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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.

jorian319 - 01:28pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11261 of 11282)

NK's current softening of their line is IMHO related to coalition success in Iraq.

Iraq is going to be a mess for a while. The greatest suffering from this transition is yet to come. I feel for them, and hope for them.

The opportunity is there for Iraq to become the Arabian crown jewel, or to slip into third-world oblivion. Hopefully the strength of the Iraqi people will be evidenced in the near future, minimizing the need for UN/US/other intervention and presence.

lchic - 05:51pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11262 of 11282)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Bargains -- Iraq's great cultural treasures are probably being offered for sale in 'the open air markets' right now ......

That the treasures of the world are 'snapped-up' by USA institutions at least ensures their continuance.

Had Saddam been a 'great leader' who cared for Iraq, he would have opted out for a smooth transition ..... he's probably shaved off the moustache and taking coffee on the Champs Elysee - everyone's seen there sooner or later -- isn't that how the saying goes ?

lchic - 06:07pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11263 of 11282)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Saddam and son 'alive'

A prominent opponent of Saddam Hussein says that the toppled Iraqi dictator is alive and may be north-east of Baghdad, according to an Italian newspaper report.

Also today, Baghdad residents said that they had seen Saddam's son and heir apparent, Qusay, alive after an attack by US forces on Monday.

Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmad Chalabi, a longtime exile who returned to Iraq just before the US-led military attack, told Turin's La Stampa newspaper in a phone interview published today that Saddam had not been killed.

"Saddam Hussein is alive. His sons and he were seen separately. Saddam Hussein could be moving northeast of Baghdad," Mr Chalabi, speaking from the southern Iraqi town of Nassiriya, was quoted as saying.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,936015,00.html

fredmoore - 06:20pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11264 of 11282)

Rshow .....

In the name of symmetry, order and harmony, It would be good to now ask: Why is the UN such a failure?

I have thought about this and I think the current consensus is that it fails because the US has too much military power and there may be some truth to this. There is certainly an assymetry within the UN. However I can see a more important and powerful assymetry which has never, to his discredit, been addressed by Kofi Anan.

In a mass media age, countries which do not allow public forums in their mainstream media should not be allowed full voting rights in the UN council and certainly NOT veto rights. The real uneven yoking in the UN is not in the military domain but in the domain of guaranteed freedom of speech without fear of reprisal and particularly with an emphasis on public access to mainstream media in forums such as the one we currently frequent.

What it is, is that a US or UK vote in the council is representative of more MINDS than countries such as France or Russia or Germany or Australia where freedom of speech is not guaranteed in some form of constitution and where public forum access to mainsteram media is severely limited for reasons of state. MINDS are what bring about consensus and peace and as I see it, the UN, because of a paucity of guaranteed free speech in a majority of signatories simply does not represent sufficient MINDS to do its job.

In this light it is not surprising that the US dominates UN decisions and I ask this question : Is it really superior military strength which allows the US to dominate UN matters?

Cheers

lchic - 06:32pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11265 of 11282)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

? Is it really superior military strength which allows the US to dominate UN matters ?

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Location Location Location

Does 'geography' play a part ... what if the UN had offices and meeting rooms in Eurasia additionally ?

lchic - 06:43pm Apr 12, 2003 EST (# 11266 of 11282)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Why Don't Poor Countries Adopt Better Technologies?

http://econpapers.hhs.se/paper/creuqamwp/20-07.htm http://logec.hhs.se/scripts/seritemstat.pl?h=repec:cre:uqamwp

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