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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 - 06:51pm May 8, 2001 EST (#3532 of 3547)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Clear ideas, discussed to closure, can help, if they are credible, and people can refer to them.

This thread has been an effort to discuss missile defense, and related issues of nuclear disarmament and peace, in enough detail, and with enough crosslinks, so that issues could close, and real progress could be made.

I believe that the thread has been influential, and made a contribution to peace, and believe that it may continue to do so. Printouts of this thread since September 25, 2000 fill nine 1 1/2' notebooks. - Most of that text -- too much to read, but not too much to sample, has been written by me and Dawn Riley. One can be objective about how much we care about nuclear weapons, and how concerned we are about them, just by looking at the mass of work rshowalter 5/1/01 7:09am ..... rshowalter 5/1/01 7:11am .... especially the 2970 postings since January 21, 2001.

Other people have cared a great deal about this thread, too, and have worked hard.

We've had outstanding contributors -- who have furthered discussion by taking a special "stand-in" role.

We've had "stand-ins" who have imitated, or tried to imitate, the thought processes of important world figures, so that the discourse here could progress, and simulate more important dialogs to be hoped for. We've had extremely well written, thoughtful, and extensive contributions with a "Bill Clinton -stand in" a "Vladimir Putin -- stand in" , and a " Bush Administration Sr Advisor -- stand in" . Sometimes I've been in personal doubt whether these people have been stand-ins, because the work of these people has been so good. If you sample the work of these people, you may agree with how good their work is.

Here are links to directories , with many links and highlights summarized, for these stand-ins --

These postings are directories of postings by a .. "Bill Clinton Stand-In" ...becq-cookiess0
3367-3371: rshowalter 5/6/01 3:34pm ..... 3368: rshowalter 5/6/01 3:35pm
3369: rshowalter 5/6/01 3:35pm ..... 3370: rshowalter 5/6/01 3:38pm
3371: rshowalter 5/6/01 3:39pm ......

These postings are directories , with highlights, of postings by a "Vladamir PUTIN STAND-IN" -- almarstel2001
3464: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:18pm ..... 3465: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:18pm
3467: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:19pm ..... 3469: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:20pm
3470: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:22pm ..... 3471: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:23pm
3473: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:24pm ..... 3474: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:25pm
3476: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:26pm ..... 3477: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:26pm
3478: rshowalter 5/7/01 8:27pm .....

These postings arej directories , with highlights, of postings up to May 6 by a "Bush National Security Official --Stand-IN -- gisterme
3353: rshowalter 5/6/01 10:55am ..... 3354: rshowalter 5/6/01 10:56am

rshowalter - 06:53pm May 8, 2001 EST (#3533 of 3547)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I think anyone tracing through these links will be powerfully impressed at how much clarification dialog can deliver -- if people keep talking, and references to facts and arguments from others can be made available to discussants and any and all people watching the discussion.

My conclusion from the dialog here is that very much improved levels of understanding seem to be possible with improved and more extensive discussion processes and that the internet, in a format such as this, is making improvements in negotiation possible.

I don't think nations will all become brothers -- or will even learn to like each other.

But it does seem reasonable that the severe misunderstandings that now justify the impersonal, massive murder that is war may be much less justifiable, and less likely, with talk of the general sort ongoing here.

I think a radically safer and somewhat more just world is possible, and that a full and practical nuclear ( not conventional) disarmament, with effective prohibition of nuclear weapons may be possible.

I think anyone who sampled the discourse in the directories here might come to agree.

lunarchick - 06:53pm May 8, 2001 EST (#3534 of 3547)
lunarchick@www.com

Alex: you left Moscow early ... young people from there were talking about the celebration of 1 year + of Putin .. they are agreed that he is doing the right things to get that Nation back on track re a legal framework, ousting the big crims, and giving it a forward thinking mentality. The last time i saw Moscow Doc Z was having Lara flashes ... (Julie Christie) .. the big big movie ..

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