[War] Russia: "The Problems of Others"

[Michael Downey]

"The Problems of Others"
President Nemerenko
Russian Federation
2 March 2014
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Nemerenko sympathized with the Chinese. His Far East neighbor ws
suffering the same problems that had dogged the Russians for years.
Namely, a military and security apparatus that knew only brutality as
a method of control and a Western media bias that portrayed them as
nothing but monsters. But then again if you went around beating,
shooting and killing unarmed civilians then maybe you were a monster?
Thoughts of the Second Chechen War flooded Nemerenko's mind. He had
half expected there to be similar incidents in Abkhazia. Despite all
the efforts and work he'd placed into Russia's military it seemed none
of it ever paid off. But this time it had. No massacres, no shootings,
no drunk soldiers resorting to tactics used in the Bad Old Days of the
Soviet Union and the Red Army. He was sure his inclusion of European
and Japanese forces to assist and train the Russian Army in modern
peacekeeping method shad helped. The world was a big place and the
time where Russia could pretend to know and have everything were long
in the past.

"You can be sure the South Koreans and the Americans are going to be
up in arms," said Denemetov. "Forget the atrocities committed by the
Americans in Iraq or the ROK's own shoddy human rights record up until
the 1990s, China is now the villain and they will be the saints sent
to save the North Koreans from the barbarian Chinese. Expect
Washington and Seoul to start clamoring for international
participation, if not total assumption of control, in the peacekeeping
operations in North Korea."

What a sorry state of affairs this was. He could forgive China for
wanting to make North Korea a puppet satellite state of the PRC,
because imperialism had not gone out of style by a long shot, but the
incompetent handling of things by the PLA was rapidly destabilizing
the Far East.

"Let the South Koreans rabble rouse all they want," shrugged the
President. "It will do little. Japan is as happy to remain neutral as
we are. As for the Americans, well..." The President gave a scornful
snort. "I think you underestimate the ability of the American public
to not care about poor dirty people whose skin isn't white. They love
cheap Chinese consumer goods more than they do the North Koreans.
Williams will make some noise in political circles and maybe send an
angry letter or two to Hong but I don't any real action taken. The
Chinese are saints compared to the Saudis and the Pakistanis, and when
have they ever felt American sanctions?"

Or he could be wrong and the situation would become rapidly worse with
serious American intervention, political or otherwise. But if
Washington was going to react then they would have already done it.

"Do you still suspect the South Koreans of aiding the rebels in the
North?" asked Denemetov.

"I do," nodded Nemerenko. "North Korea is too geographically isolated
to experience a flow of foreign fighters and arms like Iraq did. There
is no way the rebels could be as capable and well-armed as they are
without the aide of a foreign state, and why not South Korea? They
have motive and ability. The Americans are either helping them or at
the very lest not stopping them. In the end, what does it matter?"

"It matters of the Chinese take punitive action," noted the Foreign
Minister. "They are no fools, the Chinese. They have certainly come to
the same conclusion we have. What if they take action against South
Korea?"

"Let them. They won't actually use force, that would start a war with
the Americans. Sanctions, maybe a withdrawal of their ambassador. None
of which concerns us."

"And the medical camps?"

That was a concern. No attacks had occurred on Russia aide workers
operating those medical camps yet, but with the situation not
improving then it was only a matter of time. He had lent that small
bit of aid to the Chinese effort in order to encourage a rapid
stabilization of the country, all for naught. Now they were just
targets, waiting.

"Begin preparations to close the camps. My patience with China's
operation has reached its limit. Smooth things over with Beijing, use
whatever excuse is sufficient, I don't care. Just star evacuating our
personnel as soon as possible."
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Actions:
1) Russia completely distances itself from the occupation of North
Korea. No negative or positive statements from Moscow, just silence.
2) Close the Russian medical camps in North Korea. Cite safety
concerns, or whatever excuse China wants to hear. Just pull our people
out and do it fast.