The Russians Are Coming? Really?

Interesting question – should Georgians subdivide based on ethnic distinctions? If so, how about South Carolinians?

In this world, we have finite resources and finite power, so we have to make choices.
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Goldfarb, and the rest of the GOP, are playing GI Joe instead.
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A fine post.

We may understand that the Russia we are dealing with is not the old Soviet Union. But do the Russians understand that? And I am still in no way convinced that the Russians want to do anything constructive about Iran. At least how we would term it. Does Russia really want Iran and the U.S. to have a better relationship? I doubt it.

"If so, how about South Carolinians?"
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I think the those SC'ers that are also GOP'ers would be very much at home in Ossetia.
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It's pretty white...

When Putin has a journalist popped, Klein thinks that's just collateral damage.

No big whoop.

Move On.

"...It's pretty white..."

...

GO WAX OBONGO'S CADILLAC.

"GO WAX OBONGO'S CADILLAC."
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I would, but I already have a job, and I don't need yours...

I think the those SC'ers that are also GOP'ers would be very much at home in Ossetia.
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They've certainly made the place a lot like Ossetia for the rest of us here.

this also means that the wingnuts are beginning to believe that the war on terrah doesn't have legs.

If only we could spin climate change to the GOP into an eco-friendly arms race with the rest of the world. They would get a nice, easy to understand enemy that must be destroyed. We must not have a carbon sequestering mine-shaft gap!

When Putin has a journalist popped, Klein thinks that's just collateral damage.
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Nice-- to folks of this mentality, the US bears more responsibility for the Putin-ordered death of a journalist in Russia than for the collateral damage we have actually caused in Afghanistan and Iraq (to say nothing of the increased mortality, at least in Iraq).
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One might think that people who think like that should be on display in the zoo like some sort of Wingnut Mars. Instead, they've been running foreign policy in this country for the last decade.

What would Bobby Jindal do?

Russia wants to do what's best for Russia, if we seek to be antagonistic what's best for Russia very likely will be what's bad for the U.S.
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We have to stop looking at international politics as a zero sum game, of winners and losers. There's a lot of reasons why negotiations and cooperation will provide for benefits to both sides of the table. Pretty much every country is selfish, but we'll probably all do better cooperating than squabbling, so we should really start moving towards that (in the very broad, general theory of international relations. Sometimes you've gotta be mean, sometimes you've gotta be nice, I'm not talking about specific situations here, just the overall goal.)

Shorter Joe Klein:
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"The Taliban is coming! The Taliban is coming!" alarmist rhetoric?
Si!
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"The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!" alarmist rhetoric?
No!

sneeze, this is the Bush-Cheney hangover:
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We have to stop looking at international politics as a zero sum game, of winners and losers.

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Eight years of "black or white," "with us or against us," patriot or cut-and-runner."
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This simplistic drivel infected every branch of government and every discussion, from foreign policy to the environment.
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It is going to take Obama and his administration a while to get us out of this inane rut of anti-intellectualism that was the hallmark of Bush and Cheney.
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Yes, Virginia, there are gray areas...

If South Carolina subdivides based on ethnic distinctions, I'm going to have to secede. I don't want Mark Sanford and Jim DeMented moving next door to me or trying to marry my daughter.

"the Georgians--whose democracy is an inspiration, but not a vital national interest of the United States"
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This bring up a very important point that was seemingly lost in the "democratize Iraq" battle of years past- since when does "democracy" mean "friendly to American interests?" If you give every Palestinian a vote, does anyone really think they would vote to maintain Israeli oppression over their society? How about the Iraqis, Lebanese, Syrians, or anyone else that the Bush Administration set its "democracy agenda" upon? Given the choice, does anyone think they would side with the American and against their Arab and Muslim brethren?
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Bottom line, democracy is probably the least-worst governing scenario yet devised, but a more democratic society does not automatically make one more accomodating to the Great Hegemony Project. The goal of democratization sounds a lot better in theory than it is likely to manifest itself in practice.
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I'd like to see the Obama Administration focus on more practical goals than democratizing the world.

Oh, and Michael Goldfarb is a tremendous tool.

since when does "democracy" mean "friendly to American interests?
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'When I use a word,' Humpty Dumpty said, in a rather scornful tone,' it means just what I choose it to mean, neither more nor less.
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It is in this same sense that "terrorist" means "whoever happened to be in that building we just blew up."
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You get used to it after a while.
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You're not bucking to be the new language cop, are you?

"They've certainly made the place a lot like Ossetia for the rest of us here."
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Does this mean that Russia is about to attack SC?
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Damn! Lets blame this on Canada, and attack them!

"You're not bucking to be the new language cop, are you"
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Umm, I don't think I am. Never was a big fan of police (at least in America. In Europe they actually make you feel safe instead of oppressed).

I very much agree with every word in this blog post. I think an aliance with Russia would be of great value. We collaborate fully it seems in scientific fields. Why not on earth? America has been brain washed so thoroughly over the past 60 years that it may be impossible to break out of the mind set which conjures images of Stalin when Russia is mentioned. He was Georgian btw. The scenes in the movie Paton when the Russians are celebrating WWII victory and Paton's staff are sitting like church ladies with sticks up their behinds still linger in this country. Russia has experienced a great evolution and is continuing to do so. America has not evolved in regard to Russia. It is stuck in the past.
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I really think a US/Russian alliance could be the greatest in history. I also really believe that it won't happen in my lifetime. I would place the major part of the fault with the US. Next topic of diminished returns for US foreign policy? Cuba?

billecat –

+1 for the obscure Dylan reference.

53_3,
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The Russkies are no threat to South Carolina. The minute they venture out on to I-95, every single one of their vehicles will need an immediate front-end alignment. While stuck, we will lure them into our public schools, where they will lose 30 points off their IQ before the fish fry, which we will taint with some fine Georgia or Texas peanut butter.
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They'll be toast before Governor Sanford even has a chance to deny them unemployment benefits.

Joe- I would say one interest of the United States in Georgia is the BTC oil pipeline. While the value of that interest may be debated and also lead into discussion of energy independence, we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking there's nothing of American interest in Georgia.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan_pipeline
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