Generational Dynamics World View News

[Xeraphim1]

Evergrande Declared in Default as Huge Restructuring Looms

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ins-spread

China Evergrande Group has officially been labeled a defaulter for the first time, the latest milestone in months-long financial drama that’s likely to culminate in a massive restructuring of the world’s most indebted developer.

Fitch Ratings cut Evergrande to “restricted default” over its failure to make two coupon payments by the end of a grace period on Monday, a move that may trigger cross defaults on the developer’s $19.2 billion of dollar debt.

The downgrade came just minutes after Fitch applied the same default label to Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd., which failed to repay a $400 million dollar bond that matured Tuesday. Together, the two companies account for about 15% of outstanding dollar bonds sold by Chinese developers.

It will be interesting to see what happens in China.

[Xeraphim1]

Interesting article:

Putin's Last Gasp?

https://www.project-syndicate.org/comme ... d-2021-12?

WASHINGTON, DC – Today’s Russia poses a clear and present danger to world peace. In July, President Vladimir Putin published a long article, “About the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” effectively denying the legitimacy of Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation-state. He also has pursued a policy of military mobilization around Ukraine’s border, first in April and even more intensively in recent weeks. Senior Ukrainian and US officials, including President Joe Biden, are warning that Russia may launch a major ground war against Ukraine in early 2022.

Various causes of Russia’s aggressiveness have been suggested, but the most important one focuses on Russian decline, and whether this has made the country more dangerous. Is Putin genuinely intent on attacking Ukraine? If so, what should Ukraine and the West do about it?

The decline is obvious. Russia’s economy has been completely stagnant since 2014 (and mostly stagnant since 2009), and Putin has made clear that he has no interest in delivering economic growth or improved living standards. In US dollar terms, Russia’s GDP fell from $2.3 trillion in 2013 to $1.5 trillion in 2020. Since Putin first invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Russian households’ real (inflation-adjusted) disposable income has fallen by 10%.

With nothing good to say about the economy, Putin has touted Russia’s large international currency reserves and minimal public debt. These statistics appear to support his pursuit of national “greatness,” which has become synonymous with his own strongman rule.

Putin thus aspires to create a modern-day Sparta – a state focused solely on its military prowess. Since Russia’s August 2008 attack on Georgia, which revealed major military shortcomings, the Kremlin has undertaken substantial military modernization, while much of the rest of Europe has continued its post-Cold War disarmament.

But Russia’s relative military might probably has already peaked. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russian military expenditures reached $62 billion in 2020, a year when US military expenditures were $778 billion and China’s were $252 billion. Even India surpassed Russia with its $73 billion military budget.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Putin may now be thinking that if Russia is going to benefit from its military strength, it had better flex its muscles now, before the country’s economic foundation erodes further. Moreover, this year’s commodity price boom (particularly in energy and metals) has strengthened the Kremlin’s incentive to strike while the iron is hot.

Like a cornered animal, declining powers are often the most dangerous ones. As Graham Allison of Harvard University reminds us in Destined for War, it was a declining power, Austria-Hungary, that started World War I by declaring war on Serbia. In the current context, the Russians appear to be planning a tank and artillery campaign reminiscent of World War II; if so, their war machine is as outdated as Putin’s view of Ukraine.

A contemporary, peace-loving Western reader might wonder why Putin would want to start a war. Surely he is familiar with the legacy of Vyacheslav von Plehve, the Russian interior minister who, in 1904, famously argued that, “To avert a revolution, we need a small, victorious war!” Soon thereafter, von Plehve was assassinated by a revolutionary. Even so, the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War ensued. That conflict was neither small nor victorious – and it ended up catalyzing the revolution of 1905.

Putin is most likely focused more on his own small, successful wars in Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014, which led to his highest approval ratings ever. Since then, his approval has reached new lows, and with public discontent building, he has ratcheted up political repression to a level not seen since his hero, the late Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, was in power (1982-84).

To justify his increasingly extreme repression, Putin has cranked up the Kremlin’s propaganda machinery to Soviet levels. But anti-Western messaging will not persuade the population to support him. For that, he needs another highly successful war. And because Russia stands no chance in a big war against the whole West, it needs a much more limited conflict. Hence, Putin’s choice of Ukraine, which he calls a Western vassal.

