This is Chess not Checkers...And the USA are better Players.

"Don't hate the players, hate the game."

Until recently Thailand appeared to want to stay at arms length and separate itself from the decision, to be neutral and let the U.S. and Russia settle the case amongst themselves. However, as the extradition court date nears, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva, according to the Associated Press, said weeks ago that “he will have the final say in the politically sensitive extradition of alleged Russian arms smuggler Viktor Bout to the United States, noting that one side is bound to be disappointed.”

Abhisit also stated that, “Washington had expected a more rapid extradition but the case spurred a diplomatic tug-of-war with Moscow that led to long delay;Not pressure from the Rssian government.

The question was never about whether or not Viktor Bout would be extradited? It was more a question of when. Last week I read an interesting piece on Bout. It was a Fox News articled titled, ‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bout Will Never Be Extradited to U.S., Expert Says, written by Ed Barnes. A lawyer named Robert Amsterdam, who is deeply involved in both Russian and Thai politics, is the expert that Barnes refers to in the article. Amsterdam is quoted as stating that the extradition, “isn’t going to happen.” Well newsflash it happened....

He then refers to this case as “the last great spy battle of the Cold War, which pitted Russians looking to keep Bout’s secrets away from the Americans against the Americans who are seeking to shut down the vast illegal arms network he allegedly created and force him to reveal some of the Kremlin’s darkest secrets.”

Abound The Rumors

"It a deal...we look up that scumbag forever in the United States okay. Okay."

There have been numerous rumors and allegations floating around that Russia tried to bribe Thailand with cheap oil and fighter jets and the U.S. allegedly matched the arms offer and used political pressure to assure Bout’s extradition. Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted in The Nation in late August as saying, “Thailand is a major ally of the U.S. in Southeast Asia but also wants to maintain good relations with Russia for political and economic interests.”

Experts say Bout allegedly has knowledge of Russia’s military and intelligence operations and Moscow does not want him to go on trial in the United States. However, one investigative journalist, has said that Bout being directly involved in Russian intelligence agencies is simply not true.

Bout also denied having any classified information regarding the Russian state and its leaders, saying he had worked neither with Russian companies nor state agencies. Bout was quoted in Russia Today as stating, “I don’t know any secrets of the Russian state or its leaders… I have never even worked with Russian companies and state agencies.”

High Stakes

"Low stakes"

New developments, twist and turns and allegations to Bout’s ties to political leaders and intelligence agencies continue to develop. This has turned into an extremely important, high profile and high priority case for not only the U.S and Russia but also for Thailand as well. The outcome of Viktor Bout’s extradition case could have a major and long lasting impact on political, economic as well as trade relations between the three countries. There has been warnings and threats from Russian politicians that diplomatic relations between Russia and the U.S. could suffer if Bout is indeed extradited.

Just three months ago President Obama took Russian President Dmitry Medvedev to his favorite ‘burger joint’ in Arlington, Virgina for a lunch meting. More importantly Russian President Medvedev recently signed the nuclear non-proliferation New START treaty in Washington, D.C. Ties between the U.S. and Russia have been ‘reset’ and have become much more open and friendlier. Many feel that Bout’s extradition to the U.S. could sour these new friendlier ties between the two countries.

Vladimir Kozin, Russian deputy director of the ministry’s information and press department, wrote in an opinion article in the Moscow Times at the end of August, warning that “the ballyhoo created by Washington over him [Mr Bout] may inevitably affect Russian-US relations to the detriment of the US effort to “reset them”. In an effort to try and keep things balanced and counter criticisms from Russian diplomats, Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva stressed that the case was not politically motivated.

At the end of August, as reported by the Bangkok Post, Prime Minister Abhisit was asked about concerns that ties between Thailand and Russia or between Thailand and the US could turn sour over the Bout case. Mr Abhisit said “the Foreign Ministry would explain the case to both countries and improve understanding. He admitted that this might take time."

Abhisit expressed his concerns about the outcome of this case last Thursday in the Moscow Times. When the Prime Minister was asked whether he was concerned about the outcome, he replied,

“Definitely.” He then added, “a decision for one side means the other party is bound to be dissatisfied, but we have to try to follow the rules and spend time making them understand and minimizing the impact.”

Highly Curious Case of Viktor Bout

After spending over two and a half years in Thai prisons, Viktor Bout’s fate was decided this Monday, October 4, 2010. It has certainly been a difficult and uncomfortable balancing act for Thailand thus far. Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva was quoted about a month ago in Russia Today as saying that, “Thailand is a third party in the case of Viktor Bout, the U.S. and Russia should resolve this issue.”

"This man is still not sexy."

I like it when people talk about the movie "Lord of War" without trying to make it "sexy." On the kitchen counter.

"There is nothing sexy about this man."

Viktor Bout, the arms dealer who inspired the movie "Lord of War," is finally where he belongs in a United States prison.

I've been following Bout's story for years. Mostly because I was married to a Russian and typically we would debate the shortcomings of Bout. In 2007, Laura Rozen related the real-life story of the former Soviet military officer who made millions selling weapons to anyone and everyone who could afford them. After the first reports of Bout's arrest in Thailand, Bruce Falconer reminded readers that the "Merchant of Death" had been among the first to bring supplies into Baghdad after the city fell to invading American armies in 2003. Later that month, Falconer told the full story of the DEA-led sting that captured Bout and brought us to where we are now. That piece was called "Viktor Bout's Last Deal." And this August, many worried that the US may have bungled the extradition process. It took a few months, but as we now see Thailand and the Obama administration worked things out.

The successful extradition is sure to anger Russia, which maintains Bout's innocence. The New York Times' Seth Mydans, who's on the scene in Bangkok, explains:
Russia quickly called the extradition illegal.
"From a legal perspective, what has occurred cannot have a rational explanation and justification," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "There is no doubt that the illegal extradition of Viktor Bout came about as a consequence of unprecedented political pressure exerted by the U.S. on the government and judicial authorities of Thailand. It is deeply regrettable that the Thai authorities succumbed to political pressure from outside and undertook the illegal extradition."

At first glance, this seems like a straight win for the White House. The Russians weren't even alerted that Bout was headed to the airport, and America clearly won the tug-of-war in Bangkok. But this is about more than just Bout and Thailand—it has to be understood in the broader context of President Obama's somewhat stalled efforts to strengthen relations with Moscow. The centerpiece of that effort, the New start nuclear arms treaty, is languishing in the Senate, and Russian hardliners have recently been emboldened by the victories of their Republican counterparts in the US. (The decision to extradict Bout—and upset the Russians—may suggest that the Obama administration is beginning to give up hope on New Start and moving to take victories where it can get them.) UPDATE: Okay, maybe that was going too far. Obviously, it seems hard to imagine that the Russians would fail to ratify New START just because of Bout. (The Senate still has to move before the Russians.) You can read a lot of different things in these tea leaves: maybe extraditing Bout suggests the administration thinks its relationship with Russia is strong enough to withstand the controversy over one arms dealer. Who knows.