A World of Enemies -- is It All Reagan's Fault?

Toogood Reports ^ | 19 February 2003 | Nicholas Stix

[weikel]

Do you think that killing 13 people counts as a slaughter in the context of Soviet history? A traditional Soviet response would have seen 1300 slaughtered.

Soviet response: 13 deaths is a tragedy, 1300 is a statistic.

[optimistically_conservative]

If my interpretation is correct, liberty arose in Eastern Europe, and chaos elsewhere, as a fluke.

Your interpretation is not correct. Liberty is not a fluke for most people, but a human condition longed for by the human spirit. The USSR, as any dictatorship, could only suppress the human desire to be free if it's authority could be imposed by force (as you point out). Challenging them in Berlin and around the world while flaunting their economic plight was hardly a fluke. Afghanistan was a dismal failure for the USSR. With each challenge, they came closer to collapse, not stronger. Certainly Reagan can be credited for a decade of opposition that pushed them to the edge of collapse.

The major failing in the analysis is this "rise" of chaos. If this is to mean the Islamic terrorism, please do not cheapen the lives lost to terrorism over the last 30 years by beginning the body count on 9/11. It was spectacular, but not thier first attempt. They continue to kill and maime civilians around the world, and it's only mundane if you're not located near the latest bomb blast.

The only chaos now is the balance of power struggles of the post Cold War. It may seem chaotic in everyday life, but in the annuls of history it has been quite mild and orderly.

Why do "they" hate us. Well, some of "them" don't hate us and some never liked us. No nation has been universally loved by everyone. And every nation that has held the #1 spotlight has attracted it's enemies - often deservedly.

No flukes. To try to tie these two forces (communism and Islamic terrorism) together to artificially propose an exchange of power, or cause and effect in timing, is ludicrous.

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

Thanks Paul, it was a long article, very verbose. Its revisionism was almost confusing, but you have to ask the author that. It doesn't answer another question.

If Reagan's arms buildup and lack of intimidation did not cause the economy to collapse from a failure to compete, how did restraint, or cowardice if you follow the author, from killing protestors? We didn't kill tons of Anticapitalist, Anti American protestors over the weekend and last time I checked America was fine.

I could run outside real quick and check but I'm pretty sure about that.

[Paul Ross]

If Reagan's arms buildup and lack of intimidation did not cause the economy to collapse from a failure to compete, how did restraint, or cowardice if you follow the author, from killing protestors?

Nice conundrum for mrstrow. He probably won't even get the logical application.

[Archimedes2000]

All:

If anyone is interested in this subject, I recommend reading Victory: The Secret Strategy of the Reagan administration by Peter Schwietzer. It documents thoroughly the efforts by the Reagan adminsitration in the economic field to cause the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ignoring for a minute the Reagan arms build up, there were efforts to get Soviet loans reclassified at higher interest rates, denying Soviets pipeline technology (which America owns almost all patents for) which was equivalent to denying the Soviets foeign currency, supplying the Soviets with false computer hardware/soiftware so their backwards computer efforts would be doomed to collapse, no matter how mightily they toiled, or how much technology they tried to steal, and dozens of other economic efforts.

The author of the article is seriously uniformed, and a simple session with this book would have corrected his ignorance.

[Paul Ross]

We didn't kill tons of Anticapitalist, Anti American protestors over the weekend and last time I checked America was fine.
I could run outside real quick and check but I'm pretty sure about that.

Uh, no need, but you may want to check this out:

A lot of them were skewered and slayed by some incisive interview questions...and shown to be clinically brain-dead

[Archimedes2000]

Here's a link to Peter's book. A great read, check it out.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0871136333/qid=1045701103/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-2838071-5671051?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

[PeoplesRep_of_LA]

That book does look great. I bet all this history being written by the victors has got to be just grating to Anti-Nuke protestors of the 80's.

As for that great Brain Terminal piece Paul linked to, I talked with my friend who's a videographer and editor and we decided we absolutely HAVE to go out there and find out what these people "think" like this. Since it wouldn't be the first time we went to a protest and were a smart-a$$es to these empty-headed weirdos, it won't be hard.

[Porterville]

So, your intelligence is soo grand smart ass, you wouldn't know that a person could change their user name and profile after 3 years. Next time yoy be a wise ass and try to bully new people (which I am not) pull your head out.

[Porterville]

Another, thing flamer, you are so weak you don't even fly your flag of your state; weak sooo weak, you must be a little guy 5 feet, but with a big 4x4; I know your type. Come on little man, come out come out where ever you are.

[Straight Vermonter]

As ugly as the world seems to be today it is an immensely better, safer, freer world than it was in 1980.

[The Raven]

>>It was the fall of the Soviet Union that opened the Pandora's Box of Islam

Right!! And which do we want. Or what's next? There will always be whack-o's...we need to keep the bombs from them.

[mrustow]

So, your intelligence is soo grand smart ass, you wouldn't know that a person could change their user name and profile after 3 years. Next time yoy be a wise ass and try to bully new people (which I am not) pull your head out.

Gee, P., I'm sorry that you feel bullied by anyone who displays an IQ over 10. You should have left me believing you're a newbie. At least then you could say, "Well, I'm new to this sort of thing, and having just graduated in December from elementary school (had to take an extra semester), I don't know what big words like 'communist' and 'anti-communist' mean."

[mrustow]

If Reagan's arms buildup and lack of intimidation did not cause the economy to collapse from a failure to compete, how did restraint, or cowardice if you follow the author, from killing protestors?

Nice conundrum for mrstrow. He probably won't even get the logical application.

Logical application, h--k, I don't even get the grammatical application!

[Porterville]

You shouldn't post if you can't take criticism from others, your just to sensitive. Well that’s okay, next time I'll make sure that I will reply, "What a great post!!! Gee you're such a smart man."

[Porterville]

You shouldn't post if you can't take criticism from others, your just to sensitive. Well that’s okay, next time I'll make sure that I will reply, "What a great post!!! Gee you're such a smart man."

[mrustow]

Another, thing flamer, you are so weak you don't even fly your flag of your state; weak sooo weak, you must be a little guy 5 feet, but with a big 4x4; I know your type. Come on little man, come out come out where ever you are.

You just slay me, baby! Now that you've outed me as not having posted my state flag, I'll just have to hang myself! Now, how did you ever figure out how to register once, let alone twice? Or do the Robinsons have a "Visiting Cyber Nurse Service," with techies who come into the homes of "intellectually challenged" wannabe FReepers, and register them? Be sure to thank the literacy volunteer who reads the screen and posts your, er, utterances for you.

[Porterville]

Hey man, you’re the one who put the crappy article up to begin with; man that was a stupid article. You have your tin foil hats stacked in the closet or what?? I know your manhood is locked in there.

[mrustow]

You shouldn't post if you can't take criticism from others, your just to sensitive. Well that’s okay, next time I'll make sure that I will reply, "What a great post!!! Gee you're such a smart man."

Yes, you do that. I'll be looking forward to reading that.

[Porterville]

So what sorority are you in??? You a Tri-Delt?? Or a Kappa Kappa Kappa??? I like sorority girls, except you tend to get fat after thirty.