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Adm. Mullen cites risk of instability stemming from financial crisis

Tuesday, February 17, 2009   E-Mail this story   Free Headline Alerts

Geostrategy-Direct.com

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said last week that he is concerned that the global economic recession will lead to greater world instability. The global financial crisis is expected to continue.

“I worry about the effect that has on stability or instability throughout the world,” Adm. Mike Mullen said after a speech.

Mullen said it is difficult to predict where that instability might take place “but as this crisis really takes hold, there will be places that become much less stable that we hadn't anticipated.”

U.S. officials have expressed concerns that China could become increasingly unstable as a result of the recession.

The communist government in Beijing is betting on continued economic growth to maintain the stability of its 1.3 million people, many of whom feel left out by the growing prosperity of China’s eastern and coastal cities. On Iran, Mullen said he favors engaging Iran as was done with the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

However, Mullen said Iran remain “on a path to develop nuclear weapons” and he said military operations against the nuclear program are not “off the table” of options for dealing with the problem.

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