[labolarueda]

"My opinion is not based upon scholarly research or inside information from the spook community, but rather, is based upon reports, articles, and opinions that I've read here and other places, my knowledge of history, informed reason, and reasonable possibilities."

That's good enough for me.

No one has mentioned this, but does anyone of you think that race may play a part in conflicts? I do think it plays a major role. I, for one, think that China and North Korea are a greater threat to the USA than Russia.

[milkncookies]

You can make an argument that it's race but at the same time, the Japanese and Koreans don't like each other, N. and S. Korea harbor animosity for each other and it would be hard to argue that race played even a minor role in the Cold War as well.

[Quix]

AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

Russia, for my money is deeply, fiercely, intensely tyrannical, brutal etc with a kind of demonic dark core about it for some reason. The Tzar was bad enough. The goons since have been worse.

And, there's a huge paranoia intensified by Hitler et al.

And, there's a deeply vigorous hostility to God entrenched there--though with some light showing through amazingly in many places in recent years.

---

North Korea, to me, has a lot of the same stuff plus an Asian fierce arrogance, pride, defensiveness, defiance etc.

China's a mixed bag. There's more authentic Christians there than in the USA. To SOME degree, LOTS of Chinese would just as soon leave the rest of the world alone if the world would leave China alone. Alas, many rulers are arrogant, acquisitive, power hungry, greedy, etc. who see themselves as bringing about a world centered on China, ruled directly or indirectly by China for a thousand years.

MOST of the people from Mainland China that I talk to poohpooh the idea that Mainland China will even invade Taiwan. I think they are blinded somehow. But, it's an interesting fact. I think too many rulers in China have too much of the Shrillery affliction--POWER MONGERING, GREED, TYRANNICAL. But hundreds of millions of other Chinese are above a lot of Americans in charitability, kindness, compassion, generosity, patience, sacrificial helpfulness etc. It will be interesting to see which values bent has how much of an upper hand how long.