Russia, US, Ukraine, and the Future

[Coughdrop addict]

Not all G7 economies have fully recovered to their pre-pandemic size; by contrast, the U.S. real GDP is now 5.4 percent above the level at the end of 2019. Relative to pre-pandemic trends the United States has outperformed other G7 economies. Inflation in the United States over the past year has halved and is now lower than in many major advanced economies. The U.S. labor market recovery has been exceptionally strong. Unemployment in the US will be 3.4%, the lowest since 1959. The demand for American weapons in the world tripled last year. The United States is the number one arms supplier to Europe, India and the Arab world. Total US exports have exceeded two trillion dollars and the US is the second largest exporter on the planet. For the first time in history, the US has become Europe's number one oil supplier. For the first time in history, the US has become India's number one trading partner, officially pushing China to second place. American factories and enterprises last year broke their own historical record for industrial automation and robotics. Stario has no idea what he's talking about.

[conon394]

Certainly a political victory for genocide Joe, whose objective basically is to keep Ukraine from collapsing before the November elections and spare himself further embarrassment. But also a victory for the US military industrial complex executives that have yet again and in a very capitalist manner siphoned away billions of tax dollars from poor Americans. As for the Ukrainians, well unless some of those billions are spent into acquiring some state of the art cloning vats to generate more soldiers it won't really amount to all that much.

Genocide Joe - really. I would have expected better out of you.

But also a victory for the US military industrial complex executives that have yet again and in a very capitalist manner siphoned away billions of tax dollars from poor Americans.

How do you figure that one please elaborate.

[Kyriakos]

The way things are going, it will get to the point where world war not happening will be even more miserable.
Because it'll only mean an extended prewar period of massive rearmament.

What can you do, though, people are braindead enough to think that actually the new massive war will solve matters of justice. Tbf it's not a matter of general intelligence, but a common filling point for a lot of anxieties, from nation level to citizen level.

As for Biden... He was already alive back when the nazi germans still had a land connection to Stalingrad. He shouldn't even be working as sales manager - it's farcical to think he is fit to be potus in so dangerous times.

(ps: rereading my post, I should note that I always (unless bothered) write epithets connoting ethnic nature without capitalizing; I do it obviously for greeks too - the characteristic capitalizing of those epithets doesn't exist in greek, so by habit I don't use it in english either...)

[Alastor]

Genocide Joe - really. I would have expected better out of you.

Yes really. it's a moniker he earnt via his pathetic conduct during this whole Gaza mess. His leadership is at the very least shockingly lacking and more likely outright criminal. Even if he is not the one perpetrating a genocide, he is actively facilitating it because he fears an AIPAC reaction might cost him the elections and his beloved chair, the only thing this senile creep cares about. Facilitating a genocide means you are guilty of genocide. So yes, genocide Joe.

How do you figure that one please elaborate.

Considering the majority of this money will go straight to US arms manufacturers it's a rather straightforward connection.

[conon394]

Yes really. it's a moniker he earnt via his pathetic conduct during this whole Gaza mess. His leadership is at the very least shockingly lacking and more likely outright criminal. Even if he is not the one perpetrating a genocide, he is actively facilitating it because he fears an AIPAC reaction might cost him the elections and his beloved chair, the only thing this senile creep cares about. Facilitating a genocide means you are guilty of genocide. So yes, genocide Joe.

Well I guess if that float you boat but last I checked it was Israel running its policy not Biden. But I thought you were all about the EU managing it economic future with China. So see you cool with genocide as long as kind low key and out of sight the Uyghurs or the worst bit happened back in the day under Mao (Tibet) so whatever am I right.

Considering the majority of this money will go straight to US arms manufacturers it's a rather straightforward connection.

I don't. You implied money was not going to poor. Thus you clearly fail to understand the nature of US government. You realize for example Biden backed maintain COVID era Child tax credits and food support ext and had agree to less because of Republicans. You realize that since the ACA started huge amounts money for medicaid have been on the table for the poor but red states had refused the money. the Amount of aid in the bill for Ukraine or Taiwan or Israel is trivial and it amounts to no dislocation of funds that would otherwise have been spent on the poor. For F-sake Alastor Biden and Dems finally got a desperately needed infrastructure bill of epic size passed and its vilified as inflationary. Biden's initial attempt at student debt relief was killed by the SCOTUS just making stuff up. The US system is stacked against helping the poor. We taking about a place where Louisiana just decided teen workers don't need lunch breaks and where FLA decided workers don't need heat brakes for extrema heat I guess heat stroke is job creation huh. Where a UAW success at organizing an auto plant in the south has southern Republican governors having seizures of panic. The spent in the current bill was never going to be you name it some magic program for the poor.

[Alastor]

Well I guess if that float you boat but last I checked it was Israel running its policy not Biden. But I thought you were all about the EU managing it economic future with China. So see you cool with genocide as long as kind low key and out of sight the Uyghurs or the worst bit happened back in the day under Mao (Tibet) so whatever am I right.

