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The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality. (1 Viewer)

where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality.


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SAVAK

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The balance of global power will be shifting to its natural equilibrium position over the next 100 years where the global community must incorporate the rise of China and India. One must not fail to remember that the United States of America has over the last 300 years been the pinnacle of European colonialism. In its time America was defined by the mere site of the statue of liberty. Immigrants of all nations came together united to flee from dictatorships, monarchs and fascism. America was freedom. Freedom was America.

Like all powers they must rise and fall. The 20th century is undoubtedly marked in historic calendars as the American century. America was truly the centre of our planet. America was the nation that thought of the idea, brought the idea together and built the idea. However, as we are brought together through an ever smaller planet this country too is affected by what happens millions of miles away. There is no questionability that the United States of America now stands on its last leg. Predictions are being made when the Chinese will surpass the Americans. 2020? 2050? But be assured the Chinese will surpass the USA.

Where will this young tiny nation of ours stand? Alongside the once pinnacle nation of the 20th century? Or should we move forward and look into long term security and lead alongside the Chinese? We may sit here and talk about the human rights issues that occur in mainland china, but when a nation is brought to make or break alliances or even when its own existence is threatened these trivial questions do not matter.

A nation that set to become the Wolds super power, this is the story of the greatest transformation on earth. It is estimated that within the next 30 years we will need another planet earth to satisfy Chinas ever growing appetite for raw materials.
At the military and political level, we still live in a unipolar world. But along every other dimension—industrial, financial, social, cultural—the distribution of power is shifting, moving away from American dominance.
America, gave Europeans another 100 years but the inevitable is occurring. China will undoubtedly be the next super power militarily and economically by the end of this century.

With every rising power a confrontation is likely with the last falling empire. Where will Australia stand? Should we stay Neutral? China isn’t an Iraq. Neither is Chinas beef with the USA over religious or economic ideology like the Soviet Union. Over this century, our leaders in Canberra will undoubtedly make one of the hardest decisions in this country’s history.
 
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zstar

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

I stand with Israel.
 

Iron

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

I dont write off the West at all. With economic and environmental crisis, the free world will reorganise to band together in a final showdown against the dark forces of mordor. China, or more particularly the Chinese people, need to decide quickly whether they are with us, or against us
 

Graney

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Predictions are being made when the Chinese will surpass the Americans. 2020? 2050? But be assured the Chinese will surpass the USA.
'Surpass the Americans'? In what way?

I'm skeptical of the meteoric rise of China. You can't build an empire in twenty years. They have nothing like a stable, secure, sustainable economic future.

China has a lot of problems- ageing population, political and social unrest, environmental issues, overinflated bubble economy.

China will slowly become a thing, but the USA will always remain a thing.

At this stage, tensions between China and the US are low, and will almost certainly remain low for the foreseeable future. It's unlikely we'll ever have to make any choice between the two nations. It's pointless speculating on relations with the two nations now, a future choice would depend upon the specific circumstances of the time.

Australia is already much more reliant on China than the US economically anyway. The other country we're closest to is Japan, which would side with the US in the event of any conflict. So to distance ourselves politically from either side would be devastating.
 
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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Both are powerful countries
But where do China and America stand with us?
 

x.christina

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Both are powerful countries
But where do China and America stand with us?
I would say where do WE stand with America and China? Because it's one thing for us to buddy up with Obama and aid America when they need help but how much do we mean to America?
 

moll.

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

What a stupid thread. Obviously, your petty political differences and squabbles will become extinct when the New World Order comes about and the planet Earth is united under one government.
 

KFunk

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Despite the geographical concerns I'd rather take hegemonic liberty (yes we can!) over the Chinese government (as it currently stands). Of course, I speak as someone who carries a passport that allows me to escape said geographical concerns.
 
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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US will be destroyed in the impending nuclear war - leaving Australia positioned to conquer the remainder of the globe. Australia need only be allied with itself.
 

KFunk

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

I see Mad Max.
 
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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

KFunk you need to patrol the board more often :( I miss my regular lessons in philosophy
 

Graney

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US will be destroyed in the impending nuclear war - leaving Australia positioned to conquer the remainder of the globe. Australia need only be allied with itself.
The year is 1964. The nuclear war that was waged in the northern hemisphere has ended. An American nuclear submarine, The Sawfish, at sea in the mid-Pacific makes its way down the coast of Australia where there appear to be survivors. Docking at the port of Melbourne, the crew, commanded by Lt. Commander Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) live out their lives waiting for the radioactive winds from the North to slowly make their way towards them, ending all life as we know it.

