruprecht   2019-11-29 07:56  

#1  ...Lemme know how this works out.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2019-11-29 07:54  

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