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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.

lunarchick - 11:42am Jan 2, 2003 EST (# 7217 of 7222)

^{China being encouraged by Seoul to take a stronger position re NKorea
China wants stability - no nukes - no disturbance to status quo on Korean Pennisular
China says it doesn't know what's happening in NKorea
China is supplying some foreign aid}

mazza9 - 12:10pm Jan 2, 2003 EST (# 7218 of 7222)
"Quae cum ita sunt" Caesar's Gallic Commentaries

Negotiate implies that both parties will AGREE to a set of cirmcumstances and abide by the agreement.

Question: what if one party has demonstrated a proclivity for lies and deception. What if one of the parties is known to not abide by any agreement?

What do you do? Answer: Bend over and spread 'em because your goin' take it in the end!

Robert and Lunarchick: these dots have been connected and established as truisms. Your quibbling won't change these facts!

lunarchick - 12:16pm Jan 2, 2003 EST (# 7219 of 7222)

^{A few days ago i noted (above) that China would want peace and stability to organise THE GAMES ... now China is kicking into the NK peace talks ... yet admits to not-knowing anthing NK wrt how the NK-ruling-political mind actually functions.}

rshow55 - 12:22pm Jan 2, 2003 EST (# 7220 of 7222)
Can we do a better job of finding truth? YES. Click "rshow55" for some things Lchic and I have done and worked for on this thread.

Almarst , thanks for this reference.

Saddam just made a step (I'm assuming he controls his son) that makes the weights of the arguments in favor of attacking Iraq very much stronger - the arguments for believing the inspection process can work very much weaker. It seems a clear mistake - and I believe that sensible power holders in Iraq ought to agree - after Iraq has invested so much on the inspection process.

Arabs urged to seek nuclear arsenal By PAUL KORING . . Thursday, January 2 – Posted at 5:37 AM EST http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/RTGAMArticleHTMLTemplate?tf=tgam/realtime/fullstory_print.html&cf=tgam/realtime/config-neutral&articleDate=20030102&slug=wxnuke0102&date=20030102&archive=RTGAM&site=Front

Washington — The Arab world should follow North Korea's example and arm itself with nuclear weapons to prevent further humiliation at U.S. hands, a leading Iraqi newspaper owned by Saddam Hussein's son said yesterday.

"Korea insists on its right to possess a technology used by the United States to raze Japanese cities, and which it still uses to blackmail the world and force it to obey," the newspaper Babel said as it urged the Arab world to take heed.

"Arabs need to learn the lesson from the Korean example," it added, calling on Arabs to launch a joint effort to acquire nuclear weapons.

- - - - - - - -

That's unfortunate. Mohammed, Aldouri, or Saddam himself, ought to think hard about repairing the damage. Such a stance makes nonsense of the statements in

. Iraq States Its Case By MOHAMMED ALDOURI http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/17/opinion/17ALDO.html

rshow55 12/12/02 8:34pm

It seems to me that if Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction - - there are some very interesting questions about communication and human function at play - where indignation can only be a part of the response. But where concern is well justified.

Some while ago, I said this:

Right now, if Saddam has really done what he claims - - then his regime is absolutely safe - if he's half-way competent - - as he often is.

The piece Koring reports on is stunningly unhelpful from Iraq's point of view - from the Islamic world's point of view - and responsible people from all sides should have sense enough to know it.

Just saw mazza9 1/2/03 12:10pm , and I'll be responding. There are times when it seems to me that force is absolutely justified. But your rhetorical patterns are almost the opposite of the ones that are usually useful, if fights are to be either avoided or kept under control.

lunarchick - 12:31pm Jan 2, 2003 EST (# 7221 of 7222)

Saddam Hussein's son is an enemy of the people and should be brought to justice for the crimes he's committed against them.
see

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