What we are seeing clearly now is the US trying hard to goad China in Taiwan, a diversionary tactic or a new game to play from the Washington bunkers. I suspect Xi plays the calm and longer game here. (McGregor I think is 100% right on what China wants, and it is NOT conflict!) As for the Franco/China summit, I like this analysis:
“Whats seems clear from the body-language was that President Xi is the teacher, and Macron the student! And suggesting he is moving France’s needle towards China. If that is accurate, there will be more European leaders doing the same in the months ahead.” Also worth remembering to quote General Norman Schwarzkopf who said “running the world reserve currency without France is a bit like going duck hunting without a saxophone.”
What is becoming clearer by the day is that the US needs to understand its operating environment, define its policy, choose its battles and if would probably then be alright at least for short to medium term, but blowing up its own financial system and currency through failed weaponisation doesn’t seem to be very shrewd.
The world has moved demonstrably closer to a tipping point after which money printing, prices and the growth of debt are in an upward spiral that the monetary authorities realise cannot be broken except at the cost of deep recession and credit collapse.
The collapse of U.S. influence over Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom’s new alliances with China and Iran are painful emblems of the abject failure of the Neocon strategy of maintaining U.S. global hegemony with aggressive projections of military power. China has displaced the American Empire by deftly projecting, instead, economic power.
Over the past decade, our country has spent trillions bombing roads, ports, bridges, and airports. China spent the equivalent building the same across the developing world. The Ukraine war is the final collapse of the Neocon's short-lived “American Century.”
To quote the current Kennedy: “The Neocon projects in Iraq and Ukraine have cost $8.1 trillion, hollowed out our middle class, made a laughingstock of U.S. military power and moral authority, pushed China and Russia into an invincible alliance, are destroying the dollar as the global currency, cost millions of lives and done nothing to advance democracy or win friendships or influence.”
A lot of focused out there on the despise of Russia, again so many miss the point and are typically from a US-centric perspective. What matters still is that the Economic order that comes out of BRICS ++ negotiations over next year ..that will determine the future course of Russia economics for next 10 years.
Russia’s old economy was western focused, and of course if the model is still based on that it declines, however see it trying to do deals with the global South and China to redirect. It’s economic success will depend on the scope and depth of those deals. Again the analysis
focuses on Russia and not on the west.
Interesting to see 1) what is damage to the west 2) what is the west strategy (none I see yet)! The USA is now described as the “empire of chaos” by China and Russia to the global south.
The rhetoric is “It’s aim to destroy your countries and then nick your commodities and cash”. Iran/Saudi, Syria, Yemen etc is all about the row saying we won’t allow anglos to keep telling us to destroy ourselves. The Israel situation looks the most dangerous. Israel realised the danger of Ukraine early on ..hence neutrality.
If the USA is truly chased out of Eurasia. Israel is alone. Put Bibi fighting for his political survival on top of a surrounded Israel (the rest want peace) and you have a very dangerous situation.
A Different perspective but the China and Russia narrative is very strong especially as every step the west takes seem to prove it. Western Policy is so one dimensional, limited, faulty (so easily ridiculed) and predictable it is a walk in park for Russia and China to play.
Every war since 2000 they have won the battle but lost the war: Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya etc. For successful democracy you need economic wealth and stability. If you don’t have you have to be authoritarian. What will happen is what is happening already, that is the is super rich will escape to city states, Dubai and Singapore etc.
Then the countries will begin to haemorrhage talent and socialism will build. The interesting part of the US, is that Texas and Florida could actually play the part of their own Singapore or Dubai.
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