Stalin's regime was not Communist? I guess that is a nice self-serving fantasy for proponents of communism who want to disassociate their ideology from such a horrific representation of it. Who would that work on? Someone utterly ignorant of the history of the Soviet Union I guess.

But Tetlleton, it wasn't communist. Communism isn't supposed to have authoritarian regimes like that. You need to bone up on your political doctrines. Read some Marx and Engels, or heck even Lenin and you know communism, study European history and you will know what socialism is

^^^ So many things wrong with this... Your statement doesn't make sense. You haven't proven yourself. You just tried asserting that Stalin's regime was communist and then went on to say that one ignorant of the Soviet Union's history would come to this conclusion. But if Stalin's regime wasn't truly communism than how can looking back at the history of the Soviet Union prove that Stalin wasn't communist, if the Soviet Union had been, in a large period of its existence, under Stalinist rule. Furthermore you did not even use any examples to prove your point and further elaborate on that. BTW just because I don't believe Stalin's regime to be a true communist model doesn't mean I know nothing of Soviet history (I'd wager I know a fair amount) and doesn't make me a propenent of communism, I do consider myself an intellectual who studies ideas and does not dismiss them with ignorance.

Sorry I meant to post that at Tettleton

It seems incredulous to suggest that the Chinese Navy can project meaningful military power to the South Pacific between Australia and New Zealand given the fact that the Chinese navy has nothing flying off the deck of one of its former Cold War vintage Soviet carriers that even begins to approach the performance of an F-18 or F-14.
The Chinese diesel subs pose a threat in the South China Sea or the sea of Japan, but New Zealand?

"You just tried asserting that Stalin's regime was communist and then went on to say that one ignorant of the Soviet Union's history would come to this conclusion."

This should be rewritten to say:
You just tried asserting that Stalin's regime was communist and then went on to say that one with a firm knowledge of the Soviet Union's history would come to this conclusion

this fear of China's military might reminds me of the cold war characterization of the Soviets... the Pentagon and other interested parties made sure that estimates were exaggerated - both in number and in capability... it helped feed the military industrial complex machine and the political machine. These overestimates eventually came to light - really after the cold war - but by then it was moot. Of course here we are again... that and the overstating of the military might of Iran and North Korea and before that of Iraq and how they are "existential" threats to us. It is a snow job - and we keep buying it. Well, at least some of us do. Take a glance at how much we spend on defense compared to the rest of the world... take a look at our state of the art technology and expertise... take a look at our global reach by land (bases in like half the countries of the world) sea and air and tell me that China is a threat to the U.S. As far as them being a threat to NZ or another one of our allies? Well, we know both from diplomacy and from previous historical wars what happens when allies of the U.S. are threatened or invaded. Besides, what would China possibly gain from such a thing?

Anyone read On China by Kissinger yet? I've seen interviews with him on Charlie Rose and Cspan. He says we should avoid letting confrontational elements in both China and the United States reproduce the Cold War so to speak. I need to read it. Henry is the man when it comes to knowledge about China

Indeed he is. Although he essentially borrows heavily from Spence, or so people say. I'm sure I'll eventually get it since I get everything Kissinger writes.

Kissinger is an oddity for me. I simultaneously cannot help both loathing and admiring the guy.