Duterte tells Obama to go to hell, will break up with US
- Felgerkarb
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Exactly as predicted.
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Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
- violet
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so, what's Russia up to with it's fleet in the North Sea?
provocation/chest beating?
and how long until China starts calling in all those financial favours across the world?
interesting times indeed....things are gonna change but how soon?
also, would Russia really use its warships against a European country unprovoked and have a good old fashioned invasion? I ask because it always interests me that the UK and others in the area push their pieces onto the board. Is it all necessary or is it just 'what we do'?
provocation/chest beating?
and how long until China starts calling in all those financial favours across the world?
interesting times indeed....things are gonna change but how soon?
also, would Russia really use its warships against a European country unprovoked and have a good old fashioned invasion? I ask because it always interests me that the UK and others in the area push their pieces onto the board. Is it all necessary or is it just 'what we do'?
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
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Putin readies for war
Vladimir Putin is readying for war, warns one of his former Russian KGB comrades.
Former Soviet secret services boss Gennady Gudkov told MailOnline said: "If anyone still does not understand which direction the situation in Russia is heading, I can tell you. The country is being prepared for a military conflict."
Colonel Gudkov, 60, said: "There are lots of signs of militarisation in Russia.
"A bloated military and defence budget, quick rearmament of the army, almost monthly army exercises and tests of the newest samples of dreadful hardware."
Gudkov said Putin is working behind the scenes in readiness for conflict, adding: "There are active renovations in bomb proof shelters, purchase of gas masks and defence kits for civilians, along with a massive mobilisation in many places.
"Military (naval) activities in the Middle East, in the Black and Mediterranean seas, plans to resume and enhance military bases aboard.
"Growing military propaganda, spy madness and the search for internal enemies - all are typical of a pre-war situation.
"Laws have been adopted that allow the use of military force abroad, and hide information about losses."
Comparing the mood to the Stalin era ahead of the Second World War which initially saw the USSR in a pact with Hitler before ensuring his eastern flank defeat, he warned: "The country went through the same things in the 1930s.
"And the results are known, too."
Gudkov, an MP until he was forced out by the Kremlin in 2012, claims that last month's parliamentary elections, comfortably won by former KGB spy Putin's allies against a weak and emasculated opposition, signalled a transition in Moscow.
"It is entirely clear that the country has switched from authoritarian to totalitarian," he said.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
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- violet
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violet wrote:so, what's Russia up to with it's fleet in the North Sea?
provocation/chest beating?
and how long until China starts calling in all those financial favours across the world?
interesting times indeed....things are gonna change but how soon?
also, would Russia really use its warships against a European country unprovoked and have a good old fashioned invasion? I ask because it always interests me that the UK and others in the area push their pieces onto the board. Is it all necessary or is it just 'what we do'?
follow up note. i know my questions are naive, before the haters start...
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
- Plutarch
Putin sees NATO as the paper tiger it is. He knows the US and Western Europe are not going to go to war for Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. and surely won't lift a finger to help non-NATO countries like Ukraine or Georgia in the event of further Russian aggression.violet wrote:so, what's Russia up to with it's fleet in the North Sea?
provocation/chest beating?
and how long until China starts calling in all those financial favours across the world?
interesting times indeed....things are gonna change but how soon?
also, would Russia really use its warships against a European country unprovoked and have a good old fashioned invasion? I ask because it always interests me that the UK and others in the area push their pieces onto the board. Is it all necessary or is it just 'what we do'?
China sees its opportunty to boot the US out of the South China Sea and is grabbing influence with both hands. No surprise here. I also wonder what the long game is for China. They can afford such largesse in the form of low interest mega-loans as long as their economy keeps growing at such reported leaps and bounds. But one has to suspect that demands for some form of return for their investments will eventually be forthcoming from the Chinese. I imagine the required payback starts with:
1) pro-China/anti-US votes on controversial United Nations issues,
2) allowing Chinese bases on their soil after the Amercian forces are evicted, and
3) keeping silent as China devours Hong Kong and Taiwan in quite unpleasant fashion.
