I am wondering if all that is going on now is just not a build up to another world war. I mean one has to happen eventually, right? This whole issue in the Caucasus seems to be escallating fast. What do other people think about where this problem will end?

Or was this whole conflict a plot by Dick Cheeney to keep obama from every reaching office?

If at the Kremlin there sat some "nice" man like Yeltsin, Russia would slowly get squeezed into obeisance. Luckily, there are some serious people there, and the US will back down.

However, they will run the next election here on putting the Russians in their place.

Actually, I really think that community has grown up enough to prevent ever beginning of WW.

..unless this awful butcher McKein becomes president. In this case at least cold war will defenetly start

I sort of see Yeltsin like Regan. I.E. Yeltsin was always drunk during his turn, and Reagan was always asleep during his turn.

Anyway, I hope Cos is right and society has matured enough to prevent the escallation of not only WW III but also another 1980esque cold war era.

Reasonable people always believe that politicians who do not scream, have a nice open smile, and do not show too much blood on their shoes, can be trusted to be more rational than drunk drivers.

Unfortunately, history proves that some of the most pleasant and charming leaders, like Marcus Aurelius, John F. Kennedy, or President Carter, when given the power to kill and make war, behave in the most irrational and murderous way.

Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher emperor, had absolute power. So he torture-killed Christians. Why? Because.

In the U.S., presidents have power to make war at will. Absolute power. It has a way to make you irrational. Remember that JFK was ready to incinerate the world over keeping his useless missiles in Turkey. What saved us was poor Kruscev agreeing to do what no great power had ever done before, obey an ultimatum, lose face, lose power.

Why were "the best and brightest" American intellectuals ready to wipe us all out? Why? Because.

Carter decided to challenge very moderate Islamists in Iran and--at the same time-- to make war on the Soviet Union--by financing the mujaheddin in Afghanistan. Why? Because.

The most rational American presidents will make war because they can and it is expected of them. That's why Clinton waged war on Haiti, Iraq, Palestine, East Timor, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo.

So don't hope too much from Obama. There will be war. And sooner or later we will have a repetition of August 1914. No one wanted war, but war came.

Propbably you're right, but..

If McKein comes - the war will start sooner. In Obama's case it'll take much more time to spoil the situation down to the level of war. During thaqt time probably something may change in global powers' allocation


BTW: Krusov took the decision not just because he was so reasonable and wise..( actually, among all the Soviet leaders he is less reasonable and most histeric)
Before that Soviet representatives had a secret meeting with Kennedy's brother, who was well informed in all the issues and played a role of talks holder in US-USSR non-public talks sometimes.. During that meeting it was decided that Turkish missles still will be removed but in half a year after USSR makes the same on Cuba. As we know, everthing was realized as planned...

Sorry, your information is not correct. As agreed to by all American participants in the "negotiations', the missiles in Turkey were obsolete, and the decision to remove them had been made previously.

Stevenson wanted an exchange of missiles, but was attacked as chicken by Bobby Kennedy. They all decided that they could not negotiate missile for missile. It was a matter of face.

They did not expect that Kruscev would accept the ultimatum. They were ready to attack Soviet ships and Cuba. Kruscev accepting the ultimatum was a surprise for everybody. He was attacked as cowardly by the Chinese, lost face, and lost power.

But Turkish missles were removed after Cuba's!

Why'd you say, it was decided in advance ( before the conflict)?

Sorry, I did not see last message until now.

The missiles were obsolete. Before the Cuba crisis it had been decided to take them out of Turkey. A military decision.

The Russians proposed to solve the crisis with a mutual withdrawal. Stevenson, then Ambassador to the UN thought it would be a sensible solution.

The Kennedys however, knew that they would be accused of weakness if, after making the absurd charge that defending Cuba was aggression, they settled the matter diplomatically. There was no mention of TUrkish missiles in the U.S.-Soviet accord, because the idea was to humiliate the Soviets. Humiliating the Soviets was more important than avoiding WW3.

Let me repeat it: Kruscev was not expected to back down, a great power had never done that before.

Nuclear war has more fans today than it was in 1962. Western leaders are even more reckless today, and the U.S. seeks first-strike capability. They want to be able to destroy Russia's and China's missiles on the ground.