Putin might be giving Washington tit for tat by horning in on Washington’s armaments customers, but the decision to sell the Saudis the S-400 is a strategic blunder. Saudi Arabia is a sponsor of the war against Syria, in whose defense Russian lives and treasure have been spent. Moreover, Saudi Arabia is an enemy of Iran. Iran is an ally of Russia in the defense of Syria, and a country whose stability is essential to Russia’s stability. Perhaps even more important, the minute the Saudis get their hands on the S-400 they will hand it over to Washington, and experts will figure out how to defeat it, thus negating Russia’s investment in the weapon and its advantage. The decision to sell the S-400 to the Saudis convinces Washington that Putin and his government are clueless, babes in the woods to be easily run over.
In my opinion, the worst aspect of the S-400 sale is that it erases the moral edge that Putin has gained for Russia over the murderous and ever-threatening West. Now we have Russia putting profits above the Russian government’s professed respect for the rule of law and moral behavior.
Paul Craig RobertsThe Triumph of Evil
31 comments:
“The S-400 air defense system will no doubt be used to pound the starving Yemeni even more.”
Perhaps not. The S-400 is an anti-aircraft system. Do Yemenis have aircraft?
That said, weapons are a huge global business. Humans are always looking for new ways to kill each other. Killing takes precedence over most other considerations. For example, Ukraine may be at odds with Russia, but Ukraine’s biggest weapons customer is Russia.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the world’s 25 largest arms exporters are
[01] USA
[02] Russia
[03] France
[04] Germany
[05] China
[06] U.K.
[07] Spain
[08] Israel
[09] Italy
[10] Netherlands
[11] Ukraine
[12] South Korea
[13] Switzerland
[14] Sweden
[15] Turkey
[16] Canada
[17] Norway
[18] Belarus
[19] Australia
[20] Czech Republic
[21] South Africa
[22] UAE
[23] Finland
[24] Brazil
[25] Portugal
The USA’s biggest clients are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Australia.
Russia’s biggest clients are India, China, and Vietnam.
France’s biggest clients are Egypt, India, and China
Germany’s biggest clients are South Korea, Greece, and their beloved Israel
China’s biggest clients are Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Algeria
The UK’s biggest clients are Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Indonesia
You can see a full breakdown here [.pdf]...
https://www.sipri.org/sites/default/files/2018-03/fssipri_at2017_0.pdf
The world’s biggest buyer of weapons is Saudi Arabia. The Saudis import everything except oil, which means that when the Saudis run out of oil, they will revert to being tent dwelling camel-humpers, which is their true nature.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“It is difficult to understand why in the Western media and among Western politicians there is so much demonization of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, North Korea, China, and Russia.” ~ Paul Craig Roberts
All empires need “enemies” and “threats.” “Enemies” justify the lies, greed, and aggression that hold empires together.
“Obviously, the Yemeni, like the Palestinians, don’t count. Their slaughter doesn’t cause a moral ripple in the West.” ~ Paul Craig Roberts
Roberts is biased against war. ~ Franko
“The worst aspect of the S-400 sale is that it erases the moral edge that Putin has gained for Russia over the murderous and ever-threatening West. Now we have Russia putting profits above the Russian government’s professed respect for the rule of law and moral behavior.”
Russia has no “moral edge.” Russia is simply a competitor, and is the world’s second largest arms exporter.
“An even more immoral and irresponsible development is President Trump’s withdrawal from the INF Treaty. Intermediate range missiles cannot reach the US.”
Europe deserves what it gets for allying with the Empire.
Russia is the biggest exporter of weapons into Africa. A worn torn continent ravaged by imperialism and corruption.
A German company has bought Monsanto and insists glyphosate is safe. The UK government is corrupt and evil, the same with France. Bush one said, sometimes money trumps peace.
“will no doubt be used to pound the starving Yemeni even more. ”
It’s a defensive system.... they may be looking at it to knock down the small missiles being fired on them from the Yemenis...
The S-400 is an anti-aircraft system, not an anti-missile system.
Franko is so dense that he warps the space around him.
”The system can engage all types of aerial targets including aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km. The system can simultaneously engage 36 targets.
@S400: I would need to see a web link before I accepted your false claim.
As I have explained in detail before (in response to a different blog post) there is no such thing as an effective anti-ballistic missile system anywhere in the world. There are only expensive hoaxes.
If you are Franko, have you ever wondered what your life would have been like if you had not been starved of oxygen at birth?
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIM-161_Standard_Missile_3
“there is no such thing as an effective anti-ballistic missile system anywhere in the world.“
Stick with finger painting...
Navy took down an orbiting satellite with SM-3 already 10 years ago.... 22,000 mph...
And we’re on SM-6 now...
"Navy took down an orbiting satellite with SM-3 already 10 years ago.... 22,000 mph..."
Prove it. Incidentally it is easy to know where satellite is at all times, since a satellite travels in a fixed orbit. Not so with ballistic missile warheads.
Last night on a comedy show the host said, "Franko is not stupid. He's just possessed by a retarded ghost."
The audience roared with laughter, and started chanting, "Art major! Get yer munnie back! All of you are unqualified! You are biased against war! Finger painting!"
Lame little cretin.
