During the Cold War, the Soviet Union made Eastern European countries its vassal states; attempted but failed to starve West Berlin into submission to communism; and fueled the war in Indo-China.
Moscow imprisoned Cuba under communism; triggered the birth of Arab terrorists in the aftermath of its barbarous invasion of Afghanistan; and created North Korea, the evil state that today constantly threatens the world with nuclear annihilation.
The Soviet government even imprisoned its own people in its notorious gulag prisons in Siberia on slightest suspicion of dissent.
In February 2022, Russia – which now leads the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union – invaded Ukraine, on the pretext that Ukrainians needed to be liberated from Nazi ideology.
In truth, its introverted and disruptive leader, Vladimir Putin, was displeased that Ukraine was planning to join the pro-Western military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Seven months have passed since the invasion but Ukraine is still up and fighting, and it has recovered much of its territory from Russian occupation.
Ukraine is able to fight the Russians because of military and financial assistance from the United States and its allies.
In addition, the Americans and their allies imposed stiff continuing economic sanctions on Russia, including a boycott of Russian oil and natural gas exports and restrictions on Russian commercial activities abroad.
The Russian economy has been sluggish since the economic sanctions were imposed.
As winter approaches, Moscow believes that Western Europe, which has been heavily dependent on Russian exports of natural gas for heating and domestic use for decades, will be compelled to ease the sanctions and buy petroleum from Russia.
Moscow will use the revenues to continue its illegal war against Ukraine.
Russia is very happy that Saudi Arabia recently agreed to purchase crude oil from Moscow.
Saudi Arabia will use the cheap Russian import for its domestic consumption, and sell its own crude oil in the world market at astronomical prices made possible by the increased demand for Saudi Arabian oil as a result of the Western boycott of Russian petroleum.
Saudi Arabia has made the cost of living worldwide more expensive than ever by its shrewd manipulation of the world’s oil supply.
It is also the original home of extremists and terrorists who create havoc and destruction in North America, Asia and Europe.
Although Saudi Arabia is wealthy, the Saudis remain virtually uncivilized as seen in the way they abuse and maltreat Asian domestic helpers working there. Saudi Arabia is the last country in the world to outlaw slavery. That was in 1965.
In 2018, the Saudis executed Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist known for his critical remarks against the Saudi government. Khashoggi was mercilessly dismembered right inside the Saudi Arabian embassy in Turkey.
Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia’s oil deal with Russia allows Moscow to continue its illegal war against Ukraine.
Instead of helping the world by using its economic might to compel the Russians to end its aggression against Ukraine, Saudi Arabia prefers profit over the liberation of Ukraine.
For decades, Russia supported Red China as its outpost in Asia, until the communist Chinese got ambitious and became global troublemakers on their own.
Red China, with Russia’s consent, provided military assistance to communist North Korea during the Korean War (1950-1953), but the communist invasion of South Korea ended in a stalemate.
Today, Beijing remains a staunch supporter of the hardline, intolerant communist government in Pyongyang.
After the Korean conflict, Red China invaded Tibet, thus forcing the Dalai Lama to go on exile. It also waged regional wars to claim territories belonging to India and Vietnam. Beijing is also harassing Japan for possession of islets currently held by the Japanese.
Red China stole the Paracel Islands from Vietnam, and has not hidden its consuming desire to conquer Taiwan, even through the use of military force.
If the Chinese communists were to have their way, they want Taiwan cut off from the rest of the world and make it ripe for a communist takeover.
Beijing supported the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. That regime, headed by the blood-thirsty Pol Pot, killed one-third of the Cambodian population from 1975 until it was overthrown in 1979.
Today, Cambodia remains an ally of Red China and serves as Beijing’s agent in neutralizing any overture from the Association of South East Asian Nations against communist Chinese expansionist activities in Southeast Asia.
When the British returned Hong Kong to Red China in 1997, Beijing promised to retain freedom and democracy there.
Today, Hong Kong is a glorified prison camp which does not tolerate free speech, press freedom and freedom of assembly.
Lest we forget, Red China has stolen islets and shoals in the West Philippine Sea which belong to the Philippines.
Beijing also refuses to condemn Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.
Russia, Red China and Saudi Arabia are challenging the standing hegemony of the US in the political, economic and military spheres.