[Scuddie]

Why do people assume that this has anything at all to do with anything else?

I believe the words, "So what?" sum it up best.

[Flipside]

Yes, this isn't even happening on planet Earth, it takes place in the mythical land of Flongiddle....

[Scuddie]

The rumors are true??

God help us all.

[Flipside]

It also certainly shows that you were 9 when the USSR broke up.

[Hippy]

Why do I expect to see the Russian military backing Middle Eastern insurgents now?

Er... poetic justice? 

Payback more like it.

I'm sure the Mujahideen would happily accept Russian assistance to fight the Americans. Operation Cyclone Ver 2.0 - The Russian Edition. It would make sense for them to do so - bleed their main 'enemy' white and undermine their domestic cohesion... just as we did to the Soviets in Afghanistan. And they get Iraq as a bonus theater of operations too. My enemies enemy... etc

war on terror

There is no such thing. It's called propaganda.

Add to that that the terms 'the west' and 'islam' (or 'political islam' if you prefer), are nonsensical and non-existent. Huntington be damned - the guy was an idiot. Oh yes, let's just upscale realist politics to civilisational proportions and then let's arbitrarily determine those civ's and then let's apply the security dilemma. Joy. Such... academic rigor.

It must warm Huntington's heart to know that the two biggest believers in his Clash of Civilisations theory are the Neo-Cons and Al-Qaeda.

[Aardwolf]

Whatever, that's what it is referred to, at least far more commonly than "Bush's lies-and-propaganda scheme to destroy all of our freedoms and to do a bunch of other bad stuff too". Seriously, get the opponents to agree on a single name that is three words or less, that doesn't describe any other event.

[NGTM-1R]

The Russians always supported Middle Eastern insurgents, except the Afghani ones.