Russia, China join against US 'star wars'

[norml]

Russia, China join against US 'star wars'



UPI - Friday, June 17, 2005

Date: Friday, June 17, 2005 8:10:08 PM EST By MARTIN SIEFF, UPI Senior News Analyst

WASHINGTON, June 17 (UPI) -- Russia and China have joined forces in a major U.N. forum to oppose U.S. plans to develop new space weapons. And the move could herald a far more wide-ranging strategic cooperation between the two nations.

Russia and China have joined forces to urge the U.N. Conference on Disarmament to launch a new round of international negotiations to prevent the increased militarization of space. On June 9, the two countries issued a joint working paper calling for the reactivation of the moribund Committee on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space that was discontinued in 1994. The appeal was delivered to the Disarmament Conference in Geneva.

Hu Xiaodi, China's veteran top negotiator, and one of its most influential policymakers on space weapons systems, told the conference, "The recent developments concerning outer space are worrisome and require more urgent efforts to start work on preventing an arms race in outer space... China and Russia stand for the negotiation, at the Disarmament Conference, of an international legal instrument prohibiting the deployment of weapons in outer space and use of force against outer space objects."

Analyst Sergei Blatov writing for the Eurasia Daily Monitor of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation called the Sino-Russian initiative "an apparent strategic partnership" and added that it was "understood to be anti-Washington, due to known joint Russo-Chinese opposition to the planned U.S. National Missile Defense (NMD) program."


The initiative is not likely to get anywhere.



snip



http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story.asp?StoryId=CqRjkWeidCNvZC2LHlwnOAw5HlxnWywnL

[cornermouse]

1. You knew this was going to happen.

Bush's policies are stupid.

I keep hearing things that he considers his father's presidency to be a failed presidency. I didn't consider his father's term to be a high point for this country, but Jr's presidency is much, much, worse. Jr's presidency has hit new lows in governing.

[sweetheart]

2. It won't take much

How to oppose the US death stars? Its rather easy, simply launch a
cluster of nuclear warheads in to space to travel around the earth
like satellites and then to drop out of orbit when necessary. These
series of space-mines could be detonated in space to muck up most of
the US hardware in an area, as well as dropped on to the US itself
in case it is necessary during a bush-started nuclear war.

[mom cat]

8. Nice idea, but what happens when this space junk starts ooching

back to earth? The devil is in the details.

[sweetheart]

11. They'll repross the arms on the space station

Then ALL space activity will become formally military. If the bush
motherfuckers are afraid of nuclear arms in north korea, wait until
they've got a plethora of russian and chinese nukes 100 miles ABOVE
nebraska. Then no country on earth will be further than 100 miles
from the nearest nuclear weapon and bush'll feel safe.

[MisterP]

13. like my black-joke about the new manned orbiter: the only real question

on its design is, "auto or semiauto?"

[norml]

9. Weapons In Space: Dawn of a New Era

Weapons In Space: Dawn of a New Era
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 17 June 2005
06:43 am ET


For more than a decade, the military utilization of space has become all the more important in warfighting. Since the Gulf War of 1991, using space assets has enabled air, land, and sea forces and operations to be far more effective.

Space power has changed the face of warfare. So much so, particularly for the United States, skirmishes of the 21st century cannot be fought and won without space capabilities. That reliance has led to a key action item for U.S. space warriors: How best to maintain and grow the nation’s space superiority and deny adversaries the ability to use space assets.

That fact has prompted arguments as to the "weaponization" of space – from satellites killing satellites, exploding space mines, even using technology to make an enemy’s spacecraft go deaf, dumb, or blind.

Leftover legacy

The White House is now delving into U.S. military space policy and what it sees as the need to reshape current national space policy, a leftover legacy document from the Clinton Administration.



snip



http://www.space.com/news/050617_space_warfare.html

[Algorem]

3. Their insolence will not be tolerated by Bush the Merciless.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. I am sure Jesus would approve of our arming the heavens. Why

does the U.S. feel the need to do such a thing? Are we that sick? Apparently we are. Is there a cure? One would hope. Millions go homeless, without food, medicine, healthcare... and we spend tax dollars on arming space. If that isn't sick sick sick... nothing is. This reminds me of what happened to the Roman Empire. They had their priorities all mucked up as well.... then again, they used lead for plumbing... we are using pesticides, lead, arsenic, mercury, chemicals, coke and so forth to enhance our decision making capacity.

