[War] Russia/USA: "Not a Social Call"

[Michael Downey]

"Not a Social Call"
President Nemerenko, Russian Federation
President Williams, United States of America
29 July 2014

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Nemerenko felt frustrated. Wounded and frustrated. The blood of many
Russians had been spilled in the past few weeks and Iran was to blame.
Of that there could be no doubt. True, it had been Chechens that had
killed many of his countrymen in Chechnya, South Ossetia and right
here in Moscow. Defence Minister Yoselev had been among those killed
when a car bomb went off next to his motorcade. But the SVR and MVD
had both concluded that Chechen rebels, broken and huddled in the
South of Chechnya for nearly ten years, had been backed by the
Iranians.

What made things frustrating was that Russia had been completely shut
out of the fighting in Azerbaijan, mostly because of Georgia.
Relations with Georgia may have improved somewhat since the Federation
had taken steps, in conjunction with the EU, to peacefully resolve the
situation between Georgia and its two Russian-backed breakaway
provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but the American-backed
government in Tbilisi still did not trust Moscow. Tensions had been
simmering ever since the outbreak of violence between Georgia and
ethnic Russians in the early 1990s and after the border skirmish that
had broken out in 2008, almost spilling into an outright war.
Fortunately cooler heads had prevailed.

Regardless, Georgia had completely refused to allow Russian troops to
move through their territory. That meant the Russian Army would have
to trek through the incredibly treacherous and vehicle unfriendly
mountains of Southern Dagestan to invade Azerbaijan and mix it up with
the Iranians. Just as preparations were nearing completion, the
Amerikanskis had stormed in and done to the Iranians what they'd done
to the Iraqis backing during Gulf One. Namely kick their sorry Muslims
asses into the ground. Also taking into account that the Iranians had
been stupid enough to provoke the Chinese, a military force that made
the usual ruthlessness and brutality of the Russians seem tame.

In a way Nemerenko should have been grateful. His two greatest rivals,
though publically they were 'friends,' were doing all the hard work
while Russia got to sit back and chew popcorn with the rest of Europe.
But Russians blood and been spilled and many in the armed forces and
the Assembly were screaming for Iranian blood to be spilled by Russian
hands. For the moment they'd have to be satisfied with the news bytes
on CNN.

So long as the job gets done, thought Nemerenko as the video link to
Washington was established. The LCD screen on the laptop on the
President's desk pulsed black for a moment before a clear picture of
President Williams' face popped into being.

"Ivan," said Nemerenko cordially. "It is agreeable to speak with you again."

"Leonid Nikolayevich," Williams replied in easy Russian - The damn
summit with the Chinese had been frustrating and pretty much a bitter
failure from the US point of view, so dealing with someone over the
comfortable distance of the video link was a helpful change.

"I'd like to say it's good to see you, but it'd be a bit of an
understatement. After dealing with our Chinese 'friends', even budget
negotiations will be positively *relaxing*." Fortunately, he did have
the trip to Europe - half work, half vacation - to look forward to, he
reflected.

"No doubt," replied Nemerenko. "But this is not acsocial call.
Given that the US Army is traipsing around in the South Caucasus and
slaughtering Iranians left, right and center I thought it prudent that
you and I discuss just what you plan to do once you've mopped up the
last remaining pockets of Iranian resistance in Azerbaijan."

"We're pondering precisely just that: Whether to stop at the Azeri
border, or keep going into Iran.'

That was a question Nemerenko pondered as well. The Iranian invasion
has seriously destabilized the South Caucasus, not to mention Iran's
own grievous crimes against Russia itself through their Chechen
puppets. The Iranians were a threat that needed to be neutralized and
invasion was certainly one way to do it. The problem was that it would
almost certainly be an American invasions. No matter how cordial he
and Williams were, the US would never agree to a joint invasion of
Iran with Russia. Worse still, with China thrashing the Iranians on a
second front through Pakistan, the Chinese might decide to make a grab
for oil-soaked Iranian land and provoke a repeat of the German
division that started the Cold War.

"Certainly the Iranians have been so thoroughly battered that they
will be neither willing no capable of ever posing such a threat to any
of their neighbors ever again. Is occupation necessary?"

"China has Special Forces on the ground arming and equipping Iranian
movements for an uprising - I think a Western occupation, light touch,
might be preferable to China having even a part of Iran under its
sway. Only reason I even allowed them an observer seat on the Allied
Control Council for Iran was the hope of leverage in negotiating our
guys out of their prison camps, but they wouldn't even accept
negotiating on that. Or Taiwan, or much else."

Nemerenko found that typical of the Chinese leadership. Just getting
them to sign an non-aggression pact, to get them to agree not to go to
war with another nuclear power, had been like pulling hen's teeth. He
really didn't want anyone, Chinese or American, occupying Iran. But if
there was going to be an occupation then he would prefer it to be the
United States. For all their arrogance and hypocrisy the Americans did
have a genuine belief in democracy. Not to mention that the Chinese
occupation of North Korea had been a bloody, violent mess with PLA
troops running around murdering Koreans left and right, despite
Beijing's efforts to the contrary. Granted the Americans had behaved
only *slightly* better in Iraq but perhaps that had taught them a
lesson.

"What have so far agreed to be part of your Allied Control Council in
the event of an occupation?" If this was just a choice between America
and China, which many Russians viewed with the same suspicion, it
would be difficult for Nemerenko to pick sides. If the Americans were
able to put together a broad enough coalition that had some stable
democracies on their side it might lend some credibility.

"We've extended the invite to every country with troops on the ground,
plus the French," Williams replied. "Not as big as Bush's coalition,
but I'd hope rather more credible." There was a bleak sort of smile at
that.

"The idea is a very light-touch sort of occupation. I don't want to
bring democracy to Iran - they have that, we just have to
declericalize it. And, truthfully, I doubt they'll need much prompting
to do -that-; the clerics lost *two* wars, now. And they can always be
thrown to the tender mercies of the Chinese if they don't like our
ideas, anyway."

"It may not be as simple as that," warned Nemerenko. "The
Revolutionary Guard must be dealt with if you are going to occupy
Iran, and they will not go quietly. Plus there is the Basij militia
corps in every major Iranian city. Those are the people that organized
human wave attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. A certain amount of blood
will need to be shed. I mean more than has already."

"I know - we're keeping all that in mind, the question now is
*whether* to occupy Iran," Williams explained.

"Well it's your men in the field anyway," said Nemerenko. He was not
yet prepared to offer Rusian troops to assist in an occupation that
may or may not occur, and then there was the issue of whether or not
NATO would even accept Russian help. "Is there anything else you
wished to discuss?"

"Not that I can think of."

"Good luck Mr. President," said Nemerenko as he closed the video link.
---

Actions:
1) Some discussion between Russia and the United States.
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