Well I don't want to say too much about the next couple of updates, but this does set up a scenario that also could discredit Lebed, and as a former general he may act forcefully if he thinks inaction could be perceived as weakness. The Kerrey extradition won't play domestically in the the U.K., I wouldn't disagree with that. But the bigger question is how would it play in the UIS? And even more important, how would Lebed respond if he feels pressure from Russians to call on the U.K. To "respect the process" and have a preliminary hearing?
Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire
- Thread starter Pellegrino
- Start date
Well I don't want to say too much about the next couple of updates, but this does set up a scenario that also could discredit Lebed, and as a former general he may act forcefully if he thinks inaction could be perceived as weakness. The Kerrey extradition won't play domestically in the the U.K., I wouldn't disagree with that. But the bigger question is how would it play in the UIS? And even more important, how would Lebed respond if he feels pressure from Russians to call on the U.K. To "respect the process" and have a preliminary hearing?
Just read this question on Quora: Are Eduard Limonov, Aleksandr Dugin and Alexander Barkashov Russian fascists?
We've seen Dugin and Limonov show up in this timeline, how about Barkashov? Or is he less prominent, as far as scary Russian ultra-nationalists go. Are we missing any other ones, because this timeline is like a monster mash as far as fringe extremists go.
How are Romanov nostalgists and Russists doing?
We've seen Dugin and Limonov show up in this timeline, how about Barkashov? Or is he less prominent, as far as scary Russian ultra-nationalists go. Are we missing any other ones, because this timeline is like a monster mash as far as fringe extremists go.
How are Romanov nostalgists and Russists doing?
Bookmark1995
Banned
Is it bonkers? Yes. Is it devious? Definitely.
The Russian fascists are very, very good in undermining the countries they target, because they can exploit the flaws in those societies. The Soviet Union was awful at that, because they couldn't stop seeing the world from anything besides a Marxist perspective.
The Russian fascists succeeded in undermining Romania by exploiting anti-Hungarian sentiment.
The Russian fascists succeeded in undermining Dubai by exploiting the sharp divisions between the wealthy Arabs and the poor migrant workers, enough to generate a revolution. Hell, they nearly drove Saudi Arabia and Iran to go to war.
The UIS succeeded in undermining Haiti by exploiting in Restavec system.
In this most recent updated, one wealthy Russian has succeeded in undermining Dominica, by exploiting the desire of this island to attract wealthy tax dodgers.
Of course, the Caribbean nations certainly have not forgotten the Restavec Militia, so they are clearly enraged by seeing Russian fascists basically occupy their neighbor. It will be interesting to see how they deal with this mess if America can't.
@Pellegrino, are these Russians who bought citizenship in Dominica planning to disenfranchise the native Dominican population to ensure their electoral power remains?
Bookmark1995
Banned
Zhirinovsky apparently once burned an America dollar during a 1998 nationalist protest against Clinton's visit to Russia.
If he done that while in office ITTL, what would have been the effect on the dollar? Seriously, would that depress the dollar, especially when ITTL there is a severe recession?
I have no idea, but if there is any effect, maybe he could have done that shortly after the Kosovo Missile Crisis while the global economy is in total freefall.
FieldMarshal
Banned
This was the first timeline on this site that I read all the way through, and I enjoyed it very much. So when I saw that this had come back, I had to make an account.
I especially enjoy the media updates, seeing how films, TV, and such in the 1990s might have developed if the Cold War had continued, albeit against a quasi-fascist enemy rather than a communist one. It fascinates me - I was born after the Cold War, so I never really had to worry about a full-on strategic nuclear war, but I can remember my parents talking about how they had been made to do duck and cover drills in school. I wonder how my childhood would have been like if that threat of nuclear annihilation still hung over everyone's heads.
Speaking of media, I remember that there were a great deal many media update ideas that were touched on, but never saw the light of day. The ones I had been wanting to see were alternate Tom Clancy novels (presumably a bit better than his OTL post-Cold War books), and the alternate The Sum of All Fears adaptation. I had a few ideas for the latter - would you be interested in hearing them?
Will the "World of Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire" thread come back as well?
On another note, it seems like that Zhirinovsky's become something of a favorite villain on this site, no? I've seen quite a few TLs with Zhirinovsky as an antagonist. I don't even think that this timeline was the first to do it - I think that was A Giant Sucking Sound - but I certainly think that this TL had something to do with his popularity.
