nerdgirl 0 #1 August 28, 2008 What do you consider the three most important foreign policy problems/issues/challenges facing the United States today? And then for correlative (rough) demographics, the last 4 options: for US citizens or legal residents, what political party do you find your views most closely align with? Or are you a non-US citizen or legal US resident? VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #2 August 28, 2008 1) Energy as relates to foreign policy (oil, natural gas) 2) China 2) Repair of our foreign relationships after the past 5 years Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nightingale 0 #3 August 28, 2008 1. Climate chage 2. Oil 3. Middle East (see Oil) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #4 August 28, 2008 Global climate change, global poverty, and resource scarcity (of which oil is one).Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanG 1 #5 August 28, 2008 1. Resource scarcity 2. Rising power of China 3. Ethnic conflict 1. Oil is obvious, but water will be the next oil. Especially if we don't get global warming under control. 2. China is a massive military and economic competitor. Their rise will redefine the world order in a decade or two. This will be the Chinese century and unfortunately I doubt there's much we can do about it. 3. Ethinc tensions still exist from the haphazzard way national boundaries were drawn over the last 100 years. Add in a dash of increasing resource scarcity and they will continue to boil over. US citizen. Democratic. The Republican goal of exporting democracy without regard for the political and social climate of a region will lead us into conflicts we have no business being in. Their desire to maintain a constant state of fear and conflict in order to maintain a grip on power (1984 style) is alarming. Their refusal to invest in alternative sources of energy and ween us off of fossil fuels is extremely short sighted. Neither party aligns with my beliefs perfectly, but I think the Democrats will do less harm. Thanks, as ever, for the intelligence of your posts/polls. - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jcd11235 0 #6 August 28, 2008 Quote Thanks, as ever, for the intelligence of your posts/polls. What he said. Math tutoring available. Only $6! per hour! First lesson: Factorials! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #7 August 28, 2008 1. Mexican border 2. Food 3. Pandemic These are not unrelated and have linkages to resource scarcity, organized crime, poverty, climate change, among others. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #8 August 28, 2008 Quote 2. China is a massive military and economic competitor. Their rise will redefine the world order in a decade or two. This will be the Chinese century and unfortunately I doubt there's much we can do about it. China no doubt will be a player, but I think they blew their chance to own the century. They have over a billion people to support, a large percentage not well educated. There is also the growing gender inbalance that at their size can't be solved by going to war with someone. I think their slowness to move on from communism and their mass killings of people and education in the 60s denied them the opportunity to already be much more powerful, and now they have to fight the resource scarcity. ---- Marg- too many options, many overlapping. I think you'll get a scatterplot back. Poverty and pandemic run closely, as does Middle East, international terrorism and failed state. Global oil versus [non specific] resource scarcity. So to me, that left the obvious choices of resources and China, but there was no clear #3. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanG 1 #9 August 28, 2008 QuoteChina no doubt will be a player, but I think they blew their chance to own the century. They have over a billion people to support, a large percentage not well educated. There is also the growing gender inbalance that at their size can't be solved by going to war with someone. I think their slowness to move on from communism and their mass killings of people and education in the 60s denied them the opportunity to already be much more powerful, and now they have to fight the resource scarcity. Not sure I agree with your analysis. A large uneducated population is exactly what you need when having an industrial revolution. They won't compete with us in service sector jobs where education is important, but the service sector is just money going in circles. It doesn't lead to economic growth. You only need a few educated people and a lot of worker bees to become the largest manufacturer in the world. And I think they'll win the resource war. When push comes to shove and a third party nation has to decide who to sell its resources to, they'll choose to sell them to a country that can give them real goods in exchange. We won't be able to do that in the future because we won't make anything anymore. - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #10 August 28, 2008 Quote And I think they'll win the resource war. When push comes to shove and a third party nation has to decide who to sell its resources to, they'll choose to sell them to a country that can give them real goods in exchange. We won't be able to do that in the future because we won't make anything anymore. The US will still make weapons. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #11 August 28, 2008 QuoteWhat do you consider the three most important foreign policy problems/issues/challenges facing the United States today? Getting more americans to realize.. that we need to have better relations with the REST of the world and to work toward better parterships. The current adversarial relations with the bulk of the people on the planet is NOT good for our country in even the short term.. let alone any long term planning.. Edited to add 1. Pandemic 2. Resource scarcity 3. Global climate change 4. Growing the fuck up Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #12 August 28, 2008 >The US will still make weapons. And most of those weapons will run on oil, as they do now. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BikerBabe 0 #13 August 28, 2008 Global climate change global population growth global reliance on oil. i'm global! Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SkyDekker 1,465 #14 August 28, 2008 QuoteThe US will still make weapons. That reminds me of a couple of decades ago when US car manufacturers never would have believed that foreign cars would actually even be an issue. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DanG 1 #15 August 28, 2008 QuoteThe US will still make weapons. Touche. It's the only manufacturing industry where we are still a global leader and have a huge positive trade balance (aircraft, too, but largely supported by military work.) On the other hand, we're already starting to export some of our weapon-making ability to Europe. That will only increase. - Dan G Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #16 August 28, 2008 Quote>The US will still make weapons. And most of those weapons will run on oil, as they do now. So third world generals get weapons and the US gets oil. Oh look, a happy coincidence of wants. