Sigh, this is really sounding oh so much like one of my IR lectures, of which I was in a boring one this morning.
Firstly, to the OP - I can see where you're coming from with your post, but I also think you've opened a different can of human flesh eating worms. Is this, a gaming forum, really the place to begin political arguments? I understand that the thread may have been hijacked more than you intended, however there was clearly always a potential for this to go on the way it has.
I love reading the thread and seeing all the classic IR ideological stereotypes in different posts. People are flouting this as fact and that as future reality..... Simple fact of the matter is that we do not and cannot know the entire story, nor can we predict the future.
Is an MEC possible? Yes, it certainly is. However, for this to happen, the nations of the Middle East must first overcome their religious differences, which in this day and age is unfortunately highly unlikely. Secondly, yet more importantly, there would need to be a percieved 'external threat'. This external threat idea was used by all sides during the cold war and is used to distract public attention away from internal problems and issues and unify the otherwise divided peoples against this percieved outside threat.
As for China, yes they are a rapidly developing state, with quite an impressive potential. however the leaders of both the US and China are well aware that any form of conflict between them would have disastrous economic, social and political consequences. They are two of the great economic superpowers, and in todays globalised world they are interdependent. For those two nations to fight each other directly would be tantamount to suicidal. Granted, they may clash in the Formosa Strait at some stage, however I highly doubt it, both sides are well aware that the stakes are simply too high to risk it.
All in all this is a game, with a degree of realism - people must recognise that it is realistic only in degrees! Nations are realistic, places are realistic, weapons used are realistic (but not utterly so, thats another story and has been posted on countles times). Spaning up out of the ground 20 seconds after being killed is not realistic, nor is anybody being able to be the commander of an army, nor insubordination. It is a game, just try to enjoy it for what it is and not read too much into it!
*For those who are interested, as a counterpoint to my comments about the unlikliness of war between superpowers, read up on a neo-realist by the name of Huntington, i believe. He proposes a theory of civilisational wars that are essentially inevitable, a clash of civilisations between the western civilisations, islamic civilisation, and asiatic civilisations. ***NOT MY OWN THEORY***
Firstly, to the OP - I can see where you're coming from with your post, but I also think you've opened a different can of human flesh eating worms. Is this, a gaming forum, really the place to begin political arguments? I understand that the thread may have been hijacked more than you intended, however there was clearly always a potential for this to go on the way it has.
I love reading the thread and seeing all the classic IR ideological stereotypes in different posts. People are flouting this as fact and that as future reality..... Simple fact of the matter is that we do not and cannot know the entire story, nor can we predict the future.
Is an MEC possible? Yes, it certainly is. However, for this to happen, the nations of the Middle East must first overcome their religious differences, which in this day and age is unfortunately highly unlikely. Secondly, yet more importantly, there would need to be a percieved 'external threat'. This external threat idea was used by all sides during the cold war and is used to distract public attention away from internal problems and issues and unify the otherwise divided peoples against this percieved outside threat.
As for China, yes they are a rapidly developing state, with quite an impressive potential. however the leaders of both the US and China are well aware that any form of conflict between them would have disastrous economic, social and political consequences. They are two of the great economic superpowers, and in todays globalised world they are interdependent. For those two nations to fight each other directly would be tantamount to suicidal. Granted, they may clash in the Formosa Strait at some stage, however I highly doubt it, both sides are well aware that the stakes are simply too high to risk it.
All in all this is a game, with a degree of realism - people must recognise that it is realistic only in degrees! Nations are realistic, places are realistic, weapons used are realistic (but not utterly so, thats another story and has been posted on countles times). Spaning up out of the ground 20 seconds after being killed is not realistic, nor is anybody being able to be the commander of an army, nor insubordination. It is a game, just try to enjoy it for what it is and not read too much into it!
*For those who are interested, as a counterpoint to my comments about the unlikliness of war between superpowers, read up on a neo-realist by the name of Huntington, i believe. He proposes a theory of civilisational wars that are essentially inevitable, a clash of civilisations between the western civilisations, islamic civilisation, and asiatic civilisations. ***NOT MY OWN THEORY***
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