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height of the campaigns, total defense spending (personnel,
procurement,
operations, etc.) as a percentage of GDP never rose above 5 percent, >>>>> well
below Cold War levels. Today, the base defense budget hovers at 3
percent
or less.

In short, if the U.S. and its allies wanted to do more to contest
these
revisionist powers in the realm of hard military power, they could. It >>>>> is
really a matter of policy choices and priorities.

To take the revisionist challenge seriously requires the American body >>>>> politic to relearn the value of American leadership in defending the >>>>> liberal order it largely created after World War II. It requires
political
leaders to make the case for the benefits that leadership and primacy >>>>> bring to America. Like an understanding and appreciation of American >>>>> government itself, this is something that every generation of
Americans
must (re)learn. Left untaught, it — and the historical memory of its >>>>> import — will fade.

If there is any “good news” here, it is that recent administrations’
decisions to pull back from America’s traditional leadership role, to >>>>> retrench, and to lead from behind have not resulted in a less
problematic
world. To the contrary, China, Iran, and Russia have all read
Washington’s
reluctance as an opportunity to advance their own plans and have done >>>>> so
in a manner that the American public has noticed. Even absent a major >>>>> confrontation, American politicians may sense greater instability and >>>>> greater prospects for conflict. This may lead them to argue the case >>>>> for
reversing course and, with the help of our allies, obtaining the
benefits
of deterring and containing the revisionist powers. To paraphrase
Tocqueville, when it comes to American statecraft, Americans need to >>>>> relearn the merits of acting on “self-interest rightly understood” —
that
is, not simply looking to one’s immediate interest, but understanding >>>>> that
today’s sacrifice may produce a longer-term and more substantial
advantage.

But the task at hand is even more complex. China, Iran, and Russia are >>>>> political models that, at their core, challenge the idea of liberal
democracy. Each in its own way sees itself in civilizational
opposition
to
the liberal West, of which the United States is the most prominent
exemplar. So the competition cannot be reduced to materiel and arms. >>>>> The
spirited rejection of liberalism — a seemingly inevitable and
repeating
byproduct of liberalism’s success — needs to be met with a renewed >>>>> attachment to liberal democracy and the liberal order it fosters.

What sustained America in its fights against Nazi Germany and the
Soviet
Union was not simply the threat they posed but the view that there was >>>>> something exceptional about our way of life that deserved to be
preserved
and spread, where possible. Ronald Reagan’s call to “tear down this >>>>> wall”
was not so much a specific policy proposal as the spirited advancement >>>>> of
an agenda around which the U.S. and its democratic allies could rally. >>>>>
It may be, as President Obama once suggested, that all nations
consider
themselves exceptional. But by definition they cannot all be
exceptional.
And more to the point, such relativism undermines the sense of right >>>>> that
must ultimately animate any democratic statecraft that aims to be
sustainable over time. In fine, resisting the rise of the revisionist >>>>> powers requires knowledge of the character of those states, an
understanding of the benefits in doing so, a sense of how best to go >>>>> about
the task, and, finally, as Abraham Lincoln might say, a singular
dedication to the proposition that liberal democracy is the most just >>>>> form
of government and that its preservation and advancement is good both >>>>> for
us and for the world.

Bloated and repetitive, it's still a good article. It's also common
sense in its conclusions.

The hottest of these hot spots is of course the South China Sea, which >>>> is very close to Japan, Taiwan, ROK and other lesser nations. It's
also reasonably close to us in Australia but less concerning to us due >>>> to lack of proximity and our protection as a vast island/continent.

America will not stand idly by and let Japan, ROK and Taiwan be
bullied. Japan could produce nuclear weapons in an instant and so
could we if necessary. ROK as well and if push came to shove, so
could Taiwan.

### - iow: (and if ya need it spelled out...) it's either us or them! >>>>>
(ya just can't stop what's coming huh...)

Nice insight there, Slider. Good well considered commentary.

### - well, you weren't 'getting' what i was 'less-academically'
saying/suggesting otherwise, without it perforce all first being
rendered
into some kinda appropriate 'lingo' (hehe) that you could more easily
recognise/get-hold of, instead of intuiting things more as i myself do + >>> always encourage 'you' to do too heh! ('coz it's easier/less
restricting/far-faster you pedantic git lol)

What a patronising and condescending cunt you can be sometimes.

