The Obama Years- A GOP love story

G1 you are a perfect example of what some would call a flock of sheeple. Yes lots of what I reference has been going on the past 30 it so years. That's why I said it was not a political jab at Pres Obama. I was trying to emphasize the march of world culture, that there are political tides with undercurrents that are hundreds of years strong, and when you transition from one strong unchallenged state (the US in this case) to a hegamony of near equal competing states you either find balance and understanding of the conflicting powers ie 1960s to 90s between the USSR and USA, or you find a multitude of powers where an inadvertent action can lead to great calamities, ie the world leading to WWI. I think we are very close to the WWI model right now when you throw the following players together:
China, Russia, Japan, Iran, the. US, and the EU, and a Muslim substate that exists in multiple facets throughout the middle east. You take powder keg zones like Israel /Syria/Gaza, NK/SK, and the Urals around Ukraine, and we either find a new balance or one of the powder kegs goes off.

My point in referencing our President is mainly that he fits in the mold of Woodrow Wilson or Neville Chamberlain in that regard. His ideals are valid but they may lead us right where he desparately wants to avoid.

G1 you are a perfect example of what some would call a flock of sheeple. Yes lots of what I reference has been going on the past 30 it so years. .
LOL, I have heard that before and it is always the saying of the young .I'm almost 12 years older than you .I understand what it is you are getting at I just want to tell you that as time goes on and like it or not it happens to everyone you views do change .Just a note the things I pointed out as you said going on for 30 years, well it's more like 50 or 60 .

LOL, I have heard that before and it is always the saying of the young .I'm almost 12 years older than you .I understand what it is you are getting at I just want to tell you that as time goes on and like it or not it happens to everyone you views do change .Just a note the things I pointed out as you said going on for 30 years, well it's more like 50 or 60 .

It's actually more like all of human history. You don't really get the point if you think that we aren't at an epochal moment in history. We have gone from a bipolar power center in the world to a momentary unipolar one, and what we are seeing now is the emergence of a multipolar world structure, one that our government initiated somewhere during the 2nd Iraq war. Historians will look back better than we do now, and be able to define the point at which US power shifted.

I had to laugh loudly at the "almost 12 years older" comment. I'm not 9 and you 21 or some distinctive note like that. Being 47, with my fair share of world travel, college and military training, and life events, I am pretty confident that my view won't undergo drastic revisions in the next 10 years. Maybe yours will, and I seriously hope so from most of your off-topic discussions, but I feel confident that you will hold on to your sheeplistic attitude and continue to defend that which is by common sense indefensible, argue that the status quo is simply acceptable because it's been the status quo, and so on. Feel free to have the last word if you choose, because I won't continue this engagement with you.

I still don't think they lied ,one hand does'nt know what the other has said or done a total FU but I don't believe they are lying .

On #5) I agree with you but again this has been going on for years and nobody from either party has or will do a damn thing about it .

Well, we have quite a bit of proof that they at least lied to the american people for a few weeks, presumably to avoid what may have been significant bad PR on the foreign policy front for a president running for re-election at the time.

I have a hard time using your excuse for #5 because there are a lot of problems like that and I don't think "well no one else has fixed it either" is a very good excuse. I think majority of the problems (real problems) we face in this country are decades old and still exist because no one has taken the time to actually fix them, and because the general public refuses to hold anyone accountable outside of crafting nicely-worded talking points when it's the other team's guy in office.

To name a few: multiple different infrastructure issues, education issues, poverty, immigration, and any real progress on race issues since the 60's.

I think we are very close to the WWI model right now when you throw the following players together:
China, Russia, Japan, Iran, the. US, and the EU, and a Muslim substate that exists in multiple facets throughout the middle east.

The problem with that point of view is it ignores the significant progress made in relations between us and China in terms of trade and cooperativeness. There are many that view China as a communist-in-name-only country that's on the verge of officially moving into a more democratic state. The idea that we're constantly on the brink of war with China is one that seems to be about a decade or two out of date.

The middle east is an interesting and complex issue to say the least.

its crystal clear to everyone that obama's foreign policy has made this world alot more dangerous place. The instability in the world is directly related to Obama and his staff's policy.


FACT

You cant dispute it.

The problem with that point of view is it ignores the significant progress made in relations between us and China in terms of trade and cooperativeness. There are many that view China as a communist-in-name-only country that's on the verge of officially moving into a more democratic state. The idea that we're constantly on the brink of war with China is one that seems to be about a decade or two out of date.

