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2005-01-15 Europe

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Posted by ed 2005-01-15 4:31:26 AM|| || Front Page|| [5 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Grrrr... Fuck the Russians and their sensibilities - they don't reciprocate in any venue on any issue. Do what needs doing and, other than the countries who will host new facilities, do it without regard for the squeamish horseshit about reassuring those who are blatant adversaries. No one else tip-toes around following their national interest. It's high fucking time we stopped doing so.

Posted by .com 2005-01-15 1:02:43 PM|| 2005-01-15 1:02:43 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 This is part of the BRAC and the people conducting it are much more concerned with Congressional than with Russian sensibilities.

Posted by RWV 2005-01-15 5:23:15 PM|| 2005-01-15 5:23:15 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 this is larger than BRAC - this is a message

Posted by Frank G 2005-01-15 5:25:22 PM|| 2005-01-15 5:25:22 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 .com: âNo one else tip-toes around following their national interest. It's high fucking time we stopped doing so.â¦â

No other nation in the world has the power of the US. No alliance of nations has the power of the US. Even nations that are friendly toward the US fear that power. Every nation that negotiates with the US does so from a position of weakness.

The US has the big stick and can afford to speak quietly.

In my view the US government should publicly continue paying attention to world opinion. The US government should publicly treat foreign governments as equals. The US government should listen carefully to the UN and throw âem a few billion every year. If a pipsqueak nation slaps the US in the face, the US government should frown and politely ask for better behavior. (Thus other nations are reassured that the US is not a bully to be feared.)

In private, the US government should act for US national interests. The US government should privately communicate to other nations what is and is not acceptable. When US interests are thwarted by a nation, then that nation should suffer. (I hope France suffers for a long, long time.) If strongly provoked, the US enemy should disappear. (Many old enemies are gone.) When another nation supports the US that nation should receive favorable treatment.

In other words the US should continue following the same real world politics that it has for decades.

(Consider what might happen if the US pulled out of the UN and openly threatened any nation that opposed US interests. Instead of a farcical UN debating club a real alliance might form to oppose the US.)

Posted by Anonymous5032 2005-01-15 5:38:13 PM|| 2005-01-15 5:38:13 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 I can see your point, Anonymous5032, but in dealing with the UN, and France as well, to give 2 examples, we must be open and honest how we feel, and give appropriate backup. This diplomatic doublespeak is just time honored bull sh*t that ought to go away. I am not talking about total style of Harry Truman, but I am thinking about how I recall Jean Kirkpatrick held the diplos feet to the fire when she was US ambassador to the UN. We can quietly try to work it out first, then if that does not work, then more direct approaches need to be done.

I agree that we must be very careful with our power. We are a country to be feared. We must also not be hypocritical. What we say should be how we should act. There is a lot of responsibility that goes with superpower status. However enemies should have the fear of the Wrath of God if they threaten us.

Posted by Alaska Paul 2005-01-15 7:54:46 PM|| 2005-01-15 7:54:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 In my view the US government should publicly continue paying attention to world opinion.

Only in the sense that we can hear them. Whether we're listening is a different story, depending on what's being said, and who's saying it.

The US government should listen carefully to the UN and throw âem a few billion every year.

Uhhh, no.

If a pipsqueak nation slaps the US in the face, the US government should frown and politely ask for better behavior.

Errr, no. There's no reason for someone else to have to do that. Civility is the expected manner in which to handle things. If some nations can't handle that and decide to go the rough route, then the least they should get in return is a really, REALLY rough ride.

Instead of a farcical UN debating club a real alliance might form to oppose the US.

At one time, there was, albeit assembled by force, an alliance that opposed the U.S. Look what happened to them.

Posted by Bomb-a-rama 2005-01-15 8:44:19 PM|| 2005-01-15 8:44:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Except that in that case, the United States was backed by its own alliance ...

Posted by Edward Yee 2005-01-15 11:52:59 PM|| [http://edwardyee.fanworks.net] 2005-01-15 11:52:59 PM|| Front Page Top

23:52 Edward Yee
23:39 Mike Sylwester
23:25 Barbara Skolaut
23:22 Barbara Skolaut
23:19 Barbara Skolaut
23:00 Rearden
22:46 Anonymous4724
22:45 JackAssFestival
21:29 Tom
21:24 BH
21:22 Pappy
21:22 2xstandard
21:21 Tom
21:20 BH
21:08 Atomic Conspiracy
21:02 Cyber Sarge
20:56 Bomb-a-rama
20:46 Poison Reverse
20:44 Bomb-a-rama
20:39 Alaska Paul
20:34 Poison Reverse
20:29 Anonymoose
20:19 2xstandard
20:16 Poison Reverse