World Affairs

[jmsepe 2,038]

 

Hmm. I don't understand this, why can't North Korea just focus in developing their country instead of meddling with international affairs and keep on threatening their more prosperous neighbor. Well, I can't say their ideology is wrong, ideology itself is non-biased but sometimes we also need to weight things. I don't think it is even beneficial to create empty threats let alone attack a country. 

 

What? Ideology is one of the building blocks of bias.

 

Anyway, North Korea is living in a fantasy land and it citizens are utterly brainwashed in following the cult of their glorious leader. It is ideology that has split Korea in two and its one of those modern tragedies. It both depresses and saddens me every time I think about the Korean situation. Given the level of propaganda, I don't see North Korea changing any time soon.

 

 

Maybe it is best to check back what made this sudden split and fix the problem from there. But as I have stated again, North Korea should just focus in improving the lives of their people and their system of governance then perhaps just perhaps, if they do that, people will get to accept them more and a reunification is possible. 

 

What I meant by that btw is that it is non-biased in what is good or bad, it doesn't have a standard model of morality. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Unfortunately Marxist philosophy has been tried and found wanting in the Soviet experiment.  The NKs just haven't got the guts to recant, and it now would be fatal for them to do so.  What they don't appreciate is the humour of the Americans making a film about the assassination of their dear leader.  This whole tempest in a tea pot needs to be laughed to scorn.

 

This whole mess was caused by the Japanese over a century ago when they successfully invaded and took over the Korean peninsula as Chösen.  After the 1945 defeat, the peninsula tried to sort itself out but because of the then ideological position of Mao's China, got itself a nice civil war as a result of Cold War policies.  It is now the last remnant of that mess now that East Germany is no more.  The NKs are now nearly a century out of step with the realpolitik of the rest of the world.  One day, they will simply collapse or starve to death.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

Unfortunately Marxist philosophy has been tried and found wanting in the Soviet experiment.  The NKs just haven't got the guts to recant, and it now would be fatal for them to do so.  What they don't appreciate is the humour of the Americans making a film about the assassination of their dear leader.  This whole tempest in a tea pot needs to be laughed to scorn.

 

This whole mess was caused by the Japanese over a century ago when they successfully invaded and took over the Korean peninsula as Chösen.  After the 1945 defeat, the peninsula tried to sort itself out but because of the then ideological position of Mao's China, got itself a nice civil war as a result of Cold War policies.  It is now the last remnant of that mess now that East Germany is no more.  The NKs are now nearly a century out of step with the realpolitik of the rest of the world.  One day, they will simply collapse or starve to death.

 

North Koreans have been starving for quite a while now. At one point it got so bad millions of North Koreans were eating grass to survive. The military is the North Korean economy.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Won't be long now.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Israel and Hamas.

 

Once Hamas got control away from the moderates in the Palestinian Authority the result was inevitable.  If they piss off the Israelis enough will the final response be a nice little nuke right in the middle of the Gaza strip?  I doubt it, because there would be all kinds of repercussions, but Hamas should be aware that when you ride the tiger you need to have a good hold on the ears.

 

I believe Israel will invade.  This time, they will be taking territory and not giving any of it back.  Life will be miserable for the Palestinians and they may even find themselves in a diaspora, not allowed to return while Israel exists.  This is the same treatment that the Israelis got from the Romans over 2,000 years ago.  The only difference is the world won't let the Israelis enslave the Palestinians.  A good many of them will be put to the sword in the fighting, however.

 

The only way to get what you want in this situation is boots on the ground.  Everyone else should stand aside and watch these blood brothers from different sides of the blanket fight it out.  Then when it is all over, the world should sanction the victor.

[Larks2242 251]

I support Gaza, why the US continues to support Israel is infuriating, the relationship has done more harm then good, it is time to break off the alliance.

 

Sooner or later though Gaza will run out of rockets, they haven't been able to do much with them seeing most are shot out of the sky, however on the other side Israel is murdering people, If Israel doesn't back down I think war should be declared, it isn't like anyone would come racing to the rescue anyway when it is clear you keep striking people with air strikes.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

This whole mess was caused by the Brits with the Balfour Declaration of 1917 which states that the Jews deserve a homeland.  Well, in fact, the Jews threw their homeland away around the time of Christ with the Maccabean Revolt, which  is why the Romans sacked Jerusalem, tore it down, and expelled or enslaved the Jews which caused the Diaspora.

