zaldaus comments

Posted in: Syria surrenders almost half of its chemical arsenal See in context

All this simply makes it easier for the U.S. to invade at a later date. Chemical weapons are a deterrent just as nuclear weapons are. Americans do not want too many coffins coming back home, and in a case of a chemical retaliation by defending forces, the coffins become a very likely cargo. By surrendering the weapons, Syria trades long-term defense capability for short-term diplomatic security. A very unwise move. The U.S. has never honoured international treaties where its own interests were concerned, neither shall it here. The agreement to give up the weapons makes Syria weaker and gives the U.S. the green light to send in more and more "insurgents" and later on to attack with their own troops if they wish.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Australia searches ocean site for possible plane debris See in context

@SuperLib

It is possible for equipment to start malfunctioning or for the nav computer to give out errors in case of a fire. I think the fire scenario is not at all improbable. But we'll have to wait and see now. Hope this debris lead is what they are looking for.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: France bemoans troop shortage for EU force in Central African Republic See in context

They didn't bemoan it when they invaded Libya with special forces troops, but now they suddenly don't have the men? Laughable excuse.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Ukraine severs key ties with Russia over Crimea See in context

The new "government" in Kiev are cutting their own chances of survival.

It's April soon, and they destroy their own chances of a proper sowing season. It will be too late for that soon. They are running around city squares instead of securing ties with Russia and caring for their people's wellbeing, primarily food and fuel supply. Do they truly think the West will supply them with everything? Won't happen.

@ka_chan

"Russia is definitely acting like bullies and thugs. What a pity. But this may get hot."

Russia is only securing the safety of its own people, Russians living in Ukraine. If anything, it is you and people like you that are fueling the mass hysteria for no reason. Good job. If things do get out of hand, you can look yourself in the mirror and feel proud.

@presto345

"They are as dumb as they are fearless. So sad."

You can send a letter to Putin and suggest he hire you as his personal resident advisor. I'm sure your expertise in international politics speaks for itself.

@dcog9065

"If Russia invades the Eastern regions of Ukraine, that has to be the last straw before complete isolation from the international system. This would raise tensions to unbearable levels, but internal strife would tear apart the Russian government in time."

What "international system" is that? The western U.S.-controlled one? Russia can, if it wants to, build its own system. It has before, and will do so again.

As for internal strife, better start preparing for mass protests in the E.U. when the skyrocketing prices of oil and LNG start sending the chickens home to roost. Economically, Russia is in no danger whatsoever. What does the U.S. or E.U. export into Russia that Russians can't do without or cannot get elsewhere? I'd like some examples. As for Russian resources, they can be just as easily exported into China and India in increased amounts. Those two countries will be the happier for it. And it is Europe that is the loser in that scenario.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Crimea moves to join Russia as West prepares sanctions See in context

@CH3CHO

When has the U.S. cared about what the U.N. thinks? And it doesn't matter one bit whether a country is a member of NATO or not. U.S. troops would simply enter and park themselves. And since Russia is under U.S. "supervision", WW3 is quite unlikely. Nobody will be exchanging nuclear warheads over Ukraine, trust me.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan to impose sanctions against Russia over Crimea See in context

@tmarie

"I don't for the life of me understand why Obama and the like are getting their knickers in a knot over this. If they want to seperate and join Russia, that is not "our" business."

It looks like a crazy move, doesn't it? On the surface. You must understand that because of Gorbachev and the liberals that came to power in Russia in 1991, Russia has been under the de-facto rule of the U.S. for all these years since. The Russian legal system and the administration of the country have been under "supervision" of U.S. "advisors", who have a higher diplomatic status even than diplomats. It means they can't be touched, it means they can do anything they want within the country and nobody can harm them or prosecute them, they have full U.S. backing. The situation is the same in the E.U. as well, by the way.

The problem is that these U.S.-sponsored liberal "advisors" have been dismantling the country, slowly but surely. Setting up anti-Russian laws, closing down Russian academies and institutions, dismantling Russian education and healthcare, to name but a few. They've been dictating Russian diplomacy and have slapped Russia on the wrist with a heavy iron rod every time they had tried to defend their interests. Russian impotence in the Yugoslavia and later the Kosovo question, in the Iraq invasion or in the bombinbs of Lybia, all this is the result of outside control.

