New Cold War

[Lucas]

Australia seems to have grown some balls with their harsh stance on Russia, they are sending a nice clear message to Putin that he won't be forgiven quickly for his hindrance into the investigation of the downing of 3 Mc Donalds stores. Ultimately we don't need Russia at all, to think different would be imbecillic.

What we should be concerned about is the possible invasion of Guatamalen pigmys. Regardless of the amount of maccas I eat on the pension this worries me. It should be called an illegal invasion. For every person killed fighting terrorism , there are possibly half a dozen or more terrorists killed alongside them. Yaya. As with the Tasmanian invasion, the Coalition of the Willing killed less civilians than Saddam did on Sundays. Because of my lack of understanding of politics I babble on with all this shit day in day out and have no idea. I think it is my diet.

How many pizzas can my tummy afford to support I ask you, the pension only goes so far?

Hmmm well said mantra I agree for once.

[Super Nova]

Time to stop play games with Russia. Gorby is spot on as usual. I don't see this ending well if we continue to rub their nose in the failure of their old system. Russia is protecting it's interest and this is the reason used for most of the wests interventions followed by our own hypocrisy.

This is a major warning that will effect the whole world in a negative way if the leadership in the west does not redress.

Mikhail Gorbachev warns of ‘new Cold War’
, November 8 2014

Tensions between major powers have put the world “on the brink of a new Cold War”, former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev has said.

The 83-year-old was speaking at an event to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.



He accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to “triumphalism” after the collapse of the communist bloc a quarter of a century ago and called for a new trust to be built through dialogue with Moscow.

Mr Gorbachev suggested the West should lift sanctions imposed against senior Russian officials over its actions in eastern Ukraine and added that failure to achieve security in Europe would make the continent irrelevant in world affairs.

“The world is on the brink of a new Cold War. Some are even saying that it’s already begun,” he said.

Mr Gorbachev’s comments echo those of Roland Dumas, France’s foreign minister at the time the Berlin Wall fell.

“Without freedom between nations, without respect of one nation to another, and without strong and brave disarmament policy, everything could start over again tomorrow,” Mr Dumas said. “Even everything we used to know, and what we called the Cold War.”

In a statement on Friday, President Barack Obama blamed Moscow for the current tensions.

Paying tribute to the East Berliners who pushed past border guards to flood through the Wall on Nov 9, 1989, Mr Obama said that “as Russia’s actions against Ukraine remind us, we have more work to do to fully realise our shared vision of a Europe that is whole, free and at peace”.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/worl ... 262053.ece

[Rorschach]

He accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to “triumphalism” after the collapse of the communist bloc a quarter of a century ago and called for a new trust to be built through dialogue with Moscow.

Says to me that Russia is so isolated and out of touch that it has nothing better to focus on because the West hasn't been even thinking about the collapse of the communist block let alone being triumphal about it... The West has been getting on with life.

[Super Nova]

He accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to “triumphalism” after the collapse of the communist bloc a quarter of a century ago and called for a new trust to be built through dialogue with Moscow.

Says to me that Russia is so isolated and out of touch that it has nothing better to focus on because the West hasn't been even thinking about the collapse of the communist block let alone being triumphal about it... The West has been getting on with life.

An isolated Russia is a dangerous thing to have.

We shouldn't roll over but we need to consider the long term consequences of bullying Russia when the west has it's own history of interferences to protect what it thinks is it's own interest.

How many proxy wars have we waged since WW2.

[Rorschach]

He accused the West, particularly the United States, of giving in to “triumphalism” after the collapse of the communist bloc a quarter of a century ago and called for a new trust to be built through dialogue with Moscow.

Says to me that Russia is so isolated and out of touch that it has nothing better to focus on because the West hasn't been even thinking about the collapse of the communist block let alone being triumphal about it... The West has been getting on with life.

An isolated Russia is a dangerous thing to have.

We shouldn't roll over but we need to consider the long term consequences of bullying Russia when the west has it's own history of interferences to protect what it thinks is it's own interest.

How many proxy wars have we waged since WW2.

Their isolation is their fault not ours...

Russia want to annex The Crimea... I hear the tanks rolling already.

[Super Nova]

Their isolation is their fault not ours...

Russia want to annex The Crimea... I hear the tanks rolling already.

And what do we do when a people want to democratically go to the west......

[Rorschach]

Their isolation is their fault not ours...

Russia want to annex The Crimea... I hear the tanks rolling already.

And what do we do when a people want to democratically go to the west......

The Ukraine did... now Russia wants them back.

[Super Nova]

Their isolation is their fault not ours...

