Poking The Bear And Other Activities Of Similar Ridiculousness
Sitting up last night reading the morning editions of the European Daily’s, I cam across the trailer for Michael Moore’s new film ‘Sicko’ which has, of course, already caused controversy in the US and it’s not even slated for release in theatres until June 29th. The best clip in the trailer is when Moore shows up in the waters just off of the US base at Guantanamo in a boat with three sick 9/11 rescue workers who have been unable to get the assistance they need in the US and says over a loud speaker…
“Permission to enter. I have three 9/11 rescue workers that just want some medical attention, the same kind the evil-doers are getting.”
The irony, of course, is that while defending the detainee facilities at Guantanamo, the US government has repeatedly claimed that those being held there are ‘given access to top notch medical facilities’.
That said, events around the world continue to unfold in their usual fashion. One of the most important sleeper issues is the continuing escalation between the United States and Russia over US plans to implement an anti-missile defense system in Eastern Europe (Poland and the Czech Republic) to potentially shoot down Iranian and North Korean missiles. This is, of course, ridiculous, being that Iran doesn’t even possess the capability to hit either of those nations. In fact, neither does North Korea.
Given the proximity of the anti-BMD system to Russia, obviously Moscow is not entirely please, viewing it more as a provocative move aimed at Russia itself. In a recent interview with the Globe and Mail, Putin said…
“…he considers U.S. plans to build an eastern European anti-missile site to shoot down Iranian missiles a provocation aimed at Russia.
Asked what he might do to retaliate, he said he would return Russia to the Cold War status where missiles were aimed at European targets.
“It is obvious that if part of the strategic nuclear potential of the United States is located in Europe, and according to our military experts will be threatening us, we will have to respond,” he said.”
While some might view Putin’s position as both ridiculous and opportunistic, put into relative context he’s not entirely without a point. The implementation of such a system so close to Russia is certainly a provocative move, and one that is not without arrogant overtones. Given their histories, prudence demands that Russia act accordingly with regards to its national security. Were another nation to place such a system in such proximity to the United States, their course of action would be no different, if not more aggressive.
The move to secure the system in Europe is a demonstration of the Bush administration’s continued belief in the lone superpower model. Unfortunately, in this case, we’re talking about provoking the world’s second largest nuclear power, and to think that such a reaction by the Russians wouldn’t have been taken into account before plans were announced to implement such a system is naïve.
One might think that, with everything else occurring around the globe in which the United States has its fingers, from Iraq to Afghanistan, Somalia to Colombia and beyond, not to mention indirect provocations – such as those to do with Iran and North Korea, this wouldn’t be the most prudent time to be isolating Moscow. Of course, it could very well have to do with Russia’s continued reluctance to completely condemn Iran’s nuclear program, in some warped way altering their status in the US foreign policy mindset to that of a potentially significant problem more than an ally.
Given Condoleezza Rice’s significant knowledge of the Russians, one must wonder if she is at all in agreement with this move, even though her position demands that she defend it. Unlike dealing with the likes of Iran and North Korea, Russia is another matter altogether, and, in truth, is the last nation on earth, besides China, that the United States should be antagonizing at this point.
That is just the simple truth of the matter, disagree with Russian domestic politics or not, or the brashness of their President and the past that provided him that mindset. To say that Vladimir Putin’s government is a greater threat to global security than the likes of George Bush and Dick Cheney, not to mention the Think Tank warriors that dream up a great deal of their nonsense, would be a gross overstatement.
Given everything transpiring in the Middle East, this sort of idiocy is the last thing that any of us needs, be we Russians, Americans, Poles, Czechs, Canadians or otherwise. It is militarism for the sake of itself on many levels, and sheer nonsense. The fact that NATO recently conducted sea and amphibious exercises in the Baltic and Poland hasn’t been helpful either, despite the smokescreen thrown up to have them seen as helping to improve bilateral relations with Russia. In fact, non-combat operations have, in many ways, become the ‘new bait’, primarily with regards to US activities off the coast of Iran, where, I am sure, US Hawks would love nothing more than to find themselves gifted another Gulf of Tonkin incident.
Meanwhile, some other stories making headlines today include…
Gates Won’t Say Who’s Winning The War On Terror (why would he, it’s far too lucrative).
