2012-09-16, 19:23 | Link #23721 | |
Gamilas Falls
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 46
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2012-09-16, 21:20 | Link #23722 |
Kurumada's lost child
Join Date: Nov 2003
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US arms sales spike to record levels, Gulf leading buyer
Published on 16 Sep 2012 by RussiaToday The world may be terrified of a potential war with Iran, but for arms producers - tensions fear is good business. So it is for the Unites States. According to a recent Congressional Research Service report, within just one year the US has tripled its arms sales and half of what US sold last year went to Gulf states. Published on 26 Aug 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish US weapons sales hit a record high in 2011, according to a congressional report. The country sold $66bn worth of arms last year, tripling the number it sold in 2010. The previous record was $31bn in 2009. The report said that the sales were driven by countries in the Gulf region, where tension centred around potential military action against Iran has been building. The biggest customer for the US arms industry was Saudi Arabia, according to the report. All in all, the US sold 78 per cent of the world's arms in 2011. Russia was a distant second, with $4.8bn in arms sales. Al Jazeera speaks to Richard Weitz, the director for the Centre for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute in Washington DC, about the significance of the latest revelations. 66 billion dollars that no regular Joe will ever see... Am I too paranoid to assume that the military industrial complex is itching to start a war with Iran?
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2012-09-16, 22:08 | Link #23724 | |
Carbon
Join Date: Nov 2003
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As the news said, it has much more to do with the insecurity of the Saudi regime rather than arm sales. I can see why they are nervous after the Arab spring and what is happening to several of their neighbors. Whether this actually providing security or doing the opposite and raising tensions is another topic. Iran is allies with China and Russia. No one is going to benefit from that conflict. EVERYONE is going to get fucked. Yes, it's clear there are people that fanning the flames from both within and outside the USA, but as far as I can tell, profit is not the motive. which is why I'm really nervous on what Isreal and Iran is going to do in the next month. They don't have $$$ in mind. That would make it things predictable, actually For them this is about survival and they're really tense and paranoid
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Last edited by Key Board; 2012-09-16 at 22:20. |
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2012-09-16, 22:38 | Link #23726 |
Carbon
Join Date: Nov 2003
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I spent my childhood in 3rd world muslim country
It was not a happy one but I will tell you from personal experiences, why I think, these outburst often repeat themselves it's because the quality of life is poor... people with lower living standards.. lower education.. lower happiness.. and lower chance to move up in life.. have A LOT more things to be angry about, and they are also much less tolerant. When they get a chance, their pent up frustrations explodes and they become animals price of daily goods go up -> blame minority (in this case, non muslims) -> looting, riots and rapes favorite soccer team loses -> vandalize and loot minority stores some shit happening in Palestine -> protest and take it out on the minority some faulty product was discovered -> blame minority involvement, or maybe the company owner is a minority himself government being oppressive -> tale it out and oppress some other minority Now put yourself in the shoes of a poor unhappy bastard living in middle east. What's your scapegoat going to be?
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2012-09-17, 02:34 | Link #23728 |
Juanita/Kiteless
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: New England
Age: 40
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Someone didn't like what I had to say about Tibet. I reread some of the things I wrote, and I can see how someone might misunderstand some things that I wrote. I said something about the Tibetans wanted their 'land' back but I know it wasn't something so simple as something like China invading the region. I know it involved a lot of political elements and that Communist China made an agreement with them that made their land an autonomous region and sometime in the 1950s there was a rebellion and the U.S. decided not to back them (they did to a minor degree, but they decided not to give them any good backing). The rebellion only made matters worse, but over the years, China has been pretty hard on a lot of Tibetans. The "they want their land back" statement was in regards to many who fled the lands due to oppression who'd like to return to the lands of their people. The statement about "they want those who were killed to be back"; I know the Chinese haven't been wiping a lot of them out or anything, but you have things like some times when monks are tortured and sometimes die from it. I know you have some Tibetans being militant over the years, but I wasn't really talking about the rebels. Tibetan people who fled the region are trying to preserve their culture and do worry about it being preserved in the long run. Maybe what I said wasn't spot on and some things were misleading, but the Chinese government has been pretty hard on a lot of Tibetans over the years and a lot of them are experiencing oppression. I mean, you don't have a very large amount of them fleeing the country over the decades for nothing.
