:
: Well if New Zealand is ever threatened or taken over by some corrupt dictator let's see who you call out to for help.( Probably that big nuclear packin' USA)Threat, aggression, war, competition.......... POWER!!!
I just love the way you look at the world. The U.S. determines the ant of the game when it ammasses piles of nuclear weapons. It says to all those countries, like China, India and Pakistan who have their sights set on a piece of the global power that you've got to have nuclear weapons to back up what you say, never mind the fact that if anyone uses them the worlds going to end. So what sort of pressure can any country exert in an attempt to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons when the U.S. says "hey, this is our power card and you 'ain't got it" and the French say "we're sick of American hegemonism and so we're going to keep testing and building nuclear weapons - then we'll be equals." Talk about self-fulfilling proficy. Cold War No. II is on it's way.
But I suppose that's always been part of American military policy. Supply arms to pretty much whoever wants them. Wait until internal conflict becomes international then come in with own forces. The U.S. is seen as saving the day. Great money making opportunity as it was during World War II. Good time to stamp U.S mark on the countries involved......
I don't know if I'm really stupid but maybe we should be moving towards less of this machinery of destruction. We've never been at such a point where the global powers are so united or where pressure can be exerted on those who choose power through arms. Alas this pressure can never work when the powers-at-be maintain such hypocritical positions. We want world equality but only if we call the shots. Only if we determine how you should live. The UK tries to slap Indonesia on the hand for their appalling human right record while at the same time selling them jet fighters and while UK companies sell them an array of 'anti-disobedience' weapons and machines.
As for New Zealand, we have no defence relationship with the U.S because of our anti-nuclear stance so in order to give people the feeling that we wouldn't be overtaken by those Commies, or whoever the threat is these days, we had to increase our ties with Australia. They used this situation as a wonderful opportunity to demand that we buy 4 frigates of their, made in their ports, even though there were cheaper and better alternatives overseas, and at a cost of $2 Billion to the taxpayer - How I love politics.
We have to get away from this them and us mentality. More than ever we are in this together. New Zealand (I'm starting to whinge I know) has an ozone hole above it that means we have one of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world. This hole was caused by pollutants pumped into the atmosphere from factories in the North.
The problem is that this system we live under is all about them against us. COMPETITION. That's what capitalism is all about. Now, I believe in healthy competition but competition that squeezes the last out of each employee and puts the bottom-line over everything else is simply not sustainable.
None.
