U.S. Air Force Secretary: 'everybody is worried about Russia'

James heard from her counterparts an almost unanimous refrain: None of Russia's activities in recent weeks was a coincidence but rather examples of Moscow's coordinated attempts to intimidate the region.

"I think they're probably right," James says.

Military buildups represent an increase in a country's ability to wage war, James says, citing a long list of recent aggressive actions Russia has carried out in areas that were part of or in the strategic interests of the former Soviet empire: It annexed north Georgia in 2008, then Crimea in Ukraine in 2014. It's steadily increased the quality of its military machinery and quantity of troops it can deploy, and does so, including to Syria last year to offset U.S. influence in the ongoing wars there. And Russia reportedly has a plan to undermine the current pro-West, pro-Europe sentiment in Eastern Europe that informs those countries' economic and security policies.
SOURCE

The turning point in my estimation was Russia's alliance with Iran concerning the Middle East.

Russian-Iranian Cooperation to Bring Peace, Stability to Middle East – Iran's FM

If you look at the news concerning Russia and its talk (and even actions) concerning its military and interests after that day as compared to before it, I think a big change is apparent. Iran is not a superpower, but a Russia/Iran alliance is an elephant in the room that no one seems to want to discuss.

It should be apparent to everyone how real this is.

Point 1

Russia says resumption of Syria peace talks delayed indefinitely

Point 2

"It is time for our Western partners to determine against whom they are really fighting — the terrorists or Russia." - Russian Defense Minister General Sergey Shoigu

Russian Defense Minister: 'It's time for our Western partners to decide whom they're fighting'

Point 3

Turkish army chief holds 'constructive' talks with Russia on Syria: statement

Russia is still talking to Turkey about the situation in Syria while they no longer are talking to Western countries about it. Also, the Russian Defense Minister just made a very apparent ultimatum to Russia's "Western partners." There are other significant factors, but the points above prove the situation is far beyond propaganda.

The U.S. Air Force Secretary just explained some of the concerns about Russia as plainly and realistically as possible, but there are none as blind as those who choose not to see.

a reply to: Profusion

I get what you're saying. But Russia is not an enemy. They have to provide rhetoric for what we've done to hold face. Things are going to change soon, they always speak heavy and so do we. But we've only proxied each other which will probably always be the case.

originally posted by: CriticalStinker
a reply to: Profusion

I get what you're saying. But Russia is not an enemy. They have to provide rhetoric for what we've done to hold face. Things are going to change soon, they always speak heavy and so do we. But we've only proxied each other which will probably always be the case.

You're using an appeal to tradition argument. That's always fallacious, but the bigger problem is that the tradition that you're referring to is no longer being followed. I hope you'll listen to the words of a true expert (Paul Craig Roberts):

Pundits have declared a “New Cold War.” If only! The Cold War was a time when leaders focused on reducing tensions between nuclear powers. What we have today is much more dangerous: Washington’s reckless and irresponsible aggression toward the other major nuclear powers, Russia and China.

During my lifetime American presidents worked to defuse tensions with Russia. President John F. Kennedy worked with Khrushchev to defuse the Cuban Missile Crisis. President Richard Nixon negotiated SALT I and the anti-ballistic missile treaty, and Nixon opened to Communist China. President Carter negotiated SALT II. Reagan worked with Soviet leader Gorbachev and ended the Cold War. The Berlin Wall came down. Gorbachev was promised that in exchange for the Soviet Union’s agreement to the reunification of Germany, NATO would not move one inch to the East.

Peace was at hand. And then the neoconservatives, rehabilitated by the Israeli influence in the American press, went to work to destroy the peace that Reagan and Gorbachev had achieved. It was a short-lasting peace. Peace is costly to the profits of the military/security complex. Washington’s gigantic military and security interests are far more powerful than the peace lobby.

Since the advent of the criminal Clinton regime, every American president has worked overtime to raise tensions with Russia and China.
SOURCE

As far as I can see, the situation in Syria is a new case where Russia has cut off talks with the West concerning what should be done. That is different than what happened in the Cold War. I don't see how anyone doesn't think this is "red alert"-level dangerous.

The Russian Defense Minister just made a very apparent ultimatum to Russia's "Western partners" concerning the situation in Syria. I'm not an expert on the Cold War, but I seriously doubt that ultimatums were being made publicly between Russia and the U.S.

