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Forget Israel, Befriend Russia
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| star-traveller |
It was a while we haven't seen a good thread on politics here, so let's go back to business.
| quote: | Forget Israel, Befriend Russia
by Charley Reese
A little more than half of the U.S. population lives in 75 metropolitan areas. Russia has 4,399 nuclear warheads deployed. Except for 624 to be carried by bombers, they are all land-based and submarine missiles.
Furthermore, this past week Russia test-fired a land-based missile, the RSM54, and a submarine-launched missile. Both were intercontinental. Both hit their targets dead-on. The sub launch was, by the way, the sixth such test-firing conducted this year.
In the meantime, Iran has no nuclear weapons and no intercontinental ballistic missiles or long-range bombers. North Korea might have two or three nuclear missiles. Yet the administration, and most of America's news media, seems obsessed with Iran, no doubt because Israel is obsessed with Iran. A story by the Jewish Telegraph Agency reported that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee played a lobbying role in deleting a provision in the defense bill that would have required the president to get Congress' OK before launching a war against Iran.
So what's my point? First, when assessing threats, all but fools look at capability, not intentions or rhetoric. Russia has the capability of wiping us out. Iran would be hard-pressed to sink one destroyer. Therefore, it would behoove us to put good relations with Russia very high on a diplomatic agenda. Yet, on the contrary, the Bush administration goes out of its way to insult Russia and to interfere in what Russia sees as its internal affairs.
Secondly, because of the cowardice of Congress, the U.S. government has allowed a little country in the Middle East (Israel) to distort our priorities. Our first priority should be getting along with Russia. Iran is a small country we can squash anytime. Russia is not small, and it can squash us anytime. How darn stupid does one have to be not to realize that?
We've already blundered by not seizing the opportunity of the collapse of the Soviet Union to disband NATO and seriously pursue helping Russia join the West. Instead, we sent some financial sharpies in to help a few Russians steal most of the country's wealth. Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, is 100 percent correct to go after the oligarchs who bought up the state's resources for pennies on the dollar and became overnight billionaires. One is in jail, another fled to England, and several others have sought refuge in Israel.
When you hear Putin being maligned by people in the West, whether they're in government, journalism or academia, just remember that money buys whores, and whores service their customers.
Future historians may view the failure to bring Russia into the West, when the opportunity was there, as one of history's all-time strategic blunders.
The only legitimate interest we have in the Middle East is access to oil. Notice I said access, not control. It doesn't matter who controls it, because whoever does will be willing to sell it, since oil is inedible. Other than that, we have no – I repeat, no – legitimate interests, national or otherwise, in that region of the world.
American politicians need to get over their fear of the Israeli lobby and attend to America's business. Israel is a sovereign state with one of the world's most powerful military machines and a higher per capita gross domestic product than some of our NATO allies. We should cut the strings, stop the tax giveaways, repeal all of the special legislation and tell the Israelis they are on their own.
But, as John Wayne once said, that'll be the day. |
Forget Israel, Befriend Russia
I really liked that bolded piece. It says a lot for itself. |
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| Q5echo |
| it just blows me away how anyone could dismiss a nukular Iran just because they don't like Amerikkka. it's just mind blowing. |
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| Perfecto Fluoro |
That article defines the term "false logic"
First off, they seem to forget this little thing called the Cold War...
Ahh it, I'm not going to explain how this article is retarded. |
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| Dopey |
| quote: | Originally posted by Perfecto Fluoro
That article defines the term "false logic"
First off, they seem to forget this little thing called the Cold War...
