nobody@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> On Sat, 19 Jul 2008 23:29:51 GMT, Robert Redelmeier
> <redelm@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
>> Alternatively, the US might be considered to have repaid its'
>> debt to France by [late] involvent in WW1. So well repaid
>> it allowed France to achieve a truly Pyrrhic victory.
>>
>>
>> -- Robert
>
> Yeah, 1918.
> And before that, some smaller times - like cleaning up the
> Mediterranean from Arab pirates.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Barbary_War
>
> And then in 1944 (arguably - it's possible to say Stalin already was
> winning regardless of Allies' involvement).
>
> And then, beyond any arguments, 1945. Only the presence in Europe of
> US Army - and especially USAF, the dreaded Flying Fortresses capable
> of carrying just-invented nukes
Nukes were not invented yet (but soon). And initial production capacity
was small.
> - made Stalin stop his tanks at Elbe
> River, even though there were plans to go beyond - to Paris and Rome
> where Maurice Thorez and Palmiro Togliatti were waiting, ready to form
> "People's" governments. All the way to Madrid, Lisbon, and London.
> Zhukov - and he knew a thing or two about winning battles - insisted
> that the Soviets were capable of winning it all, but Stalin decided
> otherwise.
And in fact there were plans to do so from the western side as well.
Patton also knew a thing or two about winning battles - insisted that
the Americans together with their allies were capable of winning it all,
but Truman decided otherwise.
So both sides considered attack on each other, yet both decided to to do
so.
>
> And then, how many times during the Cold War? What the Soviets were
> capable off they've shown in 1967 by "pacifying" the Chechs in a
> matter of hours.
TBE, it was 1968. and Soviets were practically not directly involved --
they sent their allies from People Republics of Germany, Poland and
Hungary.
> If not for the US, la France would've become just
> one of Soviet republics. And all the others comprising the EU now -
> the ones that were not already the Soviet satellites like now
> oh-so-independent Poland.
>
> And then in 1991. If not for daddy Bush confronting Iraq over Quwait,
> you Europeans would've tasted $150 oil much sooner. Well, admittedly
> Bush cared about the prices at Main St. gas stations first and
> foremost, but still... Too bad he didn't finish the job back then,
> and Bush Jr. really messed up doing it...
>
> Anyway, the debt was repaid with interest, many times over.
>
> NNN
>
>
rgds
--
"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity" -- L. Lang
--
http://www.tajga.org
-- (some photos from my travels)
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