Leading Russian Film Director Karen Shakhnazarov: Terror Attacks in Europe Are the Price of the American Military Presence in the Middle East

In a special edition of Russia 1's flagship "Sunday Evening Talkshow" following the terror attack in Nice, leading Russian film director Karen Shakhnazarov said that the West, which had destroyed the notion of statehood in the Middle East, was now paying the price for its military presence there. The show aired on July 16.

Following are excrpts

Karen Shakhnazarov: The notion of statehood has been exterminated in the Middle East. We see what is happening. There are no nation states there anymore. There used to be some strong states, such as Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Egypt, but they have been destroyed, with active Western participation. I believe that that was the primary goal. In fact, we see that the United States is spread everywhere militarily. In the past - 20, 25, or 30 years ago - it was impossible to imagine that the US army would be deployed in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria. So their goal has been achieved. The [terror attacks] we see are the price for achieving that goal.

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