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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 - 02:30pm Jun 28, 2001 EST (#6221 of 6242)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Powell Endorses Arafat Proposal by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/world/AP-US-Mideast.html

.....

`` And to help the cease-fire to hold through the process leading up to reopened peace talks, Powell said, ``As we start out with confidence- building measures there will be a need for monitors.''

That's a big change, and a welcome one. Sometimes, to sort things out, there have to be ways to check, and there has to be some claim of impartiality - preferably subject itself to examination -- to sort things out.

At some levels, some of the problems of nuclear risk (which involves missile defense, among other things) may need monitoring, too -- as the people involved deal with the problems they have, along the continuum of trust and distrust along which people have to stand and make decisions.

That may also apply to other issues of military balance, that seem central to almarst -- who I think is, in some ways over-reacting -- but for understandable reasons worthy of respect.

rshowalter - 02:32pm Jun 28, 2001 EST (#6222 of 6242)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

gisterme , I think your idea of a "moment of grace" is a very fine one.

But how to do it -- in a way that works for the real people involved -- with the responsibilities involved?

rshowalter - 02:35pm Jun 28, 2001 EST (#6223 of 6242)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Here's a fact about Putin -- he did much of his German service in Dresden -- where the fire raid was so terrible.

If ever there was a place to make a person concerned, emotionally and intellectually, about the horror of bombing -- that's the place.

possumdag - 03:38pm Jun 28, 2001 EST (#6224 of 6242)
Possumdag@excite.com

Everyone makes choices ... ! which involve ethical considerations. Decisions can be hard to make, but everyone makes thousands of decisions a week. One way of making a decision is to use weighting this may help to justify the decision reached. Multi criteria decisions are more complex 'It is the decision maker, who determines the criteria, the factors, the constraints, the individual weighting and the decision rules.' Application software is developed to assist, but ultimately decisions still have to be made.

Governments use complex assisted processes. Challengers to imposed choices and decisions may resort to law.

The personality of a person making a decision will influence the decision made.

People within society are often faced with choices in respect to packaged plans/policy deals in respect of services. 'When people confront unfamiliar, complex, and important information, they often do not know their own preferences and do not know where their own self interest lies. If they are asked about their preferences, they often construct them right then at the moment; the preferences do not preexist in their heads. The problem with "constructed preferences" is that they are unstable and highly influenced by how information is presented. ' $

Serbia's choice regarding persuit of war criminals may have been influenced by access to $ aid money, very necessary to rebuild their country.

possumdag - 03:55pm Jun 28, 2001 EST (#6225 of 6242)
Possumdag@excite.com

GI: on some people having 'ideas' and others having non/fewer. The article was interesting. Everybody has ideas, makes decisions and choices, it's just that matters that affect 'many people' have to be thought over and made carefully.

I heard that the top 1% .. the genius minds .. are to be valued, in that, this cohort have the ideas and make the decisions that move society forward. I say this in a 'general' way, in that, there is a lot of dispute regarding how the top 1% would be known. Here the 'ideas' people are reduced from 50% to 1%. 1:99 not 50:50.

The seven ages of 'man' is a factor to consider in respect of neighbourhood interaction. The kids don't 'play out' anymore, even so, those in their teens still group, later pair, and so forth .. so the needs for others at developmental stages is still with us. Individuals move along and change, yet do similar things to others of their age, culture, societal and educational level. One notes the PM of Japan, on the cusp of his sixth decade, is seen as a 'loner' content to sit by himself at football matches , and/or listen to Opera.

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