I am finding it extraordinarily interesting to be alive at a time when we once again pick up the habit of referring to our corrupt, hall-of-mirrors élite as an ancien régime. Do you suppose we have already had our "let them eat vaccines" moment, or is that a scandal that is yet to break?
I also have to wonder how many unpayable diamond necklaces might have been commissioned by our now fallen aristocracy? Enough possibly to send our house-of-cards economy toppling apocalyptically down on the heads of our deposed betters? Well, they should certainly count their blessings; at least they still have their heads... so far, at least!
As for Trump, he wrote a book on making deals. He is not being sold easy wins, not this late into his political education by fire. He fully recognizes that any US claims on Arctic resources by way of Alaska are slim at best. Half of Europe's Arctic claims come via its occupation of Greenland, an occupation which Europe's military can't possibly hope to defend. Given Russia's vast Arctic territories and military superiority, any sane hegemon ought to be at least a bit concerned about Greenland sitting all undefended as a strategic gateway to the Arctic's resources.
There's no "if" about Russia and China saying "No!" to US imperialist expansion, but there is a question remaining about any tit-for-tat trading in creating defensible spheres of interest in a multi-polar world. Let's face it, the US military and NATO are coming off a complete rout in the former Ukraine, which follows quickly on the heels of their rout in Afghanistan. What flimsy "win" can the US possibly come away with in order to save face?
Trump is letting the other players know which trinkets he's willing to settle for in exchange for relinquishing our domination over Europe. Like Putin, Trump's red line runs through a neighboring buffer zone. Russia want's a non-hostile Eurasia, and the United States wants a non-hostile greater North America. If Europe is going to end up in Russia's sphere of interest, then the hell that Canada and Greenland can stay occupied European colonies. That looks like pretty elementary deal-making to me. Of course, any one of our beloved political charlatans could easily fumble the ball, even this close to the finish line. They do tend to get themselves all disoriented in their self-reflecting halls of mirrors.
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branchandroot
Re: Never promise the Mars...
Date: 2025-01-12 05:11 am (UTC)I also have to wonder how many unpayable diamond necklaces might have been commissioned by our now fallen aristocracy? Enough possibly to send our house-of-cards economy toppling apocalyptically down on the heads of our deposed betters? Well, they should certainly count their blessings; at least they still have their heads... so far, at least!
As for Trump, he wrote a book on making deals. He is not being sold easy wins, not this late into his political education by fire. He fully recognizes that any US claims on Arctic resources by way of Alaska are slim at best. Half of Europe's Arctic claims come via its occupation of Greenland, an occupation which Europe's military can't possibly hope to defend. Given Russia's vast Arctic territories and military superiority, any sane hegemon ought to be at least a bit concerned about Greenland sitting all undefended as a strategic gateway to the Arctic's resources.
There's no "if" about Russia and China saying "No!" to US imperialist expansion, but there is a question remaining about any tit-for-tat trading in creating defensible spheres of interest in a multi-polar world. Let's face it, the US military and NATO are coming off a complete rout in the former Ukraine, which follows quickly on the heels of their rout in Afghanistan. What flimsy "win" can the US possibly come away with in order to save face?
Trump is letting the other players know which trinkets he's willing to settle for in exchange for relinquishing our domination over Europe. Like Putin, Trump's red line runs through a neighboring buffer zone. Russia want's a non-hostile Eurasia, and the United States wants a non-hostile greater North America. If Europe is going to end up in Russia's sphere of interest, then the hell that Canada and Greenland can stay occupied European colonies. That looks like pretty elementary deal-making to me. Of course, any one of our beloved political charlatans could easily fumble the ball, even this close to the finish line. They do tend to get themselves all disoriented in their self-reflecting halls of mirrors.
— Christophe