# Who Are our Potential Enemies in the 2010-2050 Decades? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 19, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215 "2004-06-19T18:43:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Brutus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@Brutus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brutus)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/21 "2004-06-20T07:13:53Z")
> [@Klaatu](#): > > Domestic? Yeah,right. The Russians have been reverse-engineering or copying Western weapons systems since WWII. Hell, in the mid-40s they produced a whole fleet of B-29 bombers (TU-4) which were pretty much exact replicas of the US design. Hence my WW2 disclaimer. They wouldn’t have built those if not for the convenience of having one land in their territory. Didn’t have much time to design a weapon that wasn’t directly related to beating back the Germans… > [@](#): > > Look at their missile designs, combat aircraft, and even the ill-fated space shuttle “Buran”. Gotta disagree. The Buran might be superficially similiar, but from my understanding, is quite a different craft. It has (well, had) no onboard engines, larger cargo capacity, and other differences. As far as missles and combat aircraft, while they may field systems in response to ours (the Su-24 to the F-111, MiG-29 and Su-27 to the F-16 and F-15), these systems are at best superficially similiar to their counterparts. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Russian gear (past the Infantry company level, lets say) is worth the metal is is made out of. Maybe they should copy us. But I don’t think one can say that they copy our systems on a widescale. Heck, they can’t, given their manufacturing system can’t keep up with their engineers. ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/22 "2004-06-20T07:27:21Z")
> [@Sam Stone](#): > > Predicting geopolitical events more than a few years into the future is folly. Ditto, and what’s more, we can’t predict what shape conflict will come in … everyone here is talking about conventional wars; which no one in their right mind is going to wage against the US. Terrorism is a kind of war; so is war-by-proxy, and economic war, and “diplomatic offensive” is not always a term of rapproachment. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/23 "2004-06-20T08:24:19Z")
Lots of talk about Siberia in this Thread. Is there a history of heated dispute over Siberia? I’ve never heard any of it. Can anyone clue me in? What about Siberia is worth fighting for? (Honest question- I simply don’t know.) Is that where Russian oil is located? Are there other valuable resources? ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/24 "2004-06-20T10:43:15Z")
Since we’re just speculating anyway, I offer that one fairly good indicator of an enemy-to-be would be whatever country or countries we are supplying arms to now. If not arms, then political support. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/25 "2004-06-20T11:48:59Z")
The biggest threat to America in the near future is the Republican Party leadership as it is now constituted. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/26 "2004-06-20T13:12:01Z")
Anyone is a potential enemy if we piss 'em off enough. That doesn’t narrow the field much given the current situation, though. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/27 "2004-06-20T14:26:39Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > Lots of talk about Siberia in this Thread. Is there a history of heated dispute over Siberia? I’ve never heard any of it. Can anyone clue me in? Meh, there have always been disputes over where the border is between Russia, Mongolia, and China. Nothing really heated, though. By the time Russia laid claim to it, Mongolia was declined. > [@](#): > > What about Siberia is worth fighting for? (Honest question- I simply don’t know.) Is that where Russian oil is located? Are there other valuable resources? Sibera is probably the largest collection of untapped natural resources on the planet. Everything from mineral mining to oil and lumber. The speculation is that in a few decades, when China has finished modernizing and Russia has restabilized, Russia will be looking very much at getting their natural resources out (they already are investing a good deal of money in Siberia), and China will be looking for resources. China actually going after Russia is up to much debate. For one, Russia is China’s arms dealer. China has very little capability to produce its own weapons, especially not on par with Russia’s. Most of what they have is Russian surplus. China also has to keep in mind that Russia is still the second largest nuclear power. Also, with both of them being UN SC nations, you’d bet your bottom dollar that they would start WWIII, with most people siding with the invaded (Russia). Further, Russia is very attatched to Siberia - they view it as their key to the future, as their traditional land, and they kinda value Vladivostok, too, because it makes them a two-ocean power. Lastly, speaking frankly, the Chinese army couldn’t fight its way out of a wet paper bag. Even with their tremendous numbers, they still don’t have control of their west. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2004, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215/28 "2004-06-20T20:59:21Z")
China’s economic boom, coupled with its giant hydroelectric projects, will boost their industrial capacity immensely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-are-our-potential-enemies-in-the-2010-2050-decades/251215.md?page=1)