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Russia may base bombers in Cuba

Started by jimmy olsen, March 14, 2009, 08:50:05 AM

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garbon

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Queequeg

Man this would be terrifying....if it was 1952.  I love Sukhois but do they honesty think a Badger or anything would manage to be fuled for flight before we'd hit every fucking plane in Cuba? I'm actually a little insulted.
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jimmy olsen

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Razgovory

I'm amused that anyone takes this seriously.  They could base those planes in New Jersey and still not bomb the US.

Let the Cubans and Russians play their schoolboy games.
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Jaron

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Ed Anger

Quote from: Angevinus on March 15, 2009, 11:33:42 PM
Where is JFK when America needs him the most?

Turned to worm food most likely.
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Jos Theelen

The article in the Moscow times starts the same, but ends somewhat different.

QuoteA senior Air Force official said Saturday that Russia could base some strategic bombers in Cuba or on an island offered by Venezuela, but a Kremlin official quickly said the military had been speaking only hypothetically.

The chief of staff of long-range aviation, Major General Anatoly Zhikharev, said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had offered "a whole island with an airdrome, which we can use as a temporary base for strategic bombers."

"If there is a corresponding political decision, then the use of the island ... by the Russian Air Force is possible," Zhikharev said, Interfax reported.

He also said Cuba has air bases with four or five runways long enough for the huge bombers and could be used to host the long-range planes.

But Alexei Pavlov, a Kremlin official, said "the military is speaking about technical possibilities, that's all."

"If there will be a development of the situation, then we can comment," he said.

Russia has nothing to gain strategically from basing long-range craft within relatively short range of U.S. shores, independent military analyst Alexander Golts said, calling the military statement a retaliatory gesture aimed at hitting back after U.S. ships patrolled Black Sea waters near Georgia.

grumbler

Quote from: Martinus on March 14, 2009, 03:16:23 PM
I'm always astounded when Russkies are doing something like this. They seem to be operating in a completely different paradigm - assuming they are evil and bent on destroying the world, they should welcome a naive friendly US President and pretend they are happy with his acts of good will - instead they spit at him and do some empty posturing. I wonder what they are gaining by that - the only meaningful consequence is the Western world shaking its head and saying "Oh well, that's right. Russkies can't be trusted".
I rather suspect that domestic politics, rather than cold-blooded calculations of foreign policy advantages and disadvantages, is behind most announcements like this.  They make the government look stronger by announcing that it has options to counter US "infringment" on their "sphere of influence."
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Jacob

Quote from: grumbler on March 16, 2009, 11:08:52 AMI rather suspect that domestic politics, rather than cold-blooded calculations of foreign policy advantages and disadvantages, is behind most announcements like this.  They make the government look stronger by announcing that it has options to counter US "infringment" on their "sphere of influence."

Yeah I concur.  Seems to me that 9 times out of 10, the reasons for any foreign policy announcement is playing to the domestic audience.

Ender

Maybe is time to take care of Cuba.


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Ed Anger

Quote from: The Brain on March 16, 2009, 12:16:57 PM
Quote from: Ender on March 16, 2009, 12:15:28 PM
Maybe is time to take care of Cuba.

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