gunnut

I saw your post just hours before I saw this one so I stole your idea.

__________________
"Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

smilingassassin

Hmm maybe thats why the allies bombed Berlin so much in WW2? All those pesky AA weapons that could threaten bombers surely must have been offencive in nature.

__________________
Facts to a liberal is like Kryptonite to Superman.

-- Larry Elder

smilingassassin

The one that should get Russians wondering if support for Iran is really worth it, is the one showing missle tracks from Tehran to Los Angeles. Clearly missiles flying from the dirrection of the former U.S.S.R. could be miss-interpreted early on in the missle launch as being fired by the Russians and not the Iranians who are "years away from making any missiles with that range".

Hopefully the intel on Iran's progress is much more accurate than say the intel on Sadams WMD programs because if it isn't and the mad mullahs feel the need to exersize a pre-emptive strike onthe U.S. Russia could find itself caught up in the whole mess.

Yes, the whole missile defence shield thingy is really aimed at Russia, dispite the fact that the U.S. offered to include the Russians in the program and the interceptors are poorly possitioned to defend against inbound Russian missles aimed at the U.S. Afterall the Americans masterminded the whole 9/11 attack to launch their own nefarious global domination plans and......sorry was that sarcastic rant too over the top?

JohnFlint1985

Honestly, I think North Korea is no longer an issue (I hope) but Iran still is. Besides what can 10 interceptors do against Russian 2500 nuclear rockets? Common be serious. Putin needs this propaganda to get himself into Heroic status of Protector of Russia - it is an election year. Because there is nothing serious behind his rhetoric.

__________________
"We Shall Never Surrender" Winston Churchill

JohnFlint1985

Let me tell you what I think of what is going on over there. Russia is becoming DE facto KGB ran state. Anybody who seriously cause them trouble end up in prison or dead. Smaller manifestations of freedom don't concern them, but bigger ones are all suppressed. Putin is quickly becoming a "father" of all Russia figure - I saw today on the Russian TV how people are calling him "father" and "savior" of Motherland. It seems to me that all these 22 years since Gorbachev started to change this country - just never existed. It is really sad that the greatest thing Russia had evaporated in a mere 5 years. Once I ask people what they think they tell me - "we prefer stability over freedom".
So in my opinion Putin is creating a parallel shadow presidency for himself without any control and outside any jurisdiction - sort of a benevolent Tsar of all Russia who is watching day and night how his country is going forward. Since he is not going to held any official post or title his power will be based on ex KGB snitches (8 million by different accounts before USSR collapsed - now about half of that), Ex KGB bureaucrats, KGB/FSB agents, border troops, customs, security apparatus and thousands of internal troops and possibly Alfa and Vympel elite anti terrorist units - all together about 10 million members.
All of this is based on huge amount of money that he controls from oil and gas industry and which he can use any time to finance his shadow government.
The only thing - this forward movement is actually full speed back wards.

Feanor

Wow. You guys are great. you tear apart his one mistaken comment ignoring the several valid points, including why the missile shield is a geopolitical threat to Russia, that I posted

JohnFlint1985

can you point out - where is it - I want to take a look. Thanks

foxhound_nn

thanks for a link, i'll take a look

stevelevine

If it's at all possible to separate out the jumble of events, Putin's repudiation of the two treaties can be seen as a response to the American repudiation of ballistic and bioweapon treaties, and shunning of such agreements in general.

Putin's message: If treaties are regarded as disadvantageous anachronisms to Washington, why should Russia treat them any differently?

It's of course a worrying position, but both sides might want to climb back inside the treaties that have helped keep the peace all these decades.

Steve LeVine, author
The Oil and the Glory
The Oil and the Glory by Steve LeVine - ABOUT THE BOOK: About The Oil and the Glory

foxhound_nn

Do you mean so-called 'marshi nesoglasnyh' (word for word: marches of disagreed) that have been suppressed? They were not manifestations of freedom! They were a mix of anarchists, skinheads (russian fascists) and pensioners lured by such statements as "we want greater pensions! lets print roubles!". And the main slogan of these "manifestations of freedom" was "it would be fun and terrifying!".

Feanor

Uh no. The marches were genuine protests of concerned citizens. The fact that they were brutalized by the police to such an extent is a disgrace and simply reveals the authoritarian nature of Putins power. There were very few skins or anarchists, mostly left-wing organizations with a legitimate political status.

JohnFlint here it is:

foxhound_nn

No, no, no and no. I was an eye-witness of such an event in Nizhny Novgorod, and i can tell you, most of them were skinheads. There were not any legitimate left political force, the only left "party" here were NBP - national bolshevistik party, banned for their nationalistic views.
The truth is that such people as Kasparov use all possible means to achive their personal political aims, even union with fascists and mass disorders.

MrFirst

At least to be Protector of Russia against USA looks much more serious than to be Protector of America against Iran or Afghanistan. From my point of view only very credulous people may believe Iran, Iraq or North Korea are a real threat to USA.

smilingassassin

You know what they say about opinions.....

JohnFlint1985

Well let him be whatever he wants - this is not my business. If Russian people believe in this guy and his policy - it is your choice. But it is our choice whom we consider friends or foes. Iran is a foe and this is not just American opinion but also French and German and British. I don't even count Israel which is directly threatened by this. So when all these countries are coming together and say that nuclear weapons in Iran are unacceptable - the only country that say there is nothing is Russia. And besides - this radar is not on Russian soil and no one should ask Putin’s permission or even better dispensation to conduct talks and negotiations about the security and defense. If Warsaw and Prague will find our proposition good for their countries - they will go ahead, like independent countries they are - not Russian vassals. If they will see fit to refuse - other options should be considered. So far Putin didn't produce any evidence which is threatening to Russian national security about this radar or 10 interceptors.