The U.S. Air Force Secretary saying "everybody is worried about Russia" is a huge red flag. I don't know what people are thinking right now if they're ignoring this stuff.

Getting worried is a common part of war. The US has been exporting a lot of war recently. When some profit and exploit many sides of the conflict, it is good to see there are others with enough common sense to see the risks of blow back.

a reply to: Profusion

It doesn't behoove them to engage beyond proxy. Nukes are protected by mad, and they cannot compete conventionally. It's as simple as that. I'm afraid someone stupid would engage them but not vise versa.

a reply to: Profusion

Truthfully its western leaders foreign policy that has caused the problem. Russia had become very cooperative in the post 911 world. They now feel threatened and cornered bybout of control aggressive western policies that not only ignore Russias interests but directly threaten them, and for little reason, save to make some wealthy people wealthier.

a reply to: Profusion

Russia and the Russian people aren't MY enemy. The U.S. Government is the one that is banging the war drums. I settle my differences with others in a more moderated and sane manner than war. We need to let our leaders know we are fed up with their warmongering and international meddling.

I tink another thing to consider is that during the cold war nuclear weapons were still this new phenomenon with "god-like" destructive power, and nobody was really sure how stable the people in charfe of these weapons were or if they were mad enough to utilize them. Because at that time the threats of using nukes was more open to reality due to the lower level of education we had on its long-term effects.

Decades have now passed, the long term effects of nuclear weapon use have been documented, and most of the power in possession do not really seriously contemplate using them the way they originally planned, which is wipe out cities. They have been miniaturized for tactical use, and use on innocent cities is mostly not seriously considered the way it was during the cold war.

As a result, I feel, the real threat of their deployment on all sides is unanimously agreed as low, and we have pretty much gone back to confronting each other with conventional and kinetic means over proxy states and resources and market control of third party nations. For the most part, they are now just the deterrent from one nuclear power invading the borders of another nuclear power. This does not mean they will not strike each others foreign bases or naval fleets, especially in a foreign battleground away from their own borders.

My theory, even if Russia and USA went to official war, they would very much limit their engagements to outside of their borders. I am however growing tired of Turkey playing double agent.

a reply to: Profusion

Вы сумасшедший американцев , мы только убедившись, что дикие и Crazy Guy Трамп становится ваш следующий президент . Мы можем делать бизнес с ним , но эта ужасная женщина является одной из Crazy милитаристской сука !

originally posted by: Zanti Misfit
a reply to: Profusion

Вы сумасшедший американцев , мы только убедившись, что дикие и Crazy Guy Трамп становится ваш следующий президент . Мы можем делать бизнес с ним , но эта ужасная женщина является одной из Crazy милитаристской сука !

My Russian is a bit rusty comrade. English perhaps?

a reply to: Profusion

The Cold War was a time when leaders focused on reducing tensions between nuclear powers

From your quote
When was this? hahahaha this shows someone is an Indigo Delta 10 Tango.The Cold War was the largest escalation ever of both conventional and strategic weapons in the US and the old Soviet Union. There were really no de-escalations until the 90s.
Wise up and stop listening to talking heads trying to make a buck

a reply to: CriticalStinker

You're ignoring all the experts who disagree with you, and you're sticking by your "it doesn't make sense to me, so therefore it won't happen" argument. I base my conclusions and opinions on the evidence, expert opinions, and my own analysis. It's no wonder we're not seeing the same thing here.

a reply to: Gothmog

Roberts gave examples to explain what he was referring to. He was referencing how leaders of the nuclear powers were focused on reducing tensions between themselves during the Cold War. You changed the topic to "escalation of both conventional and strategic weapons."

More weapons do not necessarily mean more tensions. For instance, if a country can destroy the world ten times or a hundred times, does the increase in weapons from being able to destroy the world ten times to a hundred times add to the tensions? I don't see the logic there.

What Roberts was referring to was the leadership of the countries working together to avoid any potential conflicts. The amount of weapons involved is irrelevant to that.

European citizens: 'everybody is worried about the USA/NATO'

That´s the simple truth, people can see who is playing which role in this "game of chess".
And european people can see that a war with russia would happen in europe, far away enough from the USA, but only for the profits of some US circles.

So european people are feared of the warmongering of the USA/NATO, and not the other way around!
At least people that aren´t completely remote controlled by western war proganda, that aren´t believing any "horror-news" about russia, how evil the russians are, and how good only the "democratic" west is...