I especially enjoy the media updates, seeing how films, TV, and such in the 1990s might have developed if the Cold War had continued, albeit against a quasi-fascist enemy rather than a communist one. It fascinates me - I was born after the Cold War, so I never really had to worry about a full-on strategic nuclear war, but I can remember my parents talking about how they had been made to do duck and cover drills in school. I wonder how my childhood would have been like if that threat of nuclear annihilation still hung over everyone's heads.
Speaking of media, I remember that there were a great deal many media update ideas that were touched on, but never saw the light of day. The ones I had been wanting to see were alternate Tom Clancy novels (presumably a bit better than his OTL post-Cold War books), and the alternate The Sum of All Fears adaptation. I had a few ideas for the latter - would you be interested in hearing them?
Will the "World of Zhirinovsky's Russian Empire" thread come back as well?
On another note, it seems like that Zhirinovsky's become something of a favorite villain on this site, no? I've seen quite a few TLs with Zhirinovsky as an antagonist. I don't even think that this timeline was the first to do it - I think that was A Giant Sucking Sound - but I certainly think that this TL had something to do with his popularity.
An Oklahoman
Banned
I agree with this assessment. Prior to this thread, I had never even heard of Zhirinovsky. However, now thanks to this thread, I and many other posters on this forum, have him star in prominent roles in our TLs.
I especially cannot take any news article mentioning Zhirinovsky seriously ever since I read this TL.
OK, I know that at times this timeline has something of a Nostradamus vibe to it in terms of predicting the future but even this one sort of freaked me out. Six days after I wrote that Dominica was engulfed in anti-government protests in Part One (due to the election of Russian supporters of Zhirinovsky) the real world caught up.
Yes...Dominica, a country that never is in the news and isn't known for political intrigue or instability...was rocked with anti-government protests!
http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...ances-follow-anti-government-protest-dominica
Looting, Roadblocks and Disturbances Follow Anti-Government Protest In Dominica
Caribbean360February 8, 2017
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I read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called Looting, Roadblocks and Disturbances Follow Anti-Government Protest In Dominica and is located at http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...ances-follow-anti-government-protest-dominica.
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Fires were set as roadblocks. (Photo credit: Dominica News Online)
ROSEAU, Dominica, Wednesday February 8, 2017 – Scenes of shattered store windows, scattered rocks and piles of debris in Dominica’s capital, Roseau, this morning were grim reminders of a night of violent protests.
Trouble had erupted hours after a public meeting and protest organized by the island’s opposition parties, at which demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
According to reports, lingering protesters confronted police and then resorted to throwing rocks and bottles, breaking store windows and looting.
Store windows were smashed and items stolen. (Photo credit: Dominica News Online)
Some also blocked roads by starting small fires on the streets, forcing police dressed in riot gear to fire tear gas to restore order.
Early this morning, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit toured affected stores in the City, vowing to issue a full response later in the day.
But in a strong statement issued this morning, National Security Minister Raymond Blackmoore not only described the violence as an attack on the state and democracy, but he blamed the Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) which led the protest.
He charged that the “stage was set by the leadership and operatives of the UWP” to attack the police and destroy properties in Roseau.
Saying the violence was “not Dominican”, he said “such acts are totally unacceptable” and vowed that police would get to the bottom of the incident.
“The police will continue to do its assessment of the situation for the express purpose of embarking on the necessary steps to maintain law and order in this country and to bring . . . all the culprits responsible to justice,” Blackmoore said
He praised police for their quick intervention and rubbished claims that they used unnecessary force.
“The police demonstrated the highest level of restraint and diligence and managed to stabilize the situation…”
However, UWP leader Lennox Linton has categorically denied that the violence had anything to do with the party’s meeting.
He said he condemned the “baseless criticism as forcefully as we condemn the lawlessness visited on the capital city on Tuesday night”.
Stressing that the disturbance occurred hours after the UWP’s meeting ended, he called on those responsible to “speak the truth”.
“The United Workers Party condemns the acts of violence and vandalism that erupted in the streets of Roseau during the evening of February 7, 2017, causing widespread loss and damage to business enterprises and triggering fears for safety and security in a season of heightened tension in our practice of civility,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
Linton said the UWP would meet in an emergency session today to discuss the incident.
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Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...nti-government-protest-dominica#ixzz4ZIZcCnWn
Yes...Dominica, a country that never is in the news and isn't known for political intrigue or instability...was rocked with anti-government protests!
http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...ances-follow-anti-government-protest-dominica
Looting, Roadblocks and Disturbances Follow Anti-Government Protest In Dominica
Caribbean360February 8, 2017
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http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...nces-follow-anti-government-protest-dominica#
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I read this article and found it very interesting, thought it might be something for you. The article is called Looting, Roadblocks and Disturbances Follow Anti-Government Protest In Dominica and is located at http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...ances-follow-anti-government-protest-dominica.
