US fury over EU weapons for China

[True_Blue]

America is waging an intense behind-the-scenes battle to stop the European Union lifting its 15-year-old arms embargo against China, warning Britain that it will not tolerate the prospect of European military technology being used to threaten its soldiers in the Far East.

As Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, prepares to travel to Beijing next week to discuss ending the arms ban, The Telegraph has learnt that the Bush administration is alarmed by Tony Blair's "cave-in" to French and German pressure.

Japan has also expressed dismay over the EU's move dramatically to upgrade relations with Beijing.

The Tories have warned the Government that it is creating a "major breach" with Washington and endangering vital exchanges of military technology between Britain and America.

more....
http://tinyurl.com/5zqqu

[jimshoes]

1. When are we going to find out we

don't own the world. Other countries are free do do business with anyone they please whether chimpy likes it or not. People will get tired of being bullied around.

[stepnw1f]

5. Lied to about Bullying Around

This perception that we "Bully" others around is fluff brought to you by Bush Co. and Rove, the Important Unimportant.

[theresistance]

2. America has no right to interfere

in transactions between sovereign states. There was an earlier thread about America complaining about Russia possible selling missiles to Syria.

[Metrix]

3. Everybody's doing it

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/china-04zzzr.html

The United States has raised concerns about arms sales to China with Israel but has not demanded the resignation of any Israeli official over reported transfers of sensitive weapons or technology to Beijing, a Pentagon spokesman said Thursday.

[Kagemusha]

4. And notice what's *really* driving this.

The US has hopped up and down and said bad things to Israel while it is selling arms to China.

Is Israel stopping?

No. Of course not.

And you know... some political capitol with the Europeans would be mighty useful right about now... gee... wonder where it all went...

[NuttyFluffers]

9. yup, you're right, the power of diplomacy (or lack thereof) in action

see neo-cons, you really are stupid for pissing away diplomatic and political clout. your military means nothing when the rest of the world decides to share all their technology with each other to defend themselves against you. gee, being an international pariah sucks, doesn't it! tough, suck it up suckers, you just pissed away american empire faster than it took for us to obtain it -- just like every group of conservative dipshits who controlled decaying empires all throughout history. yay! you just spelled our country's doom, wrap your flag around that!

and yet, what we say still won't get through.

[UpInArms]

11. well, there you go

being logical again.

This is the mal-administration that broke the National Guard - pissing away the morale of the military on lies.

This is the mal-administration that blew the surplus on the trifecta - because gambling is more important than fiscal sanity. It's more fun to spend other people's money on big military toys - son of star wars anyone - than paying the bills and getting rid of the debt.

This is the mal-administration that put the "adults in charge" and thoroughly mucked up every piece of political capital we had by turning back the clock with their nasty imperialist ways.

[NuttyFluffers]

12. i know, fits of logic sometimes overtake me.

thank god those lucky bastards across that aisle have all that kool-aid... wonder if it tastes like Orange Plus!

[0007]

15. Very well said! Now let's hear the words again from

Mordechai Vanunu - The Israel Nuclear Scientist
http://www.nonviolence.org/vanunu/

Wasn't it just the other day, junior and his boys were telling America that we must be careful, we are becoming to much like Europe?

....and we wonder why the world hates us!

[burrowowl]

6. Arms deals are big ticket items

U$ pissed profits not going to militaro-industrial complex.
But really, the world's spending on weapons is sicking.

[Gyre]

7. Israel's been doing it for a long time.

We threatened them recently and they kept a chinese drone they were servicing that they had manufactured and sold to China. China was pissed.

Gyre

[Supersedeas]

18. Sssshhhhhhh.....blame the French!!!!!

That's guaranteed to win hearts and minds around the world.

Or at least in the agri-areas of Ohio and Florida.

[daleo]

8. What war does Bush foresee with China?

"...it will not tolerate the prospect of European military technology being used to threaten its soldiers in the Far East."

A re-run of the Korean War? A war over Taiwan? Or a pre-emptive war to keep the Chinese from becoming a major world power?

Bush/PNAC's problem - so many wars, so little time.