But a small, victorious war is not possible in Ukraine, either. As Ukraine’s new defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, recently pointed out:

“The human cost for Ukraine would be catastrophic, but Ukrainians would not mourn alone. Russia would also suffer massive losses. Images of coffins returning to Russia from the front lines in Ukraine would spread like a virus across social media and would soon prove too much for even the Kremlin censors to contain. A major war in Ukraine would plunge the whole of Europe into crisis.”

US intelligence agencies warn that Russia is mobilizing some 175,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. But a force of that size would not suffice. Ukraine’s active military forces comprise 250,000 troops, many with ample battle experience, who would be defending their homeland against soldiers who may have no higher aim than collecting their salaries.

Russia’s mistake in 1904 was that it did not take Japan seriously as a military power. When Japan emerged victorious, the Czar’s power was fatally weakened, allowing for the revolution that followed. A 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war could prove to be an even bigger folly, one that Putin is unlikely to survive.

n the meantime, the Kremlin must not be allowed to benefit domestically from its saber-rattling. The West responded with only limited sanctions following Putin’s previous aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. It must learn from those mistakes and stand fully with Ukraine. In addition to providing military supplies and training for Ukraine, the West should impose truly devastating sanctions against Russia. Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have promised as much. They and America’s European allies now must follow through.

This thinking fits in with Russian actions and announcements over the past 10-15 years. There are constant press releases of new wonder weapons that rarely go into production. For example, the Armata armored vehicle family was supposed to be the greatest tanks and APCs ever with several thousand in service by 2020, yet there are only a few dozen example produced. Instead there are more upgrades of T-80s while the most common (and popular) tank is an upgraded T-72 which was never that great. The Su-57 was supposed to challenge the F-22 but there are still only a handful of example and Russian is buying more upgraded Flankers. The US has bought a few upgraded F-15s (F-15EX) but is has some 180 F-22s and is buying around 100 F-35s per year. Consider the deployment of the carrier Admiral Kuznetzov (always accompanied by its own tug) that mostly showcased the poor quality of Russian capital ships and its substandard naval aircraft. We won't see it for awhile because the only dry dock capable of handling it sank. Whoops! Or the Avangard hypersonic missile which needs to be lofted by a heavy ICBM that otherwise could carry 10 or more warheads. Or the Poseidon nuclear torpedo which is entirely pointless since a ICBM would get a warhead to the target much faster and be less likely to be intercepted.

Russian industrial capability is falling behind the West again and even behind China whose military products are for the most part better with a few exceptions; aircraft being the main example but even that is changing. And Putin's constant saber-rattling are leading to the biggest rearmament program in Europe since the cold war ended. By the end of this decade there will several hundred F-35s in service in most of the NATO countries (France and Germany being the main odd ones out) along with new and much more capable air defenses and much more capable missiles including medium and intermediate range missiles. While the smaller NATO countries could not hope to conquer Russia, it's entirely possible they'd be able to defeat a Russian attack without major US reinforcements. Take a look at Poland which is both modernizing its F-16s, buying F-35s, Patriot missiles and M-1 tanks. In short order it will be better armed than Germany.

This is going to bring up the question of how long Putin will be able to stay in power. While he effectively is dictator for life, the continual decline in relative Russian military capabilities and real decline in economic performance mean that it will be harder to ride the tiger. When he finally goes, who will take op the reins.Democracy has been eviscerated in Russia over the past 20 years so there is no real successor nor any process for one to legitimately come to power. Any successor will probably not have the time to continue Putin's foreign policy provocations meaning no support for Belarus. Lukashenko would have to go full bore repression to have a hope of not losing his head. Ukraine would try to retake Donbus and possibly Crimea. I could see Georgia trying to retake South Ossetia and Abkhazia which only exist at Russian sufferance .

[Guest]

Interesting article:

Putin's Last Gasp?

https://www.project-syndicate.org/comme ... d-2021-12?

WASHINGTON, DC – Today’s Russia poses a clear and present danger to world peace. In July, President Vladimir Putin published a long article, “About the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” effectively denying the legitimacy of Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation-state. He also has pursued a policy of military mobilization around Ukraine’s border, first in April and even more intensively in recent weeks. Senior Ukrainian and US officials, including President Joe Biden, are warning that Russia may launch a major ground war against Ukraine in early 2022.