Russia want to annex The Crimea... I hear the tanks rolling already.

And what do we do when a people want to democratically go to the west......

The Ukraine did... now Russia wants them back.

Wasn't there a vote of the smaller province to join Russia.

Anyway... it's starting to heat up.

Game on.

Russian bombers test West’s defences in new Cold War


Incursions by Russian military aircraft intended to test European and North American defences are back at Cold War levels and hit a peak in the past fortnight, Nato sources said yesterday.

Nato aircraft have been forced to carry out more than a hundred interceptions of Russian bombers and intelligence-gathering planes this year. “This is about three times more than we conducted in 2013,” a Nato official said.

The sorties, thousands of miles from Russia’s borders, combined with the country’s recent military activity in Ukraine, are adding to fears of a wider conflict.

“Multiple” Russian aircraft have flown down the UK coast to Portugal, as well as over the Baltic and Black seas, in the past two weeks, according to Lieutenant-Colonel Jay Janzen, of Nato’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (Shape). “It’s the most activity I’ve seen in two years in this job.”

At the height of the Cold War, there were about 150 interceptions a year, with up to 30 involving RAF jet fighters, Paul Beaver, an aviation expert, said. Russian aircraft are hunting in packs now, he added, in contrast to recent years when single “Bison” or “Bear” bombers approached western air space zones.

The confrontational missions have emphasised the muscular approach favoured by President Putin, diplomatic sources said. “Obviously, we don’t think they’re going to attack us, but it all adds to the concern that Russia now sees itself as our adversary,” one added.

Most of the intercepts this year have occurred in international air space over the Baltic Sea, in the air corridor between Kaliningrad and mainland Russia. Nato has deployed fighter jets to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as “quick-reaction” units.

Russian bomber missions have also been spotted off the Californian and Canadian coasts, and approaching the territorial air space of Britain and other Nato countries. Norway has been singled out for aggressive activity. Sweden, not a member of Nato, searched in vain recently for a suspected Russian submarine in its waters.

In September, US and Canadian fighters intercepted eight Russian bombers and escorting aircraft. Two of the bombers were turned away within 40 miles of the Canadian coast.

General Philip Breedlove, Nato’s supreme allied commander Europe, said last week that larger formations of Russian aircraft were taking “a more provocative flight path”, but there had not yet been hostile confrontations, such as “locking-on” to Nato aircraft radars.

“My opinion is that they are messaging us that they are a great power,” he said at a Pentagon briefing. Yesterday, he added that Russia had moved equipment “capable of being nuclear” into Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Moscow in March.

President Putin and President Obama held their first face-to-face conversations since June yesterday. Attending the Asia-Pacific summit in China, they spoke three times, for a total of under 20 minutes.

A White House source said that they briefly touched on Ukraine, Syria and Iran, on the day that Russia signed a landmark deal with Tehran to build two commercial nuclear reactors. Both Russia and Iran are feeling the effects of international sanctions.

David Cameron said on Monday that, while Britain does not seek a new Cold War, “Russia’s actions pose a grave danger to the rest of Europe”.

The crisis in Ukraine has been the catalyst for the instability. Last night an international monitoring mission to Ukraine said that, despite a ceasefire agreed two months ago, fighting between government forces and Russian-backed rebels was worsening.

The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe reported yesterday that 43 unmarked military trucks — ten of them towing heavy artillery pieces and rocket systems — were spotted travelling to the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

In Beijing, President Xi emerged from the Asia-Pacific summit with a reinvigorated bid for regional dominance, an unmistakable challenge to the US, and plans for a new order of global commerce. The two-day meeting has crackled with unspoken tensions.

Mr Obama and Mr Putin were unable to conceal the signs of mutual mistrust, while a long-awaited encounter between Mr Xi and Shinzo Abe, the Japanese prime minister, was conducted without a hint of cordiality.

The international television news channel CNN announced it would stop broadcasting in Russia following recent changes in legislation directed against foreign media. The Russian government controls all major domestic television stations.
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/worl ... 264922.ece

[skippy]

I think the problem is Putin. He's another Hitler. Take out Putin problem solved.

[Super Nova]

I think the problem is Putin. He's another Hitler. Take out Putin problem solved.

he is definitely trying to be the tough guy.

he is ex-KGB so I think the guy is one not to play with. I fear he will be around for a long time.

The risk is at some point he will move from flexing his muscles to delivering blows. The west will not know how the respond... things will escalate.

Like all billies, he needs a good bloodied nose so he thinks twice before he tries again. The problem is people will die... there is no consequence for him unless the people rise against him. he has total control and that is very unlikely.