<div dir="ltr"><div class="Ih2E3d">"Not a Social Call"<br>President Nemerenko, Russian Federation<br>President Williams, United States of America<br>29 July 2014<br><pre>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-<br></pre>
Nemerenko felt frustrated. Wounded and frustrated. The blood of many<br>
Russians had been spilled in the past few weeks and Iran was to blame.<br>
Of that there could be no doubt. True, it had been Chechens that had<br>
killed many of his countrymen in Chechnya, South Ossetia and right<br>
here in Moscow. Defence Minister Yoselev had been among those killed<br>
when a car bomb went off next to his motorcade. But the SVR and MVD<br>
had both concluded that Chechen rebels, broken and huddled in the<br>
South of Chechnya for nearly ten years, had been backed by the<br>
Iranians.<br>
<br>
What made things frustrating was that Russia had been completely shut<br>
out of the fighting in Azerbaijan, mostly because of Georgia.<br>
Relations with Georgia may have improved somewhat since the Federation<br>
had taken steps, in conjunction with the EU, to peacefully resolve the<br>
situation between Georgia and its two Russian-backed breakaway<br>
provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but the American-backed<br>
government in Tbilisi still did not trust Moscow. Tensions had been<br>
simmering ever since the outbreak of violence between Georgia and<br>
ethnic Russians in the early 1990s and after the border skirmish that<br>
had broken out in 2008, almost spilling into an outright war.<br>
Fortunately cooler heads had prevailed.<br>
<br>
Regardless, Georgia had completely refused to allow Russian troops to<br>
move through their territory. That meant the Russian Army would have<br>
to trek through the incredibly treacherous and vehicle unfriendly<br>
mountains of Southern Dagestan to invade Azerbaijan and mix it up with<br>
the Iranians. Just as preparations were nearing completion, the<br>
Amerikanskis had stormed in and done to the Iranians what they'd done<br>
to the Iraqis backing during Gulf One. Namely kick their sorry Muslims<br>
asses into the ground. Also taking into account that the Iranians had<br>
been stupid enough to provoke the Chinese, a military force that made<br>
the usual ruthlessness and brutality of the Russians seem tame.<br>
<br>
In a way Nemerenko should have been grateful. His two greatest rivals,<br>
though publically they were 'friends,' were doing all the hard work<br>
while Russia got to sit back and chew popcorn with the rest of Europe.<br>
But Russians blood and been spilled and many in the armed forces and<br>
the Assembly were screaming for Iranian blood to be spilled by Russian<br>
hands. For the moment they'd have to be satisfied with the news bytes<br>
on CNN.<br>
<br>
So long as the job gets done, thought Nemerenko as the video link to<br>
Washington was established. The LCD screen on the laptop on the<br>
President's desk pulsed black for a moment before a clear picture of<br>
President Williams' face popped into being.<br>
<br>
"Ivan," said Nemerenko cordially. "It is agreeable to speak with you again."<br>
<br>
"Leonid Nikolayevich," Williams replied in easy Russian - The damn<br>
summit with the Chinese had been frustrating and pretty much a bitter<br>
failure from the US point of view, so dealing with someone over the<br>
comfortable distance of the video link was a helpful change.<br>
<br>
"I'd like to say it's good to see you, but it'd be a bit of an<br>
understatement. After dealing with our Chinese 'friends', even budget<br>
negotiations will be positively *relaxing*." Fortunately, he did have<br>
the trip to Europe - half work, half vacation - to look forward to, he<br>
reflected.<br>
<br>
"No doubt," replied Nemerenko. "But this is not acsocial call.<br>
Given that the US Army is traipsing around in the South Caucasus and<br>
slaughtering Iranians left, right and center I thought it prudent that<br>
you and I discuss just what you plan to do once you've mopped up the<br>
last remaining pockets of Iranian resistance in Azerbaijan."<br>
<br>
"We're pondering precisely just that: Whether to stop at the Azeri<br>
border, or keep going into Iran.'<br>
<br>
That was a question Nemerenko pondered as well. The Iranian invasion<br>
