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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

almarst-2001 - 11:34am Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1070 of 1075)

Here is an example from Russia of a media scruteny so frequently missing in US:

Russians Question Wisdom of Their Coziness With Iran - http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/16/world/16RUSS.html

almarst-2001 - 11:45am Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1071 of 1075)

"This movie may seem to some like little more than boys' war games. But director Annaud, who wrote this with Alain Godard, knows how to milk the suspense. It's clear that Annaud has seen and appropriated some of the gruesome battle details used by Steven Spielberg in "Saving Private Ryan." If nothing else, you really understand the impact of a bullet in this movie. And you appreciate the compelling excitement of shooting to kill, before the other guy gets you first."

"Enemy at the Gates" (R, 131 minutes) – Contains graphic war violence, nudity and sexual scenes. - http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/entertainment/movies/reviews/enemyatthegateshowe.htm

Did we come far enough from times of a enjoying the gladiator's fights in the Rome?

almarst-2001 - 12:02pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1072 of 1075)

Cue the hand wringing on Taiwan - http://www.msnbc.com/news/541235.asp#BODY

Michael Moran is senior producer, special reports at MSNBC.

... and one of the few I respect and recommend for reading.

rshowalter - 12:56pm Mar 16, 2001 EST (#1073 of 1075)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Let me respond to posts as I can.

almarst-2001 - in #1069 you say many things that I agree with almarst-2001 3/16/01 10:53am I regret to say how valid the points are. Let me review them a little, and talk a little about concrete things that might be done. For mutual benefit, and in ways that increase the reasonable and valid status and security of all concerned.

Both of our countries are, along with the rest of the world, involved in an ugly situation, that is VERY complicated in origin, that involves intense fear, and reflexes of aversion trained for decades, and that involves issues that can fairly (or at least reasonably) be described by one or more of the following terms:

"misunderstanding" including misunderstanding rising to the level of "paradigm conflict";

some essential and unchangeable differences between our different cultures, which stand in the way of understanding, and cause unfortunate action;

some deceptive practice, that serves the interest of a small group, that makes the US act against the reasonable interest of its own people and the great majority of its own elected officials;

and

a deep, longstanding, and well justified mutual fear.

We can't expect to solve all problems, we will probably never be brothers (our cultures are different, and even our ideas of "beautiful" and "ugly" are often different.) and we cannot right all wrongs, or solve all misunderstandings. We can live together better, and much more safely, than we do.

I think there are great possibilities of progress.

There are ways in which I think people are being too patient, when they could be more pro-active. There are other ways where I think more patience, and more tolerance of ambiguity and perceptual difficulty, would be helpful.

It is vital that we do a better job establishing facts.

It is also important that we be more perceptive, and humane, as we negotiate reasonable meanings, that can work for us, in the ways that complex cooperation takes, whether we happen to like each other or not.

Let me put in a quote on paradigm conflict here --- you may think we're being "stupid" and "wrongheaded" - and while that may sometimes be right, the perceptual issues are worth seeing, too.

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