Russia is partnering with all the World. With US also, if US wishes it. In Russian political lexicon US are named "partners". In US political lexicon Russia is named "enemy". It's US's problem.

Vlad, I guess you're really happy Russia sold all those S-6, S-9, S-75, S-200, S-300 air defence missiles to Iran. Since it was an Iranian passenger plain that got shot down, I wouldn't be surprised that a Russian military adviser wasn't somewhere near by when it was shot down. And who can excuse Russia supporting Iran building nuclear weapons. So much for your claim "Russia is partnering with the World." Things haven't changed since 1946. The Soviets partnered with the most vile revolutionary dictators around the world, anyone that agreed to only attack the West. Now Russia continues that legacy. Their is a bit of irony in being called Russia's "partner"

Do you know how many dictators were settled and supported by US? Somoza, Noriega, Trujilio, Batista, Pinochet, Suharto, Hugo Banzer, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Papadopoulos, Marcos, Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, Branco, Videla, Syngman Rhee, Al-Khalifa, Mobutu Sese Seko, Cao Ky, Islam Karimov, king Abdullah, Saakashvili, Dukanovich, Chan Kaishi, etc., etc. Even communist Ceaushesku and terrorist bin Laden were supported by US.
https://scribol.com/anthrop...

Additionally I'd like to stress that S-* are strictly DEFENSIVE weapons. You can't invade neighbors with them. It's a pity that Iran airdefence did this tragic mistake, but you can kill someone with screwdriver, it does not mean that screwdrivers should be forbidden.

It's dirty play to accuse Russia if someone mishandled bought weapons. If someone is shot from US-made Colt do you feel guilty for that? US has part of guilty in deaths of those passengers, because it's US killed Iranian general and provoked Iran for armed answer.
And you have no any ground to suspect Russian advisors in participation.
BTW, don't forget about Iranian passenger lplane shot down by US. You still did not asked for excuse for that. https://en.wikipedia.org/wi...

I would agree if it's just the politics. But, the oligarchy rules Russia. The military and security forces report to them as much as Putin. And he knows it.

Oligarchy is ruling US. Clans of Clintons and Bushes are replacing each other under control of Rockfellers, Soros and some other Wall st. inhabitants.
Putin removed oligarchs like Khodorkovsky, Berezovsky, Gusinsky, etc. from the power 20 years ago.

Certainly election funding comes from filthy rich and middle class. But we don't throw political opponents in jail. We still have free and mostly fair elections. So it's not an oligarchy.

I had a very good friend of mine. A dean at a university. His wife is Russian. When Putin was elected I said I think I like him. She said in Russia you can't tell if a politician is good. You have to wait and see how long they are in power.

Think about your words again. Edward Snowden and Julian Assange. Roger Stone and Paul Manafort. Are you sure you don't throw political opponents in jail?
And in Russia - we had several candidates on last president elections. All of them are free and doing well. There are opposition mass media who are openly criticizing Putin. Nobody imprison them. You can openly express your own opinion - which politician is good or bad.
Some opposition media: https://novayagazeta.ru/https://echo.msk.ru/

Vad, the folks you listed aren't politicians. Each were/are guilty of felonies. So I'm not sure of your point.

Here is a quote from the Washington Post. "Last week, Moscow’s electoral commissions — bodies that are supposed to act as impartial arbiters in administering elections but are in reality the first line of defense for the incumbent government — disqualified nearly all viable opposition candidates from the ballot." Amazing that the opposition did ok in recent election inspite of the modern version of apparatchiks and nomenklatura, that is the oligarchs, rigging the elections. But we are getting nowhere in this conversation. Good luck.

Those "candidates" did not collect needed amount of signatures to be registered as candidates. That's the reason why they were disqualified. It's law. But nobody was imprisoned.

RuSSia using far right neo nazis proxies and far right politicians in Italy to send weapons to terrorists in east Ukraine..

Italy seizes 'combat-ready' missile in raids on far right

The raids were part of an investigation into Italian far-right help for Russian-backed forces in eastern Ukraine.

Anti-terrorism police in northern Italy have seized an air-to-air missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far-right extremist groups.