Only Some Of Us Are At War – The Rest Just Watch It On TV
Iraqi PM Warns Turkey Against Military Incursion Into Northern Iraq
Turkish Forces Shell Northern Iraq
Gates Warns Turkey Not To Invade Iraq
Rebels Vow To Resist Turkish Incursion
With Korea as Model, U.S. Ponders Long Role in Iraq
White House Follows New Path To Secrecy
When The Prince Of Darkness Visits
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June 3rd, 2007 at 11:00 am
I swear in the last couple of days I heard a brief radio spot about Russia (I believe-may have been another country) test-firing a BM that was believed capable of penetrating & coutnering any existing anti-ICBM technology…
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:15 am
I wonder if people in the US will begin to wake up and realize that the actions of their government are directly linked to the moves by both Iran and North Korea to seek a nuclear deterrent. The Cold War has been over for 16 years, and yet American Foreign Policy is beginning to swing back to this kind of stance?
How much longer before the nuclear arms race begins anew and accelerates?
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:37 am
When your last viable industry is manufacturing war, you gotta keep that wheel greased somehow… right?
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:44 am
[quote comment="15249"]When your last viable industry is manufacturing war, you gotta keep that wheel greased somehow… right?[/quote]
I read a number of years ago that the U.S. is the leading exporter of arms. Around 70% at the time. That number may or may not have shifted since then. Peace is certainly not good for bottom line around here.
June 3rd, 2007 at 11:44 am
Don’t poke the bear.
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Why spend money on health care for your own people when you can spend the money on the war overseas?
I’m happy that Canadian health care isn’t that bad
June 3rd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
get your hands on the iraq issue of vice man.
June 3rd, 2007 at 1:35 pm
[quote comment="15246"]Yep, that’s true, though I can’t remember if they tested it or not. But they have certainly claimed as much.[/quote]
I used the Google - most stories are saying that Russia only claimed a succesful test, but there’s a fair number flat-out stating a succesful test firing. Apparently the test firing followed all the guidelines under SALT II, even though Putin is threatening a moratorium on following the SALT guidelines…
Another “interesting” thing to watch.
June 3rd, 2007 at 3:07 pm
As per usual, both parties are to blame here. The U.S. government is using that good-’ol Texas diplomacy ( try and negotiate at first and then just do what we want anyway), and the Czech Republic and Poland are basically going against the wishes of their citizens, many of whom have voted in referendums that they do not want these weapons on their country. But at the same time, Putin is using this issue to stir-up latent anti-Western sentiment as a means to deflect the population from Chechnya, government corruption, authoritarian measures of the “new Russia”, the growing divide between wealthy and the poor, etc.
June 3rd, 2007 at 10:12 pm
Putin is at his all time high in terms of popularity with his people right now, and it corresponds directly to his anti-western stances. The more he lasehs out at the West, the more his people feel that he is giving them a greater sense of purpose in the world.
The threat of Russia should probably not be overlooked however. I don’t agree with the US trying to put in a missile system, but lets be honest, Russia is very close to flipping back to its communist days. Putin basically owns all the media, he has created a fake opposition party, he controls much of Russia’s gas revenues now as most of his opponents in that area have mysteriously been arrested for corruption charges. I was reading a story today now that he also has a 10,000 strong youth brigade to try and prevent acts of Westernization.
It will be interesting to see, as his last terms comes to a close, if that is indeed his last term. He basically controls the state, and everyone in Russia loves him for it. I don’t think that Putin has to use this to divert Russia’s attention away from his other diplomatic actions - they support him because he gives them a new sense of national pride.
And we all know national pride is as bad of a religion as any other, an idealogy that can know no bounds.
June 4th, 2007 at 6:44 am
I find it difficult to put too much faith in Michael Moore, not because of any bad press that he has encountered, but perhaps in the way he gets things done.
However, I realise that sometimes the best thing to do is throw rocks at the WASP’s nest, and deal with the issues that turn up from there.
I poke the bear every day when I’m at work.
June 5th, 2007 at 8:38 am
should it come as any surprise that a nation with a failed economy, and the largest producer of military technology is stirring up this wasp’s nest? not really. one can only hope that the world can make it through one more year of the bush administration without any serious conflict. one can also hope that the US electorate doesn’t make the same decision it did last election and re-elect one of the least popular (in public support) parties in US history. but, alas, GW won a second term to everyone’s surprise.
just watch guiliani bring up 9/11 before the elections, everyone in the US red states will be convinced again.