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2009-07-25 Home Front: Politix

Weak economy pushing Russia to arms deal: Biden

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Posted by ed 2009-07-25 16:08|| || Front Page|| [6 views ] Top

#1 It's not as if we're exactly reluctant to sell arms ...

Posted by Steve White 2009-07-25 16:49|| 2009-07-25 16:49|| Front Page Top

#2 The Russian economy is booming. Growth in recent years has been about the same as China.

Their population trends are about the same most of Europe, although without the immigration.

they have a banking sector and structure that is not likely to be able to withstand the next 15 years

Unlike large parts of the US and European banking sectors which didn't survive the last 15 months.

Posted by phil_b 2009-07-25 17:38|| 2009-07-25 17:38|| Front Page Top

#3 Phil, the Russian military needs to shrink 40-50% for them to rationalize the 4% of GDP devoted to it. They are living on cold war stocks, most of it decayed crap, including their nuke forces. They can't afford to replace their strategic forces when they become so old as to be a danger of exploding in their silos. Nor can they afford submarine based nukes in today's quantities. A $2 billion sub may be comparable in cost to a US nuke, but not when the 11 or 12X difference in GDP is taken into account, while the US nuclear forces are a small portion of the defense budget. They can't compete on high end arms unless Obama raises the white flag.

What in heaven's name is the US government treating with a poor, 140M and shrinking population dictatorship like it is an equal or better? What this Obama-Putin treaty does is ensure that Russia can launch more nukes toward the US than the US can launch in response once US set asides are taken into account for unfriendly nuclear armed powers such as China, North Korea, Iran, Pakistan(Saudi). This agreement does nothing about short range rockets and aircraft that the Russians would use against China, Pakistan, Iran, Europe while it guts the US bomber force that get heavy use dropping PGMs on turbans. No thanks.

The Russian economy has shrunk 10% in the last 6 months alone. The Russian economy has been very unkind since Bush renounced the domestic oil drilling ban in July 2008.

Posted by ed 2009-07-25 18:35|| 2009-07-25 18:35|| Front Page Top

#4 "Weak Mind Pushing Biden to Make Stupid Statements"

Russia without nukes and a large conventional army is a 3rd world country. Ergo, they are trying very hard to avoid being 3rd world by continuing to pose a threat to their neighbors and the world. To fund this effort, they sell arms to all comers.

So, in this respect at least, things haven't changed much.

Posted by Iblis 2009-07-25 18:44|| 2009-07-25 18:44|| Front Page Top

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