I think it's a bit too much, the US needs to borrow something like 3b/day abroad to finance the interest payments, which comes close to 100 b/mo

I think they were vehicles used by US Soldiers in the exercise "Immediate Response 08"

Iraq didn't have any.

The characterizations and the way the situation is presented informs me that the author is little interested in the objective facts, and is much more interested in his biased agenda.

would this be a good thread to discuss the u.s. missile shield deal with poland and russia's reaction?

or should a new thread regarding russia's hostile government and military be created as a sort of catch-all for news and discussion of such things?

I remember a thread from a month ago

http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...d.php?t=256775


and


Russia threatens to nuke Poland?
http://forumserver.twoplustwo.com/sh...d.php?t=276169

.

unlike blotkis, i am very concerned regarding russia

scary stuff imo

YOU are building military bases next to OUR border and OUR military/goverment is HOSTILE? While YOU are just easter bunnies with chocolate presents? What sort of a nut sack are you? How about we bring nuclear subs and carriers to vensuella, cuba, mexico and canada, build military "defensive" bases there and watch your hostile reaction? You might wanna check the record who is the most hostile nation on this planet since WW2. What I am really missing is how ****ing unbelievably stupid and dellusional should someone be to even think that Russia is scary / a threat. I applaud white house brainwashing machine.

corsakh,

i think you are overreacting to my post. remove the word 'hostile' and re-read it. i just meant it in the sense that some things are starting to come to a head, and russia is responding aggressively and threatening non-diplomatic solutions. whether or not they are justified in their actions is up to debate and beyond my level of education and understanding on the topic.

i do not condone or agree with a lot of u.s. actions in matters of foreign policy. i hate george bush. i opposed the iraq war. but the tone of your post suggests that you are likely a russian apologist who 'hates america'. i may be wrong, and if so i suggest not flying off the handle at a relatively benign comment.

im sorry for using the word hostile with regards to russia! all is good in russia! they are a sweet puppy in world affairs.

perhaps you can make a thread and please enlighten everyone regarding russia's current positions and actions in matters of government, military, and foreign policy. i think it may make for good discussion of current events and future news, if you can manage discussion beyond 'america is evil!'

You damn right things are starting to go ahead. Annexation of Kosovo (do we need to draw parallels with the Munich treaty?) , bases in Poland, joint Georgian-USA-Ukrainian (American equipment and training, Ukrainian personnel and equipment) aggression. And this is all happening in direct proximity to our borders and on our disputed territory with our citizens - do you expect us to sit there and wait what will happen next? Or do we need to draw historical parralels how USA and UK reacted in similar situations in the past when their interestes / citizens were under a direct threat? Read some history. And thanks bro, we have already seen this in Yugoslavia. Do not even start with poor Croatians/Albanians and horrible Serbian barbarians. Read WW2 history and you might realize where the roots of their problems come from.

We are not the ones surrounding states and europe with military bases and nuclear arsenal non stop for the last 50 years. We are not the ones invading a new independent state every couple of years cos it fits our agenda. We are not the ones who openly go against UN decisions and resolutions. Whats does UN even mean anymore if its major member can just openly go tell them **** themselves?

Do you know what you should be concerned about right now? I mean really concerned about? Really really concerned? Pakistan. This is not a joke like Iraq was. This **** is serious. Do you understand what is happening there, why its happening and what consequences it may have for the rest of the world when a bunch of Islamic separatists gains access to the nuclear arsenal? Watch out for the situation over Kashmir in the nearest future.

But nah, there are far more important issues like the name of Angelinas new child and the evil russians trying to defend their own citizens in Osetia. You are being inflicted with paranoia, global fear and boogie man on TV while the real problems are being ignored / covered up. Russia is not your problem and it had never been since the Union fall - economy and infrastructure is in tartars, we have enough internal issues to worry about than some country on the other end of the world. Yugoslavia/Kosovo is just a military ground and an excellent strategic location on the cross of the european trade roots. Iran/Iraq is just an oil field with the energy keys to Europe and China. Afghanistan is one of the biggest drug traffickers and another key strategical location in direct proximity to Russia, China and India. Do you know that they are the biggest producers of opium in the whole world? Do you know that the production has increased in the last couple of years? Do you know who used to be another major cultivator not so long ago? Heard of the Golden Triangle? North Korea is another access point both to Russia and China.

haha this reminds me of how we used to play risk back in college in the dorms. i was good at the game because i could always convince other players that i wasn't the threat, but it was someone else. "you know who you really need to be concerned about.." lmao

yeah i get it all the time when i go out for thai, they're delicious.

