Quote Originally Posted by Don Corleone
Maybe the engineer in me has been trained to look for patterns where there may be none. But I find these developments, as well as the continuously deteriorating situation with Russia as intrinsicly linked. I say this because whenever things 'ratchet up' with Iran, they seem to almost always 'ratchet up' with Russia.

America's greatest fear: A nuclear armed Iran.

Russia's greatest fear: An American missile shield which leaves them vulnerable and the traditional deadly balance of MAD removed.

Right now, it seems as though both of these issues are coming to a head, and I suspect that it's not a coincidence.
Nice observation Don, I think given the fact that Russia was unable to do anything about Iraq it might well be fueling increased rhetoric on thier side in anticipation of whats going to happen next.

Luckily for Russia (sarcasm implied here) they have a new MAD component and thats thier energy stores, Russia can hurt the eastern europeans who might host the missle shield.