The Bear starts to growl again...
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The Bear starts to growl again...
I heard on BBC Radio 2 News yesterday that Russia had announced that Venezuela had given them permission to base Bombers there. Russia also stated that they had the same invite from Cuba. Not mentioned in any of the Sunday's today or elsewhere. Did anyone else hear the newsclip?
Forget Russia, it’s China you need to be worrying about.
Although with England thrashing France and having found a case of Penfolds Bin 389 in the cellar, who cares just now. Hic!
Although with England thrashing France and having found a case of Penfolds Bin 389 in the cellar, who cares just now. Hic!
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As far as the anti-missile (supposedly against Iran) to be based in Europe, with radars in the Czech Republic, if I recall my geography basics, it is not too well located for "anti-Iran" defence... and curiously oriented more "anti-Russia". If it was so much "anti-Iran", Turkey always was a long standing NATO member strongly supporting the USA, and better location if you look on a map. I think Vladimir and I had the same geography professors.
xxx
Cuba, Venezuela...? There will be others. Maybe El Salvador after today's elections.
xxx
Happy contrails
xxx
Cuba, Venezuela...? There will be others. Maybe El Salvador after today's elections.
xxx
Happy contrails
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How to look at a map
Although Turkey would look good if you drew a straight line on a map from Iran to the US east coast, that is not the shortest route.
The Earth is spherical and the shortest distance between two points is therefore an arc of a great circle, you can now easily see why they want to put the kit in Europe.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate our geography funding!
The Earth is spherical and the shortest distance between two points is therefore an arc of a great circle, you can now easily see why they want to put the kit in Europe.
Maybe we need to re-evaluate our geography funding!
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China is at least integrated into the world economy so much that they won't want to cause ructions (though the whole world was pre-WWI)...
Russia though is a beast with a chip on its shoulder, which won't take the loss of Empire as well as the UK managed.
BelArg - Eastern Europe works for the best stage at which missiles launched from Iran would be most accurately shot down. Russian missiles would not only be more Northerly, but are at a quite different boost stage to be shot at from there - same issue with Turkey in being too close proximity to Iran.
Russia though is a beast with a chip on its shoulder, which won't take the loss of Empire as well as the UK managed.
BelArg - Eastern Europe works for the best stage at which missiles launched from Iran would be most accurately shot down. Russian missiles would not only be more Northerly, but are at a quite different boost stage to be shot at from there - same issue with Turkey in being too close proximity to Iran.
China making sounds re USN in South China Sea and asking about how secure are US Bonds.
Never assume a foreign power will act rationally and China dumping bonds and not buying any brings the western economies to a standstill.
Never assume a foreign power will act rationally and China dumping bonds and not buying any brings the western economies to a standstill.
racedo,
"......brings the western economies to a standstill."
Which would then bring the Chinese economy to a standstill!
"......brings the western economies to a standstill."
Which would then bring the Chinese economy to a standstill!
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As far as the anti-missile (supposedly against Iran) to be based in Europe, with radars in the Czech Republic, if I recall my geography basics, it is not too well located for "anti-Iran" defence... and curiously oriented more "anti-Russia". If it was so much "anti-Iran", Turkey always was a long standing NATO member strongly supporting the USA, and better location if you look on a map. I think Vladimir and I had the same geography professors.
xxx
Cuba, Venezuela...? There will be others. Maybe El Salvador after today's elections.
xxx
xxx
Cuba, Venezuela...? There will be others. Maybe El Salvador after today's elections.
xxx
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Actually looking at the map Turkey or Czech Republic either are well placed to track a passing shot with CR about 350 miles off track. The only difference is the flight stage with Turkey in the climb phase, I guess, and CR approaching cruise. A 6000 mile shot however is rather long for Iran I would surmise. The main west European capitals are only about 2500miles and CR is spot on track.
Assuming Russia is the launch site and western Europe is the target CR is again well placed.
Assuming Russia is the launch site and western Europe is the target CR is again well placed.
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Which would then bring the Chinese economy to a standstill!
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The Russians, in my hugely important opinion, are just trying to re-establish themselves for reasons of national pride & to show off / market their engineering prowess, which was under-rated for a long time then took the West by surprise - witness John Farley flying the Mig 29, then recommending we buy it !
John does not say such things for a laugh.
The poster who said ' worry about the Chinese ' was quite right I think, and he echoes the reasoning of ...W.S.Churchill.
John does not say such things for a laugh.
The poster who said ' worry about the Chinese ' was quite right I think, and he echoes the reasoning of ...W.S.Churchill.
Which would then bring the Chinese economy to a standstill!
And in the short term China has a lot of cash for social welfare spending if it needed to do it. The US must be what - ~30% of Chinas exports....
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Which would then bring the Chinese economy to a standstill!
Wasn't it Machiavelli who said that the best way to handle internal dissent would be to find a foreign enemy to blame?
Wasn't it Machiavelli who said that the best way to handle internal dissent would be to find a foreign enemy to blame?
China tends to use publicity of fairly minor foreign 'slights' (that recent auction of the bronze statues as an example) to reinforce the Chinese peoples belief that they are generally not given enough respect though to be fair personally I find the Chinese to be very welcoming, generous and friendly - outside of business obviously! The use of the external 'enemies' certainly diverts some of the attention away from the government. The governments problem is the emerging middle class who are richer, better educated, internet savvy and are either travelling themselves and finding out more about the world and also sending their children to study overseas.
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The use of external 'problems' to distract thought from home snags is the oldest trick in the book; take Galteiri & Thatcher in 1982 for example, who both gained politically, though Galteiri lost popularity when the inconvenient truth came out, which probably wouldn't have happened if his side won !
Neither was personally involved, and tough luck to the people who died or were injured.
I suspect the Chinese could and would do this on a grand scale...
Neither was personally involved, and tough luck to the people who died or were injured.
I suspect the Chinese could and would do this on a grand scale...
If removing US as a financial power and military power then China crashing the bond market makes sense.........not rational sense but part of a plan.
China can control internal dissent but using a foreign power as the enemy makes it easier to do so.
As I said don't expect rationality from political leaders.
China can control internal dissent but using a foreign power as the enemy makes it easier to do so.
As I said don't expect rationality from political leaders.
...and of course it's not unknown tor the USA as an example to 'express concern' about developing nations increasing military spending & technologies as an excuse for them to continue to out spend everyone else (isn't it something like more $$ than the next 5 nations combined or summat?) on weapons and the military. It's a rather dull game but one that's going on for the last couple of hundred years on account of penis envy or something.