Iran is a threat that can’t be overlooked

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | 5 comments

Published in Iran, Arab, Arab World, Ayatollah Khomeini, Bomb, Bright Flash, Cards, Crazy Link, Fulfillment, Iran, Islam, Islamic Renaissance, Islamists, Muslim World, New Generation, Osama Bin Laden, Pakistan, President Ahmadinejad

Eventually, the Arab/Muslim world concluded that Westernizing was too burdensome and probably impossible. Since joining the West wasn’t in the cards, licking it seemed another option. A new generation began to eye fundamental Islam as a route to Arab/Islamic renaissance. Enter the Ayatollah Khomeini, followed by Osama bin Laden.
Today, Pakistan has the bomb, and the [...]

U.S. envoy wants Russia to join NATO

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Russia, Atlantic Treaty Organization, democracy, Lifetime Student, Mom, NATO, Nato Member, Nato Members, North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Openness, Ria Novosti, Rule Of Law, Russia, Strategist, Victoria Nuland

The U.S. representative to NATO said Monday she would like to see Russia as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
“Speaking as a mom and as a strategist and a lifetime student and friend of the Russian people, I would love to live in a world where Russia wanted to be a NATO member [...]

Pentagon sees Russia strengthening nuclear arsenal

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Nuclear, Russia, Air Force Officers, Armed Forces, Defense Secretary, Enemies, Nuclear Arsenal, Nuclear Capabilities, Nuclear Weapons, Pentagon, Pentagon Chief, Robert Gates, Russia, Secretary Robert

Russia appears focused on strengthening its nuclear capabilities rather than building up its regular armed forces, which makes maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal increasingly important, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Monday.
The Pentagon chief, speaking to Air Force officers in Virginia, said America’s need for nuclear weapons to deter potential enemies from striking [...]

The balance of global power is changing – and central Asia is key

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Asia, Central Asia, Egypt, Gaza, geopolitics, Global Power, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Mediation, Middle East, Political Stalemate, Power Balance, SCO, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, Syria, Truce, Turkey

In itself, Iran’s recent application for membership of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is probably little more than diplomatic posturing. But coupled with the end of Lebanon’s political stalemate, Turkey’s mediation between Israel and Syria, and Egypt’s attempts to broker a truce in Gaza, it can be seen as part of a new dynamic that [...]

U.S. supercomputer sets speed record

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Nuclear, Alamos National Laboratory, Explosion, Fraction, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Military Problems, Nuclear Weapons, Roadrunner, Scientists, Speed Record, State Bird Of New Mexico, Supercomputer

The new $133 million supercomputer, called Roadrunner in a reference to the state bird of New Mexico, was devised and built by engineers and scientists at IBM and Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico. It will be used principally to solve classified military problems to ensure that nuclear weapons will continue to work correctly [...]

Defense Focus: Makarov’s mission — Part 1

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in general, Armed Forces, Chief Of Staff, Focus, Gloom And Doom, Important Factors, Military Power, Nikolai Makarov, Odds, Russia, Yury

Gen. Nikolai Makarov has replaced tough, old Gen. Yury Baluyevsky as the chief of staff of Russia’s armed forces and has been tasked with rapidly modernizing them — but the odds are against him.
Despite all the stories of gloom and doom about them that regularly appear in the Western media, the Russian armed forces [...]

McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | 2 comments

Published in Crime, general, Chinese Labor, Collapse Of The Soviet Union, Colombian Drug Cartels, Criminal Underworld, Cybercrime, Fall Of The Berlin Wall, Famous Mobsters, Global Crime, Global Gdp, Hodgepodge, Illegal Trade, Insatiable Demand, International Financial Markets, Misha Glenny, Nuclear Material, Open Markets, Organized Crime, Russian Mafia, Service Markets, Tom Friedman, Tom Nissley, Trade Accounts, World, World Organized Crime

In McMafia, Misha Glenny draws the dark map that lies on the other side of Tom Friedman’s bright flat world. That connected globe not only brings software coders and supply-chain outsourcers closer together; it’s also opened the gates to a criminal network of unsettling vastness, complexity, and efficiency that represents a fifth of the earth’s [...]

Mysterious Collapse of Angkor could hold Key to Civilisation’s Success

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Asia, History, 12th Century, 15th Century, Angkor, Burma, Collapse, God King, Hindu, Jayavarman Ii, Khmer Empire, King Of Cambodia, Laos, Monarch, Phnom Penh, Population, Rulers, Sanskrit, Thailand, Vietnam

At its peak in the 12th century, the Angkor kingdom spread across Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, Laos and Vietnam. Angkor is the largest pre-industrial city known to man. So how did Angkor mysteriously disappear?
As archaeologist Damien Evans explains, the team’s findings give a stark warning to Cambodia’s corrupt and greedy rulers, and to modern societies worldwide. [...]

Russia destroys 20 ballistic missiles in 2008 under START treaty

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Missiles, Russia, Arms Control Association, Ballistic Missile, Ballistic Missiles, Delivery Vehicles, Missile Launch, Nuclear Arsenal, Russia, Smf, Start 1, Warheads

Russia’s nuclear arsenal currently totals about 4,147 warheads on 848 delivery vehicles, while the U.S. deploys 5,914 warheads on 1,225 delivery vehicles, according to the U.S.-based Arms Control Association.
Russia’s SMF said U.S. experts had conducted a total of 340 inspections of ballistic missile launch sites in Russia since the START-1 treaty came into force on [...]

Global military spending soars 45 pct in 10 years

Posted by Matt in June 9th, 2008 | no comment

Published in Military, 10 Years, Accounting, Annual Report, Array, Decade, Expenditures, International Peace Research, Military Spending, Pct, Peace Research Institute, Soars, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Sipri, United States, World Military Spending

World military spending grew 45 percent in the past decade, with the United States accounting for nearly half of all expenditures, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said Monday.
Military spending grew six percent last year alone, according to SIPRI’s annual report.
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