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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?

rshowalter - 12:07pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1693 of 1699)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

For some summaries, with linkages of the work that "lunarchick" and I have doing, you might be interested in the discussion, in Psychwarfare, Casablanca -- and terror http://talk.guardian.co.uk/WebX?14@@.ee7a163/159

The first part of the thread, that connects to the movie Casablanca , may interest some as well.

dirac_10 - 12:13pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1694 of 1699)

Well, are you my old pal Philip Henika or not? If not, I should introduce you. You would have a fine chat.

rshowalter - 12:20pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1695 of 1699)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I'm not, but I'd be grateful for the introduction !

almarst-2001 - 12:20pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1696 of 1699)

dirac_10 3/29/01 11:59am

"Nah, the Council on Foreign Relations and similar groups have a lot of say on the international behavior of presidents. The foreign policy is pretty independent of political party or man in office. "

If true, how do you explain even such relatively trivial things as a claims by Respublicans about a damage to US national securty done by Clinton's deals with China?

It is hard to believe the US continued war in Vietnam for so long because the public supported it. And I dought there was any justification for the bombing of Serbia and Kosovo for "humanitarian" reasons. It even did not got approved by Senate.

rshowalter - 12:26pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1697 of 1699)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

To explain some of these things, in ways that work, will require some dedicated staff, so that the facts can be put into a form that fits US and European news usages.

Most times, the US does things pretty well, but conspiracy arguments explain a lot, and are not well supported, with respect to the Vietnam war, and much since.

As of now, if I may quote Brecht -- the truth is "somehow, too weak."

There has to be some staff work, to make the truth strong enough to stand up to the lies of those who would suppress it.

rshowalter - 12:28pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1698 of 1699)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Quite apart from possible matters of guilt of himself and his relatives and friends, George W. Bush's personal financial interest in maintaining Star Wars and a big war machine is large.

Large rather directly through inheritance and other ties, may well run in the tens, and perhaps the hundreds of millions of dollars.

rshowalter - 12:29pm Mar 29, 2001 EST (#1699 of 1699)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

It seems clear to me what the Queen of England would do, if she saw the facts about this.

She'd shun the Bushes, and very many in their administration.

So would a lot of other people. And so they should.

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