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NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

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Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#321

Post by eternalban »

jmnicolas wrote: post #305
eternalban wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I resent the dumb propaganda that is served to us and has no basis in reality I suggest ignoring "geopolitics", and considering to what extent your input matters even in local political matters. If you find that such impact is minimal locally, then from a political consideration, it is a waste of your time to spend energy on "Russian threat" or any other geopolitical narrative (many dating to 19th century.) You sho…

Geopolitics matter even for simple people like me: first it's always better to not live in the matrix of lies of someone else and secondly it can help understand what's happening or what is going to happen.

> it can help understand what's happening or what is going to happen.

This is hopelessly naive, imho. The information asymmetry is off the charts, and a rational "analyst/reader" (the role you want to play) of geopolitics should be aware of this fact, and its implications. You simply have no idea what is really going on. You don't have the data and it is naive to assume what is printed in a handful of outlets by an equally limited number of promoted authors are the "geopolitical facts".

So, yes geopolitics certainly "matter" but that was not the point.

Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#322

Post by seppin »

seppin wrote: post #312
bigbubba wrote: post #291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In simple scenarios with two actors perhaps, but I don't think that holds true for complex scenarios with multiple participants. Somebody who steals the best from everybody and is always one generation behind the state of the art in every regard may still prevail against all others because they are a Jack of all trades, master of none.

I'm not saying there isn't use for knowing your adversary's capabilities (especially in designing your own offense/defensive systems) but very little of that knowledge informs the core of future arms programs.

..unless you are China

Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#323

Post by somesortofsystm »

bobthepanda wrote: post #310
coldtea wrote: post #307

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Had to call in the US" -> "the US wanted its cut as top dog, and invited itself"

Sarkozy and Cameron publicly pushing Clinton and Obama to join in on enforcement for weeks would indicate something else, given the marked policy difference between how that was handled and Syria. Libya is not really something America has a strategic interest in.

America wasn't going to let Libya establish the African Dinar.

Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#324

Post by jacobush »

jabl wrote: post #228
ric2b wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> forgets about a tiny thing: they are absolutely _awful_ tanks compared to modern stuff. The USSR beat the much better Nazi tanks through sheer numbers, at some point the numbers advantage overcomes the quality advantage.

Numbers, yes, but also quality. The T-34 when it appeared shocked the Germans. While it had significant flaws the basic tank characteristics like armor, firepower and mobility were very good for the time. The Germans thought so highly of the T-34 that they thought of cloning it, but came to the conclusion that designing a new tank to counter it was in the end a more feasible idea. This process eventually resulted in…

Germany also had huge problems getting fuel for anything, really. They used a lot of horses for artillery. Building a huge number of tanks may not have worked out for them. When they couldn't reach Soviet oil fields, it was over.

Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#325

Post by seppin »

seppin wrote: post #320
fakedang wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, my bad at that, got a brain fart I suppose. Sweeped surveillance (which is usually SIGINT) is not minded, and often the backbone of programmes such as Five Eyes relies on that. Targeted surveillance (SIGINT cases that I mentioned) and espionage (mostly HUMINT) is frowned upon. HUMINT is especially frowned upon since it means you're actively investing in recruiting citizens against their government, and the intel…

> HUMINT Intel isn't practiced between staunch allies either It most certainly is https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Pollard

But it's rare and usually conditional. Large sections of the US IC still haven't forgiven Israel for Pollard.

Re: NSA Spied on Denmark as It Chose Its Future Fighter Aircraft: Report

#326

Post by martin_bech »

dang wrote: post #290
martin_bech wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fuck you.. literally fuck you.. We have entered into illegal wars for you guys, followed you in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libiya, danish soldiers have died, and gotten ptsd in the wars you started, handed over Pows in good faith, that then were tortured. And this is how you feel?.. that naturally the US should be spying on us.. fuck you!

Hey, please don't break the site guidelines like this, no matter how wrong another user is or you feel they are. I understand very well how frustrating it can be, but responding this way only wrecks this place even further. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Sorry..
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