Should Russia rearm?

[RSS News]

Russian says it will begin a comprehensive military rearmament from 2011. Is this a new 'cold war'?

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[pastradamus]

Its a waste of time to rearm. Once you got a nuke nobodys your boss. Russia feel threatened because the US is setting up facilities in ex-warsaw pact countries such as Estonia to monitor Russia

[Q]

Poverty, unemployment and social misery are hitting record levels. The last thing we need is waste money on useless stuff that only serves to kill other workers.

[Cohacq]

Poverty, unemployment and social misery are hitting record levels. The last thing we need is waste money on useless stuff that only serves to kill other workers.

And due to this the russians are rebuilding their army to strenghten the Capitalist Pyramid. Remember, the State controls the military, the military supresses the people who want change.

[scarletghoul]

It's not a new cold war, because Russia isn't communist so there wont be such a conflict of ideologies and stuff, but it could be another standoff between superpowers with possible nuclear war yeah

[Pogue]

Poverty, unemployment and social misery are hitting record levels. The last thing we need is waste money on useless stuff that only serves to kill other workers.

This. Re-armament never does us any good, and is just something they rich and powerful spent money on in their petty squabbles.

[JKP]

The people of Russia have every right to defend themselves against NATO/U.S aggression. Furthermore, such weapons will be absolutely essential to defend the revolution if it ever happens in Russia.

It's not the arms, it's who's using it.

[Coggeh]

It's not a new cold war, because Russia isn't communist so there wont be such a conflict of ideologies and stuff, but it could be another standoff between superpowers with possible nuclear war yeah
Tbh , the cold war never was really a conflict of ideologies , but just two imperialist nations doing what imperialist nations do . Its the same standoff it was 30 years or so ago ,its just this time the Americans can't use it as en excuse for another "red scare".Although I wouldn't be surprised if they try.

[Das war einmal]

Tbh , the cold war never was really a conflict of ideologies , but just two imperialist nations doing what imperialist nations do . Its the same standoff it was 30 years or so ago ,its just this time the Americans can't use it as en excuse for another "red scare".Although I wouldn't be surprised if they try.

You're wrong, its true that the USSR was ideologically woring down, but it still DID play a important role in the cold war. Lots of people's movements where supported by the USSR or China.

[Cinemarx123]

The people of Russia have every right to defend themselves against NATO/U.S aggression. Furthermore, such weapons will be absolutely essential to defend the revolution if it ever happens in Russia.

It's not the arms, it's who's using it.

I think it's safe to say it isn't the people who decide to re-arm. What do they have to gain from a nuclear/conventional military build up? These are the actions of nation-states who DO NOT have their people in mind, but only the desire for more influence, a war-time economy, capital generation. Such weapons will be used against any hypothetical revolution in Russia.

Your right about one thing, what matters is who is using the arms. And you can be damn sure it won't be the people.

[JKP]

I think it's safe to say it isn't the people who decide to re-arm. What do they have to gain from a nuclear/conventional military build up? These are the actions of nation-states who DO NOT have their people in mind, but only the desire for more influence, a war-time economy, capital generation. Such weapons will be used against any hypothetical revolution in Russia.

Your right about one thing, what matters is who is using the arms. And you can be damn sure it won't be the people.

It's true that it's the state that going to do it, but since the people are not living in a communist society, how else can they fight back against NATO's encirclement?

[SocialRealist]

I don't think Russia or another nation for this matter should seek the production of nuclear weapons due to the fact it is just pushing us towards the end of humanity when the few decide to create a powerful weapon capable of destroying human life to extinction. Quite honestly when I hear about rearmament policies I sort of tremble in my skin due to the fact I see the world going down the same history repeating path, this would be towards a massive scaled nuclear war of course.

There could possibly be another cold war though if relations between the United States and Russia continue to be on the downturn they currently are. To the poster above who said that there could not be a cold war due to the fact that there is not a conflict of ideologies, I must say that is not true due to the fact a cold war marks a period of time when relations are at war level but a war has not directly started between the nations, this is what the last cold war was.

[Cinemarx123]

It's true that it's the state that going to do it, but since the people are not living in a communist society, how else can they fight back against NATO's encirclement?