Ahh it, I'm not going to explain how this article is retarded. |
that's what the :rolleyes: is for |
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| Perfecto Fluoro |
| quote: | Originally posted by Dopey
that's what the :rolleyes: is for |
Yea... but its over used these days... :rolleyes:
SEE! :nervous: |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by Perfecto Fluoro
Yea... but its over used these days... :rolleyes:
SEE! :nervous: |
I think you guys are missing the point - the West should do more to bring Russia into its circle instread of criticizing it, building bases around it and expanding NATO, refusing Russia's membership in NATO, and so on. If I was Russian president, I'd be pissed off about the West's betrayal as well. Cold War ended, Russia turned west, asked for help. In the end we didnt get jack . Except a country in complete ruins and still criticized, pressured and not allowed into Europe in business on equal terms while criticizing how Gazprom is becoming a government-backed giant. Too much Russophobia, I am telling you, and its not going to make Russia all friendly and ally of the West, instead Russia will turn to Asia and Islamic republics as its trying to do actively since Putin came to office. |
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| Fir3start3r |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
I think you guys are missing the point - the West should do more to bring Russia into its circle instread of criticizing it, building bases around it and expanding NATO, refusing Russia's membership in NATO, and so on. If I was Russian president, I'd be pissed off about the West's betrayal as well. Cold War ended, Russia turned west, asked for help. In the end we didnt get jack . Except a country in complete ruins and still criticized, pressured and not allowed into Europe in business on equal terms while criticizing how Gazprom is becoming a government-backed giant. Too much Russophobia, I am telling you, and its not going to make Russia all friendly and ally of the West, instead Russia will turn to Asia and Islamic republics as its trying to do actively since Putin came to office. |
I think you're forgetting who helped them keep track of their own damn nukes when the 'great Soviet motherland' landed on her knees the first time round.
Being pissed because they were refused into NATO isn't a huge loss anyways considering what it's original intent was. (We do remember why it was created right?)
Sure they could try and snuggle up to China or the Islamic republics but thats like being forced to dance with the last girl on the floor who could eat corn through a white picket fence...:nervous: |
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| Magnetonium |
| quote: | Originally posted by Fir3start3r
I think you're forgetting who helped them keep track of their own damn nukes when the 'great Soviet motherland' landed on her knees the first time round.
Being pissed because they were refused into NATO isn't a huge loss anyways considering what it's original intent was. (We do remember why it was created right?)
Sure they could try and snuggle up to China or the Islamic republics but thats like being forced to dance with the last girl on the floor who could eat corn through a white picket fence...:nervous: |
NATO was created to FIGHT Russia/Soviet Union. Refusal to disband the organization, and latter refusal to allow Russia into this security pact to fight the terrorists only shows that the West is still fighting Russia. Its obvious, so Putin's speech in Munich earlier was quite proper. The West is asking for a Cold War, they need an enemy again to mobilize the masses, scare people and fuel economies again. Or something along those lines. This is a doomed strategy. Russia is rising. The gap to bring Russia into the western circle as a friend is closing soon.
And China is not weakling, Russia-China partnership is a very very powerful one that is getting better as we speak. |
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| Dopey |
| quote: | Originally posted by Magnetonium
NATO was created to FIGHT Russia/Soviet Union. Refusal to disband the organization, and latter refusal to allow Russia into this security pact to fight the terrorists only shows that the West is still fighting Russia. Its obvious, so Putin's speech in Munich earlier was quite proper. The West is asking for a Cold War, they need an enemy again to mobilize the masses, scare people and fuel economies again. Or something along those lines. This is a doomed strategy. Russia is rising. The gap to bring Russia into the western circle as a friend is closing soon.
And China is not weakling, Russia-China partnership is a very very powerful one that is getting better as we speak. |
So you're saying that "Russia is rising" and "Russia-China partnership is a very very powerful one that is getting better as we speak," yet you don't see why the west feels there is a need for NATO? Talk about an argument running around itself. |
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| Perfecto Fluoro |
| quote: | Originally posted by Fir3start3r
I think you're forgetting who helped them keep track of their own damn nukes when the 'great Soviet motherland' landed on her knees the first time round.
Being pissed because they were refused into NATO isn't a huge loss anyways considering what it's original intent was. (We do remember why it was created right?)
Sure they could try and snuggle up to China or the Islamic republics but thats like being forced to dance with the last girl on the floor who could eat corn through a white picket fence...:nervous: |
Woah now there... Russia is still the only country that really could counter the United States in terms of political sway and military might.
Just because they are a shamble of their former self doesnt mean you should count them out. They are still very much a powerhouse. |
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| LazFX |
| quote: | Originally posted by Perfecto Fluoro
Yea... but its over used these days... :rolleyes:
SEE! :nervous: |
yeah the :rolleyes: is so last year!!! ;) |
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