And it seems that finally Putin felt sure enough in himself to throw the gauntlet and rip Russia away from this outside control. THIS is the issue, and THIS is why the West (i.e. U.S.) is up in arms. Russia has been a U.S. slave for 23 years, and suddenly the slave tries to break the shackles.

And because post-war Europe and Japan are suffering from the same outside control, they have no choice but to follow in American lead.

We'll see whether Putin has the strength of will and the inside support to fight this battle, I personally think there's no turning back to him now at this stage. If he falters and bows down before the U.S., he will lose any and all political value that he has tried to gather over these many years. Russians will treat him as a traitor, and rightly so. The only choice for him is to go on and hope that the support of the nation will be strong enough for him to finally break Russia free from bonds. We'll see.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: U.S. and EU impose sanctions as Crimea turns to Moscow See in context

@fds

"when have you ever heard of 95.5% of an 83.1% turnout "

People in the West really have no knowledge of the life of ethnic Russians in Ukraine (or in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, for that matter).

What happened in Ukraine after 1991 was forced Ukrainization of the country, and especially its Russian-speaking population. You had to learn the new language, and Russian was pretty much banned from official use. Culturally, too, everything to do with the Russian culture was being suppressed and spat on. That doesn't bode well for a country to ignore close to 60% of its population (native Russian-speakers, even if not ethnically Russian).

Naturally, Russian-speakers across the Ukraine felt their rights and cultural identity threatened. And now after what has been happening in western Ukraine, with all the beatings and shootings and lynchings of pro-Russian people, with the Neo-Nazis coming to power in Kiev and controlling the parliament there, the Crimean population simply felt that things have gone too far and unless they did something right here and right now, they'd be in fear of their lives in months to come.

Not at all surprising.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Crimea moves to join Russia as West prepares sanctions See in context

@CH3CHO

I think his plan was to start a civil war there and then, under the mandate of U.N. and/or NATO as a guarantor of Ukrainian territorial integrity, move U.S. troops into Sevastopol or another place on the coast and form a U.S. military base there. That would be the ideal scenario which they envisioned, I think. Remember that this whole "coup" is sponsored mainly by the Americans, the E.U. have a second role in this opera.

After moving in the troops and starting up a U.S. base, anything is possible. They could have envisioned perhaps even a partition of Ukraine along some lines, where both U.S. and Russian troops would guarantee security in their own sector or some such arrangement. The main thing being, the U.S. base in Ukraine would be a reality.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

Posted in: Wild theories fill void left by missing Malaysian plane See in context

@Jim Poushinsky

"If it entered the water at a shallow angle so the fuselage remained intact as it san"

That is extremely unlikely. Experienced investigators and pilots all say that the risk of the plane with underwing engine nacelles disintegrating upon impact with the ocean/waves is close to 100%. Very unlikely it could remain intact. Only planes with rear-mounted engines have any chance of staying intact and afloat long enough to even launch rafts.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Crimea moves to join Russia as West prepares sanctions See in context

@Andreas Bimba

"Russia has returned to its old ways of treating neighbouring nations with contempt analogous to a cat playing with a dying mouse."

Looks like you are wrong. When the Ukrainian people decided to become independent in 1991, Russia treated them extremely generously. Not only were they allowed to cecede, not only were ALL economical, military and logistical assets given to the Ukrainians at no cost, but also Russia generously agreed to pay the Ukrainian part of Soviet international debt. How is that contempt? How is that a cat playing with a mouse?

"The Ukrainian people are not Russia's possessions and are not subservient to Russia and they deserve to be treated as justly and lawfully as any other nation."

The Crimean people are not Ukraine's possessions and are not subservient to Ukraine and they deserve to be treated as justly and lawfully as any other nation.

See, it works both ways.

@sighclops

"You don't just invade a country and call a (rigged) election!"

I'm sure you have proofs of both? The invasion and that the election was rigged? If so, out with it. Opinions from some protesters in Kiev or New York are not accepted.

Besides, we only have your word that it was "rigged". I wonder why international observers present (and there were many) said it was all done lawfully and properly.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Crimea moves to join Russia as West prepares sanctions See in context

@cleo

"If the ethnic Russians in Crimea and other parts of Ukraine were so keen to live in Russia, why haven't they moved to Russia before now?"