Various causes of Russia’s aggressiveness have been suggested, but the most important one focuses on Russian decline, and whether this has made the country more dangerous. Is Putin genuinely intent on attacking Ukraine? If so, what should Ukraine and the West do about it?

The decline is obvious. Russia’s economy has been completely stagnant since 2014 (and mostly stagnant since 2009), and Putin has made clear that he has no interest in delivering economic growth or improved living standards. In US dollar terms, Russia’s GDP fell from $2.3 trillion in 2013 to $1.5 trillion in 2020. Since Putin first invaded Ukraine and illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Russian households’ real (inflation-adjusted) disposable income has fallen by 10%.

With nothing good to say about the economy, Putin has touted Russia’s large international currency reserves and minimal public debt. These statistics appear to support his pursuit of national “greatness,” which has become synonymous with his own strongman rule.

Putin thus aspires to create a modern-day Sparta – a state focused solely on its military prowess. Since Russia’s August 2008 attack on Georgia, which revealed major military shortcomings, the Kremlin has undertaken substantial military modernization, while much of the rest of Europe has continued its post-Cold War disarmament.

But Russia’s relative military might probably has already peaked. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Russian military expenditures reached $62 billion in 2020, a year when US military expenditures were $778 billion and China’s were $252 billion. Even India surpassed Russia with its $73 billion military budget.

Seeing the writing on the wall, Putin may now be thinking that if Russia is going to benefit from its military strength, it had better flex its muscles now, before the country’s economic foundation erodes further. Moreover, this year’s commodity price boom (particularly in energy and metals) has strengthened the Kremlin’s incentive to strike while the iron is hot.

Like a cornered animal, declining powers are often the most dangerous ones. As Graham Allison of Harvard University reminds us in Destined for War, it was a declining power, Austria-Hungary, that started World War I by declaring war on Serbia. In the current context, the Russians appear to be planning a tank and artillery campaign reminiscent of World War II; if so, their war machine is as outdated as Putin’s view of Ukraine.

A contemporary, peace-loving Western reader might wonder why Putin would want to start a war. Surely he is familiar with the legacy of Vyacheslav von Plehve, the Russian interior minister who, in 1904, famously argued that, “To avert a revolution, we need a small, victorious war!” Soon thereafter, von Plehve was assassinated by a revolutionary. Even so, the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War ensued. That conflict was neither small nor victorious – and it ended up catalyzing the revolution of 1905.

Putin is most likely focused more on his own small, successful wars in Georgia in 2008 and Crimea in 2014, which led to his highest approval ratings ever. Since then, his approval has reached new lows, and with public discontent building, he has ratcheted up political repression to a level not seen since his hero, the late Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, was in power (1982-84).

To justify his increasingly extreme repression, Putin has cranked up the Kremlin’s propaganda machinery to Soviet levels. But anti-Western messaging will not persuade the population to support him. For that, he needs another highly successful war. And because Russia stands no chance in a big war against the whole West, it needs a much more limited conflict. Hence, Putin’s choice of Ukraine, which he calls a Western vassal.

But a small, victorious war is not possible in Ukraine, either. As Ukraine’s new defense minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, recently pointed out:

“The human cost for Ukraine would be catastrophic, but Ukrainians would not mourn alone. Russia would also suffer massive losses. Images of coffins returning to Russia from the front lines in Ukraine would spread like a virus across social media and would soon prove too much for even the Kremlin censors to contain. A major war in Ukraine would plunge the whole of Europe into crisis.”

US intelligence agencies warn that Russia is mobilizing some 175,000 troops near its border with Ukraine. But a force of that size would not suffice. Ukraine’s active military forces comprise 250,000 troops, many with ample battle experience, who would be defending their homeland against soldiers who may have no higher aim than collecting their salaries.

