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Old Aug 2, 2006, 11:06 am   #41 (permalink) (top)
brien
Iceberg
 
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 5,708
Quote:
Quote by: Chris the Chees
Normally I wouldn't respond, but in this instant i think I will.





You do realise that some missiles have ranges which extend to well over 7,000 miles? You do realise that the UK is a mere 3,000 miles from the shores of the USA, which is a similar distance from Iran to France and Germany? Does that make the US in Europes back yard as well? Not to mention that should Iran, etc, aquire, and I imagine that it is highly unlikely that they will be able to aquire IRBM's, missles capable of firing them anywhere near western Europe, they wouldn't bother anyway. They have much bigger problems and targets within the middle east to worry about European nations miles and miles away on different continant. Not to mwention that they would know that France and Britain would have their own weapons pointed right back at them.


But to move on slightly. I am pretty sure that when you say Europe, you don't mean Greece, Bulgaria, etc. you are talking about the economically 'big three' European nations, Britain, France and Germany, nations that are miles and miles away from the problems in the ME. Not to mention that these problems are much bigger for the USA tha they are for these European nations. The USA consumes near three times more oil than Britain, France and Germany combined. So if anyone is going to have to sort it out, even out of some sense of self preservation, it is the USA.


Source

This of course begs the question, just why should 'Europe' sort this problem out, rather than America, when the problem effects America considerably more than it does Europe?


So to conclude, your catagorisation of what defines the 'backyard' is shoddy, ill thought out and when placed into the context of the Middle East crisis, utterly unsuitable. But if you wish to judge the situation from such a myopic and inept perspective, then don't be supprised when you get called out.



Russia is not and has not been, for the most part, a 'European' nation for hundreds of years. And your argument is complete tosh anyway. The USA, Canada, etc, all culturally and historically identify with their largely Europe, they speak European languages, on the whole have European ancestors, hold European religious beliefs, etc, but that does not make the North American sub-continant part of Europe.



No you are quite correct, you just said it was in Europe's back yard, which is rubbish and clearly so, it is in a totally different continant.



On the contrary, that is fiction. I will quote exactly what you said: -

"if the Europeans can't fix something like this in their own backyard"

Which assumes that the middle east should be considered a European 'problem', a positionI have debunked above.

Great. You are the king of your ideas in geography and culture. :rolleyes: Your anal diatribe notwithstanding, you have missed the idea of the original post just so you can nitpick and draw farfetched conclusions. So be, it but not interested.


Brien the Iceberg

If you tell the truth you don't have to remember anything. M.T.
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