The Australian Government and scientific community, hopeful that life might go on in the Southern Hemisphere or in Antarctica, ask Towers and his crew to take the sub north again to check on radiation levels and a mysterious Morse code signal emanating from near San Diego, CA. Towers is assigned an Australian Ensign (Anthony Perkins) who will act as liaison officer for the mission. Feeling sorry for Towers and the loss he has experienced up North, Perkins and his wife Mary (Donna Anderson), throw a party. They bring in a friend Moira Davidson (Ava Gardner) to distract Towers so he won't become morbid and depressed. Towers slowly begins to fall in love with Moira. However, he still has the mission to think of and is still very much devoted to his wife and kids, who resided in Connecticut. He has difficulty reconciling their loss and at one point confuses Moira for his late wife, Sharon. Moira offers to become "Sharon" if it will help him deal with it and also serve the purpose of assuaging her loneliness and fear of the future, impending doom awaiting. Towers refuses. He leaves on the mission north without telling Moira. She finds out from her cousin Julian Osborne (Fred Astaire in his first dramatic role,) who will be serving as a scientist checking on the radiation levels during the mission. The Sawfish first arrives at Point Barrow in the Artic Sea, only to find that the radiation levels have not subsided. Next they visit an untouched but ghostly quiet, San Francisco. One of the crew, yeoman Swain, whose hometown is San Francisco, escapes the sub through an escape hatch and swims ashore. The Sub sits on the bottom of San Francisco bay and then the next morning surfaces to find Swain fishing from a small boat. Swain tells Captain Towers he is sorry that he deserted but he would "rather be here [sic. San Francisco] to have it" then in Australia later on. Towers understands. The Sawfish heads south to the San Diego area and puts a Radio Officer, Lt. Sunderstrom ashore in a full radiological suit with oxygen tank. Sunderstrom discovers that the mysterious morse code signal is coming from a silent radio room at a refinery, where the window pane had broken and a window shade pull cord had wrapped around a partially empty Coca-cola bottle and a morse code key thus generating the gibberish Morse code signals. Sunderstrom signals the sub as to what he has found and then shuts down the main generators at the refinery. Resigned to their fate, the Sawfish returns and Towers meets up with Moira at her father's farm. They spend time together and go to the last Australian Grand Prix, where Osborne is racing. Osborne wins which has been his dream and Towers and Moira head off to go fishing, as the fishing season has opened early. The fishing grounds are crowded with people and they spend a stormy evening together having dinner in their room in an inn. In the background one can the hear the very audible singing of drunken locals singing the tune "Waltzing Matilda" in the barroom below. Returning from the fishing trip, Towers learns that one of his crew, Seaman Ackerman, has developed radiation poisoning. The radioactive-laden winds have finally arrived and he now must consider what he is going to do about his crew and about Moira. With little time left, Towers says goodbye to Osborne and speaks to his crew. They have already taken a vote and they tell him that they would like "to head for home." He realizes his responsibility and duty is to his crew. He phones Moira who has been helping Peter deal with Mary who can't accept the reality of their present situation. Upon learning that Towers is leaving, she speeds off in her car to the Naval Base. Mary comes around and realizes that she and Peter must face their end and that their infant daughter "Jennifer" will never have the chance to experience the love and happiness that she has had. She tells Peter that she has had a good life with him and that she will "have that cup of tea now." The tea is laced with a coma-inducing sedative, provided free to the residents of Melbourne by the government to help them deal painlessly and quickly with the end. Moira finds Towers at the dock and embraces him. He tells her he loves her but has to go with his crew. She realizes that their relationship is now over but is thankful for what they had. She speeds her car along the coast so that she can catch sight of Towers as he takes the Sawfish down for one last time. Standing on a cliff she gazes off into the distance as the submarine submerges. The final scenes are of an empty and desolate Melbourne with a banner from a religious gathering at the city's center. The banner prophetically reads "There is still time...brother." The final shot is a closeup of the banner. The movie ends.
 
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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

Yep. Sounds about right.

/Lenternesque
 

SAVAK

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

What a stupid thread. Obviously, your petty political differences and squabbles will become extinct when the New World Order comes about and the planet Earth is united under one government.
you sound like zstar.


edit: my thread has been hijacked by irrelevant posts.
 

Iron

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

The year is 1964. The nuclear war that was waged in the northern hemisphere has ended. An American nuclear submarine, The Sawfish, at sea in the mid-Pacific makes its way down the coast of Australia where there appear to be survivors. Docking at the port of Melbourne, the crew, commanded by Lt. Commander Dwight Towers (Gregory Peck) live out their lives waiting for the radioactive winds from the North to slowly make their way towards them, ending all life as we know it.
....
It was such an awesome premise and cocked up so badly

a pox on brian brown for that - even if he was the leading light
 

AlleyCat

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

long live the united states of america
 

moll.

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

you sound like zstar.


edit: my thread has been hijacked by irrelevant posts.
No, zstar keeps pissing his pants worrying about the New World Order. I welcome it. We can begin space colonisation and conquest after that.
 

KFunk

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

KFunk you need to patrol the board more often :( I miss my regular lessons in philosophy
Much appreciated persian. Sadly I've been rediculously busy recently (exams & the end of 'phase 2' of my medical degree, student representation, a brief stint at a conference, etc). I will no doubt resume some amount of lurking once I get past my med exams in a week and a half and become a full-time arts student for the ensuing two years. The future is bright.
 

Nebuchanezzar

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't miss your insight and find you to be a pretentious pooface.
 

KFunk

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Re: The Future is the past - where should Australia stand? USA, China, or neuetrality

If it makes you feel any better, I didn't miss your insight and find you to be a pretentious pooface.
That helps greatly Neb. Merci.
 

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