Contemporary Wars

Dont forget their ability to wield a chainsaw!!!

Let's get back to the topic.

Rumsfeld makes more friends

The amount of diplomatic finesse in this administration is truly staggering : verbal agressions, threats, mockery, pandering...

The demolition derby continues unabated. Nations are going to draw tickets and wait in the queue to get their part of it

This post has been edited by Chandernagore on March 22, 2005 02:03 pm

It gets better yet :

"In an effort to increase pressure on North Korea, the Bush administration told its Asian allies in briefings earlier this year that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material to Libya. That was a significant new charge, the first allegation that North Korea was helping to create a new nuclear weapons state.

But that is not what U.S. intelligence reported, according to two officials with detailed knowledge of the transaction. North Korea, according to the intelligence, had supplied uranium hexafluoride -- which can be enriched to weapons-grade uranium -- to Pakistan. It was Pakistan, a key U.S. ally with its own nuclear arsenal, that sold the material to Libya. The U.S. government had no evidence, the officials said, that North Korea knew of the second transaction.

Pakistan's role as both the buyer and the seller was concealed to cover up the part played by Washington's partner in the hunt for al Qaeda leaders, according to the officials, who discussed the issue on the condition of anonymity. In addition, a North Korea-Pakistan transfer would not have been news to the U.S. allies, which have known of such transfers for years and viewed them as a business matter between sovereign states.

The Bush administration's approach, intended to isolate North Korea, instead left allies increasingly doubtful as they began to learn that the briefings omitted essential details about the transaction, U.S. officials and foreign diplomats said in interviews. North Korea responded to public reports last month about the briefings by withdrawing from talks with its neighbors and the United States.

Washington Post

Pissing off State A by pissing off State B. Geez, I'm getting lost in all those lies. If ever Bush happens to tell something true I will probably not recognize it

oh you will. it;s when he does not move his lips....

and rumsfeld is like a rhinoceros is a world politics porcelain shop....
what an assh....pissiong o turkey is not exactly the best thing to do these days....

Pakistan...

Pakistan Test Fires Long Range Missile


Source: Voice of America news


"Pakistan says it has successfully launched a ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead up to 2,000 kilometers, the longest range rocket Islamabad has yet tested.

Officials say the Shaheen II missile developed in Pakistan hit its target. The rocket is said to be capable of carrying all types of conventional and nuclear warheads.

The military says President Pervez Musharraf watched Saturday's launch, which took place at an undisclosed location. In a statement, General Musharraf vowed to further upgrade Pakistan's nuclear capability, but with strict adherence to non-proliferation.

Pakistan and arch-rival India routinely conduct missile tests after informing each other.

Saturday's test came two days after U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Islamabad and urged a continuation of the peace process between Pakistan and India. "


Iama

Meanwhile, India tested its Nag ATGM and the Akash surface-to-air missile.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1056951.cms

http://news.indiainfo.com/2005/02/21/2102akash.html

India-Pakistan arms race is pretty interesting to follow. They also both want the F16, and the Indians the Patriot...

I heard the Patriot is just a piece of costly ineffective crap. Is that unfounded ?

well let's throw a few over bagdad and wait to see what happens

I dont think so. (that its a piece of crap)
Both Russian and American strategic air defense systems could be accused of being ineffective, but then again, on what basis?
Neither one encountered a real up-to-date threat. I mean, do the people that say that have details about Iraki Scuds beating the Patriot defense? Are the Iraki Scuds a worthy indication?
I think any dismissing claims are competitional issues... Sell, sell, sell...

This post has been edited by Imperialist on March 22, 2005 03:04 pm

By shifting the focus to Turkey, he's covering his butt re the political flak he's been taking for "inadequate" (in the view of many here) troop levels at the invasion and, of more damage, in the aftermath.

U know this. (I hope).

IMO, he has a strong argument: if the Turks had allowed the 4th Dvision in, they very well might have eliminated the hard core who now appear to comprise much of the mixed bag that comprises the "insurgency"

Whatever u think of the right/wrong of the invasion (let me guess), on a purely tactical level, u have to admit Rummy has at the very least, an arguable point here.

Rummy's (and Tommy Frank's) game plan was and is a lighter, smarter, more manouverable combined ground force. It almost worked, as u may also know. (it did work extremely well for the war..it's the "peace" that became the problem)

Why? Who needs a military dictatorship masquerading as a government?

And anyway... What's Rummy supposed to say? "thanks a lot....for nothing, Turkey. Please bend over so I can kiss your butt..... Oh and by the way, please let us know when the Islamists totally control your country, so we can send some flowers." ???

I don't think so.

Yes. The Patriot was designed as AA, not as a tactical ABM, which is the use it was hurriedly pressed into in Gulf War I, vs the SCUDS. Considering that, it appears to have done not too badly.

The debate about it's effectiveness at that time turned ludicrous; the "pro" Patriot forces (the army and Raytheon Corp, mainly) claimed ridiculous "success" rates at shooting down incoming, it's detractors, quickly discovered the claims were unsubstantiated, and of course in turn they went overboard, claiming Patriots to be the biggest defense boondoggle ever (no mean accomplishment.)

U may have picked up on some of those detractions which, if u have a predisposition to denigrate anything of U.S. origin or invention, might appear immediately credible to u.

Here is a good rundown on the debate, with tons of serious references.

http://www.cdi.org/issues/bmd/Patriot.html

One investigator's conclusion, re Patriot performance in Gulf War I:

"1) Patriot Performed in The Gulf War at least as well and probably much better than might have been expected beforehand, given the unanticipated nature of the threat. It was a credible, effective performance that warrants credit to the U.S. Army, the IDF, Raytheon and the other contractors who built the system.
2) I believe that the most reliable evidence available indicates that the ground damage and casualties were significantly reduced over what they might have been in Saudia Arabia and Israel if Patriot had not been deployed.

3) Patriot performed more than well enough to warrant high-priority support for future upgrades, especially since their cost is relatively small compared to the capabilities that will be provided."(Testimony of Charles A. Zraket before the House Subcommittee on Government Operations on April 7, 1992)

But, as u will see if u read this article, the debate goes on. cheers.

Why? Who needs a military dictatorship masquerading as a government?

And anyway... What's Rummy supposed to say? "thanks a lot....for nothing, Turkey. Please bend over so I can kiss your butt..... Oh and by the way, please let us know when the Islamists totally control your country, so we can send some flowers." ???

I don't think so.

well aparently the turks do....
don't tell me that you think democracy is needed eveywhere on this planet

The PAC-3 is already capable of ABM, and was/is already sought by Taiwan, Japan, South Korea and India. I think excepting India and Taiwan, all the others got it.
The fact thats AA makes it highly "liked", although Russian tech is also capable of that.

take care