Russia: Friend or Foe?
Is Russia a friend or a foe? They seem absolutely out of touch with reality. First of all, they refuse to back sanctions against North Korea. North Korea is not even trying to hide the fact that they are trying to develop technology that can send a nuclear bomb all the way to the United States, Israel, Russia, China, and Europe. This is a threat to the entire world and Russia doesn’t want to do anything. We are not even talking military action. We are just asking for strong threats sanctions. What do they expect to do? Waive a magic wand and make North Korea’s nukes go away. The government is crazy in North Korea and they would not hesitate to lob a nuke at anyone. This all seems to indicate Russia has a financial stake in Korea just as they did Iraq.
Not only are they against sanctions on North Korea, Russia has condemned Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. Maybe Putin never learned how to read the newspaper. Lebanon kidnapped two Israeli soldiers from inside Israel. Are they supposed to just let Lebanon do whatever they want? Israel must defend its sovereignty as well as protect their troops. They have a no men left in enemy territory policy and that must be followed. Israel needed to take a position of strength to show the Islamic Extremists in the region that they are a sovereign nation. They must show that if the Islamic Extremists do harm to Israel, it will be sent right back at them with intensity. Islamic Radicals do not understand this happy go lucky, let’s make a deal language. No matter how much land Israel gives up, the radical Islamists will not stop the fighting until Israel ceases to exist.
Comments
Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 10:44 AM
So you are justifying that what Israel is doing to Lebanon can be similar to US military forces invading Mexico City to rescue a marine that was kidnapped while patrolling the US-Mexican border?
Rescue operations are supposed to involve a elite squad of specialised soldiers that can swoop in, kill the bad guys, then swoop out without anyone knowing, or perhaps with tacit acknowledgement of the current government.
Israel has openly attacked Lebanon, and has not offered evidence to show that the current government is in league with the Hezbollah.
So it is now war, or a publicly open rescue mission?
Posted by: Chad
Posted on: July 13, 2006 10:54 AM
Perhaps you forgot that they constantly lob missles into Israel too. This wasn't just for this one thing. The troops were just the breaking point.
The Council on Foreign Relations (a liberal group) even accepts that they are a part of Lebonese government.
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Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 10:57 AM
Fine, it's the breaking point. It is now a declaration of war between Israel and Lebanon. Beirut's international airport runways have been taken out, and one of their army air bases is under attack near the border.
Perhaps Israel can launch some surgical strikes on the capital building. They can "accidently" kill the PM and most of the leadership.
Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 10:59 AM
This is different. Israel has launched a full military offensive against a sovereign country. It was focused before on attacking terrorist positions in the South, but now is attacking the economic infrastructure.
Posted by: Chad
Posted on: July 13, 2006 11:04 AM
If If a democrat lobbed a missile at Canada, would they attack us as a whole or just the big cities where more democrats are? No… the whole government is responsible.
Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 11:10 AM
Bush: His "biggest concern" was that the attacks could weaken the Lebanese government led by Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and make it harder for the fledgling democracy movement there to continue to grow.
So a possible side result is the fall of the fragile democratic government and the takeover of a government that could ally with Syria and call for their troops to come into Lebanon to help. Of course Israel can kicked Syria's military, but it would spark a war on a larger scale.
As for a Democrat lobbing missles, there is a difference between all-out attacks and surgical strikes. It seems that Israel no longer cares if the Middle East region opens into full scale conflict.
Posted by: Chad
Posted on: July 13, 2006 11:24 AM
Look at it this way... with their new foreign policy... as a Radical Islamic Extremist whacko nation... would you mess with Israel? I sure wouldn't. It's pretty obvious that if you mess with Israel... you're not just going to get an angry letter stating discontent anymore. You're going to get destroyed. I think it is a much more effective deterrent.
Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 11:34 AM
Fine, then Israel should pass a declaration of war against Lebanon, Syria, and what not, and create a 150 mile buffer zone surrounding itself with guard towers, barbed wries, minefield, and some nuclear tactical warheads.
Posted by: Chad
Posted on: July 13, 2006 11:46 AM
It's pretty easy to end this war... The Lebanese and Palestinians need to stop attacking Israel and return the soldiers. You guys are giving more credit to the Radical Islamic People than you are the good guys. Lebanon and Palestine have been attacking Israel for years despite so-called "surgical strikes". Their "surgical strikes" were not stopping the constant attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. They now are taking more drastic steps to more drastic steps to try and protect their people. I don't see why everyone is so upset. This was NOT an unprovoked attack. Palestine and Lebanon have been constantly barraging Israel with missiles and suicide bomber attacks. Is Israel supposed to just sit there and allow these Islamic Extremists to kill its people?
Posted by:
Posted on: July 13, 2006 12:08 PM
Well duh, of course there were suicide bombings, rocket attacks, and Israel goes and wipe out a terrorist commander or demolishing a terrorist home, and what not.
That was considered to be routine, but taking it to another level of escalation involves more players and more risk. Taking out another country's is a whole new game. Of course, Israel has the right to defend itself, but how much of it is necessary to achieve that? You're suggesting that capitulation of the entire country of Lebanon is the end goal of the Israeli military.
Also, now Israel has evidence to support that Hezbollah (not the Lebanese govt) is trying to transfer the captured soldiers to Iran. Will they start bombing Iranian sites? This could throw the current issue of referring Iran to the UNSC out the window.
Posted by: Shruti
Posted on: July 13, 2006 12:11 PM
The idea that Russia must be either a friend or a foe is sort of misleading. They are two sovereign nations with different interests. Sometimes their interests align with ours and sometimes they don't. They are looking out for their interests and we are looking out for our interests. This is why we have diplomacy - to work out resolutions where our interests don't align, and work together where our interests do align. It's not a "friend or foe" situation, it's a matter of figuring out what Russian interests are and how we can use that information to attain our own interests. Not all good guys want the Exact Same Things as the US Government, and we have to stop treating people who disagree with us on one or two issues as enemies.
Posted by:
Posted on: July 17, 2006 08:20 AM
The old adage, set a thief to catch a thief seems to be the theme that Israel is following.
A more apt "set a murderer to fix a murderer" seems to be their agenda. I think Israel needs to set up a deep buffer zone to protect itself from all the Islamic fundamentalists who profess the principle of hate everywhere you happen to go.
Israel is not their only enemy. Christians, Hindus, and all the major religions of the world are at loggerheads with them due to their teachings of hatred and violence.
To them, killing of a non muslim is their duty with rewards of 72 virgins in paradise.
I don't know of any other religion that preaches so much violence and hatred of their fellow human beings.
If the current trend of muslim fanaticism and extremism assumes proportions damaging to the entire humanity and human civilization, we need to consider banning their religion under the UN.
Consider the killings in Beslan, the tragedy of the WTC, the bombing in London, Spain, Mumbai, Indonesia, and the list is endless.
Is this a religion or an edict of sadistic human sacrifices.
Israel needs to relentlessly weaken its neighbouring states economically and militarily.
But it will be a case of buying time. The threat to Israel is real and dangerous.
Israel needs to act fast to be ready to nuke all of its west Asian antagonists at one go.
Only this readiness can deter them to a great extent. Israel needs to spread out its civilian population fron the mother country to brace itself for an eventual nuclear war. It seems to be in inevitable reality as I see it.
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Posted on: February 9, 2007 09:27 AM
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