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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Michael M who wrote (51111)	8/13/1999 8:45:00 PM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 108807

I would list constant meddling and proxy wars in much of the world The Soviets were not the only ones who did it, though this is one area in which they were a good deal smarter than we were. Between proliferation and the ascendency of the Chinese, a golden door of opportunity has been closed. The ascendency of the Chinese, at least as a nuclear power, is less real than many who read headlines would be imagine. The Chinese nuclear force is tiny and has never been seen as anything but defensive. The article cited here: Message 10916165 Does a great deal to put the Chinese nuclear force in perspective. I think X has a good point: while the interests of the Soviet Union may have been contrary to ours, they could at leat be counted upon to pursue their own interests, which made them to some extent predictable. The current state makes the rise of a thoroughly irrational nationalist regime - whether communist or not is of little importance - entirely possible, maybe even probable. This would be much more dangerous than the situation we faced before. When we look at the Reagan administration's role in bringing down the Soviet empire, whether great or small, we must also consider their handling of the transition out of communism. This I think was very poorly handled, and I think that a major reason that it was poorly handled was the tendency of American conservatives to define freedom as the absence of communism, and to assume that once Russia ceased to be communist everything would be ok. We have learned that this is the case. I am not sure that a phased transition along the lines of what the Chinese are now beginning - whether or not they can pull it off remains to be seen - would not have been a better idea.

To: Michael M who wrote (51111)	8/13/1999 9:11:00 PM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

This is a reply to another message; the squid won't let me respond to that message. Ours not to reason why. I think less of Presidents I liked or disliked than of actions or policies that I agreed or disagreed with. I respect Truman for standing up to demented Doug MacArthur, Eisenhower for the national highway system, which I think made a much greater contribution to American prosperity than generally reckoned (trust a soldier to know the importance of roads). Even Nixon, not the most likeable fellow, has to get credit for opening relations with China, all the more so because it went against his fundamental ideological principles. I was never a great Carter fan, but I though he took more heat than he deserved over the Iran mess, the seeds of which were sown long before he took office. And so on.... Political parties in general, and their representatives, are not something of which I frequently approve. I have always wondered why the Soviets took up the military spending challenge, which was so patently unnecessary to them. They would have been much wiser to concentrate on a purely deterrent nuclear force and their proxy wars in the third world, where they got excellent value for money by backing rising forces against falling ones. The notion of preparing for a great tank/air battle in Western Europe always seemed ridiculous to me, a great example of the classic military tendency to prepare for the last war, rather than the next one. For better or worse, though, they went for it. I don't question the need for military forces, but a blank check invites abuse, and there is abuse aplenty. We spend a lot for what we get.