Luis Miranda
Republican Senator and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Bob Corker, is the most recent inciter of global war, as he is the main sponsor of the Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014.
The piece of legislation, which has already been seen in congressional committee, intends to effectively declare war on Russia by imposing even more draconian sanctions on Russian businesses, and individuals, maintaining American troops in European countries, increasing the presence of American troops and military equipment in countries that support NATO's actions against Russia, including former Soviet republics, forcing Ukraine to become a member of NATO so the United States can station troops and armament on the Russian-Ukrainian border and cancel any nuclear disarmament treaties signed between the United States and Russia, among other things.
Senator Corker's proposed legislation has the support of traditional neoconservative members of Congress, such as Arizonan Republican, John McCain and Senator Marco Rubio, the Cuban-American Republican who is actively campaigning to become a Republican presidential candidate for the 2016 election.
Bob Corker, R-Tenn., right, accompanied by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. Photo credit: AP
The Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014 "Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to Congress a strategic framework for U.S. security assistance and cooperation in Europe and Eurasia," begins the text. According to Wayne Madsen, from the Strategic Culture Foundation, the legislation also intends to punish former US allies in Europe who are now in business with Russian companies. Among them, former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder, who would be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze by the United States.
The act would authorize President Obama to provide $100,000,000 in military equipment, including lethal equipment, to Ukraine, including anti-tank weapons and ammunition; anti-aircraft weapons and ammunition; small arms and ammunition, including pistols; submachine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers, machine guns, and sniper rifles; mine resistant ambush protected vehicles; High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (Humvees); inflatable boats; body armor; fire control, range finder, optical and guidance and control equipment; and other equipment deemed appropriate.
In other words, the United States wants to, once and for all, surround Russia along with its NATO partners in Europe, a dream that has been lingering in American politics for decades since the end of the Cold War.
But the piece of legislation is not limited to bringing about World War III with Russia, as it provides for the effective theft of natural resources by opening the doors of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia to American multinationals. Under the rules included in the Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014, energy companies would be free to drain those countries from their natural gas reserves.
The complete text of S.2277, the Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014, can be read below:
Russian Aggression Prevention Act of 2014 – Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to submit to Congress a strategic framework for U.S. security assistance and cooperation in Europe and Eurasia.
Directs the President to: (1) halt for 180-days all current and planned redeployments of combat forces from Europe other than certain redeployments, and (2) develop a plan to correct any deficiencies in the Armed Forces' ability to respond to contingencies in Europe and Eurasia.
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) represents the most successful collective security agreement of the modern era, and (2) a strong NATO is critical to maintaining peace in Europe and Eurasia and ensuring that the Russian Federation plays an appropriate role in the region.
Directs the President to: (1) implement a plan for increasing U.S. and NATO support for the armed forces of Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia, and other NATO member-states; and (2) direct the U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO to seek consideration for permanently basing NATO forces in such countries.
Directs the President to submit a plan to Congress for accelerating NATO and European missile defense efforts.
Directs the President to establish a United States-German Global and European Security Working Group to focus on areas of mutual concern, including the situation in Ukraine, and increasing political, economic, and military cooperation between the two states.
Directs the President to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions, if Russian armed forces have not withdrawn from Crimea within seven days after enactment of this Act, against: (1) any government official, and any close associate or family member of that official, who is responsible for or otherwise directing violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty, or who is responsible for acts of significant corruption in the Russian Federation; (2) any individual who sponsored or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of such acts; (3) any individual or entity with respect to which sanctions were previously imposed relating to violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty; (4) any entity owned or controlled by a sanctioned entity that is owned or controlled by a citizen of the Russian Federation; and (5) any senior executive of a sanctioned entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Directs the President to impose asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions, if Russian armed forces have not withdrawn from the eastern border of Ukraine within seven days after enactment of this Act, or if agents of the Russian Federation do not cease actions to destabilize the control of the government of Ukraine over eastern Ukraine, against: (1) Sberbank, (2) VTB Bank, (3) Vnesheconombank, (4) Gazprombank, (5) Gazprom, (6) Novatek, (7) Rosneft, (8) Rosoboronexport, (9) any entity owned or controlled by such an entity that is owned or controlled by a citizen of the Russian Federation; and (10) any senior executive of such an entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Imposes asset blocking, U.S. exclusion, and foreign financial entity sanctions, if Russian armed forces expand further into, or the government of the Russian Federation annexes, sovereign territory of Ukraine or any other country in Europe or Eurasia, against: (1) any senior Russian official, (2) any entity owned or controlled by a senior Russian official, and (3) any close associate of a senior Russian official who provides significant support or resources to such senior Russian official.
