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flammadraco
He was also quite cushty with Saddam Hussain
SLAYER69
reply to post by andy1972
People tend toignoreforget where all thatRussian made scrap metalIraqi Military got all it's equipment from.
The USSR tilts towards Iraq (1982–86)
However, the Iranians rebuffed Soviet offers of friendship and by 1982 they also had the upper hand in the war. They decided to push on into Iraq and overthrow Saddam Hussein. This led to a change in Soviet policy from Summer, 1982. The Soviets did not like the implications of an Iranian victory, fearing Tehran would go on to export Islamic revolution elsewhere in the world. Although officially still neutral, the USSR gradually increased economic and military support to Iraq to stop the collapse of Saddam. The Soviets had a commitment not to let an ally be overthrown and support for Iraq also played well with many Arab nations (the Soviets finally achieved diplomatic relations with Oman and the UAE and an agreement to supply arms to Kuwait). In 1983, the actions of the Iranians became increasingly anti-Soviet. The authorities cracked down on the Moscow-backed Iranian communist party, Tudeh, and then expelled 18 Soviet diplomats. The Soviets were also keen to counterbalance Iraq's increasingly friendly relations with the West by boosting military aid to Saddam. Iraq became "the largest recipient of Soviet-bloc military aid among the countries of the Third World". In 1984, Iraq officially established diplomatic relations with the USA. This, combined with the outbreak of the "tanker war" (Iranian-Saudi confrontation over oil tankers in the Persian Gulf) opened the worrying prospect for the Soviets of an increased US presence in the region. The USSR responded with yet more military aid to Saddam.
Active support for Iraq (1986–88)
In 1986–7, the Soviet Union definitely turned to supporting Iraq. The war had been bogged down in a stalemate until the Iranians had taken the Faw Peninsula. This and other military gains offered the prospect of an Iraqi collapse. This worrying development pushed the conservative Arab rulers closer to the USA, which they saw as their protector. The USSR did not relish the idea of increased American military presence in the area. The Soviets were also worried about what would happen in Afghanistan. They had invaded this neighbour of Iran in 1979 and fought a long war there. Iran had provided support to some of the anti-Soviet Afghan Mujahideen. In March, 1987 the Soviets decided to withdraw their forces from Afghanistan, and they were concerned that the vacuum would be filled by an "Islamic fundamentalist" regime. There was also the prospect of Islamist revolution spreading to Soviet Central Asia. This "Islamic factor" became a major[citation needed] concern for the Soviet leadership during the last phase of the Iran–Iraq War and led them to boost arms supplies to Iraq. "The decision to give Iraq the military edge was universal. Not only the Soviet Union, but the entire Western alliance,[clarification needed] largely financed by conservative Arab states, engaged in the most comprehensive and massive arms transfer in history to a Third World state engaged in conflict (...) The 'Western package' for Iraq, however, paled in comparison with the Soviets'. Between 1986 and 1988, the Soviets delivered to Iraq arms valued at roughly $8.8 to $9.2 billion, comprising more than 2,000 tanks (including 800 T-72s), 300 fighter aircraft, almost 300 surface-to-air missiles (mostly Scud Bs) and thousands of pieces of heavy artillery and armored personnel vehicles." The massive increase in weaponry allowed Iraq to regain the initiative in the war. At the same time, the USSR continued to press for a ceasefire and offer itself as a mediator. To this end, the Soviets made several economic concessions to Iran and opposed the US reflagging of ships in the Persian Gulf. However, Iran showed little interest in friendship with the USSR, rejecting the Communist world along with the West. Soviet aid allowed Iraq to begin a renewed offensive against Iran in April, 1988, the success of which led to a ceasefire and the end of the war on August 20 of that year.
buster2010
Are you saying that Russia doesn't have a right to protect their people and property? If that was an American base and personnel that was possibly in danger would you be saying don't do anything?
~Lucidity
reply to post by victor7
Are you implying somehow that I agree with what NATO and/or the US did?
You would be wrong. You have no argument from or with me. Russian needs to stay the hell out.
RocksFromSpace
If only we had more Congress critters you spoke the truth like this man
RocksFromSpace
we are being fed massive amounts of Propaganda on the MSM news shows daily and RT seems to be the only resource to turn to for REAL NEWS.
Soshh
I lost brain cells...
IamTheManWithThePlan
Soshh
I lost brain cells...
Quite obvious from your post.
Now please continue feeding your gray matter with BBC/CNN/Fox nutrients.
I'm sure that helps.
Soshh
IamTheManWithThePlan
Soshh
I lost brain cells...
Quite obvious from your post.
Now please continue feeding your gray matter with BBC/CNN/Fox nutrients.
I'm sure that helps.
You seem upset.edit on 5/3/14 by Soshh because: (no reason given)
IamTheManWithThePlan
No, not really.
Try again.
Soshh
IamTheManWithThePlan
No, not really.
Try again.
Try what? You're not making very much sense.
Wait.. Is that you George? You're not allowed to run away from your minders and defend yourself on the internet. You're a bad pussycat, yes you are.
IamTheManWithThePlan
Oh, another attempt at humor..ughhh. I'm sure you consider yourself witty...
Anything else to contribute to the discussion (other than telling us how credible mainstream media is)?
flammadraco
This man is an embarrassment to the UK political system, Google him to see what else he believes in.....