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From: reza@ihuxb.UUCP (H. Reza Taheri)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Why are we at war with USSR?
Message-ID: <575@ihuxb.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Mar-84 14:10:03 EST
Article-I.D.: ihuxb.575
Posted: Fri Mar 30 14:10:03 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Mar-84 07:46:03 EST
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   This is true that economic reasons were partly responsible for the
World Wars.  The further left of center you are inclined the more
obvious it becomes.  Jack London wrote The Iron Heel around 1906.  In
that book he predicted coming of a world war caused by the economic
strangulation of Germany by the US and the UK.  I believe that even
conservative politicians admit some economic reasons for the two WWs.

   But there is another economic reason for the US-USSR arms race.
You see, if the US keeps building up its arsenal, the USSR will follow
suit.  Proof?  They have done that in the past, haven't they?  Now,
the US GNP is many times larger than the USSR GNP.  The idea is that
if we make the Soviets spend as much money and resources on the
nuclear weapons as we do, it will affect their economy much more than
ours and eventually will drain their economic system and lead to some
kind of revolt by the Russian people.

   If so, why should USSR follow this lead?  Simple.  Even though they
are tolling their resources more than the US does, they believe that
the race will bring down the US system first.  This is because
Americans have more say in their lives and live in a more open
society.  Even if an American is less affected by the build-up of the
arms race, he is more likely to have a reaction against it.  A chaos
in the US caused by the arms race is going to benefit the Soviet
goals.  Look at the difference between the anti-nuclear movements in
the US and the USSR.

   Comments welcome.

H. Reza Taheri
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