Last year, the founder and president of the Center for Security Policy (CSP), Frank Gaffney, an influential foreign-policy neo-conservative, with strong ties to top hawks in the Bush’s admin., laid out what he called ''a checklist of the work the world will demand of this president and his subordinates in a second term,'' IPS reported.
The list included the development of ''appropriate strategies'' for dealing with threats posed by China, Russia and called for ''regime change'' in Iran and North Korea.
Asia Times' Jephraim P. Gundzik, who dubbed China-Iran-Russia axis as "that other axis" wrote ealier this year that "Beijing's increasingly close ties with Moscow and Tehran will thwart Washington's foreign policy goal of expanding US security footholds in the Middle East, Central Asia."
"Initially, Moscow supported Washington's 'war on terrorism'. However, the U.S. invasion of Iraq changed this support into resistance, and later into active efforts to counterbalance the U.S. In the past two years both Washington and Moscow have sought to strengthen their influence in Central Asia and the Caucasus. ... More significantly, Moscow is working diligently to strengthen its ties with Iran, Syria and China - countries that Washington considers to be adversaries," Gundzik wrote in March 2005. And since the "beginning of the war in Iraq," he said, "Beijing has worked feverishly ... in an apparent effort to prevent U.S. military action against the remaining 'axis of evil' members, Iran and North Korea. In addition to recent massive energy deals with Teheran, which place Iran in China's security web, both Beijing and Moscow have accelerated the transfer of missile technology to Teheran, while selling the Islamic republic increasingly sophisticated military equipment.
"Armed with a vast array of anti-ship and long-range missiles, Iran can target U.S. troop positions throughout the Middle East and strike U.S. Navy ships. Iran can also use its weapons to blockade the Straits of Hormuz through which one-third of the world's traded oil is shipped. With the help of Beijing and Moscow, Teheran is becoming an increasingly unappealing military target for the U.S."
