If you watch Putin annual address, 1/3 of the speech is devoted to talks about Nuclear ICBM able to get around our missle defense systems. ICBM’s that can go 20 times the speed of sound. Also showing multiple warheads attacking the state of Florida. With standing ovations!
(03-06-2018 09:04 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote: If you watch Putin annual address, 1/3 of the speech is devoted to talks about Nuclear ICBM able to get around our missle defense systems. ICBM’s that can go 20 times the speed of sound. Also showing multiple warheads attacking the state of Florida. With standing ovations!
Well I don’t think it’s a left, right issue, but if we keep hitting this Russian narrative it will cause a divide between both us and Russia.
Let me be frank Russia is not a ally to the U.S.. Russia has been probing America’s defense. We have to be mindful. Russia and China are more of an ally then Russia, and the U.S..
They are allied with NKorea, Iran, Syria, and pretty much any nation that is against The United States.
I think we should take these threats seriously. Be ever ready against Russia, and be prepared to defend ourselves.
NATO still serves a purpose, and it is in Russia’s best interest to disband NATO, that’s why I support NATO.
(This post was last modified: 03-06-2018 10:00 PM by Bigtom12.)
(03-06-2018 09:57 PM)Bigtom12 Wrote: Well I don’t think it’s a left, right issue, but if we keep hitting this Russian narrative it will cause a divide between both us and Russia.
Let me be frank Russia is not a ally to the U.S.. Russia has been probing America’s defense. We have to be mindful. Russia and China are more of an ally then Russia, and the U.S..
They are allied with NKorea, Iran, Syria, and pretty much any nation that is against The United States.
I think we should take these threats seriously. Be ever ready against Russia, and be prepared to defend ourselves.
There are three existential threats against the US--nuclear, cyber, and terror. Russia and China threaten us in at least two of those areas.
There are three world hot spots--Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the China Sea--each with its own would-be hegemon--Russia, Iran, and China, respectively.
Seems to me that an appropriate defense posture should be 1) to be ready for any of the existential threats (we aren't), 2) to contain any regional conflict arising in each of the trouble spots areas within the respective area (should be doable as long as we have a blue-water navy and neither Russia nor Iran nor China does), and 3) to make sure that our allies in each region maintain a balance of power with the would-be hegemon.
The only threat to the United States is from ourselves, the collapse of our morality and our degradation of the core principles on which this country was built.
That is a lot closer to reality than that BS missile Putin is discussing. Even if the missile were real, they still aren't going to shoot it as us.
As far as I'm concerned, Russia can have Europe, China can have all of Asia, and we can take the Americas. The world would be fine with just three countries. Whoever wants Africa can have it.
(03-06-2018 10:18 PM)banker Wrote: As far as I'm concerned, Russia can have Europe, China can have all of Asia, and we can take the Americas. The world would be fine with just three countries. Whoever wants Africa can have it.
(03-06-2018 10:18 PM)banker Wrote: As far as I'm concerned, Russia can have Europe, China can have all of Asia, and we can take the Americas. The world would be fine with just three countries. Whoever wants Africa can have it.
Never happen.
We had a lot of people die in two world wars to keep a totalitarian government from taking over Europe.
Putin is just begging for attention. Russia is a shadow of its former self although he is doing his best to reconstruct it. He is more than likely just letting us know he knows what we got. He can’t fight us with conventional weapons, nukes or economically only in the cyber world and he’s only a nuseince there. China on the other hand.....
Funny to see the libs thinking Russia is the big bad bear once again. Guess the 80s made that call. obama was an empty suit. Didn’t get anything done but divide the country along political and racial lines.
(03-06-2018 10:08 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: There are three existential threats against the US--nuclear, cyber, and terror. Russia and China threaten us in at least two of those areas.
There are three world hot spots--Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the China Sea--each with its own would-be hegemon--Russia, Iran, and China, respectively.
Seems to me that an appropriate defense posture should be 1) to be ready for any of the existential threats (we aren't), 2) to contain any regional conflict arising in each of the trouble spots areas within the respective area (should be doable as long as we have a blue-water navy and neither Russia nor Iran nor China does), and 3) to make sure that our allies in each region maintain a balance of power with the would-be hegemon.