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Fires were set as roadblocks. (Photo credit: Dominica News Online)
ROSEAU, Dominica, Wednesday February 8, 2017 – Scenes of shattered store windows, scattered rocks and piles of debris in Dominica’s capital, Roseau, this morning were grim reminders of a night of violent protests.
Trouble had erupted hours after a public meeting and protest organized by the island’s opposition parties, at which demonstrators demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
According to reports, lingering protesters confronted police and then resorted to throwing rocks and bottles, breaking store windows and looting.
Store windows were smashed and items stolen. (Photo credit: Dominica News Online)
Some also blocked roads by starting small fires on the streets, forcing police dressed in riot gear to fire tear gas to restore order.
Early this morning, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit toured affected stores in the City, vowing to issue a full response later in the day.
But in a strong statement issued this morning, National Security Minister Raymond Blackmoore not only described the violence as an attack on the state and democracy, but he blamed the Opposition United Workers Party (UWP) which led the protest.
He charged that the “stage was set by the leadership and operatives of the UWP” to attack the police and destroy properties in Roseau.
Saying the violence was “not Dominican”, he said “such acts are totally unacceptable” and vowed that police would get to the bottom of the incident.
“The police will continue to do its assessment of the situation for the express purpose of embarking on the necessary steps to maintain law and order in this country and to bring . . . all the culprits responsible to justice,” Blackmoore said
He praised police for their quick intervention and rubbished claims that they used unnecessary force.
“The police demonstrated the highest level of restraint and diligence and managed to stabilize the situation…”
However, UWP leader Lennox Linton has categorically denied that the violence had anything to do with the party’s meeting.
He said he condemned the “baseless criticism as forcefully as we condemn the lawlessness visited on the capital city on Tuesday night”.
Stressing that the disturbance occurred hours after the UWP’s meeting ended, he called on those responsible to “speak the truth”.
“The United Workers Party condemns the acts of violence and vandalism that erupted in the streets of Roseau during the evening of February 7, 2017, causing widespread loss and damage to business enterprises and triggering fears for safety and security in a season of heightened tension in our practice of civility,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
Linton said the UWP would meet in an emergency session today to discuss the incident.
Click here to receive news via email from Caribbean360. (View sample)
Read more: http://www.caribbean360.com/news/lo...nti-government-protest-dominica#ixzz4ZIZcCnWn
There are a few others who will be showing up later, and Barkashov will also be making an appearance before long as well. I don't want to say to much since I don't want to give much away though.
Disenfranchise?
Highly doubtful. Considering the Prime Minister is married to a native Dominican woman, who I can confirm here is of African-Dominican heritage, as most people in Dominica are, it looks safe to say they are not looking to create a mini South Africa. What they are almost certainly looking to do is "expose Western style democracy" as hypocritical or hostile to Russian interest or something similar. They won the election fair and square. They are now facing an invasion simply because in their mind they are Russian and the world is against the Russian people (no doubt this is their world view). This would be a big selling point back in Russia and could fatally weaken Lebed's presidency, especially if the military stops backing him over what they see as his weakness here.
Also, they issued a warrant for Bob Kerrey. Why? Well perhaps one reason is because by some miracle if he extradited to Dominica they can demand Zhirinovsky be released in exchange for Kerrey (odds of this happening are somewhere between zero and, well, zero). But if that doesn't happen (and again, odds are it won't) then this fits their world view (only Russians are persecuted for made up crimes (we will see a developing revisionist movement in the UIS) while accusations against an American President are ignored.
Now one of three things happen here, (which we will see in the next post):
1. CARICOM or the UK or the USA invades Dominica and the radical right go back to the UIS will a narrative that Lebed betrayed them. This hits Lebed where it hurts most: he is a general who sees himself as a man who will stand up for the UIS and the Russian people. If he is seen as abandoning the Russian-Dominicans he starts to look like a pawn of the West and weak to many Russians who currently support him.
2. The West imposes sanctions on Dominica and the island's economy tanks. Yeah. Sucks for Dominica. But now Lebed is forced to either take part in the sanctions (see the problems with scenario #1) or bail them out and send aid to Dominica. This will put a fatal strain on the new UIS-UK-US alliance and would force Lebed's hand. He would be forced to reject closer tries to the West and if the US brings back sanctions on the UIS then relations would collapse and this forces Lebed to embrace the Radical Russian position.
