Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
That darn Putin.
If it wasn't for him... we'd all be in San Francisco growing flowers in our hair.
For you Putin might just be a guy who shares some of your tough-guy values, but for a lot of Eastern Europeans the damage the totalitarian experiment has caused (and Putin is merely the latest iteration of it) is a lot more visceral.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Oct 2, 2022 - 5:27pm
haresfur wrote:
Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
That darn Putin.
If it wasn't for him... we'd all be in San Francisco growing flowers in our hair.
Yah, nah. The US has nothing to gain from destroying the pipelines at this point and a lot to lose as they try to hold a shaky coalition behind supporting Ukraine. The pipeline wasn't being used when the explosion occurred. My money is on Putin saying he can create a lot of other infrastructure disruption for Western Europe.
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
That is not surprising. If you knew me better, rather better understood my views on international relations, security, peace, economic development, you would never call me "rabidly anti-American". If anything, on a personal level, I tend to identify with the economic and security interests of small rich western countries such as Canada and Norway. And everywhere I have travelled in South America and Africa. Tiers mondiste.
All these countries share a common vested interest in a strong, confident USA. A weaker USA is a big concern.
Example, how do Mexico and Central America countries benefit from chaotic, out of control US immigration and refugee policies? They do not.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Sep 22, 2022 - 2:51pm
NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote:
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
That darn Trump.
If it wasn't for him, we'd still be in the garden naming creatures.
1. The 1990s was overall a terrific decade for the USA. It was by far the favourite destination for academics and high-power technical folk. The torture and terrorism-filled Revenge Crusade following the Sept. 11th attacks took away some of the appeal.
2. Despite all the fumbles, US freemarket capitalism works well. From a strategic and military perspective, Russia and China will never catch up unless they adopt more western-like institutions.
3. The USA remains one of the world's most popular destinations for refugees, economic and political.
4. All the ridiculous silly contradictions that one can (easily) find in the USA can be found in much greater quantities in most EME and poor developing economies. For perspective.
US hegemony is in full decline and current US policy choices appear to be accelerating that rate of decline but the USA will remain a relatively powerful country with a robust economy for a very long time. Yes, social mobility is not that great but most Americans, immigrants and refugees will continue to behave like anything is still possible.
Sometimes you surprise me. Yep, I agree,... though the last few months have made me much more optimistic about the future of the US. It was looking pretty dire for a while there.
I always figured that Russian/English Google Translate would produce gibberish.
I always thought we were dealing with the nth incarnation of what's-his-face from Northern Germany. But translating it back into German word-for-word is even worse than the English.
Location: Really deep in the heart of South California Gender:
Posted:
Sep 21, 2022 - 9:22pm
westslope wrote:
1. The 1990s was overall a terrific decade for the USA. It was by far the favourite destination for academics and high-power technical folk. The torture and terrorism-filled Revenge Crusade following the Sept. 11th attacks took away some of the appeal.
2. Despite all the fumbles, US freemarket capitalism works well. From a strategic and military perspective, Russia and China will never catch up unless they adopt more western-like institutions.
3. The USA remains one of the world's most popular destinations for refugees, economic and political.
4. All the ridiculous silly contradictions that one can (easily) find in the USA can be found in much greater quantities in most EME and poor developing economies. For perspective.
US hegemony is in full decline and current US policy choices appear to be accelerating that rate of decline but the USA will remain a relatively powerful country with a robust economy for a very long time. Yes, social mobility is not that great but most Americans, immigrants and refugees will continue to behave like anything is still possible.
The pic shows, what's been evident for the last 30-40 years. Now it seems merely, what Americans keep dreaming of, despite the utter reality, but yet inspired by the capital (in a sense of Marx) and the media.
I always figured that Russian/English Google Translate would produce gibberish.
The pic shows, what's been evident for the last 30-40 years. Now it seems merely, what Americans keep dreaming of, despite the utter reality, but yet inspired by the capital (in a sense of Marx) and the media.
1. The 1990s was overall a terrific decade for the USA. It was by far the favourite destination for academics and high-power technical folk. The torture and terrorism-filled Revenge Crusade following the Sept. 11th attacks took away some of the appeal.
2. Despite all the fumbles, US freemarket capitalism works well. From a strategic and military perspective, Russia and China will never catch up unless they adopt more western-like institutions.
3. The USA remains one of the world's most popular destinations for refugees, economic and political.
4. All the ridiculous silly contradictions that one can (easily) find in the USA can be found in much greater quantities in most EME and poor developing economies. For perspective.
US hegemony is in full decline and current US policy choices appear to be accelerating that rate of decline but the USA will remain a relatively powerful country with a robust economy for a very long time. Yes, social mobility is not that great but most Americans, immigrants and refugees will continue to behave like anything is still possible.
The pic shows, what's been evident for the last 30-40 years. Now it seems merely, what Americans keep dreaming of, despite the utter reality, but yet inspired by the capital (in a sense of Marx) and the media.
I always figured that Russian/English Google Translate would produce gibberish.
The pic shows, what's been evident for the last 30-40 years. Now it seems merely, what Americans keep dreaming of, despite the utter reality, but yet inspired by the capital (in a sense of Marx) and the media.
The United States may regard itself as a âleader of the free world,â but an index of development released in July 2022 places the country much farther down the list.
In its global rankings, the United Nations Office of Sustainable Development dropped the U.S. to 41st worldwide, down from its previous ranking of 32nd. Under this methodology â an expansive model of 17 categories, or âgoals,â many of them focused on the environment and equity â the U.S. ranks between Cuba and Bulgaria. Both are widely regarded as developing countries.
As a political historian who studies U.S. institutional development, I recognize these dismal ratings as the inevitable result of two problems. Racism has cheated many Americans out of the health care, education, economic security and environment they deserve. At the same time, as threats to democracy become more serious, a devotion to âAmerican exceptionalismâ keeps the country from candid appraisals and course corrections. (....)