Three people were arrested, two of them near Forli airport. Neo-Nazi propaganda was also seized, in the raids.

The raids were part of an investigation into Italian far-right help for Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, local media said.

Italian media named those arrested as Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, an Italian ex-customs officer and far-right Forza Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, 42, a Swiss national; and Fabio Bernardi, 51, also Italian.

The missile appears to be a French-made Matra Super 530 F.

"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order

On 3 July a court in Genoa jailed three men who were found guilty of fighting alongside the Russian-backed separatists who control a large swathe of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

https://www.bbc.com/news/wo...

One more brainwashed casualty of western propaganda :-)

"RuSSia using far right neo nazis proxies and far right politicians in Italy to send weapons to terrorists in east Ukraine.."

LIAR. The BBC article is fake news. Italian police have CLEARLY stated that the fascist groups were fighting for the REGIME forces against the East Ukrainians. The BBC (and other MSM majors) have deliberatey misrepresneted the statements of Italian police as part of their endless agitprop agendas.

Thanks for this article. It does make me feel that US Iran policy is futile.

It will be interesting to see how Russia's relations with Saudi Arabia develop as well.

Russia is aiming to develop relations with all the World. We have good relations with Saudi, Iran, Israel, Turkey, China, India, Pakistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Korea and North Korea. Some day US will understand that good relations with Russia is better than bad relations. We are always ready.
Frankly speaking, US are just losing time and resources quarreling with Russia.

"At the same time, Russia doesn’t want to ruin its relationship with the United States."

It is already ruined, by Russiagate and its domestic US drivers. This "concern" is fantasy. Russia can't do anything now that would ruin what is already ruined.

Clearly, you don't understand how things go from bad to worse between countries. WW1, WW2, Cuban Crisis might give you a clue.

A growing number of Russian analysts, in Russia and abroad, have taken to calling Vladimir Putin's regime "fascist." And they don't use the term casually or as a form of opprobrium. They mean that Putin's Russia genuinely resembles Mussolini's Italy or Hitler's Germany.

One of the most recent examples was Mikhail Iampolski. According to the Russian-born NYU professor, "the appeal of quasi-fascist discourse was predictable" as the Russian economy tanked. Moscow rejects "[a]nything that could be seen as a sign of weakness or femininity," including liberalism and homosexuality, and then projects these qualities onto the enemy. Consequently, "Ukrainians are systematically accused of fascism, while Russian fascism is displaced by a false idealization of one's own image."

In March, Moscow commentator Yevgeni Ikhlov charged Putin with introducing a "left fascism" that, while "anti-market and quasi-collectivist," is "fascism because it is a form of a militant and most primitive philistinism." In January 2015, Andrei Zubov, fired from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations for opposing Putin's Ukraine policies, argued that Russia's President was building "a corporate state of a fascist type packaged in Soviet ideology, the ideology of Stalinism," resulting in a Russia that closely resembles Italian fascism with its "nationalism and union with the church." Moscow-based analyst Aleksei Shiropaiev claimed that Russia was moving toward fascism "at a galloping pace." Russian fascism "has become a FACT," "mass Russian consciousness remains absolutely imperialist and chauvinist," and most Russians have "ACCEPTED fascination and are ready to agree to even massive political repressions."

But are the analysts right? The evidence is compelling. Fascist regimes have charismatic dictators with hyper-masculine personality cults. These regimes generally evince a hyper-nationalist ethos, a cult of violence, mass mobilization of youth, high levels of repression, powerful propaganda machines, and imperialist projects. Fascist regimes are hugely popular—usually because the charismatic leader appeals to broad sectors of the population. Putin and his Russia fit the bill perfectly.

In calling Putin's Russia fascist, Russian critics have proven to be far bolder than their non-Russian counterparts in the West, who remain wary about the F-word. Some Westerners genuinely believe that Putin's brand of dictatorship differs from past fascist regimes. They often locate the differences in the historical conditions that gave rise to Hitler, Mussolini, and Putin, and not in the actual characteristics of their regimes. But doing so confuses the origins of similar things with their essential features. No one would say that America is not democratic because the origins of American democracy lay in revolution and not, as with Britain, in historical evolution.