3. Also, let's keep in mind, Dominica could really up the ante and force Lebed's hand. How? Think Texas.
4. Finally, they could be ignored by the West and the UIS. Somehow this seems unlikely.
AFTER ZHIRINOVSKY- PART THREE: AN ISLAND IN A SEA OF CRIME
AFTER ZHIRINOVSKY- PART THREE: AN ISLAND IN A SEA OF CRIME
Some new names in this update:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Baluyevsky
Protesters, supporters of former US President Bob Kerrey clash outside US embassy
The Scotsman
January 15, 2004
For the second straight day protesters and supporters of former United States president Bob Kerrey clashed in protests that at times turned violent. Scotland yard reported that a dozen people were treated for minor injuries and over fifty were arrested in what has emerged as one of the most violent nights in recent memory.
“A UIS President is arrested for accusations of so called genocide and the world demands that the UIS hand him over to face trial,” Daniel Valuev, an eighteen year old University student from Wigan, said angrily. “But an admitted baby killer, a man who told the world he shot a baby in the head, is not only allowed to wander the streets of London unmolested but when a warrant is issued for his arrest the Prime Minister himself has him shuttled out of the country!”
The U.S. Embassy became a lightning rod after President Kerrey was notified of the active arrest warrant issued by the Commonwealth of Dominica, a tiny nation in the Caribbean that was recently taken over by citizens of the Union of Independent States in what Prime Minister Blair called “a colonization.” The claim has electrified criticism from the UIS, prompting UIS President to take the unusual step of criticizing Blair and the United Kingdom.
“Although we share some concerns with the United Kingdom over the validity of this arrest warrant we also reject any attempts by the United Kingdom to lecture us on colonialism.” Lebed said in an interview with Russian television yesterday.
The incident has also rocked Tony Blair, whose administration was criticized from members of his own party over his handling of the Kerrey arrest warrant. Upon learning of the arrest warrant Blair allegedly called President Kerrey, who was vacationing in London at the time, and made arrangements for Kerrey to be taken to the U.S. Embassy to prevent the warrant from being served on the President. But most controversial was his decision to personally call the Secretary of State to “vouch” for the former President, a breech of protocol that some have argued may have broken British law.
“The Secretary of State receives the request for extradition and he and he alone determines if the request should be granted or not,” Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, told the BBC after the scandal broke. “The Prime Minister simply cannot abuse his office and vouch for someone facing arrest regardless of the circumstances. This is how justice operates in a democratic nation.”
The request for extradition was denied by the Secretary of State yesterday, prompting former President Kerrey to leave the U.S. Embassy grounds, which in turn prompted both supporters and detractors of the controversial former president to converge on the embassy grounds. Most of the opponents of extradition are from the Bosniak and Chechen immigrant community, while most of the supporters of extradition come from the Russian and Romanian immigrant communities. The tension between the UIS and the Chechen and Bosnian communities in the United Kingdom has only added to the volatile situation outside the embassy grounds.
***
“A Dream for Tomorrow- By former Russian Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis”
Published by Colorado State University Press, © 2014
CHAPTER TWELVE
I could see President Lebed was visibly shaken by the latest development. Anti-American protesters in London had taken to the U.S. Embassy en masse. But what was most stunning was who these protesters were. Romanian exiles, driven from their country after the coup in which General Victor Stănculescu seized power in Romania setting up one of the world’s most brutal military dictatorships…standing arm in arm with the children of Russian exiles who were driven from their homes by none other than Vladimir Zhirinovsky! Nothing oculd have prepared us for that!
“I thought you said the Russian Diaspora in London were mostly liberals and reformists,” Prime Minister Svyatoslav Petrushko said with unmistakable contempt. “So are we to believe the Russian exile community is suddenly in love in Vladimir Zhirinovsky? Because that looks like a Pamyet political rally, not a band of freedom loving reformists.”
“Well considering none of them are throwing fascist salutes I would have to disagree.” I said unconvincingly. I wasn’t convinced. At one point the chants of “Free Z!” began to echo across the protesters. I couldn’t deny who “Z” was.
“How did this happen?” President Lebed asked incredulously. “How did we not see any of this coming?”
“Mr. President, perhaps there is an opportunity here,” General Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the General Staff, said to President Lebed. “We can take command of the situation quite easily.”
“How is that?”
“We offer Dominica membership in the Union.”
