With Russia's $650 billion rearmament plan, the bear sharpens its teeth

CSM via Yahoo! News ^ | Feb 28, 2011 | Fred Weir

[MrInvisible]

I hear what you’re saying and I agree to a point. I have some Hispanic friends who are hard-core conservatives and Christians. But these are people who’s families go way back.

The new interlopers are just here to raid the wal-mart that is Texas. I really would like to think you’re right but I doubt it because it didn’t pan out for conservatives in CA. Plus the school systems teach them anglos are the boogeyman.

[Tzimisce]

Oh thank god we signed the START treaty.

So we have nothing to worry about. :)

[eater-of-toast]

To put it in perspective, $650 billion is one year of our defense budget. I see this as an upgrade on the Russians’ part, not the launching of an arms race, something that they have far less ability than we do to run, even with our lamentable economy. This will, however, strengthen their hand in dealing with what they like to call “the Near Abroad,” those countries they see as sitting in their sphere of influence. Georgia, for instance, had better stay cool and not get overly bold, as we’re not in a position to come to their rescue. By contrast, we can readily defend our Baltic allies of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which are geographically contiguous with our other continental European NATO allies.

[eater-of-toast]

That's always in the back of their mind, but not so much now as in the days of that wildman Mao, who mixed it up with the Soviets in border fights in the days of Khrushchev and Brezhnev. The Soviets messed their pants when Nixon came to a modus vivendi with China and saw a Sino-American alliance that would doom them. As a grim old Soviet joke had it, "Radio dispatch from the year 2010: 'All quiet on the Sino-Finnish border.'"

I think that this arms build-up is more aimed at reasserting Russian dominance in Central Asia and the Caucasus, and preventing further NATO inroads in Eastern Europe, including keeping Ukraine under Russia's thumb.

[klpt]

[rcrngroup]

Next step, pull the trigger!

[rcrngroup]

Next step, pull the trigger!

Sorry.... pull squeeze the trigger!
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