Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Pastimes : Talking heads -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Rolla Coasta who wrote (21)	7/15/2001 1:56:16 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 41

But I also don't want to see an international sporting event celebrating human competition under an auspice of peace and goodwill, being cynically used to prop up a illegitimate political regime that enforces arbitrary human rights. It's similar to when the olympics were held in Nazi Germany where people were also arrested and held on the flimiest of, or complete lack of, charges. And yes... it is the unknown threat that worries me about China. Without some form of political accountability to, and participation by, the people of China, the world has no assurance that instability or extremist politics won't rise to the surface. The competing elements of Chinese society must be integrated into the political system, if only to prevent one of them from managing the subjugate the others and seizing control for themselves within the CCP. The Chinese has little to worry about from the US. It's highly unlikely that the US would unilaterally invade the mainland, or even to launch a pre-emptive strike. However, few can make such a statement with any confidence about China, where their warships parked themselves in the economic zones of other nations like the Phillipines (the Spratly Islands), or trying to intimidate a smaller nation like Taiwan. As for Putin... some would distrust him. However, Putin, being an ex-KGB guy stationed in the west, realizes where his economic bread is buttered. The KGB folks have generally been more "enlightened" about the corrupt communist regime they were defending during the cold war. They knew the reality in a way that the average Russian was ignorant of until latter years. Many of Russia's latter leaders were either KGB (Andropov), or patronized by the KGB (Gorbachev), because they realized that the USSR was collapsing in upon itself. And the KGB, along with the military, were generally more "professional" than the third leg of the politburo. Thus, I have more confidence in the personal integrity of someone like Putin, than I did with Yeltsin. What would concern me is whether those who support Putin are of the same integrity. But at least in Russia, there is a semblance of political accountability to the people. Government accountability to its people keeps a government heavily occupied dealing with domestic political pressures. And if they are that busy maintaining domestic tranquility, they won't have much opportunity to create mischief elsewhere. Without accountability, a corrupt leadership can drag its populace where they want the people to go, through fear, intimidation, or extremist nationalism through propaganda. Hawk