Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Oct 13, 2022 - 6:24am
NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
For you Putin might just be a guy who shares some of your tough-guy values, but for a lot of Eastern Europeans the damage the totalitarian experiment has caused (and Putin is merely the latest iteration of it) is a lot more visceral.
I am not a fan of Poo Tin.
Somebody needs to take him out.
Tough guy values?
Maybe tougher than some.
But I'm a push over really.
In case you havenât noticed, let me alert you to a bracing turn of events: The U.S. is now in conflict with Russia and China at the same time. Grandma always said, âNever fight Russia and China at the same time.â So did Henry Kissinger. Doing so may be necessary to secure our national interests. But have no doubt: We are in uncharted waters. I just hope that these are not our new âforever wars.â
The struggle with Russia is indirect, but obvious, escalating and violent. We are arming the Ukrainians with smart missiles and intelligence to force the Russians to withdraw from Ukraine. While taking nothing away from the bravery of the Ukrainians, the U.S. and NATOâs support has played a huge role in Ukraineâs battlefield successes. Just ask the Russians. But how does this war end? No one can tell you.
Today, though, I want to focus on the struggle with China, which is less visible and involves no shooting, because it is being fought mostly with transistors that toggle between digital 1s and 0s. But it will have as big, if not bigger, an impact on the global balance of power as the outcome of the combat between Russia and Ukraine. And it has little to do with Taiwan. (...)
Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
That darn Putin.
If it wasn't for him... we'd all be in San Francisco growing flowers in our hair.
For you Putin might just be a guy who shares some of your tough-guy values, but for a lot of Eastern Europeans the damage the totalitarian experiment has caused (and Putin is merely the latest iteration of it) is a lot more visceral.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Oct 2, 2022 - 5:27pm
haresfur wrote:
Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
That darn Putin.
If it wasn't for him... we'd all be in San Francisco growing flowers in our hair.
Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
That is not surprising. If you knew me better, rather better understood my views on international relations, security, peace, economic development, you would never call me "rabidly anti-American". If anything, on a personal level, I tend to identify with the economic and security interests of small rich western countries such as Canada and Norway. And everywhere I have travelled in South America and Africa. Tiers mondiste.
All these countries share a common vested interest in a strong, confident USA. A weaker USA is a big concern.
Example, how do Mexico and Central America countries benefit from chaotic, out of control US immigration and refugee policies? They do not.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Sep 22, 2022 - 2:51pm
NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
That darn Trump.
If it wasn't for him, we'd still be in the garden naming creatures.
1. The 1990s was overall a terrific decade for the USA. It was by far the favourite destination for academics and high-power technical folk. The torture and terrorism-filled Revenge Crusade following the Sept. 11th attacks took away some of the appeal.
2. Despite all the fumbles, US freemarket capitalism works well. From a strategic and military perspective, Russia and China will never catch up unless they adopt more western-like institutions.
3. The USA remains one of the world's most popular destinations for refugees, economic and political.
4. All the ridiculous silly contradictions that one can (easily) find in the USA can be found in much greater quantities in most EME and poor developing economies. For perspective.
US hegemony is in full decline and current US policy choices appear to be accelerating that rate of decline but the USA will remain a relatively powerful country with a robust economy for a very long time. Yes, social mobility is not that great but most Americans, immigrants and refugees will continue to behave like anything is still possible.
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
I always figured that Russian/English Google Translate would produce gibberish.
I always thought we were dealing with the nth incarnation of what's-his-face from Northern Germany. But translating it back into German word-for-word is even worse than the English.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Sep 21, 2022 - 9:22pm
westslope wrote:
1. The 1990s was overall a terrific decade for the USA. It was by far the favourite destination for academics and high-power technical folk. The torture and terrorism-filled Revenge Crusade following the Sept. 11th attacks took away some of the appeal.
2. Despite all the fumbles, US freemarket capitalism works well. From a strategic and military perspective, Russia and China will never catch up unless they adopt more western-like institutions.
3. The USA remains one of the world's most popular destinations for refugees, economic and political.
4. All the ridiculous silly contradictions that one can (easily) find in the USA can be found in much greater quantities in most EME and poor developing economies. For perspective.
US hegemony is in full decline and current US policy choices appear to be accelerating that rate of decline but the USA will remain a relatively powerful country with a robust economy for a very long time. Yes, social mobility is not that great but most Americans, immigrants and refugees will continue to behave like anything is still possible.