I nearly fell out of my chair as I jumped up.
“Mr. President, you can’t seriously consider this proposition!”
“Why not?” General Baluyevsky said with unmistakable contempt. “If they say yes we go in and purge the government of Dominica and get rid of those who may be problematic. If they say no we can tell the Russian people that we tried our best but the fascists wouldn’t listen to reason. We will defend our territory but not defend a rabble that would rather make sand castles on an island than be part of this glorious union.”
“And what if they say yes and the Americans invade?!” I shot back. “You do realize then we would be in the nuclear war. And I think I speak for every Russian when I saw I don’t want to start World War III over some island nobody ever has heard of!”
Lebed said nothing.
“Mr. President,” General Baluyevsky said firmly. “We are being forced into a situation by our enemies. Now we have discussed ending the occupation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and giving them independence. The Latvians are poised to seize control of their nation after a dozen years of political dysfunction. If the tenuous power sharing agreement does in facrt collapse, and we both know it will, then we will be forced to abandon our Russian brothers in Latvia or face a civil war on our border. And if the ethnic Latvians win then there will be hundreds of thousands of Russian refugees back in the country asking why. Why did President Lebed abandon us? Why did President Lebed let the Latvians kill us all what Zhirinoivsky stood up for us and fought for us? Zhirinovsky was willing to fight for us…why can’t President Lebed be as strong as President Zhirinovsky was?”
“You do realize President Zhirinovsky was arrested in a strip club in Sochi last night?” I asked sarcastically.
“Nobody cares about that strip club in Sochi,” General Baluyevsky shot back. “But if we are not careful Zhirinovsky will find a way to get from Club Elba to Moscow…and if we don’t show strength here, right now, he will have the support of the Russian people.”
“Mr. President,” I said softy, “many of those protesters in London…they are kids. Kids sometimes do things they regret. Sometimes they don’t look at the big picture. This probably has more to do with identifying as Russian than real support for the radicals or even Zhirinovsky. Kids can do things that seem a bit crazy from an outsider’s perspective but it usually is little more than harmless venting. I’m sure that’s what we are seeing in London”
“So when does it go from harmless venting to a real threat?” General Baluyevsky asked sarcastically. “When they start throwing bananas? Because I know how that ends when the bananas start flying.”
I said nothing but I could see the color had drained from President Lebed’s face. He sat silent for what felt like a full minute.
“We…we will not make an offer of UIS membership to the Dominicans.”
***
Excerpts from the book “What Went Wrong: Inside the Bush White House"
By Paul O’Neill
Published by Benton Press © 2006
CHAPTER 8: THE GRENADA OPTION
George Bush nodded as he put down the phone.
“President Lebed is opposed to an invasion of Dominica,” he said firmly. “But he said he will understand if we decide to go with massive sanctions, and he assured us that under no circumstance would he entertain UIS membership for Dominica.”
Several people in the room began to clap. But Director North looked unmoved.
”Mr. President,” he said, “we saw in Cuba how sanctions don’t always work. An invasion could dislodge the Russians just in time for the Iowa caucus next week.
“Dominica is already imploding,” I replied. “They just announced they are leaving the Commonwealth after the British refused to allow then to open their embassy in London. Apparently the Office of the High Commission had pretty much become something similar to what we saw with UIS embassies under Zhirinovsky. Money laundering seemed to be their main purpose, and there was this cheap attempt to give passports and instant citizenship to any Russian who walked in the door.”
“How’d the Russians react to that?” North asked.
“Not well,” I laughed. “They announced they were leaving the Commonwealth and proclaiming a Republic. I think they were expecting the UIS to come swooping in to save them. Now that Lebed has cut them off it seems like they realize the noose is tightening.”
“So why don’t we kick out the stool from under them,” North shot back. “Before this turns into an island in a sea of crime.”
“We should give sanctions a chance to work,” I replied. The native Dominicans are in revolt and the police refuse to break up the protests. It looks like there may be a revolution in the coming days, and we know for a fact that CARICOM is sending aid to the rebels.”
“And what happens when the Russians decide to hit back,” North asked. “I don’t know if you noticed, but the Russian bear still has some teeth.”
“Maybe,” I replied. “But that gives us the justification to go in without creating unnecessary tension with the UIS. We go in as peacekeepers and when that happens the Russians are not going to be in a position to challenge us on it. But I really think the Russians are on their last legs. Even with the Liberian mercenaries they don’t seem up for a fight.”
“All right then,” the President said as he stood up. “No invasion, but we will tighten the screws. Let’s show these Russians we mean business.”