 

Judaism thinks far too much of past glories with King David, Solomon and the whole Biblical thing.  They are so stiff-necked that they simply couldn't stand someone else running the show, and it got them kicked off their land.  Now that they have some of it back, after it has been used by others for two millennia, they find they have to defend it?!  Nobody is surprised, I hope. 

 

Now I agree that the Christian world has treated the Jews poorly, in fact very badly for centuries.  However, does this mean that just because they long for days gone by, the world should try to make some sort of amends out of conscience?  We are not the Roman Empire and it is not our fault.  Unfortunately, after the Holocaust of WW II there were millions of Jewish refugees with nowhere to go.  It is rather reprehensible that countries like Canada refused them at the shore.  This is a matter of conscience for us, but McKenzie-King is long dead.  I have no brief for the mess at the east end of the Med.  That whole area is up in arms and has been since the Trojan War.

 

I don't care who wins between the Jews and the Arabs, but which ever it is should be stamped out root and branch when it is over.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

At this point, I think the USA has two extreme options: build a military base in the region (we still have a base in Japan) OR get out and stay out. That means either a huge surge or a complete withdrawal. If we withdraw, we must ensure that no more of our weapons get into any hands of anyone in the middle east. We would also have to cut off all "foreign aid" to the region so they cannot buy other weapons. The problem is that either option is bound to tick off some people and the government of the USA believes that there is a "Golden Mean" that will tick off the least amount of people and still be effective on the field.

--Ocram

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

At this point, I think the USA has two extreme options: build a military base in the region (we still have a base in Japan) OR get out and stay out. That means either a huge surge or a complete withdrawal. If we withdraw, we must ensure that no more of our weapons get into any hands of anyone in the middle east. We would also have to cut off all "foreign aid" to the region so they cannot buy other weapons. The problem is that either option is bound to tick off some people and the government of the USA believes that there is a "Golden Mean" that will tick off the least amount of people and still be effective on the field.

--Ocram

 

Does that include the military aid which the USA provides to Israel?

[Ocram's Razr 963]

At this point, I think the USA has two extreme options: build a military base in the region (we still have a base in Japan) OR get out and stay out. That means either a huge surge or a complete withdrawal. If we withdraw, we must ensure that no more of our weapons get into any hands of anyone in the middle east. We would also have to cut off all "foreign aid" to the region so they cannot buy other weapons. The problem is that either option is bound to tick off some people and the government of the USA believes that there is a "Golden Mean" that will tick off the least amount of people and still be effective on the field.

Does that include the military aid which the USA provides to Israel?

Yes it would. The USA currently interferes with and supplies a couple different places/peoples in that area hoping that by supplying the peoples that say they agree with the USA, that the best will happen. I say that either we need to build a military base somewhere (probably Iraq) and launch a full-scale surge or completely cut the region off.

--Ocram

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

 

Yes it would. The USA currently interferes with and supplies a couple different places/peoples in that area hoping that by supplying the peoples that say they agree with the USA, that the best will happen. I say that either we need to build a military base somewhere (probably Iraq) and launch a full-scale surge or completely cut the region off.

--Ocram

 

 

But that would cheese off the Israelis, it would be tantamount to sanctions. But applying sanctions to a country with both nuclear warheads and advanced warhead delivery systems is unwise. Israel could less out in what is known as the Sampson Option.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

Yes it would. The USA currently interferes with and supplies a couple different places/peoples in that area hoping that by supplying the peoples that say they agree with the USA, that the best will happen. I say that either we need to build a military base somewhere (probably Iraq) and launch a full-scale surge or completely cut the region off.

--Ocram

 

But that would cheese off the Israelis, it would be tantamount to sanctions. But applying sanctions to a country with both nuclear warheads and advanced warhead delivery systems is unwise. Israel could less out in what is known as the Sampson Option.

If we stop actively supporting such a country but don't enact sanctions and they decide to retaliate, it will just go to prove their true colors and show how "holy" they really are. The USA has advanced anti-missile defences and could easily prevent missiles from getting anywhere near this hemisphere. Sure, there would be fallout if Israel goes rogue but if all of it comes from what little Israel has and the USA launches absolutely none itself, then it would turn the world against Israel, especially the areas that are hit by the fallout by the destroyed missiles.

