The World( Russia & China, the E.U.) vs. U.S.

[nascarblue]

What do you make of all these new alliances? Do you think these countries are doing this because of Bush's aggression?(I do) Do you think these new allies will interject in any way in the future considering the accellarating aggression in the Ukraine, Columbia, Valenzuela, etc.?

Ray McGovern- Laughing Dragon, Dancing Bear
http://www.counterpunch.org/mcgovern12182004.html

[purduejake]

1. I think they are getting together for defense...

from us. They're even starting up new military and weapon programs in response to us. Shrub is starting another arms race and people are scrambling to get nukes so we can't just invade at will.

[neweurope]

2. Exactly. At least Europeans are able to read. And we have read PNAC.

I think France was the first to have seen the storm brewing up.

A bounce for my neighboring country
:bounce:

[indepat]

4. Most Americans likely haven't bothered to read such trifles: they get all

the information they need from RW radio, rags, and cable TV.

[Fei Hu]

5. Natural reaction?

IMO the world is just responding to two invasions by the US within three years. The prospect of US troops (or any one nation's troops) in combat all over the globe is certainly a frightening idea. THe response by others is both natural and warranted. Mr. Bush is looking more like a "war-mongering" president than a "war time" president. His poor diplomatic skills, along with the majority of his appointed cabinet isn't helpingg the American cause and the EU has stood up and taken notice of that. With Rice taking over for Powell I see the US admonistration becoming even more isolated from the international community.

[newyawker99]

8. Hi Fei Hu!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Fei Hu]

11. Thank you

Thank you very much for you kind welcome. I am sure i will learn much from DU. Happy New Year to all.

[teryang]

3. American or Israeli attacks on Iran will cement the alliance

...between Russia and China. Both countries have actually let this go too far and should be more active resisting world wide American encroachments. China in particular has been complacent and is too inward looking, a well known national trait embodied in its name.

[Feathered Fish]

6. The elephant is getting old

and the rest of the world sees it as an opportunity to reorganize and find strength. The US has been the one and only superpower for almost 15 years and (of course) now with Bush at the helm, it has become a dangerous superpower effectively making the biggest decisions with the biggest consequences for the entire population of earth.
With the emergence of these new alliances, the US will find it harder and harder to simply impose its own policies on the rest of the world. Hopefully it will bring about a process that is more diplomatic as opposed to militaristic, but that remains to be seen. As for conflicts in South America, I think that these new allies will find it difficult to engage in its future, as the US, imo, will try to protect its own sphere of influence at any cost in the future.

Yes, it is an old elephant and it's getting cranky.

[acmavm]

7. I think (but what do I know) that the Russians and Chinese have no

recourse to join in an alliance because of the overt evidence that the United States (and Britain) intend to make the big mistake of trying to dominate and control the Middle East and also because they rightly perceive this administration as being too arrogant to understand their (OUR) limitations. After everyone tried to warn us about Iraq (Hell, Putin tried to warn us about Afganistan), they had to be watching in amused horror as this administration glibly spouted the justification of the invasion based on the WMD lie. Can you imagine the reaction of the Russian and Chinese governments when the crackpots started talking about the Iraqis throwing flowers at our troops and singing songs glorifying the invasion (for a thousand years no less)? That was an indication that the inmates had truly taken over the asylum. But they already had a clue about these guys after they watched them steal an election. If they would subvert the laws and the Constitution of their own country, it was patently obvious to anyone with any political sense that they wouldn't hesitate to do whatever it took to hijack the government of any other country, especially one with OIL.

And then you have the old 'takes one to know one' rule of thumb. We're talking about two countries that have never been big on human rights themselves. But that being said, watching the justification for Iraq change everyday (WMDs, Saddam had ties to Al Quaeda, freedom for an oppressed people, whatever) and their thumbing their noses at the world community while killing over a hundred thousand people and doing so without any shame or conscience, they were bound to get a clue about the type of nuts that were running things. When the Iran/Syria sabre rattling started, it was obvious that there wasn't an ounce of sense or self-control amongst the neocons. The Chinese and Russians had to do something before their shennigans started to affect them personally, i.e. the possiblity that we have provided covert support to the Chechnyans (sp?) and belligerence over Taiwan. The big mouthed neos, not known for having any subtlety or tact let alone a clue, can't be trusted to keep their noses out of anyone's business, and they're very blatant about it.

Now throw Peak Oil into the mess. The bush** family and their friends are oil people. And oil drives this economy which gives these people almost unimaginable power over us. But they see that there's a limit. The resources are dwindling, at least those that we know about and can get our hands on (one way or another). So we start meddling in countries that used to be controlled by the old Soviet Union. Anyone believing that the Russians will allow us to meddle in the Ukraine without any problems is fooling themselves (in my humble opinion). There will be problems eventually.

Putin plays bush** like a fiddle. One day he supports him, the next day he warns him that the Russian government isn't going to sit idly by and watch Washington (the neocons) jeopardize their control of countries in their own backyard. And I think that both countries depend on the incompetence of this administration. They bank on the fact that bush** & Co. are too stupid to know when they're in over their heads. That's why they aren't screaming out loud over Iraq. Because they know that while we're tied down there in a hopeless situation, they can cement their relationship and watch the power of the EU grow. We used to be able to carry a lot of weight in Europe, but that's gone out the window now as well. So they (Russia and China) sit back and watch their old enemy, because historically that's exactly what we are, back themselves into a corner and create a situation that will turn us into a second-rate power militarily.

I won't even bother with the economics of the situation since it's pretty obvious that China owns most of our debt and everything we buy comes from there. So they're sitting by watching us kill ourselves militarily and economically. And they're laughing their asses off at our stupidity.

[murray hill farm]

12. so well said!!

so simply true...we had a little new years party at our home..and one of the couples who came was a Korean couple who were vacationing on our little island...and he expressed the same view as you have described here...even said that people in Korea believe that bush was re elected because the people know the days of the USA are gone..and reacted in feelings of fear...and blindly believed that bush could fix it or change it...and he also expressed the amazement that bush has not been assassinated by his own people..but fear again.

[BonjourUSA]

9. I don't know anymore if UE vs US is really true.

This year, like the last one, in my family Christmas meeting we talked about your political set. But very many things are changed. Last year, a "compassionate" feeling was shared by almost all of us, but this year the main idea is : "the American people deserve Bush". And the discussion has been very much shorter and very much ironic... For example : What can be so jerk but this country which wants to bring the democracy to Iraq and proportionally needs many more foreign observers for its own election than Afghanistan ? Is it very serious for the so-called "The Greatest Democracy of the World" ?

A very great weariness, I think.

[Karenina]

13. Americans are like cultivated mushrooms.

Kept in the darks and fed heaps of dung.

[bearfan454]

10. They know the US will be economically destroyed very soon.

We are helping them by sending our jobs overseas. Once all the oil producing countries switch their oil currency from the dollar to the Euro, we're wiped out economically.

[bvar22]

14. Realignment AGAINST US Imperialism occurring WorldWide!

Venezuela just purchased 50 Mig Fighters from Russia.
South American and Caribbean Nations are forming Economic Alliances to protect themselves from predatory US trade practices, and are switching to the Euro.

Bush* and the Republicans are HATED Worldwide!

Americans traveling abroad are masquerading as Canadians or Australians to avoid abuse.

It just keeps getting WORSE!

[Fei Hu]

15. The people

I see no need to diguise oneself. From what i see in Europe and I am there frequebtly. The people in the EU (for the most part anyway) are very good a distingushing between peoples and their governments. Americans may need to work on this a bit more (ex: French fires, French toast and French's mustard).