So How Much Military Is 2 Much Military?

[Dr Grump]

A
France would be a contender for those wishing to gain access to European education, of the colonial powers they were the ones who were most likely to view "civilised" natives as "civilised". The Dutch would be bad for my paycheck, and quite bad if I would happen to be black (slavery is not fun), but live wasnt that bad in Sumatra. Besides, Sumatra has nice beaches.

Considering the English: If I am a member of the current elite than yes, if I am than I rather opt for "Le grande Nation".

I have to totally disagree with this. The English were by far the best colonisers. When you look at Aust, NZ, USA, Canada. Can you look a the French equivalent? Up until ten years ago, they still tested bombs in the South Pacific and not in their neck of the woods. They still hold on to some colonies. The closest countries to true democracy in the third world are former English colonies - India, South Africa and Kenya. Just my two cents....

 

[mightypeon]

The last time I checked the living standart in French Indochine was quite high, also, the former french colonies usually are among the slightly less fucked up places in Africa.

What I mean is, precisly what part of the current Australian, NZ, Canadian (right, when the French had it they still had Indians) or US-American "well doers" are members of the original native population? Nearly noone? Hmmm, where did they all go? I would also guess that the Chinese and Indians totally loved the British way of civilisation, Opium is a surefire way to increase you standart of living right?

If you were a Native, the British (or heaven forbid the USA) were incredibly BAD news.
If you were a native with a significant military potential (like the Indians or Chinese, to an extent the Zulu), the British were not as bad.

 

[mightypeon]

The last time I checked the living standart in French Indochine was quite high, also, the former french colonies usually are among the slightly less fucked up places in Africa.

What I mean is, precisly what part of the current Australian, NZ, Canadian (right, when the French had it they still had Indians) or US-American "well doers" are members of the original native population? Nearly noone? Hmmm, where did they all go? I would also guess that the Chinese and Indians totally loved the British way of civilisation, Opium is a surefire way to increase you standart of living right?

If you were a Native, the British (or heaven forbid the USA) were incredibly BAD news.
If you were a native with a significant military potential (like the Indians or Chinese, to an extent the Zulu), the British were not as bad.

 

[JakeStarkey]

Neither the imperialist nations of the West nor the Japanese were welcomed invaders.

 

[mightypeon]

Of course not, but some invaders were, at times, a little more benificient than some others.

Interestingly the actual facts would run totally contrary to the "general assumption", the coloniser with the highest percentage of surviving natives was "evil Zaristic oppressive" Russia.

 

[Toome]

The paradigm has shifted over the last 40 years. I don't think we'll ever see a Fulda Gap scenario with massive tank armies rolling into an ally's backyard leading to a conventional world war. I think Vietnam, Grenada, Panama and Somalia served as the blueprints of future warfare. I think special warfare is the norm and conventional warfare is the abstract. Problem is that politicians think in conventional terms, and this is where we have problems.

We lack the will to fight fire with fire. We naively believe that if the rest of the world would embrace Jeffersonian democracy that it would be a better place. The harsh reality is that sometimes you just need to go out and kick the shit out of someone, let others see how badly you kicked it, and let the intimidation factor take it from there.

Back in the 1980's, when the Hezbollah was going around kidnapping American citizens in Beirut, two Soviet diplomats were also kidnapped. The KGB wasted no time grabbing two known relatives of a Hezbollah leader and dumping their mutilated bodies in front of his house. The Soviet hostages were released immediately, and no further attempts were made to kidnap Soviet citizens. We, in the United States, lack the will that the Soviets had to deliver a no-nonsense message to, at that time, hard core terrorists (Hezbollah was one of the most radical terrorist organizations in the world at that time).

We bring a knife to a gunfight and wonder why the other guy isn't following the rules. At this point, doesn't matter what the size of the military is.

 

[PixieStix]

So How Much Military Is 2 Much Military?

2 should be TOO, and "for you" should never be 4 U. shees, our public education system is an utter failure

Just the title of your thread shows it is born of ignorance

I wish people would or could start using good english to post

 

[publicprotector]

Well lets gets sonme facts straight for at start.

1, For all its military might the US cannot stop attacks on US soil as proven by 9/11

2, For all its military Might the US has consistently failed to win in every conflict since ww2

3, The US Government right now is doing exactly what the Ruskies did, spent everything on the military at the expense of everything else in the country.

4, You don't need a massive military force if you don't have any real enemies or even percieved enemies.

5, Might is not right because historically it all ends sooner or later, great Empires falling to dust and the US is not even a great Empire or an Empire in the real sense so its shelf life will be very short indeed.

6, If you have no real enemies then you don't need forces to match them. One of Americas great advantage over other nations is its physical location on the planet so an old style invasion is out.

7, America faces 2 main threats, one from within from the people and the other from the perps that run the show.

8, America could still be defensively very strong without trying to fight everyone at the same time as it is trying to do now.

9, The percieved threats, China, Russia etc. are bogus, thats just the perps wanting some dumb asses to carry out their plan of World domination.

10, It would be better for the US to draw its horns in a bit, get the country stable but to be strong defensively so it can meet real aggression if it comes.

And lastly all these excursions abroad have done nothing for the average American and they have certainly done nothing for all those who have suffered and died irrespective of their nationality. If anything these actions have made America weaker, hated and without friends.