Cold war 2.0

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I made that purely for the sake of perspective. Just so that you understand that your situation isn't nearly as dramatic as you think it is.
But to be honest I often used word "kinda" in that post for a reason. Which is that both side of the Atlantic have somewhat different definitions of left and right. So my parallel is kinda misleading. However this is how actual landslide in the cards looks like.

I appreciate that reminder. I do feel I have to be ready for anything. I need to become stronger in any way that I can.

Regarding the differences between the right on either side of the Atlantic, I'll issue a word of warning. It seems to me that the modern far right has put in a great deal of effort to try to distance themselves from the far right of the past century, in terms of PR. I think, though, that when the mask comes off, people like LePen and the AfD will show themselves to be not that different from the far right of the past. Furthermoree, the only thing they need for the mask to come off is for them to acquire power.

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Virtual ghost]

North Korea ratifies defense treaty with Russia

As I was saying in the other thread.
This is basically why I am categorizing Russia as I am.



Ukraine updates: Kyiv says 50,000 Russians fighting in Kursk

How Trump's win boosts Poland's right-wing opposition

Germany faces major challenges ahead of snap election

How hard-right ECR became the commissioner nominees’ best friend

Somaliland: What elections mean for regional power dynamics

Iran and Saudi Arabia pursue cautious rapprochement

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Virtual ghost]

5 things to know about Kaja Kallas’ European Parliament hearing

 

[Virtual ghost]

Is Donald Trump about to wreck Brexit?

 

[The Cat]

I'm pretty sure he plans on wrecking anything he can get his cheeto fingers on.

 

[Red Herring]

In France Marine Le Pen is currently going through a criminial trial because of accusations of embezzeling EU money to salvage party finances. If she is convicted and the DA has their way she would not be allowed to run for office for several years. I don't know what the chances are of that happening but it is definitely an interesting development.

Meanwhile here in Germany enough members of parliament have signed a petition to outlaw the AfD for a formal process to be triggered. This is a highly risky and questionable maneuver reminiscent of impeaching Trump that might only strengthen them when they are court-certified "not anti-constitutional". There already is a thick file on them by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution whose director has recently stated that they were just about to update their official rating of the party (and likely upgrade them from "under suspicion of extremism" to "proven extremist") but that they would postpone that official announcement because now would be too close to the upcoming snap elections which would give the party an unfair disadvantage. I repeat: The office in charge of protecting the constitution and shielding the nation against enemies of the state is saying that they don't want to call enemies of the state enemies of the state shortly before an election because that would be unfair to the enemies of the state. For fux sake, dude, read some Popper!

 

[Virtual ghost]

Meanwhile here in Germany enough members of parliament have signed a petition to outlaw the AfD for a formal process to be triggered. This is a highly risky and questionable maneuver reminiscent of impeaching Trump that might only strengthen them when they are court-certified "not anti-constitutional". There already is a thick file on them by the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution whose director has recently stated that they were just about to update their official rating of the party (and likely upgrade them from "under suspicion of extremism" to "proven extremist") but that they would postpone that official announcement because now would be too close to the upcoming snap elections which would give the party an unfair disadvantage. I repeat: The office in charge of protecting the constitution and shielding the nation against enemies of the state is saying that they don't want to call enemies of the state enemies of the state shortly before an election because that would be unfair to the enemies of the state. For fux sake, dude, read some Popper!

Stuff like this is exactly what I had in mind when I said yesterday that the west is going down because it is no longer able to sort out anything,


However I am curious:

Germany has multiparty system, so what exactly would prevent various party members to just make a new party and continue ? This doesn't even have to be the top members of the party.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Abkhazia parliament stormed over Russian investment deal

Xi inaugurates South America's first Chinese-funded port

EU forecasts 'steady' eurozone growth despite 'uncertainty'

South Korea: opposition leader handed suspended jail term

 

[Virtual ghost]

Fragile Dutch government teeters as minister resigns and Geert Wilders rages

Dutch ruling coalition led by hard right is on the edge of collapse.

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

We tend to focus on Russia here. Everyone in these parts is pretty much in agreement that Russia sucks. What about China?

Question: Are there reasons to be opposed to Chinese hegemony other than racism? (This is in response to something on social media) It seems like there are. They are undemocratic and crack down on dissent. There's that business with the Uighurs, as well. Is there more.

They are likely to make significant gains. They seem to be supportive of STEM in a way that Americans aren't (because here it's useless, a form of brainwashing, or a tool of the devil), so this perhaps may result in them making significant grounds. What will be a likely result of this outcome?

 

[Virtual ghost]

We tend to focus on Russia here. Everyone in these parts is pretty much in agreement that Russia sucks. What about China?

Question: Are there reasons to be opposed to Chinese hegemony other than racism? (This is in response to something on social media) It seems like there are. They are undemocratic and crack down on dissent. There's that business with the Uighurs, as well. Is there more.

They are likely to make significant gains. They seem to be supportive of STEM in a way that Americans aren't (because here it's useless, a form of brainwashing, or a tool of the devil), so this perhaps may result in them making significant grounds. What will be a likely result of this outcome?

I actually don't agree with the idea that they will make significant ground in the future. For a while it looked like this will be the case, but the trend has created some serious backlash globally. Trump openly says he will escalate trade war with China even further. While for economy that is totally dependent on mass export to rich countries that is huge problem.


EU to press China over drones for Russia, warns of ‘consequences’


This is fresh article.
On the other hand EU is exponentially getting more and more hostile towards China for whole bunch of reasons. Trade war is already a reality, plus there are political tensions. What is because it is evident that China makes possible Russia's war in Ukraine. Origin of the pandemic was never really explained. They are openly supporting anti EU politicians in Europe (Orban and company). There is some cheating with subsidies (what harms fair trade), China is hostile to EUs interests all around global south. Therefore EU and Europe in general are increasingly of opinion that this is the deal that just isn't worth it. Especially since now trading with China will openly increase tensions with Trump led US. The fact that China friendly politicians are losing ground all around Europe only adds to the trend.

