Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think tank
- Thread starter Blackleaf
- Start date
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
Hey, if the U.S. really wanted to beat the crap out of any other two nations on the planet, they could do it. They have the technology, the nukes, the resources, the economic strength, and the manpower, if they really wanted to do it. The U.S. lost in Vietnam because they committed only a fraction of their resources to it; they could have blown the place back into the Stone Age if they'd really wanted to. But they didn't want to, and don't want to do that to anyone else either, for which we should all be grateful. Anyone who doubts that they could is deluded.
We should, in my view, be grateful that the U.S. is as sane and civilized as it is, and that its founding fathers were as wise as they were. They created institutions and safeguards that have protected their Great Republic from leaders who were stupid, ignorant, corrupt, arrogant, even insane; the nation has endured all of that and more, and still for most of its history has been held up as a shining example to the world of all that is best and most noble in human nature. Read the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. The great ringing phrases in those documents are powerful statements of what any free person values most. Yes, sometimes the U.S. fails to live up to the values and virtues that created it, but as Christ said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Yes we should criticize the U.S. when we disagree with its policies and behaviours, yes we should criticize its leaders when we think they're behaving badly, but never forget the ideals that lie at the heart of the United States. I believe they will triumph eventually, because there have always been enough intelligent and forceful people in the United States to force decency upon it. The U.S., for instance, didn't really lose the war in Vietnam as much as it was forced to quit by the revulsion of its own citizens against their government's behaviour. I expect something similar will eventually happen with Iraq.
The U.S. is a global superpower much the same as Britain was in the 19th century, but in the 19th century there was serious competition from other nations. Now there isn't. The U.S. stands alone at the pinnacle as no other nation ever has. Bitch and criticize, sure, with the U.S. you can do that without being shot. Be glad it's as benign as it is.
Hey, if the U.S. really wanted to beat the crap out of any other two nations on the planet, they could do it. They have the technology, the nukes, the resources, the economic strength, and the manpower, if they really wanted to do it. The U.S. lost in Vietnam because they committed only a fraction of their resources to it; they could have blown the place back into the Stone Age if they'd really wanted to. But they didn't want to, and don't want to do that to anyone else either, for which we should all be grateful. Anyone who doubts that they could is deluded.
We should, in my view, be grateful that the U.S. is as sane and civilized as it is, and that its founding fathers were as wise as they were. They created institutions and safeguards that have protected their Great Republic from leaders who were stupid, ignorant, corrupt, arrogant, even insane; the nation has endured all of that and more, and still for most of its history has been held up as a shining example to the world of all that is best and most noble in human nature. Read the Declaration of Independence, and the U.S. Constitution. The great ringing phrases in those documents are powerful statements of what any free person values most. Yes, sometimes the U.S. fails to live up to the values and virtues that created it, but as Christ said, let he who is without sin cast the first stone. Yes we should criticize the U.S. when we disagree with its policies and behaviours, yes we should criticize its leaders when we think they're behaving badly, but never forget the ideals that lie at the heart of the United States. I believe they will triumph eventually, because there have always been enough intelligent and forceful people in the United States to force decency upon it. The U.S., for instance, didn't really lose the war in Vietnam as much as it was forced to quit by the revulsion of its own citizens against their government's behaviour. I expect something similar will eventually happen with Iraq.
The U.S. is a global superpower much the same as Britain was in the 19th century, but in the 19th century there was serious competition from other nations. Now there isn't. The U.S. stands alone at the pinnacle as no other nation ever has. Bitch and criticize, sure, with the U.S. you can do that without being shot. Be glad it's as benign as it is.
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
Maybe it's just me,
but I always thought the U.S. behaved a lot better when Russia was still considered a superpower. Meaning that neither the U.S. or the USSR could just storm into a country and bomb the hell out of it. Admittedly they bombed the hell out of VietNam but they didn't use nukes because both Russia and China said they would retaliate in kind. Bush has said publicly that he would use nukes if he saw fit.
Russia still has half again as many deliverable nuclear warheads as the U.S. I think the U.S. and the USSR are still capable of Mutual Assured Destruction.
I do not feel all that comfortable because the U.S. is the only "superpower". If Canada had something the U.S. needed badly, they would simply come and get it. I don't know that the U.S. is that big benevolent giant that is basically "sane and civilized". The U.S. is run by big oil interests, and they don't give a damn about anyone.
Maybe it's just me,
but I always thought the U.S. behaved a lot better when Russia was still considered a superpower. Meaning that neither the U.S. or the USSR could just storm into a country and bomb the hell out of it. Admittedly they bombed the hell out of VietNam but they didn't use nukes because both Russia and China said they would retaliate in kind. Bush has said publicly that he would use nukes if he saw fit.
Russia still has half again as many deliverable nuclear warheads as the U.S. I think the U.S. and the USSR are still capable of Mutual Assured Destruction.
I do not feel all that comfortable because the U.S. is the only "superpower". If Canada had something the U.S. needed badly, they would simply come and get it. I don't know that the U.S. is that big benevolent giant that is basically "sane and civilized". The U.S. is run by big oil interests, and they don't give a damn about anyone.
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
No #juan, it's not just you. It's me too, and a whole lot of other thoughtful people as well. I'm far from content with much U.S. behaviour over the last 50 years, and as a thoughtful Canadian it's often hard not to be anti-American, but I remain an optimist. At the heart of the American experiment is a core of idealism, and it can be appealed to. I think the present U.S. government is a long way from upholding the ideals of the founding fathers, but so was the Nixon administration, and it was eventually discredited and repudiated by most Americans. And I have to say that every individual American I've ever met, both in Canada and the United States, has been a thoroughly decent person who wants nothing but good things for everybody. With one lamentable exception, a student I met when I was doing a degree at the University of Alberta. Michael G. Steinman, a racist, bigot, and all around fascist asshole of the sort that gives America a bad name all over the world. If you know him, please do the world a favour and shoot him. I will come vigorously to your defence.
