[Economic reasons aside, Russia continues to insist that Iran has the right to develop its own nuclear power and the U.S. doesn't have the right to tell Iran not to.
What a concept.]
Correct. It makes so little sense that I'm sure there is something else going on here. Either way, the Kremlin will have had to be making the calculation that Israel and the USA will take action. So it would be crazy for anyone in the Kremlin to assume that their position won't be taken away from them no matter what their position is.
Lavrov has to know that his opinion and his wishes are worth very little if he doesn't negotiate with the USA. That is why I have to assume that Russia has already made a deal with Rice but Russia's role in the coming war will be one of those who say "don't do it".
And to the person who said "with your analyzing skills, it is no wonder German business is in the pits"...where did I go so wrong in positing a theory? Also, I am American. I sell to German business, which will be doing better now that Merkel is Kanzlerin.
And to the person who said "with your analyzing skills, it is no wonder German business is in the pits"...where did I go so wrong in positing a theory? Also, I am American. I sell to German business, which will be doing better now that Merkel is Kanzlerin.
There has been an anti-German attitude here in this country since WWII, especially here on the FR.
The heinous 13-years of German history is all that counts, not their 2500-year history before, now or in their future. They are the evil ones past/present/future.
Japan invaded China in the early 1930's, starting war on their own several years (six) before Hitler marched into Poland (September 1, 1939). The Japanese occupation killed (according to the Chinese) 34 million Chinese. They had the death camps, experiments, tortures, rapes, "pleasure women," the whole nine yards, before the Nazis did, but in China. They had a six-year jump, so to speak, on the Nazis with THEIR heinous history.
But, today, Japan isn't excoriated past, present and future, like the Germans.
The USSR was in WWII for two long years of the war before changing sides. They bought into the entire Third Reich, Imperial Japan, Italian Fascism, lock, stock and barrel. What Stalin did to HIS OWN PEOPLE matched what all other despots did to their enemies. I don't think history will find a WORSE despot that Josef Stalin. Maybe I'm wrong.
The USSR was given a pass on the blame as well. FDR considered Josef Stalin his "friend."
Mussolini and his Fascists were also given a pass on blame and aren't villified like the Germans were/are/will ALWAYS be. The Italians are LOVED. They bought into the Third Reich, Imperial Japan, USSR communism and their own HEINOUS fascism, lock, stock and barrel.
Their ineptness shouldn't excuse them one iota.
They were FOUR countries, Germany, JAPAN, USSR and ITALY all in it together, with Japan starting the war with their invasion and occupation of China. Germany is the only villain left standing. They are the bad guys for all time. That is what you see here (and in much of America) regarding Germany. They can't win because they are hated for what happened two generations ago and the hate extends BEFORE Hitler and to the future.
There are sill Nazi hunters, even though those Nazis would have been young teenagers and children during those infamous days of the Third Reich. Schwarzenegger had to get a Rabbi's blessing, assuring America that he wasn't a current Nazi. That doesn't happen with any other group of people in the world.....just Germans. Arnie is an Austrian. But, that's still not good enough.
Sleazywood's Hogan's Heroes mocked, ridiculed and otherwise demeaned everything German for years. Sleazywood made Americans LAUGH at everything German -- an outstanding way to demean a culture and group of people.
Every American male (well, almost) can do a "Sergeant Schultz,"--"I know nutting; i zee nutting." Imagine the OUTRAGE and screams of RACISM! if there had been a Hirohito's Heroes and the Japanese were mocked, ridiculed and otherwise demeaned like the Germans were.
That's the deal. People won't admit it though. Talk about bias.
I wouldn't be surprised if I get flack from even writing what I just wrote. That's how deep the prejudice is against the Germans.
The irony is that 60 million Americans can claim German ancestry (40 million for Irish) and this country almost had German as its official language. English is a dialect of German. If you go to Germany you think that they look like Americans. Das stimt! Lol.