The people of both NATO countries and the Russian Federation are irrelevant to the leaders of each. The world of power and influence operates separately from the world of the particular interests of the people themselves. I see no reason to sympathize with Russia against NATO. Russia has just the same sort of imperialist aspirations as the U.S. controlled NATO nations do. They are both as implicit in the suffering of human lives as the other.

As a shitty analogy, if Idi Amin and Suharto got in a fist fight, who would you root for?

Neither I hope.

[DancingLarry]

The only reason WWI happened was because the Socialist parties of Europe abandoned the principle of proletarian internationalism and voted for war credits, much to everyone's shock. The whole reason the bourgeois parties thought they could get away with their saber-rattling and brinkmanship was because they thought the Socialist parties would hold them back when push came to shove. Instead, the Socialists rolled over for the war fever that the bourgeois parties had cooked up for political posturing, and abandoned the working class in order to appear "tough", "patriotic" and "pragmatic". And thus the century of slaughter began.

Arms races never benefit the working classes. As Billy Bragg song says, "We're arming for peace me boys, between the wars."

[himalayanspirit]

I think Russia should give priority to its rising unemployment, poverty and crime. However, it should also keep upgrading its military but with a lesser priority. US is expanding its military bases in Eastern Europe and Russia cannot just sit and watch.

[LeninBalls]

US is expanding its military bases in Eastern Europe and Russia cannot just sit and watch.

Why? Eastern Europe does not belong to Russia.

I don't agree in US' pseudo-expansionism but saying that Russia cannot just sit and watch is unfair on Eastern Europe. They are not Russia's little plaything.

[fabilius]

Why? Eastern Europe does not belong to Russia.

I don't agree in US' pseudo-expansionism but saying that Russia cannot just sit and watch is unfair on Eastern Europe. They are not Russia's little plaything.

Excactly, eastern Europe belongs to the people that live in eastern Europe.

And for those who have said the rearmament is pointless spending, I agree. These gargantuan amounts of money are better used in medical research, arts or just simply food for those who don´t have it.

But the war-lobby will like this.

[himalayanspirit]

Why? Eastern Europe does not belong to Russia.

Sure it doesn't. But with missiles installed just outside the border of Russia, and that too by an imperialist country like US, it is necessary for Russia to upgrade its military for the time, if it comes, when they have to defend their land and people.

And I did not say that Russia should also install its missile in other Eastern European countries; all I am doing is agreeing with the report that Russia is planning to "rearm" itself and upgrade its military.

[Comrade B]

Russia arming is just another western capitalist giant getting an extra toy to hold the world hostage with. I support Venezuela arming, Cuba arming, countries that are threatened by the US and other countries with nukes, but not Russia.

[taytaz]

well obviously in an ideal world we would be free from both the need to arm or re-arm, and the provocations for either of these. If capitalist countries feel a need to expand their spheres of influences to expand their bourgeois society conditions.

It is not an ideal situation for Russia to be put in, or the ideal reaction for Russia to take, but it is possible to understand the reasoning behind these actions, even discarding the strong Nationalist boost that military spending provides to recently 'defeated' populations.

[JimmyJazz]

I swear this was the first try:


http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc101/vtm20002000/russiarearm.jpg

http://www.revleft.com/vb/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc101/vtm20002000/russiarearm.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

[Das war einmal]

Lol I had to try:

Magic Eight Ball

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Essanty/images/8.gif Question: Was Stalin a good leader? Ask Another Question (http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Essanty/cgi-bin/eightball.cgi) RETURN (http://web.ics.purdue.edu/%7Essanty/) to my HomePage

[Woland]

Well, erm...


http://usera.imagecave.com/GM_k/fail-1-1.png.jpg

So yeah, I really don't care, but I hope they get rid of the shit.

[Rjevan]

Also my first try...
Magic Eight Ball

http://web.ics.purdue.edu/~ssanty/images/3.gif
Question: should russia rearm

I'm not in favour of a new cold war but in my opinion it's understandable that the Russians don't sit still and watch the Americans buliding up a rocket shield which is obviously directed towards Russia and watching NATO troops coming closer and closer towards the Russian borders.

So, no, I don't think that Russia should rearm but I also think that the USA should stop it's "silly and childish" (Rice about Putin's policies ;)) provocations towards Moscow.

[AnthArmo]

On one hand, A more powerful Russia would help stop U.S dominance, which is definetly a good thing. On the other hand, they SHOULD be more focused on taking care of their own people.