Just now I saw the link that Franko provided.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIM-161_Standard_Missile_3
This is part of the “Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System” whose missile is made by Raytheon. The missile has failed all tests, just like Raytheon’s “Patriot” missile. Naturally Raytheon denies this, since billions of dollars are at stake. Raytheon, the Missile Defense Agency, and everyone else involved in it have an incentive to lie in order maintain the hoax and the flow of federal dollars.
I recommend doing a Google search with the words “ballistic missile defense” plus “Dr. Theodore A. Postol,” who is a physics professor at MIT. Postol has long explained why ballistic missile defense is a sham.
Or just see the Wikipedia entry on Postol
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore_Postol#Allegations_of_research_misconduct
https://www.army-technology.com/projects/s-400-triumph-air-defence-missile-system/
We test the systems all the time...
Now Franko claims to be a missile tester. Franko is proof that abortion should be mandatory in cases of incest.
That web link claims that, “The S-400 can engage ballistic and cruise missiles within the range of 400km, at an altitude of up to 30km.”
Ballistic missile warheads can fall from orbital and near-orbital altitudes that are far beyond 30 km (18.6 mi). Moreover a 30-06 high powered rifle bullet travels at 2,800 feet per second (1,910 mph) whereas ballistic missiles achieve terminal velocities of 5,000 meters per second (11,185 mph). Therefore a ballistic missile warhead travels 5.86 times faster than a high powered rifle bullet. Trying to intercept it is like trying to hit a bullet with a bullet. It is simply not within human technology.
Naturally companies like Raytheon lie, claiming that they can hit a bullet with a bullet, because the lies keep federal dollars rolling in.
Naturally companies like Raytheon lie, claiming that they can hit a bullet with a bullet, because the lies keep federal dollars rolling in. konrad
Because, having been robbed of family farms, businesses and the commons, not to mention their dignity, by the government-privileged usury cartel, the banks, people need other sources of income and rather than just give it to them as restitution, we as a Nation insist that the victims must have jobs - even doing make-work, a JG, or negative work such as killing other victims and destroying their countries or building weapons for that purpose.
My father used to say "If you'll lie, you'll cheat and steal too." It is now apparent that stealing can lead to murder.
So much then for neglecting ethical principles wrt money creation; the consequences can and have killed millions (e.g. WWII).
KonradOctober 27, 2018 at 11:45 AM
The S-400 is an anti-aircraft system, not an anti-missile system.
You got a link. S-400 is both. May be hard for a “know it all” like Konrad to accept
Numerous successful tests:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aegis_Ballistic_Missile_Defense_System
This does not even include THAAD or Patriot or what the Israelis are doing...
Go back to playing Scrabble... Art Degree need not apply....
I explain that they lie in order to sustain the flow of federal dollars to them.
You respond by giving me more or their lies. Brilliant.
I don’t think you are a moron. But then what’s my opinion against thousands of others?
Scrabble!
Art degree!
Finger painting!
All of you are unqualified!
You guys are biased against war!
No, I’m not a missile tester , neither are you. You have provided nothing other than your own arm chair opinions. I provided the link you asked for.
Stop believing every lie that military contractors tell you. Do you have any idea how much military contractors lie about their junk (aircraft, missiles, etc) in order to sustain their mass intake of federal dollars?
Investigate the findings of MIT physicist Theodore Postol, who agrees that "ballistic missile defense" is a sham. I am not talking about aircraft, drones, or cruise missiles. I am talking about ballistic missile warheads, some of which travel at almost 18 times the speed of sound. A missile can be destroyed during liftoff, but once the detached warhead is screaming toward the earth at nearly six times the velocity of a high-powered rifle bullet, it cannot be stopped. Perhaps in the future, humans will develop some kind of technology to stop it, but today the technology does not exist in any nation.
The hoax continues because it appeals to people's imaginations, and because it means billions of federal dollars for the hoaxers.
Consider Israel's "Iron Dome" farce. As Israelis hunker in bomb shelters, they hear "Iron Dome" missiles explode in the sky outside, and they believe the government's claim that the missiles are intercepting rockets. Does anyone ever see these supposed interceptions? No, but the booming sounds in the sky are effective propaganda gimmicks. The Israeli government claims that the missiles are intercepting countless rockets launched from Gaza (which I also dismiss as nonsense, but that is a different topic). Average Israelis believe this silliness because they want to believe it.
I'll let you have the last word on this if you wish.
Go for it...
These were your words:
KonradOctober 27, 2018 at 11:45 AM
The S-400 is an anti-aircraft system, not an anti-missile system
NOT AN ANTI-MISSILE SYSTEM!
That’s what I responded to and upon request I provided a link. But since you’re such a besserwisser you couldn’t take it that you just talked about things you don’t know anything about. Besserwissers always know everything even when they don’t.
“Stop believing every lie that military contractors tell you.”
That’s not the way it works ... the contracts require demonstration tests run by govt , govt labs and military personnel... if the system does not meet performance specifications the contractors lose munnie....
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=besserwisser
Wow, S400, you really put me in my place, aye sabelotodo?
LOL.
Try again.
Impossible to get a besserwisser to see his own flawes even if it’s written on his/her nose.
Flawes? Is that like "eagle clawes" or "dog pawes" or "chain sawes"?
Try again.
I see! You can’t understand the context due to the misspelling. That put you in the same league as Franco.
S,
Whatever you do don’t play K in Scrabble if he challenges you....
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