Dan,

>>I'm not dismissing the US contribution (When are you going to read what I'm saying). Please read back.
>

>The russians build the wall to prevent people escaping to the west, but I fail to see what that has to do with the freedom of europeans in general. Most of the eastern european countries were under sovjet control. I don't see how the US made an end to it. The fall of the sovjet empire came largely from within. I don't see a particular significant US role in this whole process.

Again, you're twisting words here. I'm not dismissing US contribution to build up europe again and keeping us safe, BUT I DON'T SEE A SIGNIFICANT US ROLE IN THE DOWNFALL OF THE USSR.

Again the fall of the USSR came FROM WITHIN. The external forces were there, but were not the reason.

>You are, clearly and unequivocally, dismissing any effort on the part of the US as insignificant. And if Paul Kennedy is your only source of information for this viewpoint, then you have a LOT more reading to do.

Dan, You prove again, to know little about detailed political, military and economical forces that were active in european history. You're not able to see what went on beyond the military threat. Your looking from a very simplistic (and biased) angle to those matter. You simply choose to ignore any events that occured within the USSR that explains the economical downfall.

Walter,