There’s been a flurry of news today, much of it related in one way or another to the economy. The news has been mostly bad to very bad, with promises of worse to come. Nevertheless, I want to draw attention to two posts at Moon of Alabama that illustrate where the decades long downward trajectory of what passes for US “diplomacy” has landed us.
Pelosi’s trip is just like her trip to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Photo op, bit of ego showing how important she is, and a distraction from other problems in the US.
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, is trying for an unprecedented (since Mao) third term with the party election happening in November. He has also garnered the most power since Mao. China is have severe economic issues. So Xi needs to look tough, and not be embarrassed, to have a chance at his third term.
China’s military does not have the ability yet to easily invade Taiwan. They are building up that capacity. China in military endeavors usually favors slow and steady, and taking manageable size risks. The 1979 Vietnam war was a huge wake wake up call, along with the US Iraq invasion. China is also carefully watching the Ukraine invasion. China wants to avoid getting into a Ukraine type quagmire at this time.
So, proxy war with Russia to be followed by a short proxy war via Taiwan with China. Whether we actually engage ship for ship, man for man with China, where are all these resources coming from? God forbid, China sinks an aircraft carrier, then what? Sorry for just thinking out loud but the possibilities are scary.
I wonder how many Americans understand that the security of our carrier groups basically relies on the implicit threat to retaliate with nukes if a carrier group is attacked? We continue to aggressively push carrier groups into harm's way with that understanding, but the military situation has not remained the same over the decades--China and Russia have greatly expanded their capabilities.
Exactly. And Americans have been raised on the notion that our carrier groups are invincible - they're not. One of these things gets hit and goes down with few thousand of our people? What would Americans think then? What are we going to do about it? With BRICS and all of the re-alignments going on, I'm not quite sure we have a lot of options. As I've said before - this isn't 1940. We don't have the financial flexibility to wage a larger war. We don't have the industrial capacity to produce weaponry needed to fight some of the wars that appear top be building over the short horizon. We certainly don't have the political leadership in office capable of leading a nation divided over all sorts of crap. We're not that united anymore and even if we could be, how long would it last? How long did it last after 9/11?? Worrisome to say the least.
Even the Zhou regime isnt this stupid. This was planned to end this way in the beginning. Zhou is totally compromised by the 3 major players on the field Ukraine Russia and China just by financial transactions KNOWN ABOUT
How much more compromised is Zhou than we know of is an intellectual exercise left to the conspiracy theorists which means everybody at the moment. We have a Manchurian candidate as President in JB
Pelosi‘s trip has a reason, I just don’t see it the $ payoff yet.
Perhaps as a way to distract from other Chinese giveaways.
Taiwan’s influence / lobbying spending ( legal bribery) capacity is a lot lower than China’s current power. Feinstein became very rich due to China. And the Chinese have funneled a lot of money to the Democrats, and the eGOP. Ga Secretary of State Raffenbergs brother work for A Chinese tech company, and he got a lot of backing from the Chinese community.
Has anyone else seen Kissinger’s arguing against “endless provocation” with regards Russia and China? Probably presumptuous on my part to think that any of these amateur hour clowns would think that they might benefit from reading something about foreign policy by someone who has forgotten more about the subject than they will ever know. But even more to the point, making unwise provocation when you no longer have the upper hand militarily and have thrown away our country’s stature on the world stage is arrogantly foolish at best and could prove arrogantly disastrous at its worst.
It’s just more of the fantasy world folly that these people are in love with. They are oblivious to the “real” fact that we are the laughing stock of the world! No one is afraid of us, no one respects us and sure as hell no one trusts us.
Everything thing they attempt smacks of desperation and incompetence. Russian sanctions, yep, that worked like a charm. Threatened China so that they wouldn’t make nice with Russia, another home run.
Dazzle the EU with a breathtaking display of geopolitical brilliance, yep, they just gotta be dazzled.
All of this would be hilarious, if it weren’t so sad. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around just how utterly useless and out of their depth these people are.
They can redefine all the words they want, but when you look up the word “ inept” their picture is still gonna be there.
What are the odds this back and forth rhetoric with China regarding the Pelosi Taiwan trip is intended to prop up Zhou for midterms by the Xi / Chinese govt?
Former President Trump on Friday criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) planned trip to Taiwan, which has been condemned by China but generally praised by congressional Republicans.
...
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that “the China mess is the last thing she should be involved in — She will only make it worse.”
“Everything she touches,” he wrote, “turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap.'”
I couldn’t agree more. Pelosi’s junket is needlessly provocative, just like ginning up and goading the Ukrainians to invite a Russian invasion (or was that “incursion “?). Wreckless and dangerous.
Yet, I think the most important part of Carlson’s monologue centered on the latest move by Democrats to empower the Chinese. As you’ve probably heard, taxpayers are about to have to foot the bill for some $400 billion in green energy initiatives to fight “climate change.” What does that amount to? Massive subsidies to companies that will outsource our energy security to China.
Who produces the world’s solar panels and parts of wind turbines? That would be China. Who owns the rights to most of the materials needed for batteries, which are definitely not “renewable?” That would be China as well.
Putin has said that the US can't be trusted to keep agreements. When a country is no longer in a position to dictate terms, that's a bad position to be in--no longer trusted by other major powers.
We will either end up as the USSR. or CCP take your pick
Would Russia demand Julian Assange's release too as part of deal?
That would an excellent troll…
Yes!!!!
Pelosi’s trip is just like her trip to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Photo op, bit of ego showing how important she is, and a distraction from other problems in the US.