***
CNN interview with Dick Gephardt, Former House Majority Leader
July 26, 2010
CNN: Congressman, although you were favored to defeat John Kerry in the Iowa Caucus you ultimately came up short, losing Iowa to Kerry by only 56 votes. But perhaps the biggest surprise came in the Republican caucus when President Bush’s reelection campaign imploded. Despite Bush’s dismal poll numbers he was nonetheless expected to capture the Republican nomination and was favored to win in a tough contest against former Michigan governor John Engler. What went wrong for President Bush?
Gephardt: Well, there are numerous reasons. Perhaps the realization that he was the only candidate who was trailing badly in the polls against both myself and Senator Kerry created the view with many Republicans that they had to hitch their wagon to another horse. It also didn’t help that Karl Rove tried to resurrect the FIN Party assuming that it would pull support from Engler and help Bush like it did in 2000. Well, the FIN Party emerged as more than a fringe in 2004 and nearly hijacked the Republican Party in 2004. Rove assumed Tom Tancredo burned his bridges with the Republican voters when he left the party to join the Reform Party. His return in 2001 to the Republican Party was not particularly well received and most assumed that he would not pull more than 1-2% in Iowa when he announced he was a candidate for President. Well, that backfired on Rove and Bush badly and Tancredo ended up winning in Iowa with his anti-immigrant message that suddenly resonated with Republicans who apparently forgot what happened after the Kosovo Missile Crisis.
CNN: But that alone doesn’t account for his absolutely dismal fifth place finish.
Gephardt: No. That would be his disaster mishandling over his Executive Order prohibiting citizens from Dominica from entering the United States. On the day Iowa voters took to the polls every airport in America was brought to a standstill over the poorly thought out executive order.
CNN: Few questioned that Bush had to do something about the Dominica Crisis and the Executive Order seemed at first to be the ideal way to put pressure on Dominica without sending troops or resorting to a conflict.
Gephardt: No, that part made sense. But nobody in the Bush White House apparently stopped to ask what it meant that Dominica withdrew from the Commonwealth and declared that they were now a Republic. We now had two Republics in the Caribbean that were called “Dominican” and his Executive Order didn’t clarify which Dominican Republic was being targeted! On the day of the Iowa Caucus confused immigration officers, who received no prior warning and no legal guidance from the White House, were refusing to let citizens of the Dominican Republic into the United States!
Some new names in this update:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Baluyevsky
Protesters, supporters of former US President Bob Kerrey clash outside US embassy
The Scotsman
January 15, 2004
For the second straight day protesters and supporters of former United States president Bob Kerrey clashed in protests that at times turned violent. Scotland yard reported that a dozen people were treated for minor injuries and over fifty were arrested in what has emerged as one of the most violent nights in recent memory.
“A UIS President is arrested for accusations of so called genocide and the world demands that the UIS hand him over to face trial,” Daniel Valuev, an eighteen year old University student from Wigan, said angrily. “But an admitted baby killer, a man who told the world he shot a baby in the head, is not only allowed to wander the streets of London unmolested but when a warrant is issued for his arrest the Prime Minister himself has him shuttled out of the country!”
The U.S. Embassy became a lightning rod after President Kerrey was notified of the active arrest warrant issued by the Commonwealth of Dominica, a tiny nation in the Caribbean that was recently taken over by citizens of the Union of Independent States in what Prime Minister Blair called “a colonization.” The claim has electrified criticism from the UIS, prompting UIS President to take the unusual step of criticizing Blair and the United Kingdom.
“Although we share some concerns with the United Kingdom over the validity of this arrest warrant we also reject any attempts by the United Kingdom to lecture us on colonialism.” Lebed said in an interview with Russian television yesterday.
The incident has also rocked Tony Blair, whose administration was criticized from members of his own party over his handling of the Kerrey arrest warrant. Upon learning of the arrest warrant Blair allegedly called President Kerrey, who was vacationing in London at the time, and made arrangements for Kerrey to be taken to the U.S. Embassy to prevent the warrant from being served on the President. But most controversial was his decision to personally call the Secretary of State to “vouch” for the former President, a breech of protocol that some have argued may have broken British law.
“The Secretary of State receives the request for extradition and he and he alone determines if the request should be granted or not,” Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, told the BBC after the scandal broke. “The Prime Minister simply cannot abuse his office and vouch for someone facing arrest regardless of the circumstances. This is how justice operates in a democratic nation.”