Why on earth should they move anywhere? Crimea has been Russian for hundreds of years. Russians live and have lived there for many unbroken generations. Crimea never belonged to the Ukraine until the 1960's, when N.Khruschev "gave" it to the republic due to some anniversary or other. Perhaps he was drunk. We'll never know.

In any case, Crimea is the home of Crimean Russians and if anyone should move out it is Ukrainians. But nobody is asking them to. See, in Russia they respect other nationalities are against fascism in all its forms.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Posted in: Crimea to vote on joining Russia See in context

@Arthur Dumbolov

Well, they are American or European for the most part. And the western propaganda is very good at zombifying its audience. I live in the E.U. and the official media here is strictly controlled by the ruling parties. Varies slightly by region, of course, but the general tendency is the same. Freedom of speech is a very relative concept, you know. It gets more relative the more "freedom" you get. And since they cannot read news in Russian, they only get a one-sided view.

I AM glad though that despite the media blockage of dissenting opinions, there are still a lot of Europeans with a brain in their heads and they understand that fighting Russia on this issue is the equivalent of self-mutilation in the genital area. If the E.U. forces sanctions, they will suffer far more than Russia in the process. The husband wants to deprive the wife of fun, so he cuts his own willy. Congratulations, the Darwin award is forthcoming. Ultimately it's a question of how deeply the current politicians in the E.U. have sold themselves to U.S. interests. Because those interests are the direct opposite of what is good for the E.U. population, and a lot of so-called normal people realise that.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: Crimea moves to join Russia as West prepares sanctions See in context

Heartfelt congratulations to the people of Crimea!

3 ( +17 / -14 )

Posted in: Abe backs Putin with visit to Sochi See in context

@sfjp330

Japan did not attack the USSR in 1941 for reasons that had nothing to do with "friendship" or "loyalty" or even "good will".

Japan stabbed the USSR in the back in 1938 at Khasan and Khalkin Gol. They were beaten, and they simply did not dare to start a war with the Soviets, knowing very well that they could not win that conflict.

That's all there is to it. Besides, USSR was under obligation to its Western allies to help defeat Japan, the Yalta agreement.

So all this talk of "betrayal" is pure nonsense. It was simply payback for something that happened a few years earlier.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: U.S. vows to defend Japan against China See in context

@Gene Wheeler

"My grandfather was, by all accounts, a real son of a bitch. By the logic being applied in this situation, I should be held accountable for his actions - which hardly seems fair to me since I never knew the man. I would hate to have the generations to come be expected to atone for the sins being committed by the current crop of politicians - and that includes the politicians in the states."

As much as you may think it is unfair, it works both ways. You gladly share in the goodwill of people if it stems from your ancestors' good fame, for example, don't you? And you don't turn down that good will, saying "I never knew those people, judge me only by what I do myself", right? Besides, the comparison here is not correct. We are talking about such entities as nations, not individual people. And national memory is amplified millions of times compared to an individual. Good and bad actions will have dire consequences in the minds of the beneficiaries or the victims for many years to come.

Like it or not, your ancestors/predecessors' actions have a great impact on how you are perceived. That is true on both levels, but much more so on the national level. And yes, there is such a thing as national responsibility. This is why Germany is still feeling guilty and trying to make amends.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Unfriendly relations See in context

@ JoeBigs

"You are trying to compare some fantasy tale with the and diplomatic treaty's of nations? That is inane!"

"Diplomacy and treaty's have to be upheld"

That has to work both ways. Did Japan uphold its treaties when it invaded China and South Korea? Did Japan uphold treaties when it committed massacres?

When you behave like a rabid dog instead of a human being, all bets and treaties are off. Now, you have to EARN your neighbours' trust back. Do you understand that? Simply saying "sorry guys, let's just be friends" won't work anymore. You've shown you are something else entirely instead of what they knew you to be. A wolf instead of a sheep. Even when a wolf is not hungry, sheep will try to run away. They do not trust you. It is up to YOU to earn that trust.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: NHK manager's Nanjing denial no problem, gov't says See in context

Only a truly repentant criminal can earn the forgiveness and trust of his former victims.