But many Westerners fear the implications of calling a spade a spade. If Putin's Russia is fascist, then it is comparable to Hitler's Germany and Mussolini's Italy and, thus, certifiably evil. And that means that calls for understanding Putin amount to calls for understanding evil. So it's better to pretend that Russia isn't fascist. Hence the popularity of abstruse designations like managed democracy and sovereign democracy or terms—such as Putinism—that only state the obvious.

A similar conceptual change is likely to take place with fascism. As the chorus of Russian voices using the F-word grows, Western policymakers who insist that we should listen to Putin and understand his point of view will have no choice but to listen to and understand his critics.

Calling Putin's system fascist will mark a conceptual breakthrough in Western attitudes—and perhaps policies—toward Russia. Viewing his state as evil does not necessitate rattling sabers.

Soft power and diplomacy will remain no less important than hard power.

But the conceptual shift would recognize that Putin and his regime are the problem, and that the problem will go away only when he and his regime go away. In a word, there are no quick fixes to the Putin problem. The West is in for a long, hard slog involving economic and military support for Ukraine and its neighbors, the containment of Russian imperialism, and support for anti-fascist elements within Russia. The good news is that, now as then, democracy will win.

According to the famous historian Norman Davies, fascism, like communism, Putinisem, Nazissem , fascist ect ect can be defined by the following features:

* A pseudo-scientific conceptual basis (the believe of Russian 3rd Rom )

* A utopian goal (the Russiki Mir and Russians domains of a new Russian world )

* A structure of a party-state (the restructure of the USSR borders )

* An autocratic leadership that demands complete devotion (Putinisem )

* Pervasive use of terror to prevent and eradicate dissent (East Ukraine , SyrIa Chechnya, Moldova , Georgia, ect ect )

* Extensive and complex bureaucracy ( Using tax office to take out composition )

* State propaganda and censorship (RT-News ect ect )

* Martial culture and aesthetics of force (The state and Russian belief in Russian superiority of Russian historical culture)

* Purposely induced fear of the ever-present external enemy (use state service like FSB, GRU to intimidate )

* Mentality of hate and intolerance (Anti other ethnic groups likeUkrainians, Muslims, Tatars , Kazakhstanis and others ect ect )

* Economic and mental collectivism (Putin has vast control over the gas and oil sectors and uses it as a political tool )

* Militarism (Rebuilding and promoting and using Military to attack and subdue the people like in the caucasus Chechnya ect ect )

* Messianism (Putin the half naked hours reading and bear wrestling superman is definitely believed by Russians to be a type of messiah, who acts as a savior, redeemer or liberator of a group of people.

* Contempt for liberal democracy and values (Putins regime is anti LGBT anti democracy Anti free press Anti free expression of art just look at-PussyRiot-and- Anna Politkovskaya ect ect )

* Moral nihilism ( is the meta-ethical view that nothing is intrinsically moral or immoral take a look how Russia lies about invading other nations and killing civilians and support of terrorism, and then turn AROUND and say that it was to defend a grates good of Russia )

Clearly all of those are also characteristics of the Putin regime. Today in Russia, President Putin has the unquestionable control over Parliament, Government, courts, media and the most profitable sectors of the country's economy. So, we have every reason to declare that modern Russia is in fact, an authoritarian fascist state with the genuine fascist elements, most prominently – the oppressive nature, the militarization of society, strict control over the mass media and complete disregard to human life

"The good news is that, now as then, democracy will win."
Blind faith in metaphysical dogma, unsupported by any kind of material facts is called 'religion', or sometimes 'ideology'. When you base your worldview purely on metaphysics is when you become willingly blind. Most of the uki's around this forum are purists in their religious zeal. Believing, does not make Russia a 'fascist state', it also does not make her destruction imminent. It just makes you look silly.

Earl is a die-hard Russophobe lunatic. Nothing you can say can filter its way into his twisted pysche.

America is the biggest terrorist on earth. Russia China Iran all defensive nations in their God designed homeland. America is a conquered nation from terrorism founded on the shedding of innocent blood.

The truth be told. America was founded on terrorism the foundation of America is Terrorism

Iran will not be intimidated by Israel or America God put Russia and China together with Iran in order to fulfill Biblical Prophecies

Russia is a force for stability in the ME. We are a force for chaos and terrorism.