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #17 August 29, 2008 Quote What do you consider the three most important foreign policy problems/issues/challenges facing the United States today? War in Iraq Global Reliance on Oil WMD Proliferation Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #18 August 29, 2008 QuoteQuote What do you consider the three most important foreign policy problems/issues/challenges facing the United States today? War in Iraq Global Reliance on Oil WMD Proliferation Do you fear the poliferation for concern that they will actually be used, or just that it limits the leverage of threatened US force? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SpeedRacer 1 #19 August 29, 2008 Most important foreign policy challenge? Jack-booted thugs from the UN will arrive in their black helicopters, take away all our guns, mutilate our cattle, install secular humanism in our classrooms, and impose a One World Government led by an evil Liberal Anti-Christ. Speed Racer -------------------------------------------------- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
georgerussia 0 #20 August 29, 2008 Quote Not sure I agree with your analysis. A large uneducated population is exactly what you need when having an industrial revolution. They won't compete with us in service sector jobs where education is important, but the service sector is just money going in circles. It doesn't lead to economic growth. You only need a few educated people and a lot of worker bees to become the largest manufacturer in the world. The obvious problem with this approach is that it is much easier to replace an uneducated worker by someone else. Also look on the two last century trend - the whole society slowly moves away from using a lot of uneducated labor, replacing them by machines. Another thing is that the standards of living are growing in China. The salaries raise as well (something like 25% up last year average), which - if trend continues - will make even less sense to have production there. Basically the same thing happens with outsourcing software development. In 1999 someone said that in ten years there will be almost no software development in USA. Well, he was wrong. In fact a lot of people I personally talked to are very disappointed in outsourcing - basically the price is good, but the quality sucks, and you end up spending the same, if not more, amount of money. I expect outsourcing to start declining in 2009 (and weak dollar adds to this as well). There is one more thing, which is completely politically incorrect. AFAIR during last two centuries China did not develop anything themselves; they either bought the technologies or blatantly stole or reverse engineer them. This would make it much more difficult for them to become an industry leader. Quote And I think they'll win the resource war. When push comes to shove and a third party nation has to decide who to sell its resources to, they'll choose to sell them to a country that can give them real goods in exchange. We won't be able to do that in the future because we won't make anything anymore. The real goods in this century will be food, water and oil. China has none of those to export, and needs all of those.* Don't pray for me if you wanna help - just send me a check. * Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kelpdiver 2 #21 August 29, 2008 Quote The obvious problem with this approach is that it is much easier to replace an uneducated worker by someone else. Also look on the two last century trend - the whole society slowly moves away from using a lot of uneducated labor, replacing them by machines. Another thing is that the standards of living are growing in China. The salaries raise as well (something like 25% up last year average), which - if trend continues - will make even less sense to have production there. The progression in Asia has been Japan -> Korea -> China ->>> starting to shift to places like Vietnam. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheAnvil 0 #22 August 29, 2008 My top one would be that international institutions are antiquated and require structural change in order to be effective in today's environs. Vinny the Anvil Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL JACKASS POWER!!!!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nerdgirl 0 #23 August 30, 2008 QuoteQuoteQuote What do you consider the three most important foreign policy problems/issues/challenges facing the United States today? War in Iraq Global Reliance on Oil WMD Proliferation Do you fear the poliferation for concern that they will actually be used, or just that it limits the leverage of threatened US force? Yes ... and more. While historically nations that acquire nuclear weapons do not go to war with each other, that's not a historical trend on which I want to base US foreign policy. Making a choice to pursue an offensive nuclear weapons program has a de-stabilizing effect. Proliferation. E.g., if Iran succeeds at producing nuclear weapons, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Turkey are likely to make decisions to pursue offensive nuclear weapons programs. Parts of the Egyptian government have already mimiced/co-opted Ali Bhutto's "eat grass" apothegm. Also increases risk of transfer to sub-state or non-state actors. Whether direct, indirect, or tacit, more nuclear weapons states increases that risk. In 1950s & 1960s there were no credible terrorist groups seeking nuclear weapons. Now there are. WMD is also not just shiny-metal-death; it's bugs & gas too. One question among policy wonks today is 'why hasn't al Qa'eda used a WMD'? Well, by formal definitions (i.e., USGs multiple ones, agency-dependent), they have or more precisely, an affiliate in Iraq has. Btw Oct06 & Jun07, there were at least 15 incidents in which chlorine was coupled with IEDs or VBIEDs. It emerged as a “signature tactic” for insurgents in AQ-linked groups in Al Anbar province. Most civilian fatalities were due to conventional explosives. Over 300 US service members affected, including 65 US service members during 3 Jun 07 attack in Diyala; no US deaths. Beyond the concussive and blast injuries, it was successful in terrorizing civilians and complicating military operations. I am just as concerned about large state proliferation as "annoying states" doing low-tech or 1950s-esque US & USSR (1980s Iraq) offensive BW & CW programs or radical Islamists making incremental changes to incorporate chemical or simple agents in dispersive devices, e.g., the Mubtakar. As well as our home grown extremists, e.g., William Krar (anti-government, white supremists, right-wing extremist) now serving time on a number of charges who had in his Tyler Texas self-storage locker the makings (in various state of assembly) multiple portable improvised cyanide generating devices. VR/Marg Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters. Tibetan Buddhist saying Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