The middle east is an interesting and complex issue to say the least.

Ok, But you do know the following have all taken place in the last 9 months:
1) Major China/Russia troop maneuvers
China, Russia start joint naval exercise | South China Morning Post (http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1516768/china-russia-start-joint-naval-exercise)

2) Chinese exertion of territorial rights over disputed territories with Japan
China's New Air-Defense Zone Is a Creeping Effort to Assert Sovereignty | TIME.com (http://swampland.time.com/2013/12/04/why-chinas-new-air-defense-zone-matters/)

3) Chinese fighter jets entering Taiwan air space:
China Fighter Jets Enter Taiwan's Airspace - Businessweek (http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-08-27/chinese-fighter-jets-enter-taiwanese-airspacet)

4) China Russia oil pipeline agreement
Russia, China Sign $400 Billion Gas Deal After Decade of Talks - Bloomberg (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-21/russia-signs-china-gas-deal-after-decade-of-talks.html)

5) Brazil, Russia, India and China have formed an alliance a la IMF
BRICS Bank Viewed as IMF Competitor (http://www.voanews.com/content/brics-launches-new-development-bank/2410633.html)

Again, the point being that we moved from the dual power of USSR/USA, which hung ever on an edge but had two main actors, neither were ultimately willing to go that last step, to the Sole power of the USA, but the US is not set up to go it alone as a sole world power, so we have relinquished a lot of the authority/responsibility we shouldered from the late 80's to the mid 2000's. Now the world is moving back to a set of tentative alliances, as you say China likes our money, but might like Russia's oil more. Russia might feel emboldened by China's backing and feel like the two of them together could put Europe on it's heels. There are a lot more uncertainties in a multipolar world, and a lot more chance for miscalculation, which sort of brings me back to my rant and what set it off. When the head of the US is repeatedly saying publicly, we didn't know, or we sent our forces in, but the intelligence was bad, or it was due to xyz failure, it opens the door to opponents thinking that they might slip one by, or make a miscue. If you remember, the start of the first Iraq war - the invasion of Kuwait, has been ascribed to the US seemingly give an offhand approval of the absorption of Kuwait. With one power, you just squash it and go on, like Iraq 1, but in a multi polar world, where Russia and Iran for instance might together not like the idea of a US led invasion of Iraq, the lines become blurrier.

Like I said at the outset, this is my rant. I get that I see things through a certain prism, and I'm not suggesting, as maybe G1 thought I was, that I could do a single bit better, only that it is distressing/discouraging to see us muddle into this new phase, and look cloddish doing it. I like the life the US presents not just me, but my kids, and one day, I hope my grandkids. and to that end I see us on the brink of a turning point, which may very well not have the joyful ending that some seem to imply is an obvious conclusion.

Yeah I get it, and I respect your rant and opinion :)

I don't think China is trying to make enemies with Russia... but if forced to pick between the USA and Russia, I think China is going to pick the USA. And I don't think it'll be close. I think in 10 years people will look at China in a much different way than they do now. And they'll probably still be a decade behind :)

The question isn't really whether China "picks" Russia or US, it's at what point do they think they can bully the smaller nations around them enough to get what they want, and in that bullying, do they miscalculate the response of their neighbors, which triggers a rise that becomes self fulfilling. We see that right now, with Russia and Ukraine, Russia clearly is living in a realpolitik frame, and the question is do they miscalculate. Going further, and this is like an ant telling an aardvark it better be ready for a fight, but Canada of all countries proclaimed that "[they are] ready for confrontation with #Russia if the country expands its ambitions in the #Arctic region." Who do you think Canada would rely on to back them up? (http://rt.com/news/182992-canada-sovereignty-arctic-russia/) Or when Poland sends aid to the Ukrainian Army, who underwrites the ties?

Or when the Japanese mull building a new era fighter jet, Japan mulls building its own fighter jets - Channel NewsAsia (http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/business/international/japan-mulls-building-its/1323186.html), do you think they will fail to protect their interests if China miscalculates? and do you think the US would disown Japanese protection if it got down and dirty fast?

Simply pointing out that compare pre-WWI world, with the current criss cross of political alliances, public and secret, and it's pretty crazy. And if the US leaders think like Wilson, Chamberlain, Carter, I think the US could be in for a rude surprise.

Yeah I get it, and I respect your rant and opinion :)

)

As do I ,I just don't agree with all of it .