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Missile Defense

Russian military leaders have expressed concern about US plans for a national missile defense system. Will defense technology be limited by possibilities for a strategic imbalance? Is this just SDI all over again?

almarst-2001 - 12:03am Mar 17, 2001 EST (#1120 of 1125)

We are different since each of us hold the genetic memory of past generations, each one of them. And that is good. That is an insurance for survival of Human specie in different circumstances. But it MUST be recognised that some aspects wich may be advantagious in particular environment can be useless in others. We all can adapt, but there are some predispositions and appriory advantages in particlar circumstances for some and disadvantages for others. And this may change when environment changes. therefore, there should be no place for arrogance or feeling of superiority. All should recognise that we live in a large Casino where the rules of the game changes from time to time. and the today's winner may easily become tomorrow's looser.

Some of the most striking differences I noticed between Americans and Russians relates to Competitiveness vs. Cooperation, tolerance to Inequality and Achievement vs. Sacrifice. In more general terms it is Practicizm vs. Misticizm and Fatalizm. Interestingly, many Americans know and read Dostoyevsky who, in my view, clearly opens up those aspects of Russian nature. I wonder how many of them really understand him?

We may not like each other and always will have a personal prefferences and differences which, as I mentioned above, is essential and positive thing.

But what we absolutly have to have is respect for any human being who experienced a million years of evolution and managed to survive and adapt.

lunarchick - 01:42am Mar 17, 2001 EST (#1121 of 1125)
lunarchick@www.com

dostoevsky http://www.findagrave.com/pictures/dostoevskyf.html http://www.cityvision2000.com/sightseeing/museums/dostoyev.htm http://www.encyclopedia.com/articles/03770.html http://www.wsu.edu/:8080/~brians/hum_303/underground.html (copy and paste this link -- it's only half hot!)Dostoevsky: Is a popular note hits currently 40443

rshowalter - 07:36am Mar 17, 2001 EST (#1122 of 1125)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

American cruelty and Russian cruelty are different.

Both are real. Neither will ever be the same as the other, in all significant ways, though the differences can be understood analytically in ways that are helpful.

American kindness and Russian kindness are different.

Both are real. Neither will ever be the same as the other, in all significant ways, though the differences can be understood analytically in ways that are helpful.

I think peace is much more possible than it has been before, and real cooperation, both within our countries, and between them, is becoming more possible. Improvement in our practical and moral conditions is now a realistic hope.

Almarst-2001 is right about striking differences between American and Russians - and there are many, many others, so that we could NEVER see eye to eye.

But sometimes that's a plus. I was self indulgent for a few hours this morning - and just daydreamed. I was thinking what a pleasure it would be, and how productive it would be, to do mathematics, and computational fluid mechanics, and structural work, and especially commericial airplane design, and manufacturing engineering, with Russians.

We'd REALLY be able to work together! I'm quite sure of this, based on past conversations and practical experience. There's one reason especially. We'd be, almost always, afraid enough of each other to make communication possible.

But now, because I care about pressing problems of safety, I've got to put daydreaming aside, and see what can be usefully said about getting nuclear peril under sane control, when all involved are so angry, conflicted, and paralyzed that the system is insane, and very dangerous.

rshowalter - 12:22pm Mar 17, 2001 EST (#1123 of 1125)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

I'll be taking some time, trying to say more that is helpful, beyond what I've already suggested, and still think right. I was very pleased with the editorial "Dealing With Mr. Putin" in the TIMES today, though I would not, based on what I know, use the word "irresponsible," or any of its derivatives, in connection to Mr. Putin, as that editorial did. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/03/17/opinion/17SAT2.html

rshowalter - 02:49pm Mar 17, 2001 EST (#1124 of 1125)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Can anybody tell me what looks hard, or unreasonable, about the proposal I set out in #266-269 ? rshowalt 9/25/00 7:32am

Granting that it would be hard, are people clear on why?

Here's one thing, that I've come to feel is very important. In #269 I said this:

" Human actions work best according to the following pattern:

" Get scared .... take a good look ..... get organized ..... fix it .... recount so all concerned are "reading from the same page ...... go on to other things."

I think that's right. I believe that there are basic problems, partly at the level of fictions, partly at the level of inadequate human skills and disciplines. When we do not allow someone or some situtation to scare us, we are not prepared to really look at the matter involved, and learn from it. Refusal to "get scared" is, in an essential way, a refusal to see clearly enough for thought and action.

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