No #juan, it's not just you. It's me too, and a whole lot of other thoughtful people as well. I'm far from content with much U.S. behaviour over the last 50 years, and as a thoughtful Canadian it's often hard not to be anti-American, but I remain an optimist. At the heart of the American experiment is a core of idealism, and it can be appealed to. I think the present U.S. government is a long way from upholding the ideals of the founding fathers, but so was the Nixon administration, and it was eventually discredited and repudiated by most Americans. And I have to say that every individual American I've ever met, both in Canada and the United States, has been a thoroughly decent person who wants nothing but good things for everybody. With one lamentable exception, a student I met when I was doing a degree at the University of Alberta. Michael G. Steinman, a racist, bigot, and all around fascist asshole of the sort that gives America a bad name all over the world. If you know him, please do the world a favour and shoot him. I will come vigorously to your defence.
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
I use to love driving through Montana and Wyoming.
I like some of the people.
I hate what they have become.
Dexter Sinister said:
I use to love driving through Montana and Wyoming.
I like some of the people.
I hate what they have become.
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
.Well done Dexter.
I've mentioned before on these forums that both my parents were American, and while I am a Canadian through and through, I also agree that there is an idealistic, Norman Rockwell-ish, core in the American consciousness that makes them generally, good people. Americans, over the last forty years or so have become complacent and are slipping away from those ideals, in that half of them don't even bother to bloody vote. If they did all vote, they might get a better class of politicians. We suffer from an increasing bit of that in Canada. Some of the things that the Americans have done, are doing, get me so pissed I can't raise spit. Reading that you are optimistic, makes me feel better. The Michael G. Steinmans of this world suffer from a possible delivery room accident that happens
now and then when the attending surgeon performing the circumcision, throws away the wrong bit. The resultant "racist, bigot, and all around fascist assholes", if I know the type, richly deserve to be shot. Justifiable homicide, in my estimation.
Dexter Sinister said:
.Well done Dexter.
I've mentioned before on these forums that both my parents were American, and while I am a Canadian through and through, I also agree that there is an idealistic, Norman Rockwell-ish, core in the American consciousness that makes them generally, good people. Americans, over the last forty years or so have become complacent and are slipping away from those ideals, in that half of them don't even bother to bloody vote. If they did all vote, they might get a better class of politicians. We suffer from an increasing bit of that in Canada. Some of the things that the Americans have done, are doing, get me so pissed I can't raise spit. Reading that you are optimistic, makes me feel better. The Michael G. Steinmans of this world suffer from a possible delivery room accident that happens
now and then when the attending surgeon performing the circumcision, throws away the wrong bit. The resultant "racist, bigot, and all around fascist assholes", if I know the type, richly deserve to be shot. Justifiable homicide, in my estimation.
RE: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
The really neat thing about this is power projection. We have an extremely powerful #1 position, and a whole slough of #2-10 positions that lack the ability to fool around over much of the world. With the collapse of the USSR we really have one superpower and a variety of great powers. It makes for a neat geo-politcal world.
The really neat thing about this is power projection. We have an extremely powerful #1 position, and a whole slough of #2-10 positions that lack the ability to fool around over much of the world. With the collapse of the USSR we really have one superpower and a variety of great powers. It makes for a neat geo-politcal world.
RE: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
Good conversation between #juan and
Dexter Sinister.
Rational points.
Good conversation between #juan and
Dexter Sinister.
Rational points.
Re: Britain is world's 2nd-most powerful nation, says think
Back on Topic
I would vote Britain as the World's Number One Friend over any country in the planet. There is no other ally better.
I would vote Britain as the World's Number One Friend over any country in the planet. There is no other ally better.
Everyone forgets the commonwealth nations still in britains pockets ie,Australia S Africa canada etc.
what about britains lasting commonwealth surely that makes us strong globaly with those countries in our pockets.
Hate to give you the bad news ... but the commonwealth is dead. We only share a queen. Ain't we the sentimentalists?
Woof!
Woof!
the whole declaration of independance and the constitution was a cover up for Americas own greed even back then, it was simply an excuse to take more land in the west. So take what they did then and compare it to Iraq and their new oil supplies the united states has never had any values or virtues to speak of.
Lone Wolf,
You'll have to forgive brit empire, he/she is obviously several centuries behind in current events.
You'll have to forgive brit empire, he/she is obviously several centuries behind in current events.
i think you'll find historical events have had a major impact on todays current events, you only have to look at the middle east,kosovo,zimbabwe etc etc.
Of course they have, but that's a far cry from having your former colonies in your pocket today, isn't it?
I have to admire your effort in going back to 2006 to get this post. Slow news day?
So whenever I Brit comes in here just to stir things up with the Canadians and Americans I quote the famous Kinks song...
All the stories Have been told
Of Kings and Days of old
But there's no England now
<chorus> There's no England now
All the wars that were won or lost
Somehow, don't seem to matter very much anymore
<chorus> There's no England now
I completely agree with the way britain is heading, but you have to commend the tolerance that our great nation has towards all faiths and beliefs. Remember it was the british that invited them to your doorstep as well as our own. And you should be gratefull that every step America takes in its oil crusade Britain and her Allies are there to support, because without us America would be firmly on there own.