### - ahahahahaha! :))))

Do
you speak to your friends or relatives like this, or anyone in real
life? Good lord...

iow: this (the above article) is what i've only 'been' basically
saying/suggesting all along! and that you always take such objection to! >>> and now here you are nearly agreeing with me instead?! (but only because >>> it's a reasonable argument/observation! right?)

Oh don't be so amazed and ingenuous. I will always agree with facts,
how can I not? Even if a mangy dog spouted a fact, I would agree.

### - but that IS what i've been basically sayin' all along, AND you're
only just getting it now??

meanwhile, let's go back to hating/fearing muslims, chinks & ruskies in
the rest of your 56 denial posts today right?

riiiight... :)

but ok, if you can accept the above as a working premise, a template if
you will, then lol we can 'finally' move on from merely haggling over
'concept' to actually discussing the problem! (at last whew! + lots'a
hahaha's...)

Lotsa bulldust you mean :)

### - lotsa 'patience' with incredibly slow fools ya mean! lol :)))

a 'problem' that utterly presupposes lincolns proposition that liberal
democracy is the most just form of government and that its preservation
and advancement is good both for us and for the world... which, on the
surface of things, at least 'sounds' reasonable enough 'and' has tons of >>> appeal, but to what extent and at just what cost exactly to maybe
'other'
cultures and shit in the process?? and that is until it's applied, for
example, to native americans and we see just exactly what happened (and
what was ultimately applied) to them?? in which case; one *wouldn't* in
the present climate exactly wanna be russian, chinese and/or muslim with >>> THAT lot coming up over the hill atcha' now would ya?! (riiight...)

and 'coz we already 'know' precisely where THAT'S all going don't we!?

bye-bye native americans!

Survival of the fittest unfortunately. Since chimpanzees and humans
branched off the primate line, there have been many many species of
humans - evolution at work.

### - right, so let's just SWEEP all the crap right under the carpet huh??

'coz according to THAT formula it's also bye-bye russians, chinese & the >muslims too?!

No, it's not a "formula" - it's a theory which has stood all tests to
date, therefore is a very good and robust theory. Your other
utterance is not related to evolution - russians, chinese, muslims
(race, race, religion - do you realise what you did?) - we are all of
us the same branch, good old homa sapiens with a few superficial
changes due to adaptation (not evolution) - dark skin for survival
against UV, epicanthic folds on eyes protecting against the cold, and
so on.

For a person with a 160+ IQ you're not thinking very straight are you?

and you really think that's all okay do ya + justify it all that way???

jeeze!

Only we have survived. It's hypothesised that for each of these
extinct species has been eliminated by others, generally the
succeeding evolutionary step until, we come to us. There's evidence
that we shared this world with Neanderthal for a while, but we
probably killed them off, as our preceding species killed off their
predecessors as well. When we evolve into the next big-brained step,
I guess we'll be killed off in turn.

### - idiot! (ps. i sussed-out what happened to the Neanderthals btw; we >literally hunted & ate them into extinction!)

i.e., there was a time when thal-burgers were all the rage hehehe :D

We probably killed them off, true. That's what happens when the next evolutionary step occurs. The next step will likely make us extinct
as well, for their own protection. They won't be human and won't
havre human traits.

It's just the way of nature and the world slider. No need to get your
knickers in a twist over it.

### - well you prolly WONT be saying THAT when those 20+ mega's start
landing on your baldy bonce innit ahahaha :)))

More likely to land on London Brian, than little old Perth. The
targeteers have probably guaranteed 100 MT on London, seeing as
Whitehall is there along with the palace and so on.

truth is... islam ain't actually any good at all this? they're only new
to
all this! thus they're a pushover! russia & china, however, are a
completely different ball game!?

AND... they damn well KNOW what's coming!

What are you on about? If Putin had known what the push back from
NATO would have been after he took the Donbass and poverty stricken
Crimea, he would never have done it.

### - bollocks! am sure he knew 'exactly' what would likely happen!

The consensus is that he didn't and the NATO pushback was unexpected
and unwelcome. You're wrong, Mr 160+ IQ.

AND is 'very likely' well-prepped to deal with it too!

don't be so fuckin' naive thang!

