Satellite shot down

[Flt.Lt.Andrew]

Boomtown Rat:

Having the biggest guns and tanks and rockets and bombs and HE and people and cement and food and ranks and soldiers and jets and bombers and high command doesnt nessesarily make the US the most powerful. Yes, the US could turn Iran to dust, but could the US control what happens afterwards? There are many conflicts which provide evidence to a negative conclusion. Where's the authority then?

On the UN: as far as I can recall there is more than one permanent, founding member of the UN...
ANZUS: Is not ANZUS anymore, considering NZ rebuked the United States' 'authority' to dock nuclear weapons in Auckland harbour.
Yes, considering the Arizona is the US's territory to deface, of course that nation could test a nuclear weapon. Naturally. The South Marianas? No, probably not, due to the French Government's traditional pressure for that behaviour in the region to desist.

The point about North Korea: one cannot prove one way or the other whether that sarcastic statement is right or not, however it does demonstrate China's power- which is often used to ensure a backdown....however I have at present no evidence for that particular assertion.

So in conclusion ladies and gentlemen, that's the way it is.


A.

P.S NSW State Parliament is also known as "The Bear Pit" - the Federal one is also quite vicious. Good times!

[SkyNoz]

I don't see a problem with what they did, it was a test. So big deal, we could have done the same thing in our country and there would still be the same amount of influence on the world. And you know, it's not technologically impossible to blow anything out of space with a rocket, simple as programing target coordinates. Now, when they happen to design a laser, which can do the same effect, that is when I will start to worry. -Cheers, SN 8-)

[Woodlouse2002]

Personally, I don't see this as a whether or not China has the right to own anti satellite technology, but rather as a deliberate challenge to American authority that is spread across the globe. Before anyone out there give me crap about how this might be a good thing, just remember, although one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter, as long as you live in a 1st world, developed "western" nation this is your terrorist. It doesn't matter what your beliefs are or where your loyalties lie, the only possible outcome is that one day these weapons will be used against you. So unless you live in a deserted village in the middle of the Democratic Republic of the Congo that the Chinese government doesn't even consider worth bombing, don't go blabbering on about how this could potentially benefit you.

Just like North Korea with the detonation of their nuclear bomb, China is trying to recreate another Cold War scenario.

This, of course, dosen't justify some of the questionable actions that America has taken over the past decade, but this DOES put China heavily at fault.

Wrong actually. Aside from supporting various communist nations when America attacked them China has never threatened the western world like Russia was deemed to have done during the Cold war. The only country they want to be rid of is Taiwan. But thats no different from the Americans wanting to be rid of Cuba.

Why are you trying to make everything come out to being Anti-American?  The Soviets have done it too, but I don't see you saying anything about the Russians, Kazakhs, Ukrainians...

I'm not trying to make everything come out as being Anti-American. It's just that the the American reaction amuses me considering that they did exactly the same thing, ignoring exactly the same protests.

[Chris_F]

Wrong actually. Aside from supporting various communist nations when America attacked them China has never threatened the western world like Russia was deemed to have done during the Cold war. The only country they want to be rid of is Taiwan. But thats no different from the Americans wanting to be rid of Cuba.

I do find one significant difference:  China believes Taiwan has no right to exist as an independant country and believes it should be part of China.  The US believes Cuba should be an indepenant democratic country and should not be communist.  The US isn't looking to add Cuba to its tax base.

Frankly I think the US stance on Cuba is out dated.  It made sense as an anti-Communist proliferation policy, but now that it's pretty clear Communism has gone by the wayside (even Communist countries like China aren't entirely Communist anymore) I think the US could stand to cut Cuba a little slack.  Not a lot, but some.  We'll soon see if the post-Castro era brings any change or not.

As for the reaction to shooting down the satellite: It sounds to me like simple typical geo-politics.  Country A does something, country B and C use it as an opportunity to lodge a protest probably motivated by a need for leverage in debate on an entirely seperate, unrelated topic.  Who knows, the objections to the China test could have more to do with wheat subsidies and steel tarrifs than actual weapons proliferation.

[ATI_7500]

We'll soon see if the post-Castro era brings any change or not.

Hopefully not, otherwise Cuba would be sold out to amercian companies in a blink of an eye.
It could be a bit laxer in regards of reign over there 'though, but giving up their political ideals entirely would let the country tumble down into poverty and the classical rich/poor divide.

