Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site watmum.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watmum!cdshaw From: cdshaw@watmum.UUCP (Chris Shaw) Newsgroups: can.politics Subject: Re: Better DEAD than RED Message-ID: <152@watmum.UUCP> Date: Tue, 11-Jun-85 04:25:02 EDT Article-I.D.: watmum.152 Posted: Tue Jun 11 04:25:02 1985 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Jun-85 07:41:20 EDT References: <893@mnetor.UUCP> <5642@utzoo.UUCP> <896@mnetor.UUCP> Reply-To: cdshaw@watmum.UUCP (Chris Shaw) Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 36 <> I think that anyone who seriously contends that we are under the threat of Soviet domination is somewhat deluded. The only people under threat of S.D. are (maybe) the Afgans, and various & sundry client states around the world. But seriously, you & me having to learn Russian? Not bloody likely. Soviet (and American) experience abroad has shown that it is no longer possible to hold down a population for very long. Not when the whole population is completely against the idea. One must sincerely question whether any Kremlin or White House boss seriously wants world domination. That's for Napoleons and Hitlers. Historically (my guess only), we are in a period like Europe after 1820. The wars being fought now by the superpowers are not go-for-the-throat battles to the death, but are sorties in a continuous game of chess where nobody but the pawns lose. Europe in 1820 was tired of war, and for about 20-30 years, the only serious fighting that happened was in the building of empires in Asia & Africa. Only when serious power re-alignments happened did serious European wars happen. The unifications of Italy & Germany, for example, upset the British/French power balance, and started serious problems of who was going to run things after all. The result was WW1. The situation now is similar. US & USSR are in the balance, playing a variation of the empire game. The real crack-up will happen when a third power starts to do the same. The only difference between then & now is that if either chess king buys it, we all do. This means we have to be careful. Chris Shaw watmath!watmum!cdshaw or cdshaw@watmath University of Waterloo In doubt? Eat hot high-speed death -- the experts' choice in gastric vileness !