has seriously destabilized the South Caucasus, not to mention Iran's<br>
own grievous crimes against Russia itself through their Chechen<br>
puppets. The Iranians were a threat that needed to be neutralized and<br>
invasion was certainly one way to do it. The problem was that it would<br>
almost certainly be an American invasions. No matter how cordial he<br>
and Williams were, the US would never agree to a joint invasion of<br>
Iran with Russia. Worse still, with China thrashing the Iranians on a<br>
second front through Pakistan, the Chinese might decide to make a grab<br>
for oil-soaked Iranian land and provoke a repeat of the German<br>
division that started the Cold War.<br>
<br>
"Certainly the Iranians have been so thoroughly battered that they<br>
will be neither willing no capable of ever posing such a threat to any<br>
of their neighbors ever again. Is occupation necessary?"<br>
<br>
"China has Special Forces on the ground arming and equipping Iranian<br>
movements for an uprising - I think a Western occupation, light touch,<br>
might be preferable to China having even a part of Iran under its<br>
sway. Only reason I even allowed them an observer seat on the Allied<br>
Control Council for Iran was the hope of leverage in negotiating our<br>
guys out of their prison camps, but they wouldn't even accept<br>
negotiating on that. Or Taiwan, or much else."<br>
<br>
Nemerenko found that typical of the Chinese leadership. Just getting<br>
them to sign an non-aggression pact, to get them to agree not to go to<br>
war with another nuclear power, had been like pulling hen's teeth. He<br>
really didn't want anyone, Chinese or American, occupying Iran. But if<br>
there was going to be an occupation then he would prefer it to be the<br>
United States. For all their arrogance and hypocrisy the Americans did<br>
have a genuine belief in democracy. Not to mention that the Chinese<br>
occupation of North Korea had been a bloody, violent mess with PLA<br>
troops running around murdering Koreans left and right, despite<br>
Beijing's efforts to the contrary. Granted the Americans had behaved<br>
only *slightly* better in Iraq but perhaps that had taught them a<br>
lesson.<br>
<br>
"What have so far agreed to be part of your Allied Control Council in<br>
the event of an occupation?" If this was just a choice between America<br>
and China, which many Russians viewed with the same suspicion, it<br>
would be difficult for Nemerenko to pick sides. If the Americans were<br>
able to put together a broad enough coalition that had some stable<br>
democracies on their side it might lend some credibility.<br>
<br>
"We've extended the invite to every country with troops on the ground,<br>
plus the French," Williams replied. "Not as big as Bush's coalition,<br>
but I'd hope rather more credible." There was a bleak sort of smile at<br>
that.<br>
<br>
"The idea is a very light-touch sort of occupation. I don't want to<br>
bring democracy to Iran - they have that, we just have to<br>
declericalize it. And, truthfully, I doubt they'll need much prompting<br>
to do -that-; the clerics lost *two* wars, now. And they can always be<br>
thrown to the tender mercies of the Chinese if they don't like our<br>
ideas, anyway."<br>
<br>
"It may not be as simple as that," warned Nemerenko. "The<br>
Revolutionary Guard must be dealt with if you are going to occupy<br>
Iran, and they will not go quietly. Plus there is the Basij militia<br>
corps in every major Iranian city. Those are the people that organized<br>
human wave attacks during the Iran-Iraq War. A certain amount of blood<br>
will need to be shed. I mean more than has already."<br>
<br>
"I know - we're keeping all that in mind, the question now is<br>
*whether* to occupy Iran," Williams explained.<br>
<br>
"Well it's your men in the field anyway," said Nemerenko. He was not<br>
yet prepared to offer Rusian troops to assist in an occupation that<br>
may or may not occur, and then there was the issue of whether or not<br>
NATO would even accept Russian help. "Is there anything else you<br>
wished to discuss?"<br>
<br>
"Not that I can think of."<br>
<br>
</div>"Good luck Mr. President," said Nemerenko as he closed the video link.<br>---<br><br>Actions:<br>1) Some discussion between Russia and the United States. <br></div>