[Woodlouse2002]

We'll soon see if the post-Castro era brings any change or not.

Hopefully not, otherwise Cuba would be sold out to amercian companies in a blink of an eye.
It could be a bit laxer in regards of reign over there 'though, but giving up their political ideals entirely would let the country tumble down into poverty and the classical rich/poor divide.

Hopefully it won't be too soon before we have to see what happens.

[Chris_F]

let the country tumble down into poverty...

That's a good one!

[ATI_7500]

That's a good one!

It wasn't intended as a joke.

[Stormtropper]

There is no such thing as creating a weapon without hostile intentions.If you build a weapon, you intend to use it one day.

...and you know whay we say "we like China"? because we want their shoes. Nothing more, nothing less.

...and America being the most powerful nation in the world, and being the policeman of the world...setting up the rules and regulations that only favor America? Is this fair to the rest of the world? No (to be honest, being an American, I can say that I couldn't care less about this part...screw the rest of the world as long as my ass is safe.) ...but someone out there has to be, in retrospect, the position was open to every country out there...but America just won out. And if you look at it from a more rational perspective, this is a very good thing, because as long as you play by the simple rules, there will be gurranteed peace.

Is China hostile? That is a very definate yes. If you would look at Korea, Vietnam*, China's constant harrassment of Taiwan, and the EP-3 Spyplane incident...which, in my personal opinion, was an act of war. After all, they shot down an American aircraft over international waters, took the crew prisoners and seized the aircraft.

*Not only the Vietnam War itselft, where China supplied massive amount of weapons and supplies, but also dressed Chinese soldiers in NVA uniforms and reinforced the NVA...and just years later, completely stabbing Vietnam in the back by invading them twice.

[Ravang]

To be fair, no one has a real, reliable anti-ICBM system.

...apart from my IGBM (Inter Garden Ballistic Missile system) with which I remove the Local Annoying Helicopters.... ;)...!

Paul... 8-)...!

Paul, I need a favor, can I "borrow" your IGBM for the bloody helicopters the are buggering around my my house at 10:00pm >:(

[expat]

As for the reaction to shooting down the satellite: It sounds to me like simple typical geo-politics.  Who knows, the objections to the China test could have more to do with wheat subsidies and steel tarrifs than actual weapons proliferation.

Good point Chris, first bit of lateral thinking on this thread.

Matt

[dcunning30]

[quote]Why are you trying to make everything come out to being Anti-American?

[expat]

Why are you trying to make everything come out to being Anti-American?  The Soviets have done it too, but I don't see you saying anything about the Russians, Kazakhs, Ukrainians...

I've observed quite a bit of subtle, and some not-so-subtle Anti-American sentement going on in this message base.

That is the price that America has to pay if it wants to be and I have no doubt that it does, the worlds policeman. America does what it can to promote American interests be it political, business to terror linked. You cannot blame her, but you can blame those in charge. When people post something Anti- American, you can 9 times out of 10 replaced those words with "Bush". Sorry but the US will have to get used to the fact that most other nations would prefer 10 Clinton's to 1 Bush, but yet then She most likely wont and will carry on regardless.

Matt

[Fozzer]

To be fair, no one has a real, reliable anti-ICBM system.

...apart from my IGBM (Inter Garden Ballistic Missile system) with which I remove the Local Annoying Helicopters.... ;)...!

Paul... 8-)...!

Paul, I need a favor, can I "borrow" your IGBM for the bloody helicopters the are buggering around my my house at 10:00pm >:( >:( :P

Rav...
...you are more than welcome, Mate... ;)...!

It's always nice to meet another fellow Helicopter Destroyer enthusiast... :-*...!

Every time I look out of my window there is one of the bleedin' things chuffing around, hovering (less the 500 feet AGL... :o...!), rattling my teeth, and my cups, saucers, and glassware.... >:(...!

Everyone enjoys a nice, quiet Cessna 150 floating gently overhead... ...
...but when a Helicopter appears, everyone gets their IGBM Launchers* out of their garden sheds... ...!
...trust me......!

Paul...Oh, for a quiet, peaceful life, free of bloody Helicopters!... ...!

LOL... ...!

* Keep an eye out for your Postman...(Extra missiles included)......!

[dcunning30]

[quote][quote][quote]Why are you trying to make everything come out to being Anti-American?