In other words if US and EU are on the same page that means that other allies will surely follow: UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea and few more. In other words these countries together dwarf China's GDP by multiple times. While their GDP only exists due to mass exports towards rich countries. Plus when you add that aftermath of stuff like one child policy will also start to hit them it is quite questionable what will be with the country (at least when it comes to it's current form).

This is something like 24h old video of why China has serious structural problems, especially in the context of what is going on all around the world at this point. This is almost an hour long explanation that goes into various details.


All of this could easily be story of the decade on the global level.

 

[Virtual ghost]

SPD lawmakers call for Pistorius as chancellor candidate: Spiegel


The German center left is in familiar position. They have candidate that has pretty much none existent chances to win second term. Therefore the party is considering switching the top candidate for a more popular figure. As I said In Europe this practice isn't that rare. Sometimes it works, some times it doesn't. However In Europe margins are very important, because seats in parliament are EVs. Therefore it is big deal if someone looses by 5 points or 15 points of difference.


However I wonder if this will actually do the trick.
At least it should return some voters from the populist and anti-system parties (what is something).

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

I actually don't agree with the idea that they will make significant ground in the future. For a while it looked like this will be the case, but the trend has created some serious backlash globally. Trump openly says he will escalate trade war with China even further. While for economy that is totally dependent on mass export to rich countries that is huge problem.


EU to press China over drones for Russia, warns of ‘consequences’


This is fresh article.
On the other hand EU is exponentially getting more and more hostile towards China for whole bunch of reasons. Trade war is already a reality, plus there are political tensions. What is because it is evident that China makes possible Russia's war in Ukraine. Origin of the pandemic was never really explained. They are openly supporting anti EU politicians in Europe (Orban and company). There is some cheating with subsidies (what harms fair trade), China is hostile to EUs interests all around global south. Therefore EU and Europe in general are increasingly of opinion that this is the deal that just isn't worth it. Especially since now trading with China will openly increase tensions with Trump led US. The fact that China friendly politicians are losing ground all around Europe only adds to the trend.

In other words if US and EU are on the same page that means that other allies will surely follow: UK, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, South Korea and few more. In other words these countries together dwarf China's GDP by multiple times. While their GDP only exists due to mass exports towards rich countries. Plus when you add that aftermath of stuff like one child policy will also start to hit them it is quite questionable what will be with the country (at least when it comes to it's current form).

If the exports got cut off, couldn't they use their manufacturing capacity to sustain themselves as a country? Granted, I'll bet there would be a lot of surplus, unused factories, just because of how much they produce.

 

[Virtual ghost]

If the exports got cut off, couldn't they use their manufacturing capacity to sustain themselves as a country? Granted, I'll bet there would be a lot of surplus, unused factories, just because of how much they produce.

I am not that much of an expert on the subject that I can tell you that with certainty. However if I have to say an answer I would say "No". The problem is that their economy is very dependent on exports to rich countries. However if that were to come basically to halt China should find itself in bankruptcy. Since they do have fairly large debts behind everything they are projecting to the world. While the system is financially cracking even as it is. What means that the whole thing is basically a bubble. However if that bursts it is questionable if the "regime" can keep itself in power. However if that crumbles that means that all bets are off. Predicting what would come after that is just too speculative. However many inside the country would like to see this scenario coming to life. Especially since dictatorship limits plenty of things that people and even some the elites would like to come to life (as presented in the video).

China as ancient nation will surely survive what is coming, but the current social order is indeed under question as things stand. Especially since they lack stable/strong allies. All of their allies are much weaker than them and in a way they are directly dependent on them. So if the system cracks here there will surely be large chain reaction globally. In a sense it can be argued that this would probably be the real end of the cold war.

 

[Lark]

We tend to focus on Russia here. Everyone in these parts is pretty much in agreement that Russia sucks. What about China?

Question: Are there reasons to be opposed to Chinese hegemony other than racism? (This is in response to something on social media) It seems like there are. They are undemocratic and crack down on dissent. There's that business with the Uighurs, as well. Is there more.

They are likely to make significant gains. They seem to be supportive of STEM in a way that Americans aren't (because here it's useless, a form of brainwashing, or a tool of the devil), so this perhaps may result in them making significant grounds. What will be a likely result of this outcome?

The Chinese are a form of oriential despotism for sure, the communism trappings are largely window dressing I think by this point, truthfully, like the significance of Taiwan etc. it makes no sense from the point of view of marxism, even third world marxism or maoism, but as unfinished post-colonial or post-imperial business maybe.

The thing about the despotism though is that its exactly the sorts of authoritarianism which plays well, in theory, to the right wing in the west at the moment, like the corporal punishment of a diplomat's son a while back for vandalizing a party official's car or the harsh punishments for drug trafficking or the response to nine eleven (apparently they executed the leading political islamists they had in prison immediate they got the news of events in the US to "send a message").

I watched some documentaries in the UK, which I've been repeatedly told reflect some unique UK preoccupations rather than events on the gorund in Asia / China, but they suggested there are risks of China becoming ethno-nationalist, suggesting that all non-asians are sub-humans or non-humans as a result of branching in the human family tree over historical time. That's classic ethno-nationalist thinking but its not really been a feature in Asia, which has been about seperatism rather than supremacy, at least with respect of the white devils or foreign devils or foreign barbarians traditions over the years steming back to the boxer rebellions, supremacy struggles is a western ethnocentric import.