Imposes asset blocking and U.S. exclusion sanctions also, in such circumstances, against: (1) any entity organized under the laws of the Russian Federation that is owned or controlled by the government of the Russian Federation, or owned or controlled by a person sanctioned for violations of Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty; (2) any entity that operates in the arms, defense, energy, financial services, metals, or mining sectors of the Russian Federation; and (3) any senior executive of such an entity who is a citizen of the Russian Federation.
Sets forth related penalty requirements.
States that U.S. exclusion sanctions shall not apply if necessary to permit the United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the United Nations or other applicable international obligations.
Authorizes the President to waive sanctions if in the U.S. national security interests, and with prior congressional notification.
Directs the Secretary of Commerce to limit the transfer or export by any U.S. person of oil and gas advanced technology to any person in, or any citizen of, the Russian Federation if: (1) the Russian Federation has not substantially withdrawn its armed forces from the eastern border of Ukraine within 30 days, or (2) agents of the Russian Federation do not end destabilizing measures in eastern Ukraine.
Directs the Secretary of State to work with U.S. allies to limit: (1) sales of defense articles and services to the government of the Russian Federation, and (2) cooperation with the government of the Russian Federation on matters related to the production of defense articles and services by Russian entities.
Prohibits the President from: (1) entering into any agreement with the government of the Russian Federation regarding the reduction of nuclear forces except with the advice and consent of the Senate; (2) reducing the number of deployed or non-deployed launchers under the Treaty between the United States of America and the Russian Federation on Measures for the Further Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms while Russian armed forces are threatening the territorial integrity or sovereignty of Ukraine or another European or Eurasian state; (3) sharing sensitive U.S. missile defense information with the government of the Russian Federation; and (4) authorizing any Open Skies Treaty overflights of U.S. territory or government facilities by Russian airplanes that employ any surveillance devices beyond those employed before January 1, 2014.
Prohibits amounts from being obligated or expended to integrate into any U.S. or NATO common-funded missile defense system any stand-alone radar or missile defense system manufactured, sold, or exported by: (1) a Russian entity, or (2) any person or entity currently sanctioned or designated under U.S. law for missile technology proliferation.
Directs the Secretary of State to provide access to appropriate consular resources, including prioritized access for refugee and other immigration or travel status to the United States, for journalists, political and civil society activists, and dissidents in the Russian Federation.
Directs the Secretary of State to increase efforts to strengthen democratic institutions and political and civil society organizations in the Russian Federation.
Directs DOD to assess the capabilities and needs of the Ukrainian armed forces. Authorizes the President, upon completion of such assessment, to provide specified military assistance to Ukraine.
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should: (1) provide Ukraine with information about Russian military and intelligence capabilities on Ukraine's eastern border and within Ukraine's territorial borders, including Crimea; and (2) ensure that such intelligence information is protected from further disclosure.
Provides major non-NATO ally status for Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova (during the period in which each of such countries meets specified criteria) for purposes of the transfer or possible transfer of defense articles or defense services.
Directs the President to increase: (1) U.S. Armed Forces interactions with the armed forces of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia; and (2) U.S and NATO security assistance to such states.
Amends the Natural Gas Act to apply the expedited application and approval process for natural gas exports to World Trade Organization members.
Urges the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Trade and Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), the World Bank Group, and the European Bank for Reconstruction to promote assistance to Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova in order to exploit natural gas and oil reserves and to develop alternative energy sources.
Prohibits any federal department or agency from taking any action that recognizes Russian Federation sovereignty over Crimea or otherwise endorses the Russian Federation's illegal annexation of Crimea.
Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) strengthen democratic institutions, the independent media, and political and civil society organizations in countries of the former Soviet Union; and (2) increase educational and cultural exchanges with countries of the former Soviet Union.
Directs the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Voice of America (VOA) to provide Congress with a plan for increasing and maintaining through FY2017 the quantity of U.S.-funded Russian-language broadcasting into countries of the former Soviet Union, with priority for broadcasting into Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.
