[Eli]

Wait until the democrats get control of congress then everything will be better and we will start to see some changes on Iraq.


Oh wait, the Dems are already in power.

[peaker_2005]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('mmasters', '
')The Pentagon’s goal with the lily pads is to preserve U.S. interests in Iraq for years to come “in the event that Congress or the administration pushes this [withdrawal plan] forward.” As NPR details, those interests are at least three-fold: 1) Training Iraq forces, 2) Preserving economic interests, as “Iraq obviously [sits] on the second largest reserve of oil in the world,” and 3) Providing a U.S. military “presence” to deter Iran and Turkey from “getting involved” after withdrawal.

[TheDude]

[s]Honk![/s] Bahh! If You're A Sheep Who Thinks the US Military Ever Leaves a Strategic Theater.

You know, like Okinawa.

Here's a book you'll learn a lot from: The Sorrows of Empire.

Even if you smell like Chinese food from your biodieselmobile you'll be hard pressed to deny that as things stand at the moment Iraq is of Critical Strategic Importance to our military. If you've bothered to read up on peak oil you'll realize that US troops are never leaving, not until the last drop, even if we merely enter a recession.

[Zardoz]

We're right about so many things on this forum, including this. We all knew we were in Iraq forever.

[I_Like_Plants]

Good opinion piece on NPR by Ben Stein about this, basically we pull out the economy collapses. Good old Ben - he does not seem to be for or against, he was just saying, Look, that happens then this happens.....

We're never pulling out of there. And yes it's like being posted to Okinawa or being a Roman legionnaire in Gaul.

[Graeme]

Pentagon Looks to the Internet Community for Space Solar Power Study

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'A') Pentagon office is taking advantage of the collaborative nature of the Internet as it studies potential applications for space-based solar power, according to one of the officials leading the effort.

The Web site, which is located at http://spacesolarpower.wordpress.com, has received more than 5,000 hits since it went online in mid June, Smith said. The Web site features a blog run by Smith, and people interested in the topic can respond to his posts with feedback. The site also features information about the NSSO study and articles on the topic.

Both Smith and Krukin said while they are excited about the potential benefits that could come from space-based solar power, they do not view it as a panacea for military or civilian energy needs, and encouraged the development of other new energy sources.

With satellites that could collect solar energy and beam it to areas all over the world, Smith said space-based solar power could help reduce the military's need for convoys that carry fuel through dangerous areas, and could be used for disaster relief operations like the reconstruction of an area devastated by a hurricane as well.

Smith said he hopes to see space-based solar power systems operational by 2050 that could provide for a few percentage points of total U.S. energy consumption, and perhaps as much as 10 percent of U.S. energy use by 2060.

[zoidberg]

This is also quite the potential weapon - nothing says death from above like a giant microwave oven to cook you from the inside out.

Fits in well with their Active Denial System - which only cooks you alive a little bit for a little while.

[Graeme]

Yes, there are some that share your view:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he core problem with US space policy, she emphasizes, is America’s unrelenting militarization and weaponization of space. “While the rest of the world seeks to increase its ability to use space assets for information linkages required for economic growth in a globalized world, the United State sees much of the technology they are seeking as militarily sensitive and, consequently, is trying to stop its spread. That initial clash of ambitions is further exacerbated by the parallel emphasis the United States places on expanding its space superiority to space dominance.” Fear and national security issues have made the US inherently nervous about “dual-use” technology such as satellites, lasers, and GPS, which have military and civilian applications.

[zoidberg]

If its the Pentagon trying to organize this I think that de facto means its about weapons.

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('National Security Space Office', 'M')ake no mistake about it, the Department of Defense is NOT interested in being an energy producer or exporter–that’s not what the Department of Defense does. It is interested in clean energy independence as a way of removing what many consider the single greatest impetus for major conflict in the future–energy competition.

[Graeme]

Nice reply but, as Johnson-Freeze says, "it would take real government leadership". I believe that the fate of the world is mainly in US hands (BRICS will contribute) and that's why I'm posting here. I also share your view of distrusting the organiser so I'm quite nervous about our prospects. I will grab onto any positive news from the US particularly regarding energy. There are a lot of good people there. In the end, I hope that common sense will prevail and US citizens will vote for a better government soon! Am I being too idealistic/naive?