Now, there's a revitalised NATO
presence all through the Baltics, Poland, and right down to Romania
and Hungary. He miscalulated. Putin can't read a crystal ball, nor
can anyone else. You're talking nonsense again.

### - oh sure, he NEVER saw ANY of that coming huh??

Nope. He thought Europe was too disorganised and he was wrong. If
there is war, it will be conventional and Russia cannot win against
Europe let alone if the US and Canada step in.

riiiight...

(lol talk about living IN denial???)

Well at least I am aware of the facts slider.

whoa! did ya see what they just did to their own injuns? and we're
next??
('chatter' hehehe...)

ya see, the problem with the red indians, was that they'd lived their
own
way for sooo very long indeed, and were so completely happy with it,
that
they just couldn't now 'be' reprogrammed to fit into a completely
new/alien paradigm!

of course, our problem now, is that we actually kinda regret wiping 'em
all out? and the fuckin' WAY we did it too?! damn! - and now here's 3
NEW
sets of injuns to deal with as well??

What rubbish. They haven't all been wiped out at all. Same as our
aboriginals, they haven't been wiped out either (just the Tasmanian
ones).

### - oh sure, your aborigines are literally 'thriving' now aren't they??

bollocks! you've virtually systematically eradicated them! and wont stop
till you have!

I have not! I've not killed a single aboriginal in my entire life!
I'm proud of my aboriginal genocide free record!

i.e.,they were doin' just FINE for the last 50,000+ YEARS until YOU lot
came along??

Wasn't it YOU lot? Wasn't it English policy, English migrants,
English settlers, English criminals? Hell, we're still members of the Commonwealth with the Queen's mug plastered all over our currency...

REALLY looked after 'em haven't ya's!!! riiiight...

We had good teachers.

and well am tellin' ya: the russians, chinese and the muslims are next!

and any fucking one ELSE who stands in the way of... 'progress'

and you wanna flip it all off with: oh well that's what happens??

piss off! :)

The Russians are next? With all 7000 of their nuclear warheads, we're
gonna wipe 'em out? Really?

160+? I think not.

so, do we merely resort to type for old-times sake, or... evolve?

You do realise don't you that when we do evolve, the new man will look
at homa sapiens in the same way we look at chimpanzees. And dangerous
chimpanzees at that, with the finger on the nuclear button. It's
likely that when we evolve into the next species, we will be rendered
extinct by the new species.

### - methinks homo-acutus will be wiser (and far more laid >back/understanding) than that, you stone-wielding fucking barbarian you! :)

The next evolutionary step will have a huge forebrain, be able to
think in multiple dimensions, will be able to learn multiple languages
in hours and will have full control of emotions and internal
behaviour. It will not be human and will not be able to be measured
against humans.

It will be to us like we are to chimpanzees.

Surely with your 160+ superhuman IQ you can see this?

put down that fuckin' hammer and pick up a flower you cunt!

(that's what the hippies would have said to ya hehehe) :)

well it's all hanging in the balance currently sport! as though on a
scaffold heh...

just swingin' in the fuckin' breeze lol... our/their whole future &
fate!

meanwhile... back in wallyworld... in the land of the dumbed-down...

Which doesn't include you, right?

### - oh am right here with 'em, right in the very heart of 'em actually...

i haven't tried to avoid it, i just don't... belong ;)

Sure you belong. You're run-of-the-mill welfare recipient leading a
deluded life living off charity. You belong with *that* club.

"Life goes on much the same. In the face of terrifying dangers and
golden political opportunities, people just keep-on keeping-on in a
sort of twilight sleep in which they're conscious of nothing but the
daily-round of work, family life, darts at the pub, exercising the
dog, bringing home the supper, beer, etc, etc."

That's bullshit pure and simple. The majority may well hide behind
such comforts, but even the majority are fully aware of the various
perils confronting the world. The minority, all hundred million or
so, are even more aware of all of the perils confronting us and our
species.

### - they don't HIDE behind them ya twit; that's ALL they fuckin' KNOW???

have 'ever' known actually heh... (which is what orwell is
saying/suggesting)

life in the shire with the hobbits'es is 'real' life huh...

riiiight...

--George Orwell - walking around 1940's London during the fucking blitz
haha ;)

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