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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?

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almarst2002 - 10:35pm Jan 23, 2003 EST (# 7973 of 7987)

Nato allies in eastern Europe line up to offer services to US - http://www.guardian.co.uk/Print/0,3858,4590447,00.html

Ian Traynor in Prague Friday January 24, 2003 The Guardian

The new Nato allies of eastern Europe are lining up behind Washington in offering to join a war against Iraq with or without a UN mandate.

More instinctively pro-American than the west Europeans, the new Nato members from Bulgaria in the south to Lithuania in the north are under US pressure to contribute to a war coalition, although militarily they have less to offer than the traditional Nato allies.

"Romania does not want to go to war against Iraq, but it will do what America says," said a Romanian newspaper this week.

A senior Czech official said that Romania and Bulgaria, invited to join Nato last November, are anxious that doubts about their participation in Iraq could delay US ratification of their membership.

In Washington last week, the Polish president, Alexander Kwasniewski, pledged full support for the Americans, and the Polish government this week offered to contribute to coalition forces even without a UN mandate.

Mr Kwasniewski nurses ambitions to be the next Nato secretary general and needs American backing if he is to replace Lord Robertson.

The Czechs have pledged to put their highly rated anti-chemical warfare unit, currently based in Kuwait, at the disposal of the Americans, although 27 of the 270 men currently in Kuwait embarrassed the government this week by voting to come home rather than join a war.

Opinion polls in the Czech republic and Hungary show deep opposition to taking part in a war, but President Vaclav Havel in Prague, while nursing private doubts, has offered unequivocal backing to the Americans, and Hungary is allowing the US to train thousands of Iraqi exiles at a military base in the south of the country.

The Czechs have also agreed to allow hundreds of US troops to be stationed on their territory and made their airspace available. The Bulgarians are still awaiting an official US request for assistance, but are preparing an air base on the Black Sea coast.

Analysts say that Washington is urging the new Nato members in eastern Europe into the war camp in order to highlight the relative reluctance of the west Europeans to get involved.

US officials in eastern Europe deny that, arguing that the timing of Washington's requests for contributions are dictated purely by logistics and military planning considerations and by the need to escalate the credible threat of military force against President Saddam.

Although the east Europeans have less to offer than the west Europeans in military terms, one exception is the Czechs, whose anti-chemical warfare unit comprises almost one third of the Nato capacity in this area.

With fears widespread that President Saddam could resort to the use of chemical or biological weapons if attacked, the Czech unit is particularly valuable.

Looks like new members of a gung will be required to spill blood first.

We did not see a full extend of this shamefull play yet. But a lot of work for a future historians is assured.

lchic - 11:44pm Jan 23, 2003 EST (# 7974 of 7987)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

From the HUMAN RIGHTS standpoint - everyone can SEE immediately and graphically why Saddam should be tried for CRIMES against HUMANITY.

lchic - 11:49pm Jan 23, 2003 EST (# 7975 of 7987)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

PARIS: IRAQI WOMEN called for Saddam to be indicted for WAR_CRIMES and said that REGIME_CHANGE was the only way to save their desperate nation.

• deaths and disapperance of relatives
• beheading of innocent women
• living under daily threat of terror
• victims of ethnic slaughter
• regime is mercyless persuing innocent people
• 16 women decapitated
• 'in front of their children' 2002
• Christian Assyrians suffer cultural oppression
• see Associate Press

lchic - 11:56pm Jan 23, 2003 EST (# 7976 of 7987)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

If the UN had STANDARDS in place and ACTED upon them pro-actively .... then countries might be better kept in check.

What are the reasons why countries fall victim to oppressive dictators.

On reason from the Showalter_Stable would be that they go UNCHECKED unchecked UNCHECKED unchecked

lchic - 12:03am Jan 24, 2003 EST (# 7977 of 7987)
~~~~ It got understood and exposed ~~~~

Going unchecked - does this become Unchecked-Natural-Selection? Is the route to dictatorship a cruise down Greed-Drive? ... poem below as seen in SciPoetry thread. Poem | Alan Shapiro :

Natural Selection

proceeds by chance

and necessity

becomes nonrandom

through randomness

builds complexity

from simplicity

nurtures consciousness

unconsciously

evolves purposelessly

creatures who demand

purpose

and discover

natural selection

Alan Shapiro, in Poetry Magazine, December, 1998

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