If the US shadow government(billionairs, military-industrial complex, secret services etc) can´t live without wars, how would it be if these circles would start wars at their own borders?
But that would have a negative effect to the USA, so they rather destroy the world a bit away from the US for the profits of their shadow government members. While the people are distracted with a show-, a smear campagne election rally that simulates "democracy", or what those circles behind the curtains think should "democracy" be like.

People can see that russia is in a defence situation, surrounded and betrayed(NATO eastward enlargement) by the west. I am not saying this because i am a russia fanboy, but because this is the simple truth. If i would love russia, i would live there. If i would love the USA, i would live there. But i live in germany, an US outpost right in front of eastern europe, so we have enough of both, russia and and the US. And too less of germany.

The thing is, living in the state that was the first target for both sides, west and east, in the first cold war, we have a good feeling for what really is going on. We had to live with all that propaganda and spy stuff for decades. The fear to be nuked by our "allies, partners and friends from the overseas", if the russians would overrun germany in minutes. And now we have that situation again.

But this time the majority of the european people is feared because of the behaviour of the west, of the robber barons of the west. That profit from wars, from exploitation of the average people, from betraying them, from lying to them. People are feared of the western robber barons behind the curtains, that only can rule and feel a bit secure with total observation of all people, by playing big brother. To prepare themselves, the so called "elites", for the unavoidable riots that will come, in the war between the rich and the people of the world.

This time it´s the west that fears the people, even if the propaganda tells us it would be the other way round.
Sad that i have to say that as a citizen of the western world.

a reply to: PorteurDeMort

That is broken Russian, probably automatically computer translated with google translator or similar.

You are crazy American, we just "мы только убедившись" doesn't make any sense in Russian. Probably "we are making sure that Trump is becoming your next president. We can do business with him but not with that awful militaristic bitch (Clinton)

a reply to: DerBeobachter

The fear to be nuked by our "allies, partners and friends from the overseas", if the russians would overrun germany in minutes. And now we have that situation again.

From the point of Soviet side of Cold war, I see you are mistaken to think that USSR-Russia wanted to nuke West Germany

USSR was seeing Germany as already defeated enemy, they wanted that "Good" Germans (East) overthrow their "Bad" comrades in the West. Perhaps with the solid 10-20 tanks divisions, but still the occupants would be Good Germans, not Russia itself.
Today the situation is different, there is one Germany and though at the beginning it was neutral to Russia, slowly but surely it is becoming hostile again.
Another fact is that after bourgeois contra revolution of 1991 in Russia today there is apparently no ideological differences between Russia and the West. This is what is thinking Lavrov and some other weaklings surrounding Putin, which even at this low point insisting to call USA as their "partners"

a reply to: CriticalStinker
nukes have been miniaturized, and already used in the ME. Look up the "flying plate" design, esp. the 4 plate design with a plutonium core.
the existence of mini nukes makes war planners think of a continuum, not MAD.

a reply to: pirhanna

They feel threatened? They annexed Georgia and Crimea. Get real. They just want all the glory of the USSR days. If they fealt threatened they never would have entered Syria. I get it though this site is #$@* the US government, but come on.

a reply to: Crumbles

If they fealt threatened they never would have entered Syria.

I do not understand what you mean here. They have been in Syria since the end of WW2, like how the US has been in South Korea since then as well.

originally posted by: PorteurDeMort

originally posted by: Zanti Misfit
a reply to: Profusion

Вы сумасшедший американцев , мы только убедившись, что дикие и Crazy Guy Трамп становится ваш следующий президент . Мы можем делать бизнес с ним , но эта ужасная женщина является одной из Crazy милитаристской сука !

My Russian is a bit rusty comrade. English perhaps?

" Вы сумасшедший американцев , мы только убедившись, что дикие и Crazy Guy Трамп становится ваш следующий президент . Мы можем делать бизнес с ним , но эта ужасная женщина является одной из Crazy милитаристской сука ! "




" You Crazy Americans , we are only making sure that the wild and crazy Guy Trump becomes your next president . We can do business with him , but this terrible woman is one Crazy warmongering bitch ! "

a reply to: CriticalStinker


You would not go to the bother of building bunkers for your entire nation if you believed in MAD.
USA believes in MAD but how Russia looks at it is more grey.