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China Tests Anti-Satellite Laser Weapon
schnippy writes "U.S. intelligence agencies believe that China has successfully tested an anti-satellite weapon by destroying one of their old weather satellites. The test, if confirmed, would be an order of magnitude more provocative than earlier reports of Chinese blinding lasers being. Arms Control Wonk has a good writeup on what this will mean for U.S. policy."
Technically US owes to China about 0.6T (trillion) USD and counting. If China simply stops to buy those Treasuries US citizens will discover that their lifestyle is significantly less affordable. 30% of the US economy today is financial services. Above 60% of the US economy is "services". About zero of what they call "old industry". About 30% of the cars are not produced in the US. And so on. The list is infinite. War is not an option for the US. Neither is embargo. China is free to do whatever it likes. And you know I personally think that 1 bil people deserve it. They simply earned it.
OK, Kuwait was not really invaded - the government of Kuwait (in exile at that date) requested help from United Nations (and possibly USA). The UN mandated the liberation of Kuwait, and for the moment the only US troops that might be in Kuwait are observers.
Don't know about Grenada, Vietnam is free of american troops, South Korea WANTS american troops inside.
Cuba has a small US garrison inside, in what seem to be not US soil, but more US army and CIA soil.
Some people in Iraq are happy for the US actions, some are not.
On the other side of the comparation, China invaded Tibet, and chinese army is everything there - police, occupation force, government. I don't think there are many tibetan people happy about that.
So, with all my anti-USA attitude, I think China here is having an even lower moral stance than US of A
They've got it wrong. They've attached the shark to the laser instead of the opposite. Hence the "kinetic kill vehicle". I still can't explain the missile, though.
Absolutely you can. However the methods you'd have to use arent "democratic".
That's why the old Soviet system fell apart. Gorbachev questioned whether the Soviet system had to be quite so heavy handed. The answer turned out to be "yes".
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
"I'm fairly confident that the recently unveiled US space policy caused a massive "Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" response among China, Russia, India, and perhaps others too." I'm not to sure about that, to have this capability so soon after Bushes decleration of policy would imply they've been studying this for sometime!
but I have karma to burn...
Why does China still have Most Favored Nation status with the US?
China just need to put all the dollars they have accumulated in market and boom!!! it would affect US economy more than if they a war instead.
As an American who put in over a year overseas, I know our foreign policy reputation at this time. It's not kind. I have been recognized on the streets as an American and confronted on my political beliefs. I'd like to think I gave the "right answer", but I honestly don't know what would have happened a few times if I had expressed support for my president. Let me just let you know, there are many of us (maybe less than 50%, but more than 10%) who believe the French were right in holding off invasion plans and who believe the United Nations was founded in order to prevent another World War II. A seemingly unending bureaucracy it may be, but it's checked by the majority of countries with a last sanity check of the consensus of a diverse group with the most vested interest in a stable world.
We're fighting to change the political future of our country. It's slow, and it's built upon a mountain of vested interests in large corporations and minimization of energy insecurity.
I recently read about the Kessler syndrome. Interesting theory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kessler_Syndrome
"It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
Comment removed based on user account deletion
As long as two people can get into a fight in a bar there will always be war.
Other animals don't make war.
Of course, other animals definitely do kill each other, and not just for food. Animals kill for sport, out of aggression or fear, for territory, etc. But they don't make war.
War is industrialization, mass-production, and most importantly strong authority, all applied to the natural tendency of people to kill. War is the cold mechanization of violence.
One can make a very arguable case that people will always kill, and I tend to agree. But the question of whether people will always form massive hierarchical structures which methodically and rationally cause as many deaths as possible - this is more debatable.
Massive power structures are required for real war to be waged. Primarily, the participants have been governments, but we've also seen religious sects make war (for example the crusades, or more recently the "Islamic Jihad"), and perhaps one day in the future we'll see a corporation make war.
I do not believe that massive power structures are inherent to human nature, as there are many societies which avoid them. There's obviously some kind of tendency to form strong governments and establish territorial borders, but I don't think it's strong enough to justify the assertion that it'll always be the unchangeable status quo.
You're a moron.
We never said that we'd wipe them off the map. In fact we don't want to destroy them at all. They are part of our territory. Why would we nuke part of our territory?
You can stay deluded if you'd like, but maybe you'd like to absorb a dose of reality.
Why this is modded insightful is beyond me. This is the reason why China needs such tests, because the Americans are threatening us.
Amazing that the whole region was an utter shithole before the 'evil Zionists' went in and developed it. It was barren desert with rock-flavored rocks. Now that it's been developed and made somewhat livable, the 'Palestinians' want it back. Too bad that mean-old history says stuff about Jerusalem being built buy King David and King Solomon (who built the temple). And that it was the Kingdom of Israel for 1000 years (except for a 70-year break where the Babylonians conquered and ruled the area).Then comes the Romans, then the Ottoman Empire, then the British... then modern history.
Class, here is your assignment. Find an old map and point out for me the state/nation/country called "Palestine". Wrong. Whatever you pointed to... wrong. It didn't exist as a country.
How about try this one on for size: "Why won't any of the nations who proclaim the same religious beliefs (Islam) as the Palestinians give them a chunk of land, to at least have a homeland?"
I never knew the answer until I listened to a man from the region call in to a local radio show. He said what others are afraid to say publicly, but that makes sense. All the other Arab nations in the region are *afraid* of the Palestinians! They are a fanatical people who want to take over / overthrow whatever government is in place and put a fundamentalist extremeist organization in it's place. Something so extreme that the other Arab nations in the region don't even want the 'Palestinian refugees' in their (Islamic) countries! Why would this be? Wouldn't it be more likely that if you really agree with someone, with their cause, you would be willing to give them sanctuary wherever you could find space in your own nation, until such time as they had their 'own' home back?
We did that here in America when Katrina hit. We did that with Hatians, with Cubans... the list goes on and on.
Why won't the Arabs offer sanctuary to the Palestinians? Why are they forced to huddle on the West Bank and Gaza strip?
What happened to the land that was given to the Arabs of the region (actually to Emir Abdullah) called Palestine, and why don't the Palestinians call this land home? Oh that's right, because the Emir was so afraid of the 'Palestinians' that he basically drove them out.
Most of you people need a history lesson, and need to stop 'learning' your history and view of world events from the modern media. I'm sure no one will mention what the Jordanians did to the region... ethnic cleansing...