Sep 22, 2008

Those Aren't Our AK-47s, Part II

As a member of the UN Security Council, its been hard to fathom allegations that Russia’s state-owed arms manufacturers would violate UN arms embargos against Sudan – especially if there are nifty pictures involved.

That's why it's been even more difficult to imagine that stand-up businessmen like Viktor Bout – the real-life inspiration for Nick Cage’s awful accent in Lord of War – would want to expand their client list to include Al Qaeda.

Too bad for Viktor Bout. He was in court today, awaiting extradition to the US for trying to do just that. However, Bout’s extradition hearing was enough to rouse the Duma into denouncing the whole affair and its obvious, "Political motives, attempts to link this issue with the fight against international terrorism and thus damage the interests and reputation of Russia.”

That’s right kids, trying to sell weapons to Al Qaeda has nothing to do with terrorism, it’s just an American plot to damage Russia’s reputation.

Anyway, all you ever wanted to know about Russian arms exports (in 3 min):

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