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Last edited by Urzu 7; 2012-09-17 at 04:26. |
2012-09-17, 07:58 | Link #23729 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Probably not in the way you think. If General Electric managed to make 10 billions in profit and paying no tax on it, I am pretty sure than those other corporation will do somethink like that as well.
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2012-09-17, 12:32 | Link #23734 | |
Unspecified
Scanlator
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Unspecified
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In Niger, child marriage on rise due to hunger
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2012-09-17, 15:24 | Link #23735 | |
Unspecified
Scanlator
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Unspecified
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Caught on camera: The 30 metre high tornado of FIRE that whirled around Australian o
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2012-09-17, 16:06 | Link #23737 | |
勇者
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Tesla Leicht Institute
Age: 34
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Opposition Makes Pick in South Korea
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2012-09-17, 16:12 | Link #23738 | |
Nyaaan~~
Join Date: Feb 2006
Age: 40
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So let me address each and every single one of your criticisms and comments: 1) [So if the "Koran condones violence against non-believers" (which is an belittlement in itself) and the believers follow that, it has nothing to do with religion?] -> So do other religions, my point was that it had nothing to do with Islam. I'd also add that non-religious ideologies, although many don't outright condone or encourage violence, could be implied to permit it due to lack of human interest or moral compass. Other nationalistic ideologies or philosophies specifically espoused slavery or subjugation of other nations, societies and people. 2) [If "only written documents" matter, it has nothing to do with religion, like the Pope has nothing to do with the Catholic religion?] -> My point here was specifically: The interests and motives of those that lead organized religions and religious states in the middle east usually have nothing to do with religion and are due to secular concerns. They want to have and/or keep their power. They have very human and very complex motivations that have a long history, some of which may be valid and some of which may be not. 3) [If their ulterior motives are "religious states" (meaning that all people have to object themselves to religious laws) it has nothing to do with religion?] -> I assume you mean "subject" themselves. This is the one comment I have the least to refute with.. simply because I find it hard to believe you really think that the only motive behind attempts at establishing religious states is actually religion? Seriously? How many of the Saudi royal family do you think abide by sharia law? Power, wealth, anger, hate, envy and jealousy -- not motives enough? Do you really think the elite members of these societies are really that devout and are driven utterly by faith? Now, I don't know if you were the one that thought I was a religious apologist or a loon or whatnot, but I'm personally a secular humanist .. I personally dislike religion due to the simple fact that I don't like any "school of thought" that encourages a halt to intellectual curiosity and encourages "faith" However, I believe that before anyone starts making comments on religion or other people's beliefs, I believe first and foremost in thoroughly understanding topics and forming rational and logical arguments. I have mixed (not really) feelings being subject to vitriol for encouraging moderation.. |
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2012-09-17, 16:13 | Link #23739 |
books-eater youkai
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Betweem wisdom and insanity
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Muslim Rage & The Last Gasp of Islamic Hate ( article in Newsweek by Ayaan Hirsi Ali)
http://www.thedailybeast.com/newswee...nal-stand.html And some ''result'' of this article: Newsweek 'Muslim Rage' cover sets off social media. How about sales? http://www.latimes.com/business/mone...,1829373.story Journalists React to Newsweek's Cover http://storify.com/jilliancyork/jour...wsweek-s-cover But the best is from Gawker : 13 Powerful Images of Muslim Rage http://gawker.com/5943828/13-powerfu...of-muslim-rage
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2012-09-17, 16:16 | Link #23740 |
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Author
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 66
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Here's a scientific phenomenon that could start a desert cult skygod religion... (kind of like those volcanic ash lightning storms but this is "right in your face")
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current affairs, discussion, international |
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