Not sure Iran has hegemony. The Saudis and the Turks might have something to say about that. They do appreciate us eliminating Saddam Hussein for them though.
(03-06-2018 10:18 PM)banker Wrote: As far as I'm concerned, Russia can have Europe, China can have all of Asia, and we can take the Americas. The world would be fine with just three countries. Whoever wants Africa can have it.
Draw a line through Germany from sea to sea. Russia gets the Eastern half all the way to China and including the Middle East. England gets the western half.
(03-06-2018 10:08 PM)Owl 69/70/75 Wrote: There are three existential threats against the US--nuclear, cyber, and terror. Russia and China threaten us in at least two of those areas.
There are three world hot spots--Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the China Sea--each with its own would-be hegemon--Russia, Iran, and China, respectively.
Seems to me that an appropriate defense posture should be 1) to be ready for any of the existential threats (we aren't), 2) to contain any regional conflict arising in each of the trouble spots areas within the respective area (should be doable as long as we have a blue-water navy and neither Russia nor Iran nor China does), and 3) to make sure that our allies in each region maintain a balance of power with the would-be hegemon.
Not sure Iran has hegemony. The Saudis and the Turks might have something to say about that. They do appreciate us eliminating Saddam Hussein for them though.
Note that I said would-be hegemon. They don't but they want it. Their goal is recreation of the old Persian empire, from Istanbul to Kabul to Aden to Cairo. They changed their name from Persia to Iran in 1935. In Farsi Iran means basically "empire of the Aryan people." Note the date. It was a dog whistle to Hitler, "send us some tanks and some Messerschmidts and we will meet you at the Bosporus." That message is not lost on the Turks or the Arabs.
(This post was last modified: 03-07-2018 07:33 AM by Owl 69/70/75.)
(03-07-2018 09:29 AM)VA49er Wrote: Putin is just playing to his audience. He isn't stupid enough to actually follow through. W're not talking about Kim Jong-un.
One thing I have learned, and studying geo-politics. The Russians do not make idle threats. In the last 15 yrs. we have poke the bear, thinking it will not do something.
Think the Ukraine civil-war and him annexing Crimea was a idle threat, sending S-400 missles in Syria, and threating to shoot down NATO planes. He was willing to go to war with us back in 2016. You don’t do Nuclear drills with the public unless you are ready to do so. He was ready in 2016 if we would of push the Syrian issue. Think Turkey shooting down one of his planes and American Rebels in Syria then shooting the rescue chopper to pick up the pilot kind of leave a bad taste in his mouth. Let’s not be naive.
I don’t know the solution but Putin will win his 5th term in office, and if any body even comes close to winning he will be found died. That’s Russia. Think U.S. needs to play this Russian thing very carefully.
(03-06-2018 09:38 PM)banker Wrote: Which is it, is Trump a puppet installed by Putin or is Trump pushing too hard on them? It's all so confusing trying to understand the left.
Its easy to understand
1) Putin hates all things about freedom. He's a dictator dedicated to harming EVERYONE from the West.
2) Putin supports Trump because he's getting Trump to harm the US's strategic and economic positions for his benefit, and in return for nothing (other than some intel or collusion from him) in return.
Remember, Putin's Russia is a really awful place, and much of that is the proximate result of his 'leadership'. Russia produces one thing - energy, and uses it as a weapon. Russia's economy is in tatters. Their educated flee as soon as they can. No international talent chooses to work there. Independent businesses and innovation are best done by Russians outside of Russia. The population is declining, rather rapidly, and its skill set is falling too. Putin really doesn't care, because he thinks he can (and I do too) stay in power indefinitely by appealing to the voters of Russia based upon cultural issues and perceived glory to Russia. Its a lot easier for him to whip up nationalism and homophobia and racism than it is to fix the really, REALLY bad structural problems the Russian economy has. So Russia will continue to misbehave and will continue to sink economically. But that suits Putin, because it doesn't matter how badly Russia is harmed, so long as those that remain support him and that there's no business, religious, or social movements that can oppose him.