The extradition Tues from Thailand to the United States of suspected weapons dealer Viktor Bout, who has earned the nickname "Merchant of Death," was met with a strong negative reaction from the Russian govt. Bout, a Russian whose exploits inspired the 2005 movie “Lord of War” starring Nicholas Cage, has been in a Thai jail since his arrest in a 2008 sting. His extradition to face terrorism charges within the U.S. angered the Russians and is seen as a possible threat to healing U.S./Russia relations.
The reason why Viktor Bout can make Russians worried
After Washington tried for two years to get Viktor Bout extradited on terrorism charges, he got on a plane to the United States Tues. The Thai government resisted intense pressure from Moscow to set Bout free. In 2008, he was arrested by the United States Drug Enforcement Administration working with the Royal Thai Police. He was trying to sell weapons to Columbian rebels worth $5 million. Bout says he didn't do what he's being accused of. An arms dealer is out of his realm. His business was supposedly about delivering goods. Inaccessible places throughout the world were where he focused on delivering. Bout having Russian military intelligence is what many think. United States officials finding out about it would be the major concern.
The Merchant of Death
Viktor Bout is suspected of furnishing ruthless warlords within the Middle East, South America and Africa with weapons. The global weapons operation that Bout had employed about 300 people supposedly. He was a previous lieutenant within the Russian military. Stories broke that Bout’s corporations were funneling weapons to the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2002. He was caught in 2008 after going underground for years. Posing as buyers for the Columbian rebels, the DEA agents caught him. Having missiles, drones, landmines and other weapons was what a DEA indictment is accusing Bout of.
Utilizing him for the United States of America and Russia game
When Viktor Bout was shipped to the United States, the Russian foreign ministry called his extradition illegal and politically motivated. This might hurt the relationship between the U.S. and Russia a bit. President Barack Obama and Dimitry Medvedev have been working on relations between the two countries. Many say that Viktor Bout will not do too much to hurt since last summer's Russian spy scandal that Anna Chapman was involved in did not make a difference. Problems will not come from that. They’re more likely to come if the U.S./Russia nuclear treaty doesn't go through with the Republicans having control of the United States congress.
Information from
Washington Post
washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/16/AR2010111600072.html?hpid=topnews
Christian Science Monitor
csmonitor.com/World/Global-News/2009/1022/who-is-viktor-bout
Telegraph
telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/thailand/8137270/Viktor-Bout-extradition-takes-shine-off-US-Russian-reset.html
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