Comments on: Totten and Hanson discuss war and peace

By: Artfldgr

Artfldgr — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:39:32 +0000

And before you say that’s not true, explain to me how Latvia today would be much less contentious of a place among the people if there wasn’t a huge Russian population that Stalin moved in, and large purges to the gulag to move the residents out.

Using immigrant enclaves to hide your people among others is a simple and constant function taken advantage of by closed societies towards open ones. like vines establishing a new foothold in a flowerbed.

By: Artfldgr

Artfldgr — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:37:05 +0000

Sergey,
the point is that he shouldn’t have been drawing up borders, by doing so, you have both sides having to live or find a medium in a situation they never created. which to Stalin was the point, and why when there was no such schism in a country, he shipped away a large portion of the population and moved in a new population to create such a situation for two sides to live with and not be able to resolve. if they drew the lines of borders themselves, they could live with what it ended up as, in the absence of that, they will never settle down until such happens. and that was the whole point for stalin, provide the people with a constantly shifting sand of a surface to live on, so that none could stand on some stable footing and oppose power.

By: Charles

Charles — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:40:12 +0000

Occam;

No PC card playing on my part. I was reading what I thought were otherwise intelligent comments and was struck by an obvious racist comment and called you on it.

For you to answer “you bet.” Well then, no surprise really that you truly do believe that Orientals have “slanted” eyes; and would say yes to it.

Feel free to use whatever “canard” you wish with me. It only shows your own ignorance and rudeness. Not the sort of stuff I expect on Neo’s blog; even in the comments section.

By: Sergey

Sergey — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:35:04 +0000

This paper in “Economist” is somewhat misleading. There were no “arbitrary” dividing of Fergana valley: it almost completely belong to Uzbekistan. It is impossible to divide the land to make mono-ethnic states here, since population distribution is dictated by landscape. Uzbek people are farmers, they live in low lands and river valleys, while Kyrgyz people are highlanders and herders. Tajiks are herders, too, and most are highlanders. Ethnic distribution is patchy, there sizable enclaves of Uzbeks in low mountain slopes with fertile land, and centures old history of hostilities between herders and farmers.

By: Bob from Virginia

Bob from Virginia — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:07:56 +0000

The French have produced a host of keen socio-political analysts, like de Tocqueville, the Marquis de Custine, and now this anonymous french Admiral who describes Europe as lunatic.

I feel androgynous would be a better term.

By: Sergey

Sergey — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:57:30 +0000

This is not the first Kyrgys-Uzbek clashes. In 1990 Osh and Fergana valley were on fire, and Gorbachev deployed troops that stop the pogroms. Kyrgyzstan has too few specialists – geologists, mining and construction engineers – to develop her own minerals. It also is too poor to pay Western engineers.

By: Artfldgr

Artfldgr — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:33:09 +0000

Stalin’s harvest
What lies behind the violence in Kyrgyzstan

http://www.economist.com/node/16364484?story_id=16364484&source=most_commented

and with recent mineral findings, its easy to see why the country, as far as Russia is concerned, either belong to her for the materials, or if not, then not be able to bring them out and to market…

its pragmatic

By: Artfldgr

Artfldgr — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 18:23:54 +0000

The bussing of the b’s
and the radioactive trees
and the glowing water fountains
where the boson springs
and the fermion sings
on that Yamentau mountain.
(sung to big rock candy mountain)

By: Promethea

Promethea — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 17:15:01 +0000

It would be lots of fun to live in Yamentau.

BTW, it’s funny how much science-fiction imagines the scenario that seems to be developing these days. Time to reread “The City and the Stars.”

By: Roy

Roy — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:10:29 +0000

Moss said: “America should move all our troops [h]ome…”

I have lately become just as exasperated as you are, Moss.

More than once I have given in to the emotional side and – especially during the Bush years – thought: “Let’s just bring *all* of the troops home, deploy them on our northern and southern borders and tell the rest of the world to f@#k off and die. I wouldn’t even leave the abandoned bases. I would tear the buildings down and grind up the streets and runways into gravel and ship it all home too. And then sit back and watch the results with glee.

Unfortunately, reality would soon set in and instead of a new peaceful world, it would be like the last years of the Roman Empire – chaos advancing as the legions retreat, followed in a very short time by the barbarians at our own gates.

Still – it would be fun for a short while.