Russia’s mistake in 1904 was that it did not take Japan seriously as a military power. When Japan emerged victorious, the Czar’s power was fatally weakened, allowing for the revolution that followed. A 2022 Russo-Ukrainian war could prove to be an even bigger folly, one that Putin is unlikely to survive.

n the meantime, the Kremlin must not be allowed to benefit domestically from its saber-rattling. The West responded with only limited sanctions following Putin’s previous aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. It must learn from those mistakes and stand fully with Ukraine. In addition to providing military supplies and training for Ukraine, the West should impose truly devastating sanctions against Russia. Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have promised as much. They and America’s European allies now must follow through.

This thinking fits in with Russian actions and announcements over the past 10-15 years. There are constant press releases of new wonder weapons that rarely go into production. For example, the Armata armored vehicle family was supposed to be the greatest tanks and APCs ever with several thousand in service by 2020, yet there are only a few dozen example produced. Instead there are more upgrades of T-80s while the most common (and popular) tank is an upgraded T-72 which was never that great. The Su-57 was supposed to challenge the F-22 but there are still only a handful of example and Russian is buying more upgraded Flankers. The US has bought a few upgraded F-15s (F-15EX) but is has some 180 F-22s and is buying around 100 F-35s per year. Consider the deployment of the carrier Admiral Kuznetzov (always accompanied by its own tug) that mostly showcased the poor quality of Russian capital ships and its substandard naval aircraft. We won't see it for awhile because the only dry dock capable of handling it sank. Whoops! Or the Avangard hypersonic missile which needs to be lofted by a heavy ICBM that otherwise could carry 10 or more warheads. Or the Poseidon nuclear torpedo which is entirely pointless since a ICBM would get a warhead to the target much faster and be less likely to be intercepted.

Russian industrial capability is falling behind the West again and even behind China whose military products are for the most part better with a few exceptions; aircraft being the main example but even that is changing. And Putin's constant saber-rattling are leading to the biggest rearmament program in Europe since the cold war ended. By the end of this decade there will several hundred F-35s in service in most of the NATO countries (France and Germany being the main odd ones out) along with new and much more capable air defenses and much more capable missiles including medium and intermediate range missiles. While the smaller NATO countries could not hope to conquer Russia, it's entirely possible they'd be able to defeat a Russian attack without major US reinforcements. Take a look at Poland which is both modernizing its F-16s, buying F-35s, Patriot missiles and M-1 tanks. In short order it will be better armed than Germany.

This is going to bring up the question of how long Putin will be able to stay in power. While he effectively is dictator for life, the continual decline in relative Russian military capabilities and real decline in economic performance mean that it will be harder to ride the tiger. When he finally goes, who will take op the reins.Democracy has been eviscerated in Russia over the past 20 years so there is no real successor nor any process for one to legitimately come to power. Any successor will probably not have the time to continue Putin's foreign policy provocations meaning no support for Belarus. Lukashenko would have to go full bore repression to have a hope of not losing his head. Ukraine would try to retake Donbus and possibly Crimea. I could see Georgia trying to retake South Ossetia and Abkhazia which only exist at Russian sufferance .

Good analysis, but there is more. There is a sizable Muslim minority in Russia (both officially and unofficially). The average ethnic Russian avoids military service (as much for health issues as an unwillingness to endure hardship). A large % of the special forces is Muslim, often Chechen. Entire units fighting in Ukraine were Asian Buryats. They were conscripts and had no idea they were being sent to fight in Ukraine until they got off the train. Will the Muslims and Asians stay loyal to Russia?

Russia is rotten to the core. Russia's only hope of survival is to break up. And they know it, and they refuse to accept reality, so they launch these hopeless wars. The opposition in Russia are mostly bad men, but some of them do understand the true situation Russia faces and want to jettison the Kavkaz, Ukraine, and leave the Baltic states alone. They want a Russian rump state, hopefully being able to keep Siberia. I doubt they will be able to. China will take it. (That doesn't make me happy because the Chinese are just as bad as the Russians.)

Russia is coming to an ignominious end. And they know it. Why is Portugal littered with Russians pursuing golden visas and Portuguese citizenship? They know Russia is a failed state. Why have they flooded into the UK? Why do they educate their children in the West?

They know.

[Navigator]

I have been wondering why no one has been saying anything about Russia recently, as they currently seem to be the biggest threat to peace.

