Russia's distance from freedom and democracy equals an uncountable amount of light years. Actually, it is going slowly back to USSR level of government control over everything ...By the way, Russia is still far from being free.
WWIII -?
Chemistry is physics without a thought
Mathematics is physics without a purpose
Mathematics is physics without a purpose
Re: WWIII -?
But do you think Russia could instantly convert from the Soviet regime to full democracy of a place like, for example, Greece? It would (actually, did) result in utter chaos. Russia needs a strong government, the President of Russia constitutionally has far more power in his own hands than any of his Western counterparts. And it's working, Russia has pulled itself out of the complete, utter economic ruin of the early '90's and is on its way to recovery.Shurik wrote:Russia's distance from freedom and democracy equals an uncountable amount of light years. Actually, it is going slowly back to USSR level of government control over everything ...By the way, Russia is still far from being free.
It's just what works for the country, and it will take years for 'full' proper democracy of a similar style to, say, Argentina to develop.
That's why Iraq is such a mess. Saddam is undoubtedly a criminal, but he knew a thing or two about keeping the country in order. The US is trying to implement a parliamentary democracy in a place that hasn't known anything of the sort in decades, if ever. You said it yourself Shurik, the reason Iraq is a disaster is because the US invaded and didn't have a clue about what to do next.
"Beneath the freezing sky arrives Winter's Verge..."
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I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
Re: WWIII -?
It's not as great as you think ... Russia still has an enormous amount of problems such as mortality rate being higher than birth rate, widespread alcoholism on the levels resembling a plague, economy is not as strong as it looks ... Russia's only profit comes from high oil prices and selling weapons to virtually everyone who asks (russian anti-tank rockets caused much damage in recent israeli-lebanese war - those rockets were sold to Iran or Syria and ended up in Hizballa hands). Russian army is in same mess it has been for years ...And it's working, Russia has pulled itself out of the complete, utter economic ruin of the early '90's and is on its way to recovery.
Saddam kept the country in order through terror, just like Stalin did to the USSR ... It works in some countries and doesn't work in others (like Cambodia during khmer-rouge regime).Saddam is undoubtedly a criminal, but he knew a thing or two about keeping the country in order.
Chemistry is physics without a thought
Mathematics is physics without a purpose
Mathematics is physics without a purpose
Re: WWIII -?
Oh I know Russia is far from great, I have many Russian friends and my dad does a lot of buisiness in Moscow. But it's better now than it was in the early 90's.Shurik wrote:It's not as great as you think ... Russia still has an enormous amount of problems such as mortality rate being higher than birth rate, widespread alcoholism on the levels resembling a plague, economy is not as strong as it looks ... Russia's only profit comes from high oil prices and selling weapons to virtually everyone who asks (russian anti-tank rockets caused much damage in recent israeli-lebanese war - those rockets were sold to Iran or Syria and ended up in Hizballa hands). Russian army is in same mess it has been for years ...And it's working, Russia has pulled itself out of the complete, utter economic ruin of the early '90's and is on its way to recovery.
Saddam kept the country in order through terror, just like Stalin did to the USSR ... It works in some countries and doesn't work in others (like Cambodia during khmer-rouge regime).Saddam is undoubtedly a criminal, but he knew a thing or two about keeping the country in order.
And about Saddam, that's exactly what I meant. Would one feel safer in a regime like that or an open free democracy and all the risks it entails?
Freedom is not free.
"Beneath the freezing sky arrives Winter's Verge..."
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
- NordicStorm
- Sr. Member
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Re: WWIII -?
Which is all good and well, but how is it relevant to the matter at hand? My point was merely that your attempts at satire, if that's what it was, missed the mark. I don't think you have anything to apologize for, other than your unfortunate remark about one billion Muslims above. But that's been dealt with already.miditek wrote:Have you seen me ask people in this or other strato-related forums to apologize or take back statements that Christianity is bullshit? Of course not, and it's simply something that I don't do. If someone thinks that Christ was a fairy tale, that's their business.
I was going to respond to that, but I was "disappeared" by General Secretary Barroso and shipped of to the Gulag.My viewpoint is that it is ridicule for the EU, nothing more, and nothing less. I am certainly no fan of the Kremlin.
See how easy it is to perceive things?If you want to consider it to be Communist propoganda then in your mind, it probably is.
But that was not your argument. You said "Overwhelming brute force has been the only proven method of bringing dictatorships down. " That was simply a list of dictatorships brought down not by overwhelming brute force.And the citizens of these countries were not running about crashing airplanes into buildings, beheading people on live TV, calling for the death of Israel and the US, and many other terroristic activities.
Most of the people in those countries actually wanted freedom, and did not want perpetual war with the US or Israel.
And the people crashing airplanes into buildings were primarily Saudis, not Iranians. And even so, that hardly represents the Saudi population as a whole. And speaking of peoples who want freedom, Shurik already mentioned there was large faction of the Iranians (and, dare I say it, of the Saudis as well) who match that very description!
Hey, I critique Generalissimo Putin on a regular basis, on this forum and elsewhere. But that just goes to show that bringing down the dictatorship is just the first step. Even if one chooses a highly volatile military solution, that's only a very small part of it.By the way, Russia is still far from being free.
