J. E. Dyer on Russia in Syria:
Get used to it. This is the world as it is without American power setting standards and boundaries. After a 70-year hiatus from history, nothing you think you know applies to this situation. This is the world of 1900 800 500 B.C. but with much more destructive weapons, and much faster ways to get around.
Interesting times ahead.
I’ve been having the exact same thought lately.
Mark Steyn: “This is the hill to die on…”
https://youtu.be/NtBQ6O95k1I?t=1h59m42s
If that’s the state of your Navel Intelligence, you are going to be surprised.
A Chinese carrier and a Russian Task Force is what’s off the coast, to say nothing of ships in other bodies of water.
LOL. Thanks for the Steyn link, always good for a laugh.
The US can survive and prosper by living in our own hemisphere and letting EurAsiaAfrica settle their own problems. Wilson/FDR/Kennedy all had a crazy need to Americanize the EurAsiaAfrican world. Best choice is to plow Washington DC under and plant popcorn and raspberries on the newly plowed land. Go back to minimal government, no standing army and keep a strong navy.
Otherwise we will being singing the Dark Age’s Greatest Hit.
“The US can survive and prosper by living in our own hemisphere and letting EurAsiaAfrica settle their own problems. Wilson/FDR/Kennedy all had a crazy need to Americanize the EurAsiaAfrican world. Best choice is to plow Washington DC under and plant popcorn and raspberries on the newly plowed land. Go back to minimal government, no standing army and keep a strong navy.”
I realize you’re Russian, in the disinformation business and in Putin’s pay to advance Russia’s interests, but also probably a Russian patriot. From your point of view, and Putin’s, the above would be an ideal outcome. Divide the world into spheres of influence under the old Great Powers concept.
I’m especially intrigued by “no standing army and keep a strong navy.” Russia traditionally is a land power. It is boxed in by geography and the climate from the sea (Russia is the world’s most northerly inhabited powerful state), however it has enormous access to Asia, the ME and Europe. It also has enormous borders to control as well. So that’s where its focus has always remained. Under the USSR they looked further afield with their plan of world domination under communism. But Russia does not currently have those aspirations. They wish to be the uncontested land power in “EurAsiaAfrican” as you put it (that sure looks like an acronym taken from a defense regions map). The Europeans have essentially disarmed themselves under NATO, expecting the USA will do any heavy lifting in a serious war. If the USA will also do so, at least with the land forces, that opens the board to Russia. They will have a free hand.
But Russia benefits from the existence of the USN. We keep the sea lanes open and functioning freely, which keeps international trade possible. Russia benefits from the trade without incurring the cost.
Pretty sweet deal for you if you can get it.
Michael Hiteshew – I don’t have an opinion as to Dies Irae’s affiliations but I don’t think a Russian patriot and agent of influence would much like the US staying home and minding its knitting because our knitting has traditionally been trade, lighting the lamp of liberty for the world to see and guarding our own freedom. For an authoritarian power that’s tolerable in the 19th century but is intolerable in the 21st. You see the Internet is neither an arm of land power or sea power. It’s in everybody’s business and treats censorship like damage. Web 3.0 is fundamentally a place where even the US will have difficulty following due to our crony capitalism levels. For Russia and China it will be a disaster. At the same time for those who can follow where it’s technology leads, Web 3.0 will make us rich, much like the industrial revolution before it.
Our bombs and missiles are not, by a long shot, the biggest threat the US presents to the world today. It’s our crazy willingness to adopt such a disruptive set of technologies and benefit from them. And we do that *more* if we are just minding our knitting.
TM, I would actually like to see the USA spend more time minding its knitting – after we give the house a thorough spring cleaning. There’s a lot of trash accumulated that needs taking to the dump. If fact, we’re probably due for some remodeling and renovation.
That said, I was just spelling out the deal in plain language as I saw it.
“It’s our crazy willingness to adopt such a disruptive set of technologies and benefit from them. And we do that *more* if we are just minding our knitting.”
It would be ecstasy to have president who recognizes national interest and reality instead of ancient and discredited theories. We have now developed the solution to the energy problem that forced us to depend on the middle east. The British and Churchill began it by converting the British Navy from coal to oil. This was far more efficient but placed the West in a hostage situation to the middle east and the Arabs who are totally untrustworthy,
Now, we have fracking technology and nuclear options that could free us from our obligations to these unstable regimes like Saudi.
I am very sympathetic to Israel but that is not the reason why the middle east is important no matter what the political left says.
We could even use the coal we have in a fashion that does not cause the pollution typical of coal (Which has nothing to do with warming of the climate.
Anyone who claims to care about pollution and carbon needs to adopt nuclear power or they are liars as far as I am concerned.
We could stay home except for clearing the sea lanes of pirates and do very well. Europe is committing suicide and I don’t know that we could stop them.
We have the technology. If we had a sane immigration policy, we could use points to determine who gets to come in and stay,
>> If we had a sane immigration policy, we could use points to determine who gets to come in and stay,
Places like Australia and NZ have very strict guidelines on who qualifies for immigration. It seems to be serving them well.
Richard Fernandez, whose column I read every day before I look at the newspapers, has one today that is a forecast of the future.
Conventional wisdom has had a pretty bad run these last 15 years. For that reason there is little purpose to trusting it further. Instead it might be better to predict a future based on observable trends rather than scenarios that politicians. If those trends convey any information one would expect to see in 2025:
The self-destruction of the Muslim Middle East;
The rise of ethnic and national politics in Europe;
The widespread resurgence of religion and cultural identity as a consequence of (2);
Mass expulsions or segregation in large parts of the world to deconflict incompatible communities
Everyone packing personal weapons like the Wild West
The collapse of multi-ethnic countries into simplified pacts based around of national defense, with most social law generated by local communities and affinity groups;
One or more large regional wars with casualties in the tens of millions.
Several, possibly many WMD attacks on major cities involving radiological weapons, low yield nukes or biological agents.
The collapse of any realistic expectation of Peace on Earth, with the remaining hope of mankind vested in the new space frontier.
I can’t argue with most of it.
Awesome. I get this from your friend at the Belmont Club:
“The website you were attempting to access ahead is infected with malware.
Unknown users on your computer are attempting to install harmful software and programs which will allow them to steal or delete information. This is including but not limited to photographs, user passwords, instant messages, and credit card numbers.
We strongly advise that you dial the number for customer care at (855) 623-9587 this very moment for technical support.”
Is this a feature? I run an obscure version of Linux and just play in this kind of crap. I could go get em’ but I can’t guaranty there will be no collateral damage. ;)
As well it’s interesting his take on the slide into chaos:
“Everyone packing personal weapons like the Wild West”
Hey, just like where you live.
Richard Fernandez is a brilliant guy. Any president would do well to have him as an advisor.