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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?

rshowalter - 06:11pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8615 of 8643)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

But I don't disagree that there is MUCH to admire about Senator Nunn, General Clark, and Henry Kissinger, and many others. But there can be some regrettable things, too.

One problem is that the same thing can be "beautiful" from one point of view, and starkly ugly from another. Something I've talked about before MD8438 rshowalter 9/4/01 4:14pm

The NUNN-WOLFOWITZ TASK FORCE REPORT http://164.109.59.52/library/pdf/nunnwolfowitz.pdf is a very well crafted document, and it describes arrangements that are breathtakingly beautiful for the intended purpose of those arrangements -- the prevention of unauthorized communication, and the strict limitation of any communication, between groups. With very many stages where information can be blocked at discretion. This is beautiful for controlling information flows so that "enemies" can't understand anything much.

But just exactly these things make the arrangements described ugly when the communication that collaboration actually takes is being attempted.

There are plenty of difficulties of this sort, and one way to help sort them out is to get to see how the same thing can seem attractive or unattractive, good or bad, depending on assumptions.

rshowalter - 06:12pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8616 of 8643)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

Some other things, it seems to me, are unfortunate from very many points of view. And in the Cold War, there were more than enough of them. Some things in Kissinger's record, and the records of his associates, seem broadly unfortunate in this sense.

MD8554 rshowalter 9/6/01 6:49am

MD8553 rshowalter 9/6/01 6:26am

rshowalter - 06:21pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8617 of 8643)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

There are wrenchingly ugly things on the Russian side, too. And everybody knows it.

Point is not to change an unchangeable past, but to do better in the future, with the real people and situations involved.

It seems to me that Russia is trying hard to do better, and gaining a lot of respect among other nations by the effort. An effort that is getting real, beneficial results for Russia and nations that interact with her.

At the same time, it seems to me that the prestige and negotiating power of the United States is declining at a great rate. Could it be that things that look "beautiful" on the assumptions of the Bush administration look ugly to almost everybody else, because of different assumptions?

If so, somebody is wrong, and whoever it is, there is some explaining that has to be done -- and listening, too.

To resolve these sorts of disagreements, there have to be shared facts that can be used to change minds. The ornate concealment of the Cold War, and of Cold War products such as the procedures the Nunn-Wolfowitz report describes, rules out the discovery of such trustworthy common ground.

Some things have to be reframed, and it seems to me that a great deal of progress is being made.

rshowalter - 06:26pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8618 of 8643)
Robert Showalter showalte@macc.wisc.edu

MD8555 rshowalter 9/6/01 7:25am ... MD8556 rshowalter 9/6/01 7:47am

lunarchick - 08:18pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8619 of 8643)
lunarchick@www.com

G'day Mate and the Aussie PM's actually called 'John HOWARD' ..

lunarchick - 08:32pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8620 of 8643)
lunarchick@www.com

Interesting to think about 'operator' as per Washington Operator ... which Gisterm interpreted as per switch board of old.

'S/He's a smooth operator' says the lyric.

The old switch board operators could physically listen in on the lines - and would have known much about the connections and interconnections in their communities.

The new operators are swoopingly, scanningly digital ... picking up on terminologies as per listings ... more Orwellian84 than the Forties/Fifties/Sixties operators.

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Major Stratton - smooth wartime operator will be airing tonight - i may catch up with cafe_lait_y

lunarchick - 08:36pm Sep 7, 2001 EST (#8621 of 8643)
lunarchick@www.com

The LA Times have been officially written to by Canberra .. the real joke the writter missed is that after all the wasted dollars and hoop-la .. most from the boat will come to Australia, either directly, or via a New Zealand interlude!

In the UK the refugees who were 'locked-up' and imprisoned have won a court action stating that England was in the wrong to do this.

The comment from the UK being that they look an even softer touch.

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WRT to Norhern Ireland, Japan, the USA .. a massive influx of population might be just what is required to start-up their stagnant economies.

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