Actually, I did intend for it to be comical, but not quite the way you think. If I say I'd rather go with recent French foreign policy than the Bush doctrine, and given my disdain for French foreign policy over the years, I think it's fairly easy to infer what I think of the Bush doctrine, not to mention its masterfully incompetent implementation. Which is what made my statement so deliciously hilarious!I realize that you didn't intend for that statement to be comical, but that is absolutely one of the funniest things I've ever seen before. France is anguishing over whether to send just 200-300 troops to Lebanon while Prodi and Berlu have just committed 3,000 Italian troops to go.
Want some freedom fries with that?While I admire Rome for making its contribution, I do feel that Paris deserves to be heckled
Indeed! Colonialism left the whole continent a mess! Which makes the recent Bush-led occupation all the more peculiar: surely the man has read at least one history book in his life? Surely he would be aware mucking about in other countries can have disastrous consequences?France can complain all it wants about the current fiasco in Iraq, while conveniently ignoring the one that it cannot control in Ivory Coast.
I don't disagree about the long-term prospects of such a venture, my point was merely that if a supposed invader had the element of surprise, it could potentially reach far into the country, as the US is not prepared for such an attack. Once the US scrambled its resources together the would-be invader would of course get their asses handed to them.I disagree. Militarily speaking, an invasion of the US would be suicidal. To mount an invasion here, you would have to have both naval as well as air supremacy. Moreover, you would have to keep the invasion force supplied. There is a long list of military contingencies that would have to be taken into consideraton, and no nation on earth could do that.
I think the only people gloating about such a scenario would be the ones looking forward to an impending and unavoidable apocalypse.Dirty bombs and/or small scale nuclear weapons would still be quite easy to slip in and detonate for maximum effect, and I believe it is only a matter of time before this happens. I wouldn't gloat too much though, because I do not believe that America is the only target for such operations.
Give me liberty, or give me cake!
- browneyedgirl
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Re: WWIII -?
I think there will be a WWIII. I do not know when, or even who the warring nations will be, but I believe this is mankind's destiny----to destroy himself. There are many psychological aspects of this matter, even more than the political.
However, I do not dwell on this apocalytical stuff--it is not healthy for one to do so.
Que sera sera. When it comes to the world situation&politics, there is not a damn thing anyone can do in a tangible way anyway! Its all out of our hands---we all are just watchers in the woods.
So, we have to just live our life&try to be happy&hope for a better tomorrow. Realisticly, what else can we do?
However, I do not dwell on this apocalytical stuff--it is not healthy for one to do so.
Que sera sera. When it comes to the world situation&politics, there is not a damn thing anyone can do in a tangible way anyway! Its all out of our hands---we all are just watchers in the woods.
So, we have to just live our life&try to be happy&hope for a better tomorrow. Realisticly, what else can we do?
"Your life is yours, and yours alone. Rise up and live it!"
Bob: I don't believe in God.
Archangel Michael: That's OK, Bob, because He doesn't believe in you, either!~Legion~
Bob: I don't believe in God.
Archangel Michael: That's OK, Bob, because He doesn't believe in you, either!~Legion~
- Miguel_Ricardo
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Re: WWIII -?
You can do a lot of things, here you have some ideas:browneyedgirl wrote: Realisticly, what else can we do?
-Protest
-Use your vote wisely, that's why you (and I think most of us) live in democracy, you make the choices!
Re: WWIII -?
So, like, when's WWIII gonna start?
I've finished converting my basement to a nuclear-proof bunker and stocked up on ammo and guns and stuff.
Anyone?
I've finished converting my basement to a nuclear-proof bunker and stocked up on ammo and guns and stuff.
Anyone?
"Beneath the freezing sky arrives Winter's Verge..."
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
- browneyedgirl
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Re: WWIII -?
It won't be so funny if or when it happens.NeonVomit wrote:So, like, when's WWIII gonna start?
I've finished converting my basement to a nuclear-proof bunker and stocked up on ammo and guns and stuff.
Anyone?
Hopefully it will never happen, but open up your eyes---the signs are there. And I am not talking about religious/Biblical ones. Even alot of atheists know something catastrophic is going to happen in the future in regard militarily. The world is a tinderbox now just waiting to explode. Yet, like I said, its still a wonderful life&we need to just enjoy it.
"Your life is yours, and yours alone. Rise up and live it!"
Bob: I don't believe in God.
Archangel Michael: That's OK, Bob, because He doesn't believe in you, either!~Legion~
Bob: I don't believe in God.
Archangel Michael: That's OK, Bob, because He doesn't believe in you, either!~Legion~
- NordicStorm
- Sr. Member
- Posts:2174
- Joined:Fri Mar 01, 2002 11:46 pm
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Re: WWIII -?
Next week. I'm annexing Poland.NeonVomit wrote:So, like, when's WWIII gonna start?
Give me liberty, or give me cake!
Re: WWIII -?
I got dibs on Denmark.NordicStorm wrote:Next week. I'm annexing Poland.NeonVomit wrote:So, like, when's WWIII gonna start?
"Beneath the freezing sky arrives Winter's Verge..."
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!
http://www.wintersverge.com
I'm going to hell, and loving the ride!