Andreas, I don't understand your comment. Local politics? Do you mean U.S. politics? Are you saying U.S. Politics do not matter? You should read Special Providence, American Foreign Policy and How it Changed the World by Walter Russell Mead, 2002. You should subscribe to Foreign Affairs where Mead is a frequent contributor. At the present time, American Politics are extremely important. None of the Major theorists about International Affairs that I've read recently would think you comment very sensible. Fukuyama would say America's individual concerns might one day be of no more significance than anyone else's, i.e., in a Democratic Liberal-Democratic end of history, but we aren't there yet and for the time being no nation's politics are as important as the America's. Thomas Barnett would agree with him. Huntington would say that at present no nation's politics are as important as the America's, but he thinks China will eventually replace the U.S. in that position. I'm assuming you have some evidence for your assertions, and I'd like to see the evidence. I'd be happy to consider some additional views of the future. Fukuyama seems to have tweeked his view of the end of history in his latest book, America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power and the Neoconservative Legacy. It isn't out yet, but I've pre-ordered it from Amazon.com. Lawrence -----Original Message----- From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Andreas Ramos Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 8:18 AM To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The SCUD in a Box Scenario Oh, Lawrence, here you go again. We went through this last week. Leftists, Rightists, defeatists, traitors, nationalists, patriots, etc... are all local politics and those don't matter anymore because the structure of the economy has changed. yrs, andreas www.andreas.com ----- Original Message ----- From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 7:31 AM Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The SCUD in a Box Scenario >I don't believe that's true. The U.S. Isn't single-minded. It's got its > Leftists who would like to see the U.S. defeated, the descendents of those > who gave "big bad Russia" nukes to aim at us so we would have to aim nukes > at them; they have always wanted to see the U.S. disarmed. It's got its > pacifists who don't want to fight any war with anyone; they would like to > see us get rid of our nukes. It's got its Globalizers, its Wendell Wilkie's > "One-Worlders" whose loyalty is to the world and not to any nation; they > would like to see all weapons kept to a bare minimum and see no need for > Nukes. Our Hamiltonians could want nukes to protect their business > interests abound the world, but with enough assurance that they don't need > them, they could be induced to give them up. Some of our Jacksonians, who > are isolationists at heart, might want to keep them because they pretty much > don't trust the rest of the world and would need a very good reason to give > up the nukes, but they don't trust our government all that much either and > wouldn't be surprised if they were outvoted and their nukes destroyed. > > > > Lawrence > > > > _____ > > From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] > On Behalf Of Paul Stone > Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 7:13 AM > To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: The SCUD in a Box Scenario > > > > At 09:56 AM 2/27/2006, you wrote: > > > > Omar: Is there a scenario for eliminating the US nuclear weapons ? > > Lawrence: When the world is utterly at peace with no more Islamists, no more > rogue states like North Korea or Iran, and a reliable means for checking and > stopping a nation with roguish designs from developing nuclear weapons, the > U.S. would in a Fukuyamian future be willing to get rid of its nuclear > weapons as the last nation who has them. > > > They might be 'able' to do it, but they certainly never WOULD. Do you > actually believe they REALLY disarmed all those thousands of nukes they had > aimed at big bad Russia in the 70s? Of course not, they just re-aimed them. > There will NEVER be a day without nuclear weapons. It'd be too dangerous. > > p > > > > ########## > Paul Stone > pas@xxxxxxxx > Kingsville, ON, Canada > >