There is a very interesting development in global geopolitics that deserves far more coverage than it is receiving. A man named Viktor Bout is being held in a prison in Thailand, and he is awaiting extradition to the USA as an illegal weapons dealer. A very high-stakes political game is being waged re: this man’s release back to his native Russia or his extradition to the USA. Thankfully, Newsweek’s website has a story about this situation which is well worth your time to read.
Mr. Bout apparently knows a very great deal of information about “decades” of Russia’s top secret weapons deals and behind-the-scenes activities. Russia is so frightened of him being turned over to American intelligence agencies that the link below reports that Russia is offering “cheap oil and fighter jets” to the Thai government to deny the extradition of Mr. Bout to the USA. Russia’s Foreign Minister is personally trying to get Mr. Bout returned to Russia to keep him from the custody of the USA. The Newsweek story indicates that Mr. Bout is personally close to the leadership and top secret activities of the FSB (previously known as the KGB), and that he personally supervised a fleet of 50 Russian planes that implemented Russia’s “secret deals” around the globe.
This man has reportedly been involved in a very wide array of Russian-supported efforts to arm and assist many groups around the world, including the Taliban, Hezbollah, etc. The link mentions his latest activity may have been to supply weaponry to FARC, a Colombian rebel group so those weapons could be used against the Colombian government (which is allied to the USA). While not mentioned in the article, Mr. Bout may also know the types of sophisticated weaponry that Russia and China have secretly sent to Iran to be used against Israeli or American ships and warplanes in the event Iran is attacked by either or both nations. Mr. Bout also undoubtedly knows the names of many, many Russian agents, moles and contacts around the world in many nations. This man is a wealth of intelligence information.
No doubt, western intelligence agencies are eager to get Mr. Bout into their hands for detailed interrogation. Because Russia is offering a huge package to Thailand for his release, I suspect the Thai government is demanding something quite meaningful from the US government for his extradition. Many intelligence agencies around the world would be eager to learn what Mr. Bout eventually tells the American intelligence agencies (is Sodium Pentothal still used?). Indeed, it is possible that western intelligence agencies have already been interrogating him for some time in Thailand’s prisons. If so, Thailand would reap the best of both worlds. It could let western intelligence agencies interrogate Mr. Bout extensively in Thailand to obtain all the information they want, and then release him to the Russians after the Americans already have all the information they want. I’ll bet that possibility is causing top officials in Russia to lose some sleep.
If Mr. Bout is extradited to the USA, the USA and the West will likely harvest a windfall of intelligence information that Russia is almost desperate to keep hidden. If Mr. Bout is extradited to the USA, the Russians would be highly motivated to arrange an “accident” involving any car, plane or conveyance in which he is transported. There better be heavy protection for him if he is extradited to the USA.
The story below has a number of related links. I recommend that you examine one called “Weapons Porn,” which has nothing to do with pornography. It features information on some of America’s latest and secretive weaponry. I recommend that you pay especially close attention to panel #5, a photo of the USA’s top-secret X-47 unmanned stealth warplane landing on a US aircraft carrier. I wonder how many of those warplanes already exist? They could carry out missions and perform maneuvers that would be impossible with a human pilot in a traditional warplane.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/02/viktor-bout-s-secrets-frighten-the-kremlin.print.html
