Once again, Regime Change in Iraq was stated US policy during Clinton/Gore and was brought to fruition under BushCo with the approval of Pelosi LLC. Regime Change in Iran was/is stated US policy since 1980. The Anti-Communist Crusade known as the Cold War was/is stated US policy toward Russia, and said policy continues despite Russia no longer being communist. US Imperial expansion was/is stated US policy since 1947-48, and achieving "global dominance" (and other similar phrasings) is currently stated US policy. All the above are bi-partisan policies and are fully promoted by the Propaganda and Indoctrination Systems--truths more people are becoming aware of, but the minority of those in the know is frightfully small.

I think one of the lessons Russia's leaders will learn is that Russia's future does NOT lie in "looking west" a la Peter the Great and a longstantding ideological battle within Russia for centuries. Europe needs Russia far more than Russia needs Europe. More interesting is the fact that Russia doesn't need the USA, but the USA needs Russia--hydrocarbons and other fundamental resources to be rapidly extracted and sold on the global market, which will serve to keep the prices of such cheaper than otherwise.

"the US claims to believe that Iran is making nuclear weapons."

Considering that US intelligence agencies do not think Iran is making nuclear weapons (NIE last year), even that is really not true. Perhaps something like "some extremists in the US who think they know better than their intelligence agencies claim to believe Iran might be making nuclear weapons..."

http://www.uta.fi/FAST/US1/REF/images/ancestry2.jpg

Yet China is actively building railroads connecting itself to Central Asia.

Standard gauge through Kazakhstan towards the EU (one branch south through Turkmenistan & Iran, the other north through Russia & Ukraine( under construction.

Change of gauge through Kyrgyz Republic (I believe, could be Tajikistan) being considered AFAIK.

And apparently firm plans from NW China through Tajikistan, NE panhandle of Afghanistan (very large copper deposit) and into Pakistan.

Iran is building into Afghanistan and plans to continue near northern border to Tajikistan. I wonder if a Central Asian Moslem Confederation might not develop ? Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyz Republic, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Iran; all balancing between Russia & China. Certainly more in common with each other than Russia or China.

Demographics, <<1% of those now living will be alive in 2100. Most of those alive then will be grandchildren or more from those alive today.

So plenty of time to work out trends. Below replacement today,. 1.8 children/woman > 90% generational replacement. 0.9^3 > 73% after 3 generations. Hard to see much of an increase in population above today. "The cake is baked" for the next generation and massive changes will be required to reach 200 million by 2010.

It could happen, but I am doubtful, and I am unlikely to ever see it.

Best Hopes,

Alan

DParkins claims to have been reading TOD for a couple of years, but joined 4 days ago. He claims to be an American, but he does not sound like one. He is certainly in love with authoritarianism, Putin style, and quotes virtually all of the Russian nationalist lines and nothing at all that sounds "American".

I strongly suspect a Russian agent/volunteer working to control the international reaction to their aggression in Georgia. Very good English but ...

Alan

Economy:

http://brontecapital.blogspot.com/2008/08/fixed-currency-and-bankrupt-st...

Hansabank(The biggest lender in the baltics) Estonia CEO: devaluation would bankrupt Estonian economy

Alan&Kert, quite simply Estonia and Latvia are toast. The inflation in Latvia is now 18% and the economy is crumbling. I say this with a lot of regret as I own property there and simply can't sell it. The banks are not lending. Estonia is in better shape than Latvia though.

From BBC regarding Bronze Soldier:

And for local ethnic Russians it is one insult too many, the BBC's Richard Galpin says, after what they feel has been years of discrimination against them by the majority Estonian population.

Kert's claim that many were embarassed belies the 3 days of riots seen on television.

Voting rights:

Alvaro Gil-Robles European Council Commissioner for Human Rights are to be taken more serious. During his visit to Riga October 2003 the high commissioner criticized the lack of citizenship for more than 20% of Latvias population and recommended the granting of voting rights to non-citizens in municipal elections"
http://www.ecmi.de/download/working_paper_20.pdf

My bad its Latvia. But unfortunately Estonia is not much better:

Ny times:

There is a note of pain in Lyudmila Vedina's voice as she recalls those days, a few years ago, when she and her Russian friends in this ancient university town were ardent supporters of the struggle for Estonian independence.

"We rushed to read every paper," said Mrs. Vedina, a philologist, who has spent half her life in Tartu and has brought up her children here. "We signed all the petitions, we took part in everything, we let nothing go by. We were so proud of Estonia."

Estonia regained its freedom a year ago, but for people like Mrs. Vedina, it has been a bitter disappointment.

By nationality she is a member of the Finno-Ugric ethnic group, which includes Estonians, though her parents moved here from Russia after World War II, and she is fluent in Estonian but her mother tongue is Russian.

But because neither she nor her parents were registered residents in Estonia in 1938, she is now suddenly stateless, at least for another year. She can not vote in Estonia's coming elections, she can not own property, and by year's end, she may be barred from her state job. 40 Percent 'Non-Citizens'

Ny times:

According to the Estonian Statistical Office[citation needed], ethnic Russians comprised 25.7% of the population in 2006. Of that 25.7%, approximately 27% hold Russian citizenship, 35% hold Estonian citizenship, and 35% continue to have undefined citizenship.

Under Estonian law, residents without citizenship may not vote in elections of Riigikogu (the national parliament) or European Parliament elections, but are eligible to vote in local (municipal) elections(Under pressure they recently allowd non-citizens to vote in municipal elections. Conveniently Kert forgot to mention that.).

However, Amnesty International has claimed that Russian-speaking linguistic minority living in Estonia often find themselves de facto excluded from the labour market and educational system. The report expressed the view that the current policies fail to constitute a coherent framework within which these rights can be guaranteed for such persons. Amnesty International cites as evidence the high unemployment rate — 12.9% in 2005 — among people belonging to Russian-speaking linguistic minority, in contrast to only 5.3% among ethnic Estonians during the same period.[13] On the other hand, ethnic Estonians without good command of Russian and English language also have limited job opportunities.[citation needed]

The think-tank Development and Transition, which is sponsored by the United Nations, has argued that Latvia and Estonia employ a "sophisticated and extensive policy regime of discrimination" against their respective Russophone parts of the population. [4]

I believe I answered all of Kert's accusations, I did confuse Latvia with Estonia on 1 point again my bad. If you would like to read about
Krasnodar(big city on Black sea) from the perspective of an American Living there please see TimothyPost.com. I will answer your response from yesterday in a few days if I can still find the thread, I have a wedding to attend tommorow in Philadelphia and this is occupying my free time. If I can't find that thread I'll post it to 1 of your comments.

Dan