I see no repentance in Japan. Very little among its populace, and none whatsoever among its politicians.

Where there is no repentance, there is no knowledge of one's mistakes and wrongdoings, there is no way to correct them, there is no way of moving on.

In this setting, history WILL repeat itself. Sooner or later. Unless the whole Japanese nation gets up off their butts and realises what a huge problem this poses, for THEM primarily, not even for the Chinese or Koreans, then I see no other scenario than a repetition of history. And that is quite sad.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Unfriendly relations See in context

@ Thunderbird2

"How would anyone approach the subject in a school? Hmm? Would you sit your 12 year olds down and tell them that their grandfathers or great grandfathers carried out some of the most vile acts seen during the early 20th century?"

Guess what? This is exactly how they approach the subject in Germany. And surprise surprise, it works. By doing so, they have all but eliminated violent nationalism in their country and earned the forgiveness and respect of their former victim nations. Also, in Germany any extremist or violent or excessively nationalistic rhethoric is forbidden by law. That also works. People know the consequences of their actions, and if they might be misled otherwise, as a last resort the court of law is there to remind them of it.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Posted in: Unfriendly relations See in context

@ gokai_wo_maneku

"Japan signed a peace treaty with S. Korea which said "all" issues from the war were resolved. Then a few years later, this issue was brought up."

I'll give you a good analogy.

Say you're a thug. Your neighbour is a guy your age. He has an extended family.

Say now you go and kill his mother and father. And you rape his sister. And you steal his family jewellery and all the money from the house. And then he calls the police and they come get you and beat you up. And you get a suspended sentence. The money is never recovered.

Now, you go up to this guy and say. "Hey, you know I shouldn't have done that. So here, I'll buy you a brand new car, expensive one. But you must sign this paper that all is forgotten between us and never mention any of this ever again."

The guy is devastated, it's all he can do to keep alive. So he signs that slip of paper you hand him and he gets his car.

Do you REALLY think that the issue between you and that guy is over just like that? Do you REALLY think saying sorry once or twice will keep him happy and everything is forgotten?

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: 10 little-known rules for eating Japanese food See in context

Just a heads up for all those arguing about rules and which of them to follow and which not.

Why should any of you actually care? As long as you do not intrude upon your fellow eaters, as has been pointed out already, it's nobody's damned business what kind of table "manners" you have. You go out to have fun and some good food - so enjoy the food and have a good time! Otherwise you become slave to Japanese convention and you perpetuate everything that's wrong with the nation. These "table manners" above don't make or break a relationship or a good night out. So simply ignore them. And if they do.. well that is not your loss!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Russia moves nuclear-capable missiles closer to EU See in context

@lostrune2

In that case, work WITH Russia to include them in the defensive measures. I'm quite sure a collective defense could be achieved. That is, if Russia is not considered an enemy - it would be the logical solution, as the country's borders are close to the potential missile threats and Russia already has a lot of expertise on this issue.

But no. Actions speak louder than words. So long as NATO's actions are aimed at isolating and "containing" Russia and its influence, so long Russia will look at all Western nations with extreme suspicion and act accordingly. It goes both ways, not just one way. If the West is waving a big club in Russia's face with a big smile, Russia will wave one right back. The smile doesn't make the club magically invisible, you know. Especially when it's in your face.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: India outraged after female diplomat arrested, strip-searched in New York See in context

@Madverts

"incredibly outdated, ridiculous and open to abuse the concept of diplomatic immunity really is. It should be abolished IMMEDIATELY."

Be careful what you wish for. The boomerang will come to hit you right back in the face. American officials violating diplomatic immunity of Indian diplomats will cause American diplomats to suffer the same in other countries. It's only a matter of time.

For example, when U.S. secretary of State deputy Victoria Nuland was present during the riots in Ukraine just a couple weeks ago, and publicly expressed her "support" for the affair, she should have been jailed by Ukrainian authorities for inciting violence and insurrection. How would you like that? According to you, it would also be fine if she was strip searched and put into jail with drug addicts. Because what she was doing was criminal.

