Thread: Forced Tk, Racism, and the AWOL group

Okay, let's be cool. I started it, I apologize. Let's just keep it cool.

Russia is a threat due to they are reverting back to a communist regime again and cranking up their military.

2007 Marks a Year of Russian Muscle-Flexing

2007 was a year in which Russia deployed new weapons, withdrew from a major European security treaty, and held a widely criticized election campaign, all while continuing to enjoy economic growth and a stronger currency. VOA Moscow Correspondent Peter Fedynsky looks at a year of Russian muscle-flexing.

At the Moscow Air Show in August, Russia signaled an intention to revive its commercial and military aviation industries, which fell on hard times after the Soviet collapse. Just days before the exhibition, one of the planes on display, the TU-160 strategic bomber, took to the skies again on orders of President Vladimir Putin.

Mr. Putin said he decided to renew round-the-clock strategic air combat patrols as he announced 14 bombers accompanied by support planes and refueling tankers had already taken off that day.

Russia's strategic aviation had been grounded due to economic difficulties in the 1990s.

The Kremlin engaged in a flurry of other publicized military activity - deployment of an upgraded missile defense system around Moscow; ongoing construction of three new nuclear submarines; military exercises with China; air force maneuvers over distant oceans. Other moves put foreign countries on notice - Kremlin suspension of a key European security treaty and a threat to deploy nuclear weapons near Poland. This - in response to a U.S. proposal for a missile defense system in Central Europe to guard against a possible Iranian missile attack.

But in remarks to VOA, independent Russian military analyst Alexander Khramchekhin said the rebuilding of Russia's military is more public relations than reality.

"The move," says Khramchekhin, "is partly an attempt to resolve a psychological complex, in other words, to show that Russia has become as strong as before. It is, he says, largely a propaganda campaign for domestic rather than foreign consumption."

Military imagery was, indeed, used by the ruling United Russia Party in a TV ad during the recent parliamentary campaign. The commercial featured fighter jets, President Putin in a flight suit, and elite troops with guns in hand.

The Kremlin, however, went beyond imagery to assure control of parliament in a December 2 election.

Riot police used force to disperse opposition campaign rallies and opposition leaders were jailed. The opposition was also denied access to nationwide TV, and its campaign literature was confiscated. These and other violations were noted by European election observers.

The president of the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly, Goran Lennmarker, pointed to President Vladimir Putin's campaign on behalf of the ruling United Russia Party.

"The merging of the state and political parties is an abuse of power and a clear violation of international commitments and standards," he said. "The other point is that the media showed a strong bias in favor of the president and the ruling United Russia Party."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (File)
Vladimir Putin
The Kremlin claims credit for reviving the Russian military and economy, and President Putin says leadership continuity is needed to assure further success. Kremlin control of national media assures no one will challenge such claims. And continuity was virtually guaranteed when Mr. Putin supported Dmitri Medvedev as the next president. Mr. Medvedev returned the favor by asking Mr. Putin to become prime minister.

Given such control by the ruling elite, opposition presidential candidate and former chess champion Garry Kasparov withdrew from the race, calling the presidential election "a farce."

"It's not the end of the world; it just shows that this game is a fake not only on the day of the election with the election fraud, but at every stage of this process," he said.

In June, the Kremlin tightened its grip on Russian energy production, pressuring British Petroleum to give up its stake in Siberia's Kovykta field, one of the world's largest gas deposits. And as energy exports continue to boost Russia's economy, its people this year began saving more rubles and selling off U.S. dollars.

In more good news for the Kremlin, Russia won its bid for the 2012 Winter Olympic Games and a research submarine planted a Russian flag on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean at the North Pole in a bid to claim vast undersea oil deposits.

Such Russian muscle-flexing this year was accompanied by a mini-sensation in August, when the Kremlin released photographs featuring … the muscles of a bare-chested President Putin on a fishing trip.
VOA News - 2007 Marks a Year of Russian Muscle-Flexing

China, not only are they completely ignoring the Global Warming situation but there way too secretive. Cant be good.

I find it hilarous that we still call the Russians, The Kremlin

Originally Posted by Nuke

Now all that remains is for Russia to fling its shit at another nation.

That's the American way I believe

Originally Posted by Mihail

Soviet jets from Manchuria, running intercepting and patrol roles over northern north korea is hardly a offensive role, especially when they it involves the air defense from b-29 bombers. At no time, was any soviet pilot flying over non communist land.

Sure.

RAF jets scrambled as Russian bombers join war manoeuvres off Atlantic coast | the Mail on Sunday

Originally Posted by AlphaZero

We are only responsible for everything after 1776. Before that, it was the UK. ANd before that, the Spanish.

You're not particularly responsible for anything after 1776, not because it wasn't your fault, but because of ignorance.

Originally Posted by Nuke

Ah, but we are civilized, and the Native Americans where not. Therefore, their extermination is justified.

:lol:

For my part, I voted USA. It has a more military might than anyone else, has a stupider leader, and are generally more ignorant than anyone else.

Originally Posted by Flawless Cowboy

I find it hilarous that we still call the Russians, The Kremlin

Why?

Sure.

RAF jets scrambled as Russian bombers join war manoeuvres off Atlantic coast | the Mail on Sunday

What exactly are you trying to point out? you quoted me talking about the korean war, this article you just linked is RAF fighters being scrambled to intercept two TU-160's which were in no way trying to be undetected, nor on a scale which should be conceived as anything more then what it was, passing by the UK in route to spain/france, instead of flying over land held by other nations.

Originally Posted by AzH

The Chinese will keep Pyongyang under control.

Hmm... That was the same thing people thought before North Korea tested a nuclear bomb, and China lost face (even though they were and still are a huge ally of North Korea).

I do not think North Korea poses a real threat, though. They are reforming slowly (KIC - Kaesong Industrial Complex, Special Economic Zones, joint collaboration with capitalistic South Korea). Seeing how their economy is extremely fragile right now, they will probably refrain from doing stupid things, seeing how that would most likely be the end of communist North Korea.

Originally Posted by Griffin

Hmm... That was the same thing people thought before North Korea tested a nuclear bomb, and China lost face (even though they were and still are a huge ally of North Korea).

I do not think North Korea poses a real threat, though. They are reforming slowly (KIC - Kaesong Industrial Complex, Special Economic Zones, joint collaboration with capitalistic South Korea). Seeing how their economy is extremely fragile right now, they will probably refrain from doing stupid things, seeing how that would most likely be the end of communist North Korea.

No, I'd have to agree with AzH on this one. North Korea receives a lot of aid from China, which essentially makes them a puppet state. North Korea does not want to lose any of that aid, which I believe they are smart enough to realize that without it their country will fall apart. Likewise, China will not allow North Korea to do anything stupid, as it would indirectly cause the United States to reverse its views about China, which it knows is a big supporter of the North Koreans, which it turn would severely hurt the Chinese economy.

China has North Korea by the balls. And I'm not complaining in the slightest.