They are very similar to the old Austro-Hungarian (Habsburg) empire in that their parts want to break up, the bureaucracy is rotten to the core, their Army is seen as a "has been" and so on.

Of course, Austria-Hungary had more to do with starting World War One than anyone.

Currently, Putin wants to restore, best as he can, the old USSR. The Russians want the industrial areas of the Ukraine. Biden has already told him how little he will do in response. The Germans now have a new government, beholden to the Greens. So, basically, NATO will do nothing, especially in January when the Russians can threaten to turn off the heat if NATO does appear to want to do something. And thanks to "Global Warming" "sky is falling" propaganda, the Europeans are completely reliant on the Russians for natural gas.

The Russians have mobilized to the Ukrainian border multiple times now, getting people used to them doing that. But this time they have mobilized Reserve force, which they have not done before. If these people aren't sent home for Christmas, it will look pretty bleak for the Ukranians IMHO.

Gorbachev may have let the USSR fall apart, but Putin is not the same kind of guy. He will go out swinging.

And as supposedly bad as the Russian Army currently is, NATO is a hollow shell. Heck, the Germans don't even have a rifle that functions properly anymore.

Success in the Ukraine will bolster Putin and make him even more dangerous. He views the Baltics as in the Russian sphere of influence, and will look there next, probably while the Chinese occupy USA.

I am in the final stages of my preparations for what's coming. Hope you all are too.

[Guest]

... probably while the Chinese occupy USA.

I am in the final stages of my preparations for what's coming. Hope you all are too.

If the Chinese occupy the USA, then the world will be a glowing amoeba of radiation. How do you expect to prepare for that?

[Burner Prime]

Interesting article:

Putin's Last Gasp?

https://www.project-syndicate.org/comme ... d-2021-12?

WASHINGTON, DC – Today’s Russia poses a clear and present danger to world peace. In July, President Vladimir Putin published a long article, “About the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians,” effectively denying the legitimacy of Ukraine’s existence as an independent nation-state. He also has pursued a policy of military mobilization around Ukraine’s border, first in April and even more intensively in recent weeks. Senior Ukrainian and US officials, including President Joe Biden, are warning that Russia may launch a major ground war against Ukraine in early 2022.

...

n the meantime, the Kremlin must not be allowed to benefit domestically from its saber-rattling. The West responded with only limited sanctions following Putin’s previous aggression against Georgia and Ukraine. It must learn from those mistakes and stand fully with Ukraine. In addition to providing military supplies and training for Ukraine, the West should impose truly devastating sanctions against Russia. Biden and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have promised as much. They and America’s European allies now must follow through.

This thinking fits in with Russian actions and announcements over the past 10-15 years. There are constant press releases of new wonder weapons that rarely go into production. For example, the Armata armored vehicle family was supposed to be the greatest tanks and APCs ever with several

...

Russian industrial capability is falling behind the West again and even behind China whose military products are for the most part better with a few exceptions; aircraft being the main example but even that is changing. And Putin's constant saber-rattling are leading to the biggest rearmament

...

This is going to bring up the question of how long Putin will be able to stay in power. While he effectively is dictator for life, the continual decline in relative Russian military capabilities and real decline in economic performance mean that it will be harder to ride the tiger. When he finally goes, who will take op the reins.

Democracy has been eviscerated in Russia over the past 20 years so there is no real successor nor any process for one to legitimately come to power.

...

Good analysis, but there is more. There is a sizable Muslim minority in Russia (both officially and unofficially). The average ethnic Russian avoids military service (as much for health issues as an unwillingness to endure hardship). A large % of the special forces is Muslim, often Chechen. Entire units fighting in Ukraine were Asian Buryats. They were conscripts and had no idea they were being sent to fight in Ukraine until they got off the train. Will the Muslims and Asians stay loyal to Russia?

Russia is rotten to the core. Russia's only hope of survival is to break up. And they know it, and they refuse to accept reality, so they launch these hopeless wars.

...

Russia is coming to an ignominious end. And they know it. Why is Portugal littered with Russians pursuing golden visas and Portuguese citizenship? They know Russia is a failed state. Why have they flooded into the UK? Why do they educate their children in the West?

They know.

