New York Times on the Web Forums Science

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 - 11:54am Mar 22, 2001 EST (#1309 of 1314)

It now became clear to me, the big hope that a new pecefull world would once become a reality after the end of a Cold War and breakup of USSR, was just unrealistic.

We have a very long way to go in building a mutual respect and trust - the most critical ingredients for the lasting peace.

It will have to be done in a long series of small, carefull and mutually-simmetrical but CONSISTENT steps, with clear understanding that even one step back may destroy the whole prior acievements. And here is a big danger that even small but influential group can easily sabotage it.

almarst-2001 - 12:34pm Mar 22, 2001 EST (#1310 of 1314)

It seem the Russia has an ambitions to become a prosperows and respectable power.

It is less clear why that would contradict the American interests if Russia remains friendly and peacefull.

The question is, are there any US interests, other then to preserve the military-industrial complex or establish the complete World hegemony, to resist such an outcome?

almarst-2001 - 12:55pm Mar 22, 2001 EST (#1311 of 1314)

U.S. GIVING RUSSKIE ‘SPIES' BOOT - http://www.lucianne.com/threads2.asp?artnum=92858

Please, take a look at the commnts.

rshowalter - 12:59pm Mar 22, 2001 EST (#1312 of 1314)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Please let me comment, according to my best beliefs, which I believe are right, though I can only speak for myself:

"It now became clear to me, the big hope that a new pecefull world would once become a reality after the end of a Cold War and breakup of USSR, was just unrealistic."

If the United States had been wiser, or if controls had been better, the necessary adjustment might have happend pretty fast -- I think ENORMOUS amounts of time were wasted, and very large cost to your country occurred, because the US did not know what to do.

"We have a very long way to go in building a mutual respect and trust - the most critical ingredients for the lasting peace."

In one sense, a very long way -- in another - I believe great progress might be made in weeks or months. For mutual respect and trust, there will have to be some learning about "how to talk" that accepts differences.

"It will have to be done in a long series of small, carefull and mutually-simmetrical but CONSISTENT steps, with clear understanding that even one step back may destroy the whole prior acievements. And here is a big danger that even small but influential group can easily sabotage it."

In a day, a child in a normal human environment hears maybe 10,000 words -- a lot of "small steps" -- and things connect up, after a while, and lots of mistakes are tolerable if conditions are right. The things that need to be learned are mostly at the levels of cultural understanding -- sociotechnical system understanding -- not bilateral diplomacy between governments. That would be easy, once we could do business together. The learning involved would not be easy to sabotage - would be essentially impossible to sabotage, if it were properly done.

"It seems the Russia has an ambitions to become a prosperows and respectable power."

"It is less clear why that would contradict the American interests if Russia remains friendly and peaceful."

. You're exactly right. Americans want peace too, but they are very afraid of what they do not understand, and we don't understand each other at the level that business requires.

"The question is, are there any US interests, other then to preserve the military-industrial complex or establish the complete World hegemony, to resist such an outcome?"

. Except for the conspiracy aspects of the military-industrial complex (perhaps "conspiracy of silence"aspects) controlled by very few people, I do not believe Americans have ANY reason to resist such an outcome. And they have many reasons to want it. And most, at an emotionally significant, even passionate level, want it already. Though that may take Russians a while to see.

rshowalter - 01:03pm Mar 22, 2001 EST (#1313 of 1314)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

You can find plenty of hostility between individual Americans and Russians, going both ways. I wouldn't take the comments too seriously - though I'm not proud of them.

(1 following message)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense