It is increasingly likely that our new President will get to count on an old foe to provided some of his most important and difficult early foreign policy challenges. The Putin/Medvedev team appears to be practicing Chicago-style politics on an international scale, so perhaps President-elect Obama will have a leg up on them.
Apparently, the latest irritant in Russia's eye is our land-based missile defense system, with interceptors planned for Poland and a radar system for the Czech Republic. Mr. Medvedev announced earlier this week that Russia would station short range ballistic missiles on the Russian border with Poland, presumably in a strategy to overwhelm any realistic ballistic missile defense. "New Europe"--that is, nations formerly under the Soviet boot--appear comfortable with missile defenses, less comfortable with Mr. Putin, and much more likely to see the US as a force for stability and power. "Old Europe" appears to see no threat from Russia and wishes only to receive a continuous flow of oil and gas from the resource rich kleptocracy.
President-elect Obama will have to walk a judicious line here. No fan of missile defense (though I believe he always qualified it as "unproven missile defense" leaving open the possibility of support for proven systems), Mr. Obama runs the risk of alienating a whole new group of European nations for whom he has to do little or no work to repair the US reputation. Leaders in Poland and the Czech Republic spent a lot of political capital to support the US, and walking away from these systems would send a terrible signal to these allies.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
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By the way; I googled "testosteracracy" this morning and came up with only my use of the word. I then went to the Urban Dictionary, where it also did not appear. I quickly created a definition and submitted it. I may have invented a word today!
Yes, but testocracy is:
"A form of governmental hierarchy which is ruled by those with the most testosterone."
And it's also much easier to pronounce.
testocracy sounds too much like a country run by analytical folks who seek to rule by metrics and data.
While more difficult to say, testosteracracy eliminates any confusion.
Estrocracy?
Progestocracy?
TESTICLEOCRACY
I think a better word or perhaps different word would be Testicleocracy. A country run by those with the biggest set of balls.
testosterocracy...scratch that...testocracy...scratch that...testicleocracy...scratch that. Just like a bunch of conservative old men, sitting around shooting the bull and scratching their balls.
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