Like any state Russia is driven foremost by its own national security interests. Given Iran’s proximity to its own near-abroad it seems impossible it could stand by and watch the Islamic Republic be destabilized or even overthrown. Moscow has vital interests to protect in the region, as does China. And it seems Moscow, Beijing and Tehran – for all their differences – have a common interest against what they fear as US encroachment. It is interest that ultimately drives countries to war. A war between the US and this tripartite alliance will be a world war.
https://www.ghostsofhistory...

Like any state Russia is driven foremost by its own national security interests.

You hit the nail on the head. I'm amazed that so many Americans fail to understand this truism about what motivates Russia's actions in world affairs.

Sadly, too many Americans have been brainwashed into thinking that Russia's a US vassal state, or a banana republic of some sort subject to the West's mandate.

It's plain and simple....our USA government uses TERRORISM to conduct our foreign policy objectives...for the sake of the corrupt few in power and for our corrupt terrorist allies in Israel, Saudi, Europe, etc....killing and starving innocent people the world over. We overthrew Iran's democracy in 1953 to steal its oil and other resources....we need to address all the terrorism our government and the CIA conducts IN OUR NAME...before we pretend to be "victims" of other's doings......we have created the vast majority of the world's current crisis for power and greed.....we do not support democracy....the USA supports TERRORISM against innocent people all over the world to keep them in line!!!

The CIA is one of the most evil and anti-democratic agencies in the world today. Followed closely by the NSA.

you're in Quora aren't you?
i wanna read yours there..

I disagree.
I say that Russian interest, influence and intrusions to the middle east are not about "the Muslim world". Shia Islam is what, 15% of the total Muslims around the word? It's not that most Muslims don't care about other Muslims that follow Islam a bit differently, but if Russia wanted to influence worldwide Islamic culture then why would they focus on a minority ethnic and sect to promote it?

What the Russians are doing is putting another piece in (re)play like so many rounds of "Go". The Russians will support Iran as it blocks the American/Western European allies in Israel and Saudi Arabia. They are also all kinds of thirsty for submarine bases in Syria, a Iranian ally and with some very strategic coastline.

iran's islam is of shia type - a good one
and russia so far has never ever had any issues with shia

The fight for self rule by the Muslim majority-minority in Russian controlled regions is not sectarian based or even religiously based- it's nationalistic and jihadis showed up (as these scum are wont to do) to kill infidels.

There is no fight for self-rule. If you are referring to Chechnya, that was a case of foreign-backed (Saudi-funded) Wahhabi fanatics trying to establish a mini-Sharia state, in concert with Chechen nationalists. It was in essence a miniature precursor of the attempted regime change in Syria.

Our USA government is in bed with terrorists, from Israel to Saudi to UAE to Qatar to etc etc etc....to also kill "the other" = "infidels"....we make "jihadis" and other killers all over the world...our soldiers come back home and commit suicide..22 A DAY....22 A DAY....22 A DAY......POUND THAT INTO YOUR HEAD TOM SWODDY!!!! We have created the vast majority of all the chaos you allude to....we sell 85-90% of ALL weapons around the world, to terrorists in Israel, Saudi, etc etc etc....We are the number 1 murder capital state in the world.......looks like you and Ronnie Cowlishaw and Old Hickory sure have a lot in common....NO BRAINS!!!

If those were the only areas of Russo-Iranian cooperation it would be a positive. However the author somehow failed to mention Russia selling Iran the nuclear reactor being used for WMD development. And she managed to overlook Russia's provision of modern arms to the leading terrorist state on the planet. I get that Russia want's to promote its own interests but let's not pretend this is an unmitigated positive for humanity or anything like that.

