Comments on: A Newer World Order

By: cg

cg — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 01:19:46 +0000

Another perfect example of “American exceptionalism” is Rice herself. Is Condi among the very finest “Russian experts” America has ever produced. That was her bragging point for her current position, was it not?

http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/399/15326_condy.html

By: John Hatch

John Hatch — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:44:37 +0000

American Exceptionalism is a brain disease. That McCain, a presidential candidate (God help us) could make such a statement simply boggles already boggled minds in its breathtaking hypocrisy and stupidity. Then Condi said exactly the same thing. How much boggling can one person endure? Not much more, I fear.

By: cg

cg — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 18:46:24 +0000

Putin has said any use of US “precision guided” weapons of the variety Russia does not possess will be met with Russian tactical nukes.
Not very ambiguous at all.

http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/08/if-us-attacks-russia-russia-wi.php

By: Mark Konrad

Mark Konrad — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:14:51 +0000

Agreed. Quite well thought out and presented. There is a sentimental aspect to the new belligerence toward Moscow emanating from Washington though that should not be overlooked. The Americans need a Big Enemy to distract from the deficiencies at home which are likely not going to be corrected into the near future, primarily energy self-sufficiency. There is hardly a more critical problem that the Americans need to address than their rapidly approaching (latest) energy crises yet they treat that as a relatively back-burner issue. That’s because the effort to transition from a petroleum-based economy to alternative and renewable replacement fuels is not a glamorous project yet it require enormous attention and expenditure and possible extreme disruption of the existing energy infrastructure. It’s easier for the politicians to shriek “Look over there ! Terrorist ! And The Big Enemy too !!! Man your battle stations !” than it is to initiate a bold new alternative energy program in the United States and likely impose hardship and inconvenience on many of their thier constituents by doing so.

The standard American reliance on The Big Distraction i.e. The Big Enemy is discussed here:

Why the West can’t kick its Cold War habit

After Georgia: In an era of juvenile diplomacy and patternless foreign policy, Cold War talk can easily become Hot War horrors.

…..Simplistic commentators have claimed that oil was the real reason behind the invasion of Iraq – no doubt today they will argue that the Georgian crisis has been caused by a conflict over resources or by the geo-political ambitions of Russia or the US. Unfortunately, there is a more dangerous force at work. The US in particular (but also other powers) is uncertain of its place in the world. Wars are being fought in faraway places against enemies with no name. In a world where governments find it difficult to put forward a coherent security strategy or to formulate their geo-political interests, a re-run of the Cold War seems like an attractive proposition. Compared to the messy world we live in, the Cold War appears to some to have been a stable and at least comprehensible interlude.

Full piece Here.

By: Michael Kenny

Michael Kenny — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 14:56:50 +0000

A very good analysis. Five years elapsed between Gorbachev’s appointment and the collapse of the Soviet Union and anyone who expects the US to collapse on 21 January 2009 will be sadly disappointed. In the meantime, the world will indeed be an unstable and dangerous place, particularly as the traditional American “in your face and up yours” mentality will push the US to try to “avenge” the humiliation in Georgia. I would guess that the US will become ever more virulent as its power wanes but that, in its turn, will alienate much of the world and, in particular, Europe.

Russia’s biggest triumph in Georgia may well be that it provoked the US into shooting itself in the foot! It out-provoked the provoker, so to speak!