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Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

almarst-2001 - 01:12pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#388 of 395)

"According polls carried out by ABC News and the Washington Post, most US citizens (88%) approve of George Bush’s leadership in the war against terrorism. At the same time, 82 percent of Americans fully support him as president. Moreover, 85 percent of citizens consider the anti-terrorist campaign in Afghanistan to be a success, while 72 percent suppose that the “retribution action” should be extended on other pariah states." - http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/11/26903.html

almarst-2001 - 01:21pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#389 of 395)

For mazza, personally:)

If you want a holiday in space and have the means to pay for it, Russia offers you the trip of a lifetime. - http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/09/26882.html

almarst-2001 - 01:29pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#390 of 395)

GEORGIA DREAMS ABOUT NATO, BUT DREAMS DO NOT ALWAYS COME TRUE - http://english.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/08/26874.html

The government of Georgia considered that yesterday’s decree of the Russian parliament, in which the deputies condemned America’s possible army presence in Georgia, was an attempt to interfere in the home affairs of the republic of Georgia.

The foreign ministry of the republic claimed that such a step did not assist in the development of the neighborly and friendly relations. The decree, which was passed by the Russian parliament on Wednesday, acknowledged the right of the people of Abkhazia and South Osetia republics for the establishment of their state structure – in case of the unfavorable process of negotiations pertaining to the regulation of the conflicts between Georgia and Abkhazia, and between Georgia and Osetia.

For Georgia, even a local conflict will be catastrofic.

But will the Caspian Oil light the fire of the WWIII?

almarst-2001 - 01:40pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#391 of 395)

More Trouble in Georgia? - http://www.time.com/time/europe/eu/daily/0,13716,214818,00.html

Few in Georgia or Russia seem to think U.S. troops are in there for the short term

almarst-2001 - 01:42pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#392 of 395)

In order to completely dominate on the territory of the former Soviet Union, the Americans needed a military presence in the Caucasus. The best pretext for this was the struggle with illegal armed formations. Afterwards a spreading of influence to Azerbaijan and Armenia will follow. - http://emperors-clothes.com/news/already.htm

To entangle all the non-Russian former republics in a U.S.-NATO dominated military command structure, one which will dictate not only the foreign policies but internal political and economic affairs in all of the affected countries. - http://emperors-clothes.com/articles/rozoff/tajik.htm

almarst-2001 - 01:48pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#393 of 395)

It takes a time to read it all, but worth it -

'Why They Were Indicted'- http://www.icdsm.org/more/book.htm

rshow55 - 02:15pm Mar 11, 2002 EST (#394 of 395)

Almarst , you're making great posts, and I think they are vital, for fitting our problems into context. Sometimes, if you had an "island" of technical fact - - - it would rule out a lot of misunderstanding -- and match up usefully to truer, safer, more productive explanations. On the subject of missile defense, issues of technical merit have been much discussed on this thread, and I'd like to refer back what I think is a key discussion of them.

MD352 mazza9 3/10/02 10:01pm ... MD353 rshow55 3/10/02 10:16pm
MD354 almarst-2001 3/10/02 10:17pm ... MD355 rshow55 3/10/02 10:18pm

I commented to manjumicha2001 that I thought all the MD systems now under US development, and discussed in the open enough to talk about, were, by tactical standards, as "devoid of merit as a herringfish is of fur" -

And suggested that if he wanted to discuss why in detail, for the system that has soaked up most of the money and caused most of the diplomatic trouble, he might download the Coyle Report http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/nmdcoylerep.pdf and we can get down to cases.

I asked: "Mazza, why don't you download the report - read it, and tomorrow we can get together, at a time of your convenience, and get down to cases?"

I think that question is worth repeating from time to time. Maybe some theories that have been called "conspiracy theories" happen, in cases that matter a great deal, to be true - and consistent with all the facts.

Surely, on issues of technical feasibility on which much (including honor) rests -- things can be checked.

If some world leaders were actually attending to these questions of fact -- a great deal might be clarified.

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