Now, I know that Israel can defend itself and could potentially become a peaceful regional leader so I doubt they will do anything too stupid.

--Ocram

[hym 358]

At this point, I think the USA has two extreme options: build a military base in the region (we still have a base in Japan) OR get out and stay out. That means either a huge surge or a complete withdrawal. If we withdraw, we must ensure that no more of our weapons get into any hands of anyone in the middle east. We would also have to cut off all "foreign aid" to the region so they cannot buy other weapons. The problem is that either option is bound to tick off some people and the government of the USA believes that there is a "Golden Mean" that will tick off the least amount of people and still be effective on the field.

--Ocram

 

As long as the US still needs oil to power its economy, and it will for decades into the future, the US will not leave the Middle East.  As the only country with enough global reach to secure the majority of the world's oil infrastructure, the US doesn't get the option not to be involved.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

As far as the U.S. is concerned, this is called being hoist on your own petard.  You are damned if you do and damned if you don't.  Must be a positive hell for the State Department people that have to deal with all this crap.  No wonder John Kerry always looks like he has smelled something bad.

 

The people who made this mess, the Brits, should be on the hook to propose a true solution.  They had control of the eastern end of the Med at the end of WW II as a trust territory and they actually honoured the Balfour declaration, sort of.  Many of the Arab tribes were allied with the NAZIs (NOT Germany) and their right wing thinking has not changed.  They still seek a final solution to the Jewish question.

 

Since they are all of the same blood (both Jews and Arabs), it is really a family squabble going back about 4,000 years.  Interesting how this kind of feud can continue.  They are exactly like the Martins and the 'Coys.  Two wrongs never make a right, and they've been exchanging wrongs for millennia.  If they could be permanently separated some cooling off might happen, but I seriously doubt it.

 

Any "Peace Talks" are a sham.  These sides hate each other with true Martian hate.  The thing is, they can't drop each other into the fourth dimension.

[Larks2242 251]

We would also have to cut off all "foreign aid" to the region so they cannot buy other weapons. The problem is that either option is bound to tick off some people and the government of the USA believes that there is a "Golden Mean" that will tick off the least amount of people and still be effective on the field.

--Ocram

 

That will never happen as long As Chuck Charles Schmuner is still Senator of NY.

 

 

Since they are all of the same blood (both Jews and Arabs), it is really a family squabble going back about 4,000 years.  Interesting how this kind of feud can continue.  They are exactly like the Martins and the 'Coys.  Two wrongs never make a right, and they've been exchanging wrongs for millennia.  If they could be permanently separated some cooling off might happen, but I seriously doubt it.

 

Any "Peace Talks" are a sham.  These sides hate each other with true Martian hate.  The thing is, they can't drop each other into the fourth dimension.

 

The only true resolving of the conflict is when one side wipes out the other, how can something lasting so long end right now? That is quite a blind suggestion the people thinking peace talks can resolve this.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

The only lasting peace between Arabs and Jews is the peace of the grave.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

There we go. The American Oil Addiction will most likely cause the end of the world. Our government keeps interfering with the region, arming both sides (at different times), and won't ever withdraw. That means that the only option for a good future is if the USA builds a base in Iraq or nearby and manages the area correctly. That means that most likely, the heated wars in the area will only get worse and since a couple of those countries have WMD's we can expect that area to become a completely uninhabitable wasteland (instead of merely a desert), which might mean that the whole planet will be depopulated.

--Ocram

[Larks2242 251]

That means that the only option for a good future is if the USA builds a base in Iraq or nearby and manages the area correctly.

 

I don't see why we need to get involved, simply sit by the sidelines waiting for the victor and then shake hands with them or fists depending on the outcome.

[hym 358]

There is a simple reason you stay involved and don't wait for the dust to settle: the oil.

It is the same reason the US Fifth Fleet operates in the area and packs enough firepower to attack and destroy anyone it wants. It sends a rather clear message that when it comes to maritime issues, America's opinion is the only one that matters.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I think there is no doubt that the fifth fleet in the Med is a big part of America's big stick.  The question is should it be used to swat either side or just the winner?

[Larks2242 251]

I wasn't aware Israel is a major oil exporter? I thought that was more associated with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia Iran and UAE.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

From the Wiki article, it appears that most of Israel's petroleum exports (if any) are final refined product.  I don't think they are members of OPEC.  One should not read things into broad statements.