[Graeme]

Given the political uncertainty we face, you might be interested in this article and the comments that follow:

Opening the Nuclear Front

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')he Bush administration opened a nuclear front in its various wars this week, firing a paper at Congress arguing that nuclear weapons are at a "critical juncture" and continue to be essential for U.S. national security. The statement -- all of three pages -- is essentially a justification for the U.S. nuclear arsenal and a new nuclear warhead. There is, however, a glimmer of hope in a report that is mostly boilerplate.

The glimmer is in the paper's tone, which is almost pleading. Amid the arguments -- that nuclear weapons have been an essential element of "deterrence" since President Truman, and that the principal U.S. national security goal is deterring "aggression against ourselves, our allies, and friends" -- there is the sense that the U.S. is trying too hard to justify a policy that perhaps it realizes is becoming obsolete.

Perhaps it is time to adopt the post-9/11 stance when it comes to nuclear weapons, including our own: We cannot just wait for stuff to happen to us. We have to take action. Ultimately that means a commitment to deeper reductions and a further marginalizing of the role nuclear weapons play in U.S. foreign policy.

[Graeme]

And as an alternative viewpoint, this:

Time to Reset the Doomsday Clock?

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'L')ast month a group of international experts met in Moscow to discuss the successes and failures of past nonproliferation efforts.Tension was thick over America's perceived unilateral nuclear foreign policy, and the Russian criticism was especially harsh.

The day after the NATO-sponsored conference ended, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited President Bush at his family home in Maine, aiming to calm relations between the two nuclear powers over the proposed ballistic missile defense (BMD) system in Eastern Europe. Putin's proposal that the control of such a missile defense system be put under the NATO-Russia council -- elevating U.S.-Russian relations to a "genuine strategic partnership" -- led the world to believe that strained relations between the two had been substantially reduced.

With Russia and the U.S. playing a dangerous nuclear game of one-upmanship, hope for nonproliferation based upon the compliance and support of cooperating nations is diminishing. A nuclear expansion is on the horizon, despite the best efforts of nonproliferation programs such as the Proliferation Security Initiative, which seeks to prevent illegal transfers of nuclear weapons and materials. Given the political nature of nonproliferation and current strains between the two largest nuclear powers, flashback doomsday scenarios could be around the corner.

[eric_b]

Graeme, why do you insist on cluttering this forum with these silly-assed pieces? Do you honestly believe this is relevant to 'current energy news'.. for that matter do you realistically think large scale orbital PV arrays are ever going to move beyond the realm of fantasy at this point ?

[Omnitir]

Sceptics of a possible Solar Power Satellite industry would do well to look at the history of the Comm Sat industry, which once faced equally sceptical criticism.

[Graeme]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', 'G')raeme, why do you insist on cluttering this forum with these silly-assed pieces? Do you honestly believe this is relevant to 'current energy news'.. for that matter do you realistically think large scale orbital PV arrays are ever going to move beyond the realm of fantasy at this point ?

[eric_b]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', 'G')raeme, why do you insist on cluttering this forum with these silly-assed pieces? Do you honestly believe this is relevant to 'current energy news'.. for that matter do you realistically think large scale orbital PV arrays are ever going to move beyond the realm of fantasy at this point ?

[Graeme]

India wants to have a solar power station in space too:

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')ndia is working intensely on having a solar power generation station in space to meet the nation’s ever growing energy requirements. The “hyperplane,” which needs to transport the infrastructure into space, will make a demonstrative flight at the 2008 end.

“India’s hypersonic air and space transport activity are now sharp focussed on energy production through space solar power by having solar power stations in orbit. The era of expendable launch vehicles should end and reusable launch vehicles (RLV) are needed”, Defence Research and Development Organisation’s chief controller, R&D, Mr VK Saraswath said.

[zoidberg]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', 'I') posted the above in case there is at least one person who could contribute to the spacesolarpower web site.

[Omnitir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', ' ')PV is already very expensive - space based PV would cube this number. How you can claim this as a viable alternate energy is beyond me.

[Graeme]

Eric_b, I'm not claiming it's a viable alternative. I'm merely reporting what I saw on the Net, namely that the Pentagon is considering this option. If you are such an expert, go the web site above and tell them your views. I might have had some sympathy for you and others on this site especially if "peak oil" is going to occur before these satellites or stations are built. But the Pentagon obviously doesn't think so, and might I add moi. This is a complicated technical issue. A summary of the technology is discussed on the wikipedia site. You'll notice at the bottom of this site that the Japanese also plan to have a space-based solar array in place by 2040, and a meeting was held at MIT in May this year by a wide variety of invited experts in the field from around the world. Now a public discussion is sought. It has not been dismissed.