Comments On This last week as of today:


Thursday, January 29, 2004

Putin and Powell and Pervez

It looks as if Bush has sent Colin Powell to stir up a little more friction with Russia, telling them to shape up on the "democracy" thing. Powell has sent a message to Russia though, not to worry that the US will set up bases in Georgia. He says there is no plan for that. Sure, but what about the rest of those bases around the Caspian Sea and Eastern Europe, or the subtle threat that it also is on the list of the PNAC's nations subject to regime change?

And, is Pakistan ready now for US troops? Ready or not ...

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Monday, February 02, 2004

Opportunistic Speculation

Russia is planning a test of their readiness for all-out nuclear war sometime in the middle of this month, and guess who the exercise targets. That's right, the USA. Is it just a coincidence or is it a little strange that Russia's largest military exercise in twenty years comes after the US warns them off the Caspian Sea region and insults their political system under Putin?

This exercise probably will occur as the talks with North Korea break down again because this administration refuses to negotiate with that rogue state about their nuclear missile capabilities. Bush appears unwilling to accept their offer to scrap their nuclear program in return for humanitarian aid for their beleaguered, desperate, hungry, and starving nation.

The anti-missile defense based in Alaska and California is about to be put in place after those few successful tests that were also rigged. Now all this administration has to do is to convince any potential adversary to put homing beacons on their ICBMs, not to use multiple warheads and decoys, and only send a few missiles at a time.

While the Russians say it's a test of their systems, militarily it would only make good strategic sense from their position to pretend and say it's a test and then use the exercise to make their own pre-emptive strike against the world's most threatening nation whose tentacles are ever encroaching on their influence and on the world's resources. They may now well believe, as the neo-cons do, that nuclear war is inevitable and strike while the iron is hot against an arrogant, decadent, and aggressive bully. It just makes sense to use an exercise as cover for an overt strike. Any attack works best when it comes as a surprise, and such an exercise would be excellent cover for a real attack. Possibly, now is their best opportunity not to become marginalized globally as the US increases its own military capabilities and bases around the world. The US could go from code yellow terrorist alert to defcom5 in the blink of an eye.

Maybe not though. This is just speculation, and I hope I don't unnecessarily alarm anyone. I know it's probably just a preparation for the real thing which could possibly happen at any time.

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Tuesday, February 03, 2004

6-Way Talks On NKorea

China has helped set up another round of 6-way talks with North Korea, the US, China, Russia, Japan and South Korea, scheduled to begin February 25th in Beijing. But has either of the two principals really changed their stance since the last round of talks that produced nothing but more bitterness? Will Bush negotiate with an "axis of evil"? Last December Vice President Cheney said in reference to North Korea, "I have been charged by the President with making sure that none of the tyrannies in the world are negotiated with. We don't negotiate with evil; we defeat it." And North Korea said it would never give up its "nuclear deterrent" unless its security was guaranteed and aid recommenced. I guess you can only hope that talking will in fact lead to an understanding that nuclear war isn't the only path that can be taken and some agreement can be reached.

Still, everyone knows that both the US and North Korea have enough nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons of mass destruction.