This is all blowback for (often) unnecessary actions taken by the West to encircle their perceived enemies in the East, and decades of ill-conceived foreign and military policy. What goes around comes around. But now it's China's turn at the wheel. Let's hope they have learned from the prior mistakes of other so-called world powers and find ways to avoid making similar mistakes, although I've yet to see much indication of that foresight in their actions.
Maybe the so-called "Chinese debt bubble" will actually implode (as some economists have been predicting for ages) and that will reign-in Chinese ambitions of empire for the near future. Maybe low oil prices will continue, and restrain Russia to only making aggressive talk and occasional military sabre rattling. Maybe not.
"The final straw actually involved my mortal enemy vladimir, who you may or may not know is an insufferable, overposting asshat."
- Hot_Pink_Urinal_Mint
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NATO a paper tiger?!?Edwardo wrote: Putin sees NATO as the paper tiger it is. He knows the US and Western Europe are not going to go to war for Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, etc. and surely won't lift a finger to help non-NATO countries like Ukraine or Georgia in the event of further Russian aggression.
NATO entrenches US political influence on the Eurasian mainland and is why the US supports the expansion of the EU.
There is no evidence of Russian expansion in the region, the US (and the UK) is manufacturing consent for war. The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives by Zbigniew Brzezinski written in 1998 but in play now will tell you all you need to know.
Brzezinski is a good example of someone who represents the foreign policy elite and he is the original cold war warrior. He also is an Obama foreign policy advisor.
The US presence in Asia is also about entrenching US hegemony in the region. Apart from the South China Seas, there is no evidence of The Chinese expanding militarily in the region.
They are about 30 years behind the US militarily, they don't have a "professional" army and at this stage they don't pose a threat.
Power - military, economic, technological and cultural still lies with the US. Stop war-mongering.
Complicated issues for sure.
As for the Asia pivot, it is not poorly conceived, but poorly planned.
The first step needed to be a frank dialog with China about vital and compelling interests.
China is the big boy on the block in East Asia. We needed to sit down and discuss that.
The US only has a few reliable military allies in that part of the world. Australia. Japan, Korea.
The PI has proven time and again that they are too fickle.
The card in SEA is Vietnam. That card will likely fall our way. How ironic.
Oh, Putin will never attack NATO. A losing card for him, and he knows it.
As for the Asia pivot, it is not poorly conceived, but poorly planned.
The first step needed to be a frank dialog with China about vital and compelling interests.
China is the big boy on the block in East Asia. We needed to sit down and discuss that.
The US only has a few reliable military allies in that part of the world. Australia. Japan, Korea.
The PI has proven time and again that they are too fickle.
The card in SEA is Vietnam. That card will likely fall our way. How ironic.
Oh, Putin will never attack NATO. A losing card for him, and he knows it.
If you don't know where you're going, any road takes you there.
- violet
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In Australia, Abbott in particular had grand designs on becoming the leading nation in the area. I'm not sure how much Malcolm Turnbull hankers for that position. In a China vs US choice, which would Australia choose? Probably the US.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
- Plutarch
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- Hot_Pink_Urinal_Mint
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Violet, Australia doesn't have a choice.
I posted this link about the US pivot to Asia
http://apjjf.org/2014/12/36/Vince-Scapp ... ticle.html
It's a long summary from the Australian perspective but if you scroll to the end you'll understand why 'we' have no choice. The summary doesn't mention the UKUSA Sigint agreement but it is a cold war relic.
It would take an anti-US Prime Minister or politician to change these agreements. Mark Latham was the last and I don't think we'll see the likes of someone like him again.
ALL Australian National Security and Foreign Policy must be formulated around this 1948 SIGINT agreement.
There is no choice. We have US Bases and Pinegap.