The leading terrorist state on the planet? Come on, that is us. We've been in the terrorism business since George Washington ordered General Sullivan to terrorize the native Americans, down to Obama spending a billion a year on supporting terrorists in Syria.

leading terrorist state on the planet? Our USA government has been at war 227 out of 235 years of its existence...killed over 20 million people around the world....has used ALL sorts of WMD, including being the ONLY ONE to drop nukes..TWICE....funds, supports, trains terrorists around the world and overthrows democracies on all continents....arms Apartheid Israel with NUKES along with Western nations....obstructs most peace and dialogue efforts at the UN.....brings down the Twin Towers and Building-7 on 9/11 by DEMOLITION after using planes / drones outfitted with remote control, killing its own people, 3000 civilians....bombs, kills, murders, starves, destroys, wreaks havoc on innocent people the world over....AND ALL YOU CAN NAME IS IRAN, WHO HAS NEVER ATTACKED ANYONE IN OVER 300 YEARS!!!! Buddy, stop watching FoxNews and Friends and pick up a book and read....your mind is a terrible thing!!!!

It's like you took the slogans from dozens of lying left-wing bumper stickers and slapped them together at random.

lying????? You got me, Albert Sherlock Holmes Einstein!!! We never dropped nukes on anyone..not one..not two...on an innocent civilian population. We are a peaceful loving nation who just happened to be here before the evil Natives came along, all 550 Nations of them. We have never invaded anyone or overthrown any democracies at all. We have never trained F-(pick a number) jet fighters to bomb and murder innocent people on all continents. The 9/11 Terrorist Attacks were full of chaos, not falling at free-fall speed into their own footprints, as in ALL demolitions...and besides, ALL these highly educated AMERICAN engineers, architects, scientists, and DEMOLITION EXPERTS are all traitors infidels anyway, so what do they know...they are probably Democrats left-wing NUTS. And 3000 innocent people did not die that day...and the FBI really really really did find that passport of a guilty jihadist terrorist unscathed in a pile of rubble the likes never seen before...except in those areas that we bomb on others lands which really never happens because we USofA are a peaceful loving people only doing Jesus's work on earth, turning the cheek at every corner. And of course, we are NOT a leading murder state in the world...that must be the French or Cubans or Chinese or Libyans or those OTHERS...and IRAN is the one that overthrew our beloved democracy way back when in 1776 trying to install those alien Natives on us....and we have absolutely no problem with the causes of mass migrations all over the world, especially in Latin America because our economic polices are wholly honest, truthful, with equality for all...and we never oppress, we lead, as a good peaceful people that we are, the world just absolutely loves us. Thanks for edumacating us OLD HICKORY!!!

Wow, guy, you're out of line. US is not evil. Captain America saved the world hundred of times.
Stop. This was a comics. Oh, sh..

The leading source of Islamic terrorism is Sunni and that comes mostly from Saudi Arabia and its Wahabist brand of Islam. And the biggest arms supplier to this terrorist supporting state is... the USA.

Bizarre and wrong. Turkey was the main support for the terrorists in Syria. The Afghan Taliban was the host and protector of Al Qaeda. Hamas HQ was in Damascus and supported heavily by Iran until the split over the Syrian Civil War. Their main backers are now Turkey and Qatar. Hezbollah is obviously deeply under Iranian influence and allied with Syria. ISIS again is kept alive by Qatar and Turkey, who also bought their oil when they controlled production in northern Iraq.

You are talking governments... But rich Saudis fund much of it. Remember Al Qaeda wanted to overthrow the Saudi regime... But they were still funded by rich Saudis. Osama Bin Laden wasn't allowed back home - but he definitely was still get money from his friends and family back there

What does it matter to you, OLD HICK...sunni...shia...they are all terrorists, especially their very young children...all of them...they kill...WE AMERICANS HAVE NEVER KILLED or MURDERED ANYONE, especially NOT all of those NATIVES, all 550 Nations of them...and remember, we never dropped that terrorist nuke bombs on anyone...must have been those darn Russians again! And we support all democracies and uphold all of the oppressed people on earth, especially those that we are starving with our All-Holy Sanctions.

I admit that the U.S. practiced genocide against the natives, but the vast majority of the demise of the natives was the result of disease from lack of immunity from European diseases.

European diseases.... spread by "gifts" of infected blankets. Biological warfare in its most basic form.

Yes, the European settlers practiced such warfare and the GRU still does.

Evidence? I can think of no instances where the Russians can be accused of conducting biological warfare. Bogus CW allegations in Syria don't change this fact.