Do we? I don't quite understand. Did the US annex Kosovo?

Did I say annexed? Sorry, peace keeping of course.

Camp Bondsteel. This is an old artice.
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/apr2002/oil-a29.shtml

And your point is a good one.

I think the USA is being pretty shortsighted about world geopolitics considering that both China, and the Arab/Muslim nations, are poised (potentially) to become greater enemies of the USA in the future than Russia ever might likely become. Heck we might even need to ally with Russia someday, after all we are more like them than we are like China or like the Middle East. China's star is rising and its technological, economic and military powers growing; and it's obvious what future threats the Middle East may have in store for the USA as well.

I think we should overlook Russia's corruption and brutal tendencies, and realize that Russia really isn't the likely future threat that we should be most worried about. We should really be cultivating a future strategic alliance of convenience with Russia, as a few decades from now we could probably use it. Russia's 20th century stint with communism aside, culturally and historically we just have far more in common with Russia than we do with our two more likely geopolitical enemies of the future.

USA first of course, but that doesn't mean we can't wisely cultivate major allies to resist future Chinese totalitarian ascendancy and power, and the growing dangers of Islamic statism and extremism.

It's also pretty ridiculous that Russia is also experiencing an Islamic problem, yet we and Russia are not only failing to unite against this pattern, but are actually getting in each others' way (USA is loudly against Russia dealing harshly with the Chechen Muslim rebels, and Russia is arming Syria and Iran, USA's enemies). And all that oil is sitting owned by those who are using massive oil revenues against us.

The historical Caesars would have approached this whole thing very differently, would have set the groundwork for a future alliance with the other great emperor, and as protection against their rising mutual enemies....but today's Caesar is too busy preaching at Russia to even consider with an open mind what might be the wisest course for the future. Today's Caesar wants to impose American morals all around the world and convert everyone to the American Way.

The game of RISK made more sense than the nonsense of the hopelessly idealistic geopolitical strategies being promoted by the USA today.

RISK ftw and current American geopolitical strategies ftl. We don't need to be struggling against China, the Middle East, AND RUSSIA in the future.

This stuff is not the smartest thing to do

It was aimed more at non-Russian ethnic groups and a much higher percentage of those perished. Are you really claiming that an equal proportion, of, say, Ukrainians as Russians died in Stalin's time?

Rusians bomb Georgian national park with napalm bombs to burn it down

TBILISI, GEORGIA - The Borjomi gorge is burning following yesterday’s firebombing by Russian helicopters of the forests in this priceless national park. The fires were set at about a dozen places and are massive.

The Government of Georgia requested help from the Turkish government, which immediately agreed to send fire-bombing aircraft. However, the Russian air force is patrolling the area with helicopters, refuses to grant the Turkish craft safe passage. The Government of Georgia urgently appeals to the international community to put pressure on the Russian Federation to let Turkish help through to deal with this environmental catastrophe.




I mean think what you want of the Georgians but what have protected species and centuries old forests got to do with all this? Just to ruin Georgian tourism/economy/ecology/morale?

I don't know, looking at pictures from the net, it seems to me that they don't even have proper uniforms or some soldiers are wearing their own sneakers.

Sucks for Atlanta.

What were they thinking or who was doing the thinking for them?

Using logic on Americans. Good luck. Don't you know that might makes right.

You can look the numbers up online. They are horrific but proportional between Russia and Ukrania. Stalin was Georgian for the record, so the whole argument is absurd. The reasons for repressions were ideological, strategical or economical in most cases. You can look them up too. The one ethnicity that can object here are the jews, but its a very complicated question. Lets not go into this.


Tsvinhali
http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=6WA8ZHtykLw&NR=1

Does CNN show this too?

You are wrong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holodomor

See table "Comparison of populations of the most numerous ethnic groups within the USSR according to the Soviet census of 1926-1937". Ukrainians -15.3%. Russians +20.7%.