The request for extradition was denied by the Secretary of State yesterday, prompting former President Kerrey to leave the U.S. Embassy grounds, which in turn prompted both supporters and detractors of the controversial former president to converge on the embassy grounds. Most of the opponents of extradition are from the Bosniak and Chechen immigrant community, while most of the supporters of extradition come from the Russian and Romanian immigrant communities. The tension between the UIS and the Chechen and Bosnian communities in the United Kingdom has only added to the volatile situation outside the embassy grounds.
***
“A Dream for Tomorrow- By former Russian Prime Minister Gennady Burbulis”
Published by Colorado State University Press, © 2014
CHAPTER TWELVE
I could see President Lebed was visibly shaken by the latest development. Anti-American protesters in London had taken to the U.S. Embassy en masse. But what was most stunning was who these protesters were. Romanian exiles, driven from their country after the coup in which General Victor Stănculescu seized power in Romania setting up one of the world’s most brutal military dictatorships…standing arm in arm with the children of Russian exiles who were driven from their homes by none other than Vladimir Zhirinovsky! Nothing oculd have prepared us for that!
“I thought you said the Russian Diaspora in London were mostly liberals and reformists,” Prime Minister Svyatoslav Petrushko said with unmistakable contempt. “So are we to believe the Russian exile community is suddenly in love in Vladimir Zhirinovsky? Because that looks like a Pamyet political rally, not a band of freedom loving reformists.”
“Well considering none of them are throwing fascist salutes I would have to disagree.” I said unconvincingly. I wasn’t convinced. At one point the chants of “Free Z!” began to echo across the protesters. I couldn’t deny who “Z” was.
“How did this happen?” President Lebed asked incredulously. “How did we not see any of this coming?”
“Mr. President, perhaps there is an opportunity here,” General Yuri Baluyevsky, Chief of the General Staff, said to President Lebed. “We can take command of the situation quite easily.”
“How is that?”
“We offer Dominica membership in the Union.”
I nearly fell out of my chair as I jumped up.
“Mr. President, you can’t seriously consider this proposition!”
“Why not?” General Baluyevsky said with unmistakable contempt. “If they say yes we go in and purge the government of Dominica and get rid of those who may be problematic. If they say no we can tell the Russian people that we tried our best but the fascists wouldn’t listen to reason. We will defend our territory but not defend a rabble that would rather make sand castles on an island than be part of this glorious union.”
“And what if they say yes and the Americans invade?!” I shot back. “You do realize then we would be in the nuclear war. And I think I speak for every Russian when I saw I don’t want to start World War III over some island nobody ever has heard of!”
Lebed said nothing.
“Mr. President,” General Baluyevsky said firmly. “We are being forced into a situation by our enemies. Now we have discussed ending the occupation of the Republic of Azerbaijan and giving them independence. The Latvians are poised to seize control of their nation after a dozen years of political dysfunction. If the tenuous power sharing agreement does in facrt collapse, and we both know it will, then we will be forced to abandon our Russian brothers in Latvia or face a civil war on our border. And if the ethnic Latvians win then there will be hundreds of thousands of Russian refugees back in the country asking why. Why did President Lebed abandon us? Why did President Lebed let the Latvians kill us all what Zhirinoivsky stood up for us and fought for us? Zhirinovsky was willing to fight for us…why can’t President Lebed be as strong as President Zhirinovsky was?”
“You do realize President Zhirinovsky was arrested in a strip club in Sochi last night?” I asked sarcastically.
“Nobody cares about that strip club in Sochi,” General Baluyevsky shot back. “But if we are not careful Zhirinovsky will find a way to get from Club Elba to Moscow…and if we don’t show strength here, right now, he will have the support of the Russian people.”
“Mr. President,” I said softy, “many of those protesters in London…they are kids. Kids sometimes do things they regret. Sometimes they don’t look at the big picture. This probably has more to do with identifying as Russian than real support for the radicals or even Zhirinovsky. Kids can do things that seem a bit crazy from an outsider’s perspective but it usually is little more than harmless venting. I’m sure that’s what we are seeing in London”
“So when does it go from harmless venting to a real threat?” General Baluyevsky asked sarcastically. “When they start throwing bananas? Because I know how that ends when the bananas start flying.”
I said nothing but I could see the color had drained from President Lebed’s face. He sat silent for what felt like a full minute.
“We…we will not make an offer of UIS membership to the Dominicans.”
***
Excerpts from the book “What Went Wrong: Inside the Bush White House"
By Paul O’Neill
Published by Benton Press © 2006
CHAPTER 8: THE GRENADA OPTION
George Bush nodded as he put down the phone.