I think we have the Romans beat. :)

[sweetheart]

5. That's why christ was born under a star!!

It is God saying that he wants nuclear weapons in space. That is
why the little drummer boy was so happy, and why christ's disciple
on earth, the bush holy one, is going about god's business.

[teryang]

6. the destabilizing efforts of the American armaments industry

...are so likely to bring about the unconventional kind of nuclear and other special weapons attacks they (the neo-cons) claimed to be "changing America" to defend against.

So-called Homeland Security is completely incapable of defending against the kind of responses that the militarization of space is likely to encourage. This is a domestic police apparratus not a defense agency.

If the bush regime national defense program represented only the looting of the national treasury that would be bad enough, but they are actually endangering our lives and ruining the national security beyond redemption by laying the groundwork for future wars they cannot defend against.

[Jose Diablo]

7. Gosh, this is a exciting development

The exploration and expansion of humanity into space is inevitable, as soon as we can figure out a reason to do this.

True, it would be better if we as humans went to space for the purity of just wanting to do this. But try as we have, we just haven't been able to come-up with a 'profitable' motive.

It may seem pretty self-centered to say this, but being all to human if it takes war or the prospects of overcoming an enemy to motivate humanity to seek the 'highest-ground', space, then so be it.

We do know that for us, humanity, to survive for the long term, we must expand into space. If it takes our war-like nature to motivate this expansion, then it will have to be.

[Frederik]

20. That strikes me as an insane position

"Exciting" is not the word I would use about the Pentagon's space plans.

[oblivious]

21. Yes, it's glorious isn't it. Makes you proud to be human.

See this is what makes us superior to the cockroach. Sure, they can survive a nuclear attack while we can't, but we can destroy the planet. Can they?

Edit: See post #9

[Jose Diablo]

22. What nobody liked Star Wars or Battlestar Galactica

Insane, maybe, but then again why do we have so many wars?

Who is insane? If you define insanity as not being able to see reality, who is insane in this world?

I would submit I am as sane as people get.

[oblivious]

24. Whoa! I assumed you were being sarcastic and was following your lead.

You were serious???

[Igel]

10. The US's space-based weapons are ... for the 20th time ... unlikely to

go anywhere. Much ballyhooed, for decades now, and yet mysteriously absent from public discussion. Lots of discussion of plans, however.

I wonder ... there really are two ways to take "we seek to avoid an arms race." We always assume only a single reading is possible ...

[ElectroPrincess]

12. Silly Me!

Here I thought "space wars" only applied to my colleagues and me fighting each other for the biggest cubicle in the office. :shrug:

[MasonJar]

14. Thank God!

[genius]

15. Should we sent them thank you notes?

[jokerman93]

16. If I know CookooBananas

This is "Cold War - The Sequel" Want to know why Bush and company WANT this to happen? My Goodness Golly Gee! Don't matter if the half the world goes up in flames. It's good for bidness!

We've been sold down the river. Unbelieveable...

[drduffy]

17. imagine...fantasize

space-based weaponry capable of inflicting great harm to specific global sites, capable of defending itself against missle attacks, capable of destroying ICBMs directed against the US. Imagine world hegemony, PAX Americana backed-up by the ability to target and destroy any insolent, uncooperative, resistant 'enemy'.

If I were the American dictator... oops, I mean, President, that's what I'd want. Penultimate power to spread the good news of American Democracy and Christian values.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

18. Another accomplishment by the NeoCon Junta! Pushing Russia and....

...China back together again.

Russia has the nukes, and China has a massive pool of potential military manpower. And between the two of them, they probably have some of the best scientific/mathematical minds in the world.

Gee thanks, NeoCons!

[Frederik]

19. I agree with the Russians and Chinese here

"On June 9, the two countries issued a joint working paper calling for the reactivation of the moribund Committee on Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space that was discontinued in 1994."

Amen.

[burrowowl]

23. When are Americans

going to protest Star Wars?
I mean we are paying for a useless piece of shit, think how much substainable energy research and implementation, health care, etc. could be paid for ....