Xi Jinping, China’s leader, is trying for an unprecedented (since Mao) third term with the party election happening in November. He has also garnered the most power since Mao. China is have severe economic issues. So Xi needs to look tough, and not be embarrassed, to have a chance at his third term.
China’s military does not have the ability yet to easily invade Taiwan. They are building up that capacity. China in military endeavors usually favors slow and steady, and taking manageable size risks. The 1979 Vietnam war was a huge wake wake up call, along with the US Iraq invasion. China is also carefully watching the Ukraine invasion. China wants to avoid getting into a Ukraine type quagmire at this time.
So, proxy war with Russia to be followed by a short proxy war via Taiwan with China. Whether we actually engage ship for ship, man for man with China, where are all these resources coming from? God forbid, China sinks an aircraft carrier, then what? Sorry for just thinking out loud but the possibilities are scary.
I wonder how many Americans understand that the security of our carrier groups basically relies on the implicit threat to retaliate with nukes if a carrier group is attacked? We continue to aggressively push carrier groups into harm's way with that understanding, but the military situation has not remained the same over the decades--China and Russia have greatly expanded their capabilities.
Exactly. And Americans have been raised on the notion that our carrier groups are invincible - they're not. One of these things gets hit and goes down with few thousand of our people? What would Americans think then? What are we going to do about it? With BRICS and all of the re-alignments going on, I'm not quite sure we have a lot of options. As I've said before - this isn't 1940. We don't have the financial flexibility to wage a larger war. We don't have the industrial capacity to produce weaponry needed to fight some of the wars that appear top be building over the short horizon. We certainly don't have the political leadership in office capable of leading a nation divided over all sorts of crap. We're not that united anymore and even if we could be, how long would it last? How long did it last after 9/11?? Worrisome to say the least.
Even the Zhou regime isnt this stupid. This was planned to end this way in the beginning. Zhou is totally compromised by the 3 major players on the field Ukraine Russia and China just by financial transactions KNOWN ABOUT
How much more compromised is Zhou than we know of is an intellectual exercise left to the conspiracy theorists which means everybody at the moment. We have a Manchurian candidate as President in JB
Pelosi‘s trip has a reason, I just don’t see it the $ payoff yet.
Perhaps as a way to distract from other Chinese giveaways.
Taiwan’s influence / lobbying spending ( legal bribery) capacity is a lot lower than China’s current power. Feinstein became very rich due to China. And the Chinese have funneled a lot of money to the Democrats, and the eGOP. Ga Secretary of State Raffenbergs brother work for A Chinese tech company, and he got a lot of backing from the Chinese community.
Has anyone else seen Kissinger’s arguing against “endless provocation” with regards Russia and China? Probably presumptuous on my part to think that any of these amateur hour clowns would think that they might benefit from reading something about foreign policy by someone who has forgotten more about the subject than they will ever know. But even more to the point, making unwise provocation when you no longer have the upper hand militarily and have thrown away our country’s stature on the world stage is arrogantly foolish at best and could prove arrogantly disastrous at its worst.
It’s just more of the fantasy world folly that these people are in love with. They are oblivious to the “real” fact that we are the laughing stock of the world! No one is afraid of us, no one respects us and sure as hell no one trusts us.
Everything thing they attempt smacks of desperation and incompetence. Russian sanctions, yep, that worked like a charm. Threatened China so that they wouldn’t make nice with Russia, another home run.
Dazzle the EU with a breathtaking display of geopolitical brilliance, yep, they just gotta be dazzled.
All of this would be hilarious, if it weren’t so sad. I still have a hard time wrapping my head around just how utterly useless and out of their depth these people are.
They can redefine all the words they want, but when you look up the word “ inept” their picture is still gonna be there.
What are the odds this back and forth rhetoric with China regarding the Pelosi Taiwan trip is intended to prop up Zhou for midterms by the Xi / Chinese govt?
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/3579795-trump-slams-pelosis-planned-taiwan-visit-she-will-only-make-it-worse/
Former President Trump on Friday criticized Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) planned trip to Taiwan, which has been condemned by China but generally praised by congressional Republicans.
...
Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that “the China mess is the last thing she should be involved in — She will only make it worse.”
“Everything she touches,” he wrote, “turns to Chaos, Disruption, and ‘Crap.'”
I couldn’t agree more. Pelosi’s junket is needlessly provocative, just like ginning up and goading the Ukrainians to invite a Russian invasion (or was that “incursion “?). Wreckless and dangerous.
A complementary take on current US diplomatic fecklessness and the pitfalls of our financialized, post-industrial economy can be found here:
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2022/07/michael-hudson-american-diplomacy-as-a-tragic-drama.html
Apologies if posted earlier in one of other pieces on point. Long week, hard to keep track.
Thanks. The same essay is being carried at The Saker.
Meanwhile:
https://redstate.com/bonchie/2022/07/29/tucker-carlson-lambasts-bidens-recession-games-then-hits-something-even-more-important-n603642
Yet, I think the most important part of Carlson’s monologue centered on the latest move by Democrats to empower the Chinese. As you’ve probably heard, taxpayers are about to have to foot the bill for some $400 billion in green energy initiatives to fight “climate change.” What does that amount to? Massive subsidies to companies that will outsource our energy security to China.
Who produces the world’s solar panels and parts of wind turbines? That would be China. Who owns the rights to most of the materials needed for batteries, which are definitely not “renewable?” That would be China as well.
Putin has said that the US can't be trusted to keep agreements. When a country is no longer in a position to dictate terms, that's a bad position to be in--no longer trusted by other major powers.
So true. Even worse, when a government is no longer trusted by its own citizens....
This entire regime needs to be well boosted.....for their own good of course.