Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

[18rabbit]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

If we don’t have a reason, we will contrive one, so that we can invade Iran. I said it right after we invaded Iraq. The Pres of Iran said it today. If what I am thinking is correct, I don’t think we have a choice; we have to get control of Iran’s oil. Be it atomic weapon’s research, terrorism, or women in burkas, we will find a reason to invade.

 

[Gone]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

The morning that Iran builds their bomb, it will be delivered to Israel that afternoon! The next day it will be given to terrorist groups to deliver all across the Christian world.<br />You can't negotiate diplomatically with irrational people that want you to be dead. Make no mistake that they want you to be dead even if it causes them to go to Allah! So much the better, in their eyes.

 

[Major Woods]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

Fight them now before they get nukes.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

Diplomacy doesn't work? I'm glad no one listened to you folks during the cold war with the Russians.<br />

PW, please refresh my memory on the cold war diplomacy.....To my recollection, it was an arm race that we won and put the commies economy under.

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

PW2, please acknowledge these facts:<br /><br />You cant use diplomacy with irrational people.<br /><br />Iran is acting irrational (why would a contry full of oil want to use nuclear power )<br /><br />Saddam acted irrational. Fooled the world into thinking that he had WMD, turns out he didnt (or did he? )<br /><br />Russia was rational. They didnt want to be destroyed so they had a big bark, but played nice.<br /><br />Ken

 

[treedancer]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

PW, please refresh my memory on the cold war diplomacy.....To my recollection, it was an arm race that we won and put the commies economy under. <br /><br />

To the best of my memory, President Reagan bankrupted the old Soviet Union by starting the star wars shield research. The soviets tried but could not keep up on this with the communist economy in the tank.<br /> At the time our economy was a little better than it is now. <br />As a matter of fact if our country was run like a business we could file for bankruptcy now.

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

Reagan was negotiating a reduction of Nukes with the Soviets. His technical advisor was Dan Quayle. Yeah, that Dan Quayle. Reagan wanted to negotiate away some of our nukes in the hopes of reducing the soviet nuke threat. Quayle advised him not to do it; convinced Reagan the Soviet’s nuke threat wasn’t as capable as they wanted us to believe. The Soviets demanded an end to the Space Shuttle program, rightfully recognizing it as a potential launch platform in the event of a nuclear exchange, or they (the Soviets) would start mass producing weapons. Reagan told them to go ahead, and in the process of doing that, the Soviet’s economy collapsed, the gov’t reorganized. Russia can never compete as a top tier world power. It is physically impossible due to the size and terrain of the country. That’s why she will never have a healthy economy, and thus can never rise to world dominance, tho she has the necessary resources.<br /><br />For those that aren’t aware of it, we are in a ball-busting arms race again. This time it’s the moon. You’re probably thinking Shrubs announcement of us returning to the moon within 10-years was for scientific reasons. Nope. Just this last week it was announced we are putting a permanent station on the moon. The race for the moon really got underway when China launched her first astronaut. China is racing for the moon, too. She has announced a permanent moon station, too. And Russia just announced she is re-starting a program to put a station on the moon.<br /><br />The moon is the ideal launch platform for space-based weapons. That’s what is happening, the US, China, and Russia are racing for the moon, with a military goal in mind. Don’t know what they are going to do?!? Claim craters?

 

[PW2]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

So when did economic pressures not involve diplomatic strategy.<br /><br />Everything short of boots on the ground and combat operations ongoing is part of a diplomatic strategy, in my book. Diplomacy is *NOT* necessarily playing nice and hoping an adversary plays nice in return. It is any leverage brought to bear to avoid outright combat.<br /><br />It may include playing nice, but doesn't need to include playing nice, to be diplomatic.<br /><br />It requires some imagination, and intelligence, and skill, to be successful.

 

[oddjob]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

PW, Based on your definition, as I interpet it, we are and have been attempting diplomacy. How long is enough?

 

[PW2]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

BTW, Reagan's strategy was a complete bluff.<br /><br />The technology was not even barely dreamed of to implement his "Star Wars" project. It still is not feasible.<br /><br />It was well known that the Russian economy was struggling, but the Russians could have taken a different tack in response.<br /><br />They didn't, it worked, and we are all happy for that. Don't get me wrong, I give Reagan a lot of credit for it, as it showed a lot of guts and imagination.<br /><br />I've always been curious what the back-up plan was had the Russians not played along.

 

[PW2]

Re: Has any noticed that the wardrums are booming again?

Well, We haven't even scratched the surface of diplomatic efforts, IMO.<br /><br />When one thing doesn't work, we should try a different tack. I am not an expert in Iranian society, but while their leaders may be irrational people, I don't think the populace as a whole is.<br /><br />It may be that ultimately military action is going to be needed. Who knows? But I'd prefer to exhaust all other options first.<br /><br />And of course, we need good intel, as Iran is simply not the pushover Iraq was, and we better make sure that action is warranted by a real threat, and not just an imagined one, as Iraq was.