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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 - 08:20pm May 7, 2001 EST (#3469 of 3480)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Cast of characters -- a "PUTIN STAND-IN" -- almarstel2001 (4)

In 954: almarstel2001 3/12/01 1:28pm . . . . almarst showed an understated bitterness that I respected and sympathized with. He then sat back and listened warily ....959: almarstel2001 3/12/01 2:44pm .

971: almarst-2001 3/13/01 4:30pm ..... 988: almarst-2001 3/14/01 2:13pm
997: almarst-2001 3/14/01 10:26pm ..... 998: almarst-2001 3/14/01 10:56pm .. asks a key question:

" What are the reasons today for hostility between nations? and then proposes a very interesting list of cases .

1002: almarst-2001 3/14/01 11:45pm ..... 1025: almarst-2001 3/15/01 12:10pm
1026: almarst-2001 3/15/01 12:20pm ..... 1030: almarst-2001 3/15/01 2:19pm
1033: almarst-2001 3/15/01 3:15pm ..... 1036: almarst-2001 3/15/01 3:29pm
1039: almarst-2001 3/15/01 3:50pm ..... 1061: almarst-2001 3/15/01 10:35pm
1069: almarst-2001 3/16/01 10:53am ..... 1070: almarst-2001 3/16/01 11:34am
1071: almarst-2001 3/16/01 11:45am ..... 1072: almarst-2001 3/16/01 12:02pm
1081: almarst-2001 3/16/01 2:12pm ..... 1083: almarst-2001 3/16/01 2:53pm
1087: almarst-2001 3/16/01 3:46pm ..... 1092: almarst-2001 3/16/01 4:28pm
1093: almarst-2001 3/16/01 4:34pm ..... 1098: almarst-2001 3/16/01 5:10pm

We had a discussion I thought was useful about differences between Americans and Russians. In 1120: almarst-2001 3/17/01 12:03am .. said interesting things. At this point, there were reports that Putin was taking an unscheduled vacation, something Dawn and I found interesting. http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?Story_ID=533129 Dawn and I set out to say things we thought Putin might want to know, just in the hope that people in Russia might be listening.

1153: almarst-2001 3/18/01 4:50pm raised key points in a proactive way:

"- I wonder why is so little interest and participation in this seemingly importand forum? . . .

" And again, the main problem is not a nuclear forces. There are enough conventional forces to bring this planet to the stone-age condition. The problem is mistrust and lack of mutual understanding. What are the REAL goals and intentions of Russsia, the US, the Britain, France or Germany? How they envision the World and their plaice in it in a next 25, 50, 100 years? Withoiut trust and full and honest understanding, there will be no real progress.

In 1153: I responded: rshowalter 3/18/01 7:11pm .. dealing with an area where I don't think Russians and Americans understand each other at all . . . .

"You need, I believe, to understand some psychological

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