Quicksand Fans

The Future Belongs to Those Who Show Up
SAL weighs in over at USNI Blog

Yeah
Part of me is hoping I don't live to see the 2nd Version of the Battle of Savo Island. Because it's gonna turn out about the same fucking way

Scary...

I think they're officially following in the footsteps of Stalin. My prediction is current government won't even exist by 2050.

Back when Proceedings was a thing you subscribed to and got in the mail (circa 1990) none of this was new. It was all laid out. By adults
What we have now, and what you see, all can be traced back to there. But HEY! No more Cold War! Lets blow money on retarded stuff and not listen to anyone who's a professional. And nearly 3 decades later, we are in deep shit. But not that that makes the news. Too busy with stuf. Not shiny enough. And just in case there's confusion? If this shit starts for real? We don't have the shipbuilding capacity any more to fix this quickly. That was another little bit that got overlooked in the stoned, after party of the 90s.

Not to sound too alarmist, but it reminds me of the post-war following the First World War... everyone was in a darned hurry to dismantle and scrap their militaries in the wake of a horrible, destructive war that few were ready when the Axis started to march. Then it was a big scramble to catch up.

Was the lesson learned? Nope. Post WW 2 and the big rush to dismantle the military machines happened again... despite the obvious menace of the Soviets... leaving the west scrambling to counter aggression in Korea...

Always makes my head shake how people keep forgeting the lessons of history.

The difference is Germany wasn't dependant on exports to their adversaries.

China's entire economy is based on importing raw materials and exporting cheaply made goods. If they were actually stupid enough to start shooting at us (and, by extension, our allies) the inevitable trade embargo would wipe them out economically and literally starve them, since 25% of their food supply is imported (mostly from the US).

They can yell and rattle sabers all they want but as long as someone has the balls to call their bluff they aren't a real threat.

PM2K wrote:Not to sound too alarmist, but it reminds me of the post-war following the First World War... everyone was in a darned hurry to dismantle and scrap their militaries in the wake of a horrible, destructive war that few were ready when the Axis started to march. Then it was a big scramble to catch up.

Was the lesson learned? Nope. Post WW 2 and the big rush to dismantle the military machines happened again... despite the obvious menace of the Soviets... leaving the west scrambling to counter aggression in Korea...

Always makes my head shake how people keep forgeting the lessons of history.

It may be not so much forgetting lessons as learning the wrong lessons and forgetting that things are ALWAYS more complicated that\n they appear. The rush toward disarmament after WWI was due in large measure to the understanding that the arms race that preceded it was part of the cause. After the second war the desire to disarm was due in large measure to economic exhaustion (except in the USA), and the fear of an economic crash. For the USA, the political reality left no other option - any politician not facing that would have been instant history.

Fred588 wrote:

PM2K wrote:Not to sound too alarmist, but it reminds me of the post-war following the First World War... everyone was in a darned hurry to dismantle and scrap their militaries in the wake of a horrible, destructive war that few were ready when the Axis started to march. Then it was a big scramble to catch up.

Was the lesson learned? Nope. Post WW 2 and the big rush to dismantle the military machines happened again... despite the obvious menace of the Soviets... leaving the west scrambling to counter aggression in Korea...

Always makes my head shake how people keep forgeting the lessons of history.

It may be not so much forgetting lessons as learning the wrong lessons and forgetting that things are ALWAYS more complicated that\n they appear. The rush toward disarmament after WWI was due in large measure to the understanding that the arms race that preceded it was part of the cause. After the second war the desire to disarm was due in large measure to economic exhaustion (except in the USA), and the fear of an economic crash. For the USA, the political reality left no other option - any politician not facing that would have been instant history.

Well said. Thanks for the perspective. I am a little rusty in my history.

PM2K wrote:

Fred588 wrote:

PM2K wrote:Not to sound too alarmist, but it reminds me of the post-war following the First World War... everyone was in a darned hurry to dismantle and scrap their militaries in the wake of a horrible, destructive war that few were ready when the Axis started to march. Then it was a big scramble to catch up.

Was the lesson learned? Nope. Post WW 2 and the big rush to dismantle the military machines happened again... despite the obvious menace of the Soviets... leaving the west scrambling to counter aggression in Korea...

Always makes my head shake how people keep forgeting the lessons of history.

It may be not so much forgetting lessons as learning the wrong lessons and forgetting that things are ALWAYS more complicated that\n they appear. The rush toward disarmament after WWI was due in large measure to the understanding that the arms race that preceded it was part of the cause. After the second war the desire to disarm was due in large measure to economic exhaustion (except in the USA), and the fear of an economic crash. For the USA, the political reality left no other option - any politician not facing that would have been instant history.

Well said. Thanks for the perspective. I am a little rusty in my history.

Thanks. An excellent example of my last line above is Winston Churchill. Here was a war leader who had warned with amazing accuracy what was coming and led the UK and British Empire through the war rather well. He was, however, voted out of office a few weeks before it ended (in the Pacific). The people no longer wanted a war leader. Yes, he was elected again later but things then had changed again.

The thing is, a decision to go to war, is never rational. Germany's largest trading partner in 1939 was... France
And when they kicked off Barbarrossa, the troops heading east let trains with goods on them past going WEST. China is indeed at the mercy of the west, and if we just put Wal-Mart out of business alone, the screams would be heard here without amplifiers. But again, it's not rational. And this fetish they have with thinking they so-awesome and wanting Taiwan back , has a better than average chance of starting something stupid down the line