Viktor Bout has sat in a Thai jail for more than two years with a U.S. extradition request pending. By Friday we will know if a notorious international arms dealer will head home to Russia to once again ply his deadly trade or land in New York to face terrorism charges. Will his extradition be a diplomatic win for the Obama administration and solidify U.S.-Thai security cooperation? Or will his release allow him to again arm those gunning against U.S. interests? Disturbingly, it is looking like the latter.

Out of the dust of the Cold War, Bout built a complex enterprise that spanned several continents and employed a network of nefarious individuals, front companies and aging Soviet aircraft fleet capable of dropping arms in even the most remote regions.…  Seguir leyendo »