re: Snowden and Putin really throwing it down on us now.

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Obviously we don't consider Britain a geopolitical threat for a litany of reasons that aren't even worth delving into. But I'll bet in the early 1900's we considered them more of a rival than now, in spite of the very common and close ties we have. Geopolitically, Russia has all the makings of being a more dangerous rival then a Britain or some other NATO country. That doesn't make them enemies or direct threats to American security interests. It's dangerous to characterize them this way and it's typically done by the interventionists to convince typical Americans to view Russia as a dangerous threat when really they are little more than a geopolitical rival.

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They are direct threat just by the very nature of the weaponry the have. If they were not a nuclear power they would be of no consequence. Our NATO allies are nuclear powers but are not presently threats because we have similar interests. We also rule the roost, and we are an empire even though many have trouble admitting it. All world powers that are not under our "umbrella of protection" are considered enemies because they are. I realize this is not a popular view but I assure you it is the view of our government and has been for a very long time. It doesn't matter if you or I consider Russia a threat it only matters if the guy with his finger on the button considers them a threat.