 

However, most members of OPEC are Arabic countries, and as such are not very sympathetic to the U.S.

[hym 358]

I think there is no doubt that the fifth fleet in the Med is a big part of America's big stick.  The question is should it be used to swat either side or just the winner?

 

FYI, it's the Sixth Fleet that is based out of the Mediterranean.  The Fifth Fleet spends much of its time in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.

 

As for whether the US should be whacking anyone with a stick, I am inclined to say the answer is no.  Outside of the need for steady oil supplies, the US really doesn't have a lot of interest in the region.  There are flare ups that the US may have a legitimate interest in helping resolve, but outside of those issues, the Middle East really is becoming less important to the US as time progresses.  If it says anything about what the US considers important, Obama announced a foreign policy pivot away from the Middle East and towards Asia.  In other words, the US wants to eventually get out of the Middle East.

 

I wasn't aware Israel is a major oil exporter? I thought that was more associated with Kuwait, Saudi Arabia Iran and UAE.

 

Israel is believed by some to have more oil than Saudi Arabia.  However, that isn't the real point.  The US and the world need steady oil supplies to help ensure economic stability, and thanks to the massive military budget that everyone loves to rag on the US about, the US is the only country with the military capacity to help ensure a reasonable degree of security for the oil industry.  As such, the US has an ongoing interest in the Middle East and ensuring peace and stability in the region.  It is much easier for the US to help ensure stability in the region with allies in the area.  Love it or hate it, the relationship between the US and Israel has probably been America's most stable relationship in the region.  A smart nation doesn't stab its friends in the back, especially when those friends are helpful to one's regional goals.

[BLANKBLANK 4,414]

I think there is no doubt that the fifth fleet in the Med is a big part of America's big stick.  The question is should it be used to swat either side or just the winner?

 

The fifth fleet is the conventional side of the big stick. The real big stick are the hidden submarines, loaded with missiles equipped with MIRVs, located somewhere in the oceans bordering the Middle East.

 

Nuclear weapons: stopping first world countries from going to war since 1945.

 

On the flip side it only encouraged proxy warfare and economic warfare.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Having two major task forces in the Med and the Indian Ocean says a lot about gunboat diplomacy.  The silent service only reinforces this by being essentially the underpinnings of the iceberg.  The problem is the children don't get the message of "Be good or daddy will spank" because they know that if daddy hits them the cops of world opinion will stand up for them.

 

It is high time for an object lesson.  Israel deserves a spanking, and Hamas deserves some time out time in the corner without any breakfast.

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

The people who made this mess, the Brits, should be on the hook to propose a true solution.  

 

In fairness there isn't much the British can do while Israel has free reign to violate international law and continue to persecute all while the US stands behind them ready to counter any action against Israel. 

 

My university dissertation focused on the influence of the pro-Israel lobby on US foreign policy and how that lobby have created an environment where any criticism of the Israeli government and their illegal activities is deemed as anti-Semitic, thus shutting down debate and continuing a policy of woeful inaction. 

 

Unless the US starts to stand up to Israel and uses its influence in a much more positive and constructive manner there isn't much any nation can do to address the on-going crisis. 

 

Obviously Hamas and other Arab governments needs to catch a grip as well and act in a similarly positive and conciliatory fashion but that's not going to happen while Israel continues to build walls, demolish homes and illegally occupy land.

 

 

A peaceful settlement of the Palestine-Israel crisis will do more for stability and peace in the Middle East than having warships in the Med.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Interestingly enough, it is hardly anti-Semitic to side with the Arabs.  Both parties are Semites.  In a Jews against Arabs scenario, you can only be anti-Semitic by denigrating both.  "Anti-Semitic" now has a special meaning in the U.S.  It really means anti-Judaic.

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

Interestingly enough, it is hardly anti-Semitic to side with the Arabs.  Both parties are Semites.  In a Jews against Arabs scenario, you can only be anti-Semitic by denigrating both.  "Anti-Semitic" now has a special meaning in the U.S.  It really means anti-Judaic.

 

Indeed, and in some cases broadened yet further to simply mean anti-Israel/Israeli Government. The ADL being one of the worst examples of this. 

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Like all American activist organizations, the ADL gives me the screaming me-me's.

[Belfastsocrates 1,753]

I see the Israeli Government have announced they've launched their ground invasion of Gaza while the world's attention is focused on Ukraine and the horror of Flight MH17