“President Lebed is opposed to an invasion of Dominica,” he said firmly. “But he said he will understand if we decide to go with massive sanctions, and he assured us that under no circumstance would he entertain UIS membership for Dominica.”
Several people in the room began to clap. But Director North looked unmoved.
”Mr. President,” he said, “we saw in Cuba how sanctions don’t always work. An invasion could dislodge the Russians just in time for the Iowa caucus next week.
“Dominica is already imploding,” I replied. “They just announced they are leaving the Commonwealth after the British refused to allow then to open their embassy in London. Apparently the Office of the High Commission had pretty much become something similar to what we saw with UIS embassies under Zhirinovsky. Money laundering seemed to be their main purpose, and there was this cheap attempt to give passports and instant citizenship to any Russian who walked in the door.”
“How’d the Russians react to that?” North asked.
“Not well,” I laughed. “They announced they were leaving the Commonwealth and proclaiming a Republic. I think they were expecting the UIS to come swooping in to save them. Now that Lebed has cut them off it seems like they realize the noose is tightening.”
“So why don’t we kick out the stool from under them,” North shot back. “Before this turns into an island in a sea of crime.”
“We should give sanctions a chance to work,” I replied. The native Dominicans are in revolt and the police refuse to break up the protests. It looks like there may be a revolution in the coming days, and we know for a fact that CARICOM is sending aid to the rebels.”
“And what happens when the Russians decide to hit back,” North asked. “I don’t know if you noticed, but the Russian bear still has some teeth.”
“Maybe,” I replied. “But that gives us the justification to go in without creating unnecessary tension with the UIS. We go in as peacekeepers and when that happens the Russians are not going to be in a position to challenge us on it. But I really think the Russians are on their last legs. Even with the Liberian mercenaries they don’t seem up for a fight.”
“All right then,” the President said as he stood up. “No invasion, but we will tighten the screws. Let’s show these Russians we mean business.”
***
CNN interview with Dick Gephardt, Former House Majority Leader
July 26, 2010
CNN: Congressman, although you were favored to defeat John Kerry in the Iowa Caucus you ultimately came up short, losing Iowa to Kerry by only 56 votes. But perhaps the biggest surprise came in the Republican caucus when President Bush’s reelection campaign imploded. Despite Bush’s dismal poll numbers he was nonetheless expected to capture the Republican nomination and was favored to win in a tough contest against former Michigan governor John Engler. What went wrong for President Bush?
Gephardt: Well, there are numerous reasons. Perhaps the realization that he was the only candidate who was trailing badly in the polls against both myself and Senator Kerry created the view with many Republicans that they had to hitch their wagon to another horse. It also didn’t help that Karl Rove tried to resurrect the FIN Party assuming that it would pull support from Engler and help Bush like it did in 2000. Well, the FIN Party emerged as more than a fringe in 2004 and nearly hijacked the Republican Party in 2004. Rove assumed Tom Tancredo burned his bridges with the Republican voters when he left the party to join the Reform Party. His return in 2001 to the Republican Party was not particularly well received and most assumed that he would not pull more than 1-2% in Iowa when he announced he was a candidate for President. Well, that backfired on Rove and Bush badly and Tancredo ended up winning in Iowa with his anti-immigrant message that suddenly resonated with Republicans who apparently forgot what happened after the Kosovo Missile Crisis.
CNN: But that alone doesn’t account for his absolutely dismal fifth place finish.
Gephardt: No. That would be his disaster mishandling over his Executive Order prohibiting citizens from Dominica from entering the United States. On the day Iowa voters took to the polls every airport in America was brought to a standstill over the poorly thought out executive order.
CNN: Few questioned that Bush had to do something about the Dominica Crisis and the Executive Order seemed at first to be the ideal way to put pressure on Dominica without sending troops or resorting to a conflict.
Gephardt: No, that part made sense. But nobody in the Bush White House apparently stopped to ask what it meant that Dominica withdrew from the Commonwealth and declared that they were now a Republic. We now had two Republics in the Caribbean that were called “Dominican” and his Executive Order didn’t clarify which Dominican Republic was being targeted! On the day of the Iowa Caucus confused immigration officers, who received no prior warning and no legal guidance from the White House, were refusing to let citizens of the Dominican Republic into the United States!
Accurateworldwar
Banned
Not necessarily. Bush's EO isn't just targeting Dominica because of their race.
But in terms of execution, it is pretty bad.