[DivinBreuvage]

29. The only one that matters: the final smackdown for Planet Earth

According to Stalin biographer Edvard Radzinski, Uncle Joe was gearing up for this very thing when God, chance, or Lavrenti Beria made him shuffle off this mortal coil. He repeatedly stated that the inevitable death match between East and West had to come some time, and that since the two were already locked in combat in Korea and the Communist nations were more equally matched against the West than they would be in ten years' time, it was best to do it now. A very similar argument was made by Hitler to justify his war, just as it has been by megalomaniacs ranging from Napoleon all the way back to Constantine. Such a mindset is drawn to the "final clash" scenario like a moth to a flame; it's innate and biological. Iraq, Syria, Iran, and all the rest of them are only stepping stones to the One Great Dream.

[xchrom]

10. america can sell weapons to whomever

but everyone else must get a pass from the ''annoited'' before they can pass go and collect two hundred dollars.

i don't put too much stock in the u.s. being pissed at the england or the e.u.
i mean the corporatists here must be heavily invested there -- mustn't fuck with profits, right?

but it does make for excited reading.

[proudbluestater]

13. Gotta love the regime.

"...warning Britain that it will not tolerate the prospect of European military technology being used to threaten its soldiers in the Far East."

We have 150 military installations in 120 nations. It would be hard for any other country to protect itself if it had to always worry about our freaking troops now, wouldn't it?

WE ARE NOT THE WORLD'S POLICE FORCE. NO TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!!!!

The big problem being, the EU is reaping profits that the cabal thought were theirs.

[ixion]

14. coming from the largest arms dealer in the world

that doesn't mean much.

[ausiedownunderground]

16. Don't worry America, Europe is getting the weapons from China!

Obviously the US military thinks the European military is more advanced than China. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. US intelligence is of course impeccable!! as always!!

[JNelson6563]

17. TeamBush pissed they missed sale

and of course, the commission. Don't worry Jr., Carlyle will find a way to get in on that gravy train. Soon we'll be selling China weapons that we can fight against in the future as we are now in Iraq. Daddy sold 'em the weapons and now Jr has troops in there gettin' killed by same weapons.

Julie

[leesa]

19. The US has no authority anymore. BushCo is upset because

someone else will be making the big bucks from selling war toys this time. We may be witnessing the death of the US militaryindustrial stranglehold on the world.

The Bush Dynasty has been a major supplier of arms since the days of the Remington rifles.

[radric]

20. Seems the Japanese would be more upset..

about this sale than we would be..

[American liberal]

21. and so it begins...

China is already an economic force to be reckoned with. China owns about 40% of the U.S. debt. Our trade deficit is mostly because of China. Its population is waaaaaaaaaaaaaay bigger than ours. No surprise that it is now flexing its military muscle. See the thread about the report that predicts China and India will be the world super powers of this century. And I predict that the cowboy mentality of the people in power in this country will not know how to deal with it. We are destined to lose our 1st-place status. I only hope that our elected representatives will be able to deal with it.

What do you think of them apples?

[oneighty]

25. 1,300,000,000 Chinese

300,000,000 Americans. It boggles my mind.

I have the mental image of each Chinese citizen carrying a basket of dirt to build another great wall of China. Except this time it will not be a wall they will be building but rather a fire breathing hungry dragon searching for oil and its place in the world.

180

[sweetheart]

22. technology transfer to china

Whilst i deplore the chinese regime for its horrendous record in
respecting freedom of religion, i must wonder what the heck the US
was doing giving china all this manufacturing skills this past decade
with most favoured nation status. It seems that the primary nation
"giving" china an edge to be dangerous has been the US... and it sucks
that a bad regime now has increased power due to foolish behaviour of
the US. To externalize this concern towards europe is just laughable.

[Vidar]

23. Aww, Blair is only supposed to cave in for us.

"Bush administration is alarmed by Tony Blair's "cave-in" to French and German pressure."

Government by playground bullies.

[yinkaafrica]

24. What can they buy from the EU that they can't already get from Russia?

[fedsron2us]

26. New Cold War brewing n/t

[Zech Marquis]

27. so what will * do now

invade England and throw the Poddle in jail with Saddam? :evilgrin:

[struggle4progress]

28. kick for rapidly shifting world alliances

[GetTheRightVote]

30. USA, Irseal sell them weapons already so they are losing a sell

what is the big deal.

:kick: