[D66] Sleepwalking into a big war

[J.N.]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/10/gorbachev-warns-world-is-at-dangerous-point-amid-us-russian-face/

Mikhail Gorbachev warns world is at 'dangerous point' amid US-Russian 
face off over Syria

     Roland Oliphant

10 October 2016 • 1:54pm

Soaring tensions between the United States and Russia have brought the 
world to a “dangerous point,” Mikhail Gorbachev warned on Monday.

The former Soviet leader’s intervention came amid a collapse in 
East-West relations over the war in Syria that has seen the Kremlin 
openly threaten to shoot down Western aircraft, drawing comparisons with 
the worst crises of the Cold War.



On 10-09-16 14:49, J.N.  wrote:
> http://mondediplo.com/2016/09/02war
>
> West fearful as it loses military advantage
> Sleepwalking into a big war
>
> The major powers are planning for war and claim that’s the best way to
> defend against war. Will this mutual hawkishness lead to armed conflict?
> by Michael T Klare
>
> Le Monde diplomatique
> Sleepwalking into a big war
> ↑
>
> As the US presidential race approaches its climax and European officials
> ponder the implications of the UK’s Brexit vote, public discussion of
> security affairs is largely confined to strategies for combating
> international terrorism. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are
> trying to persuade voters of their superior qualifications to lead this
> battle, while European leaders scramble to bolster their countries’
> defences against homegrown extremists. But though talk of terrorism
> fills the news media and the political space, it is secondary in the
> conversations of generals, admirals and defence ministers: it’s not
> low-level conflict that commands their attention but rather what they
> call ‘big wars’ — large-scale, high-level conflict with great-power
> adversaries like Russia and China. Such major conflicts, long considered
> most unlikely, are now deemed ‘plausible’ by western military
> strategists, who claim that urgent steps are needed to deter and, if
> necessary, prevail in such engagements.
>
> This development, overlooked by the media, has serious consequences,
> starting with heightened tension between Russia and the West, each
> eyeing the other in the expectation of a confrontation. More worrying is
> the fact that many politicians believe that war is not only possible,
> but may break out at any moment — a view that historically has tended to
> precipitate military responses where diplomatic solutions might have
> been possible.
>
> ...
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