And last I checked Israel was doing it with American funding and support, including lots of military aid. Sorry, no avoiding this. As for the false comparison with the Uyghurs, yes certainly show me the cities the Chinese bombed to the ground and the 10s of thousands they buried under the rubble. Show me the ICJ ruling that asked China to stop because what they are doing looks and smells like a genocide. Finally, show me the EU weapons and military aid the Chinese are using in that "genocide" of theirs too. The fact you are attempting to equate a certainly deplorable Chinese persecution of a minority that has nothing to do with the EU to an outright massacre perpetrated by Israel and clearly facilitated by the US, as if that somehow evens the score is at the very least disappointing

I don't. You implied money was not going to poor. Thus you clearly fail to understand the nature of US government. You realize for example Biden backed maintain COVID era Child tax credits and food support ext and had agree to less because of Republicans. You realize that since the ACA started huge amounts money for medicaid have been on the table for the poor but red states had refused the money. the Amount of aid in the bill for Ukraine or Taiwan or Israel is trivial and it amounts to no dislocation of funds that would otherwise have been spent on the poor. For F-sake Alastor Biden and Dems finally got a desperately needed infrastructure bill of epic size passed and its vilified as inflationary. Biden's initial attempt at student debt relief was killed by the SCOTUS just making stuff up. The US system is stacked against helping the poor. We taking about a place where Louisiana just decided teen workers don't need lunch breaks and where FLA decided workers don't need heat brakes for extrema heat I guess heat stroke is job creation huh. Where a UAW success at organizing an auto plant in the south has southern Republican governors having seizures of panic. The spent in the current bill was never going to be you name it some magic program for the poor.

And that somehow means it's ok to give it to the rich military industrial complex execs right? The poor were never gonna get it anyway so we might as well make our donors a bit richer. At this point, I wonder if you even know what it is you are trying to justify.

[Jozam]

I understand this is some kind of an attempt at humour. Some attempt to sarcastically demonstrate the behaviour you want to mock. Or at least I hope it is. Unfortunately though, I can't say I found it too funny.

There's probably a comedic layer to his posts but he's just being honest. At the end of the day Westerners only oppose dictatorships like Russia and China because they're against Western hegemony, but if they weren't they'd support them too. Just look at the West's support for... practically every dictatorship in the Middle East.

U.S. Knew Saudis Were Killing African Migrants But Kept Silent — New York Times

The Saudi security forces’ violence along the border came to the fore in a report by Human Rights Watch on Monday that accused them of shooting and firing explosive projectiles at Ethiopian migrants, killing hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of them during the 15-month period that ended in June.

The report was based on interviews with migrants and their associates, photos and videos and satellite photos of the border area. It cited migrants who said Saudi guards had asked them which limb they preferred before shooting them in the arm or leg and a 17-year-old boy who said guards had forced him and another migrant to rape two girls as the guards looked on.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-kne...t-quiet-report

The killings came up while US President Joe Biden’s administration was trying to squash past troubles in bilateral relations with the Saudis and advance a potential normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel — a factor that potentially muted the White House response, The New York Times reported. Washington occasionally overlooks human rights violations by Riyadh and other authoritarian partners in order to maintain friendly relations.

If you take away all the theatrics about "democracy" and "human rights", there isn't much left to Western foreign policy besides what AqD is posting here.

[Alastor]

There's probably a comedic layer to his posts but he's just being honest. At the end of the day Westerners only oppose dictatorships like Russia and China because they're against Western hegemony, but if they weren't they'd support them too. Just look at the West's support for... practically every dictatorship in the Middle East.

If you take away all the theatrics about "democracy" and "human rights", there isn't much left to Western foreign policy besides what AqD is posting here.

Oh I'm well aware of the amorality of international politics. I don't have any such illusions. The issue I have with AqD's posts isn't necessarily that what he claims doesn't reflect an aspect of reality, it's simply that the points he is making while touching on that aspect are delusional. The west is amoral sure, but it's not all powerful like AqD seems to suggest. As such, I interpret this hyperbole as a tell that he is not being serious.

[AqD]

What can you do, though, people are braindead enough to think that actually the new massive war will solve matters of justice. Tbf it's not a matter of general intelligence, but a common filling point for a lot of anxieties, from nation level to citizen level.

Anxieties are good. Without pressure, people have forgotten that enemies are still breathing.

The west is amoral sure, but it's not all powerful like AqD seems to suggest.

Eh? Morality is never my point. My position has always been to defend our future, which is the utmost function of our governments.

If we're not powerful enough, we must invest more on military, more on strengthening our allies, more on weakening enemies and their friends whenever we can. We're not doing nearly enough but troubling ourselves with all those moral and ethic nonsense.

[mishkin]

This is jingoism/ultranationalism:

Anxieties are good. Without pressure, people have forgotten that enemies are still breathing.



Eh? Morality is never my point. My position has always been to defend our future, which is the utmost function of our governments.

If we're not powerful enough, we must invest more on military, more on strengthening our allies, more on weakening enemies and their friends whenever we can. We're not doing nearly enough but troubling ourselves with all those moral and ethic nonsense.

jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national interests.[1] Colloquially, jingoism is excessive bias in judging one's own country as superior to others – an extreme type of nationalism (cf. chauvinism and ultranationalism).

It may be fun to defend jingoism on an internet forum, but in reality it has horrific repercussions. And its justification, its ideological bases, are absurd (it is enough to point out again its direct relationship with extreme nationalism/chauvinism).