There's so much garbage written here, trying to unpack it is like trying to sift through a truckload of rotten putrid sewage.

The project-syndicate article is so tired and lame, I lost interest after the first sentence, "threat to world peace..." LOL why not just say, "dangerous to our damocrassah..." It could have written by a bot programmed by Neo-Con Incorporated.

A summary is just boilerplate "wag the dog": Start a war to hide problems at home. Oh, the West never did such a thing...LOL. Don't worry though, no one is going to war.

Navigator is right that Biden and Europe will do nothing about Putin's moves. You all don't remember how often Russia made moves against her satellites in the past and the West did nothing. That's because they don't pose an existential threat. Pat Buchanan has repeatedly written at length about this. Navigator is also careful to say Russia wants the 'industrial areas' of Ukraine - not to take it over. What is pretty clear is that Russia does not intend to take it all the way to Kiev.

What's really going on is that for decades Russia has protested against NATO expansion to her doorstep, but have been ignored by an emboldened West who took full advantage of the fall of the Soviet Empire. Now she is fed up and will not allow Ukraine to become a NATO member. They are proving how serious they are by their current military preparations.

Despite what Psaki and Europeans say publicly about it, expect that some agreement will be made, in effect a guarantee that Ukraine will not be made a member. We won't find out about the secret agreement for 20-30 yrs.

There is absolutely no indication that Europeans are itching for a full-blown war against Russia and are willing to die to protect Eastern Ukraine "for our damocrassah...". They are just as fat, lazy, and entitled as Americans and want to enjoy sunny vacations in the Mediterranean and get all kinds of free stuff from the Money Printers. They have no taste of hardship and aren't going to leave their spas and warm living rooms to "save our damocrassah.. LOL".

Russia has already moved tanks into Donbas and will occupy it for a long time. They probably hope the de-facto occupation will become permanent, like the Israelis do for the West Bank. The West will run their mouths and issue some sanctions.

As for the "illegal annexation" of Crimea, that is a total joke. Crimea was fake-gifted to Ukraine in 1954 while still a Soviet state and the thinking was they'd always be part of the Soviet Union and under Russian control. You could just as well call the entire European occupation of North America as an "illegal annexation", so using terms like that is strictly for the gullible normies. Use your propaganda as you like. It's all BS.

All that other BS, like commenting on how weak the Russian military is, is just to whip up the proles against the Russians and pick a fight. A tired old Neo-Con exercise. You could say the same about N Korea, but no one tangles with them. The West won't tangle with Russia as well. And they probably aren't as easy pickings as you think, especially with those S-500s. The West is only effective when they have heavy air support, otherwise ground forces tend to hunker down and shelter in place.

Have you seen the vids where Russians run US vehicles off the road in Syria? Russians are not afraid to mix it up with Americans who are more concerned with a gender fluid military that martial prowess.

Finally anyone who cites what Biden says or "thinks" is nothing but an idiot and fool and is to be totally ignored. Biden has no mental faculties and simply reads off policies handed to him by people like Blinken and other handlers. He couldn't even say one word about the Omicron variant when asked by a reporter, until he got to the WH and received orders and prepared statements from his handling team. His main concern is ice cream and Teen Magazine. The whole world knows this including Russia and China of course.

[Guest]

As for the "illegal annexation" of Crimea, that is a total joke. Crimea was fake-gifted to Ukraine in 1954 while still a Soviet state and the thinking was they'd always be part of the Soviet Union and under Russian control. You could just as well call the entire European occupation of North America as an "illegal annexation", so using terms like that is strictly for the gullible normies. Use your propaganda as you like. It's all BS.

Crimea has been the homeland of the Krim Tatars for over 1000 years, not Russian. They took it over in the late 1700s. That's not ancient history. The Tatars, like the Chechens, were evicted by the Soviets and returned to their homelands decades later. That doesn't make Chechnya and the Crimea "Russian".

Have you seen the vids where Russians run US vehicles off the road in Syria? Russians are not afraid to mix it up with Americans who are more concerned with a gender fluid military that martial prowess.

The last time the Russians clashed with US forces in Syria they suffered hundreds of combat deaths--hundreds. I don't think the American Special Forces suffered a single wounded. Where do you get your information from, RT television?