So have a care, you might find Americans being treated the same way as they treat the rest of the world. And I guarantee you won't like that.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Kerry says U.S. backs Japan's military buildup See in context

@timtak

I have a feeling that humandkind is going in cycles. No matter the amount of atrocities, there will always be warmongering nuts. Just wait a generation or two after a major war, and they'll be there. Never fails. So the maximum amount of time we humans can live in relative peace seems to be 2-3 generations at most. Humans have such short memory.. and hardly any read their history beyond what their official school curriculum demands.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Posted in: Russia moves nuclear-capable missiles closer to EU See in context

@some07791

Then why do you build military bases around Russia's periphery? Isn't having bases in Western Europe enough for you? It's a threat, no matter how much you try to sugar coat it. It's not just that "small countries want NATO", it's that NATO is actively promoting itself and inducing countries to join. Sorry, but this is realpolitik, not some game of tricky treat.

"You and Russia need to get out of this cold war thinking."

The memory of Hitler's invasion is still too fresh. We do not want any more invaders on our soil. You Europeans are poor in resources. Russia is rich in resources. This is why for hundreds of years invader after invader tried to conquer our land. From the Teutonic Order all the way through Polish Commonwealth and their crusades, through Napoleon to Hitler. You'll never trick the Russians into thinking you are a friend. We don't get burned twice, usually. Once is enough.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan to buy stealth fighters, drones and submarines See in context

@minello7

"Wars are always fought for old men by young boys."

It's a fact of life, and 99% of all wars to date in the history of humankind have been so. They want a war precisely because they think (and rightly) they'll be able to do it with other people's blood.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: U.S., Chinese warships nearly collide in South China Sea See in context

@JoeBigs

The U.S. did plenty of the same as well. I remember an incident in the Black Sea in 1986, when USS Caron and USS Yorktown entered Soviet territorial waters and refused to leave. Soviet destroyers had to ram them, destroying parts of their superstructure and nearly missing the missile pods. Only then the American ships left. Plenty others too, but that's one that I saw actual footage of.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Nearly 300,000 Ukrainians rally after EU halts talks See in context

@Madverts

How has Putin bullied Ukrainians? They've been independent for over 20 years now. You'd think they'd get their act together and stop blaming others for their misfortunes, and rather start building a proper country, a home to live in. But instead they seem to be looking for a nice master who'd feed them and keep them warm, rather than doing anything themselves. The vast majority of people in these protests expected to be admitted to EU or at least to get a visa-free policy, so they could migrate into EU for work. Very few actually knew what the whole agreement was about and what consequences it would have for Ukraine's economy. In any case, with Russia they have cheap hydrocarbons and free hand to conquer the huge Russian market with whatever they produce (food, metals, etc). While in EU they would become the net importers and their own industry would die off. EU countries do not want another competitor, they only need a new market for THEIR goods.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Kerry says North Korea's leader reckless, ruthless See in context

@John Occupythemoon Daly

Well the reason is most probably such that they do not want a US base any closer than S.Korea. If Korea was once again unified under a "democratic" pro-US government, that would mean just that many more millions of potential enemies on China's border. Rather have a even semi-tractable friendly country than a pawn of U.S. with enhanced military bases and a bigger border to defend. And I dare say China feels they can pull the strings on N.K., since they completely depend on Chinese aid for food and other supplies.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Russia moves nuclear-capable missiles closer to EU See in context

As long as NATO exists, there will be an underground Cold War. The organization itself is anti-Russian. If their goals would be friendly, as they claim, why then do they take in as members former republics of the Soviet Union? Especially after the promise to NOT do that. Not only that, they form military bases on those territories, right next to Russia's borders. This is encroaching on Russia's sphere of defense and is an unveiled, open threat. No wonder Russians don't trust the West. Everything western countries do is to threaten Russia's very existence.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Protests as France debates divisive prostitution bill See in context

@HonestDictator

should France decide to allow prostitution to be legal, there should be a license and registration

Easier said than done. The criminal underworld is far too powerful and has too many connections, hence they can evade easily such restrictions. The "normal" people who use their services, however, are much easier to spot and to control. Once the fine starts biting, deterring possible customers, the scale of human trafficking and exploitation will be reduced by itself. Fewer customers -> less money for crime bosses -> more competition among criminal ogranizations -> fewer pimps.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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