ETA: Indonesia remains Austrlalia's greatest threat. In national security jargon it is called "The arc of instability"
I posted this link about the US pivot to Asia
http://apjjf.org/2014/12/36/Vince-Scapp ... ticle.html
It's a long summary from the Australian perspective but if you scroll to the end you'll understand why 'we' have no choice. The summary doesn't mention the UKUSA Sigint agreement but it is a cold war relic.
It would take an anti-US Prime Minister or politician to change these agreements. Mark Latham was the last and I don't think we'll see the likes of someone like him again.
ALL Australian National Security and Foreign Policy must be formulated around this 1948 SIGINT agreement.
There is no choice. We have US Bases and Pinegap.
ETA: Indonesia remains Austrlalia's greatest threat. In national security jargon it is called "The arc of instability"
- spitthedog
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What does China get for all this less strings attatched infrastructure spending in Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines then?
Are they looking for the Yuan to be the reserve currency of SE Asia?
Are they looking for the Yuan to be the reserve currency of SE Asia?
"I don't care what the people are thinking, i ain't drunk i'm just drinking"
- violet
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yep, re. Indonesia.Hot_Pink_Urinal_Mint wrote:Violet, Australia doesn't have a choice.
I posted this link about the US pivot to Asia
http://apjjf.org/2014/12/36/Vince-Scapp ... ticle.html
It's a long summary from the Australian perspective but if you scroll to the end you'll understand why 'we' have no choice. The summary doesn't mention the UKUSA Sigint agreement but it is a cold war relic.
It would take an anti-US Prime Minister or politician to change these agreements. Mark Latham was the last and I don't think we'll see the likes of someone like him again.
ALL Australian National Security and Foreign Policy must be formulated around this 1948 SIGINT agreement.
There is no choice. We have US Bases and Pinegap.
ETA: Indonesia remains Austrlalia's greatest threat. In national security jargon it is called "The arc of instability"
Yep re. the US bases.
ok... not on top of things with the SIGINT agreement. Noted. However, as we have recently seen with Russia,there is always a choice and agreements can be broken.
The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.
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- Felgerkarb
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China has not needed to expand militarily, but they will. Using economic forces, rather than military, they have retained control of huge swaths of sub Saharan African strategic resources. Should things get nasty, expect Chinese military to secure those resources if necessary, so don't bullshit yourselves. China is pretty damn clever. The US sends the military, then the economic stuff. China sends the economic stuff, then the military. It is their doctrine.
====================
Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
Why are the gods such vicious cunts?
Where is the god of tits and wine?
Geopolitical influence. Reduced opposition to its territorial disputes (it wasn't that long ago that Manila and Beijing were close to coming to blows over the Scarborough Shoals) and in Laos and Philippines' case at least, first dibs on huge mineral / energy reserves (or at least influence over how it's distributed).spitthedog wrote:What does China get for all this less strings attatched infrastructure spending in Laos, Cambodia and the Philippines then?
Are they looking for the Yuan to be the reserve currency of SE Asia?
I wonder what military assets China holds in the so-called South China Sea
Does anyone here know, maybe Felg can clue us in.
China has dropped big dosh on Duterte personally, as they have in many places across the globe.
The lure of a few hundred million or more is all those guys need to sell their soul. That is all they were after in the first place. They know that means they can abandon their shithole country at the time of their choosing.
I hope China is not so foolish as to fire on a US naval vessel in international waters. That has the potential to result in a catastrophe.
Does anyone here know, maybe Felg can clue us in.
China has dropped big dosh on Duterte personally, as they have in many places across the globe.
The lure of a few hundred million or more is all those guys need to sell their soul. That is all they were after in the first place. They know that means they can abandon their shithole country at the time of their choosing.
I hope China is not so foolish as to fire on a US naval vessel in international waters. That has the potential to result in a catastrophe.
If you don't know where you're going, any road takes you there.
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