Russian companies provided Iraq with high-tech military equipment, including advanced antitank missiles, night goggles and GPS jamming equipment, putting coalition soldiers' lives at risk. Russia denied that they were responsible for such sales, claiming that they might have been sold to the Iraqis through third countries. Yet they can't explain why Russian specialists were discovered in Iraq training Saddam's troops to use the high-tech weaponry.

Even worse, coalition forces discovered documents showing that in recent months Russia had provided the Iraqi regime with secret information on Western leaders and had helped train Iraqi agents.

This kind of political underhandedness is not new to Russia. Throughout the 1980s, while the Cold War was at its hottest, U.S. President Ronald Reagan often called the Soviets' bluffs. He went on the attack and labeled them as the "evil empire," thereby keeping their feet to the fire.

Consider this: Russia is building a nuclear reactor in oil-rich Iran, thereby supplying Iran with technology that can be used to produce nuclear weapons. They also continue to arm North Korea in spite of the fact that North Korea has threatened the United States with nuclear attack.

It appears that Russia is pursuing an agenda of seeking to deprive America of its leading role in world politics. Apparently the Cold War is heating up. How can America respond? A temporary answer might be to follow Ronald Reagan's lead. After all, didn't the Soviet Union break up at the end of President Reagan's eight-year term? Obviously, Russia can't aid and abet America's enemies and say it is an ally.

Scripture has the best answer to political intrigue and man's inhumanity to man. One day there will be only one government on earth, and that government will have as its goal the welfare, security and peace for all of mankind (Daniel 2:44). To better understand these trends, request our free booklet The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Book of Revelation Unveiled.

(Sources: The Washington Times, San Francisco Chronicle, The Telegraph [London].)