You are, BP, are an one of Putin's useless idiots.

You are the one posting garbage.

[Guest]

There's so much garbage written here, trying to unpack it is like trying to sift through a truckload of rotten putrid sewage.

The project-syndicate article is so tired and lame, I lost interest after the first sentence, "threat to world peace..." LOL why not just say, "dangerous to our damocrassah..." It could have written by a bot programmed by Neo-Con Incorporated.

A summary is just boilerplate "wag the dog": Start a war to hide problems at home. Oh, the West never did such a thing...LOL. Don't worry though, no one is going to war.

Navigator is right that Biden and Europe will do nothing about Putin's moves. You all don't remember how often Russia made moves against her satellites in the past and the West did nothing. That's because they don't pose an existential threat. Pat Buchanan has repeatedly written at length about this. Navigator is also careful to say Russia wants the 'industrial areas' of Ukraine - not to take it over. What is pretty clear is that Russia does not intend to take it all the way to Kiev.

What's really going on is that for decades Russia has protested against NATO expansion to her doorstep, but have been ignored by an emboldened West who took full advantage of the fall of the Soviet Empire. Now she is fed up and will not allow Ukraine to become a NATO member. They are proving how serious they are by their current military preparations.

Despite what Psaki and Europeans say publicly about it, expect that some agreement will be made, in effect a guarantee that Ukraine will not be made a member. We won't find out about the secret agreement for 20-30 yrs.

There is absolutely no indication that Europeans are itching for a full-blown war against Russia and are willing to die to protect Eastern Ukraine "for our damocrassah...". They are just as fat, lazy, and entitled as Americans and want to enjoy sunny vacations in the Mediterranean and get all kinds of free stuff from the Money Printers. They have no taste of hardship and aren't going to leave their spas and warm living rooms to "save our damocrassah.. LOL".

Russia has already moved tanks into Donbas and will occupy it for a long time. They probably hope the de-facto occupation will become permanent, like the Israelis do for the West Bank. The West will run their mouths and issue some sanctions.

As for the "illegal annexation" of Crimea, that is a total joke. Crimea was fake-gifted to Ukraine in 1954 while still a Soviet state and the thinking was they'd always be part of the Soviet Union and under Russian control. You could just as well call the entire European occupation of North America as an "illegal annexation", so using terms like that is strictly for the gullible normies. Use your propaganda as you like. It's all BS.

All that other BS, like commenting on how weak the Russian military is, is just to whip up the proles against the Russians and pick a fight. A tired old Neo-Con exercise. You could say the same about N Korea, but no one tangles with them. The West won't tangle with Russia as well. And they probably aren't as easy pickings as you think, especially with those S-500s. The West is only effective when they have heavy air support, otherwise ground forces tend to hunker down and shelter in place.

Have you seen the vids where Russians run US vehicles off the road in Syria? Russians are not afraid to mix it up with Americans who are more concerned with a gender fluid military that martial prowess.

Finally anyone who cites what Biden says or "thinks" is nothing but an idiot and fool and is to be totally ignored. Biden has no mental faculties and simply reads off policies handed to him by people like Blinken and other handlers. He couldn't even say one word about the Omicron variant when asked by a reporter, until he got to the WH and received orders and prepared statements from his handling team. His main concern is ice cream and Teen Magazine. The whole world knows this including Russia and China of course.

Why do those in the alt-right, like Burner Prime, think Putin is the West's savior? It's ridiculous. Putin is just a common thief, nothing more. I can't believe how gullible they are. A gullibility born of ignorance and wishful thinking. Burner, grow up, Nigga.

[FullMoon]

... probably while the Chinese occupy USA.

I am in the final stages of my preparations for what's coming. Hope you all are too.

If the Chinese occupy the USA, then the world will be a glowing amoeba of radiation. How do you expect to prepare for that?

I am also puzzled by this comment about occupation.

[Tom Mazanec]

https://www.oftwominds.com/blogdec21/Xi-China12-21.html
Xi's Gambit: China at the Crossroads
December 9, 2021

If Xi's gambit succeeds, China could become a magnet for global capital. If success is only partial or temporary, China may well struggle with the structural excesses that are piling up not just in China but in the entire global economy.