Trump saw it coming.
I can appreciate if this would the line and US would be completely open about it.
It would be very bad news for many countries such as Estonia or Taiwan. But at least it would be clear.
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I think you are dramatically underestimating the impact of mass migration, especially when coupled with comprehensive social welfare benefits.
I would have as well, before living through the social engineering designed to produce one party rule and a vampire economy. I can no longer un-see it.
I don’t see us turning our backs on Taiwan, S. Korea or Japa, but I’m also not as informed about what’s going on there. I know that Japan is still Japanese, Taiwan is still ethnic Han and Korea is still Korean, all sharing most of our core values with no sign of them being systematically torn down.
Partners on the road to progress seems to be what the American government is prioritizing. Since you brought up civil war, I believe it is much more likely in the UK than the US.
There remains a possibility that the UK will require one, if it is to remain British.
If China offers US something better things may change.
I have no illusion US people will be willing to sacrifice their lives over Taiwan either.
Might be, but it’s not that Europe is just standing still/doing nothing, or abandoning any values.
And about values, you have constantly made clear that values are secondary in global power politics. If US isaking friends with Russia there is no reason to be worried about European values. And if US is siding with Russia, I don’t see why it could not do that with China too.
Is that happening?
I think you’d find quite a few Americans getting behind Taiwan in ways that makes Ukraine look like a bag of chump change. We also have a defense agreement with them, not Ukraine. Taiwan is a vital economic partner with geography of strategic importance.
Not that I want my son to get drafted to go fight in Taiwan, Korea or any broader war, but I’d feel better about him putting his life on the line for that situation.
I don’t see what we’re doing as “making friends with Russia” any more than we did in WWII. If anything should stick in your craw as a Finn, it is our abundant material support to Soviets immediately after the most recent invasion of Finland.
We made friends with Europe, saved half of it from communism and the relationship has been a pretty lopsided friendship since, in the last 20 years especially. Many of the social programs Europeans love to tout were enabled by US military spending.
I encourage you to watch the Mark Felton videos I linked. They’re short and a good window into the state of UK’s ability to secure the UK, let alone anywhere else in Europe.
The spending shows where the priorities are, and we’re in the process of realigning our own internal priorities, ending a lot of overseas gravy trains. The UK is in the process of realigning in very different ways.
Just my experience, but in the corporate world, when the company starts implementing things like these, the good workers go voluntarily.
My last company implemented a level structure for the engineers that was a zero sum pyramid system. One principle engineer at the top for each department, 2 seniors below, 4 level II, and 5-6 level I. If you were in that structure, not at the top, and it was filled, someone had to leave / fired or get demoted for you to move up. They also started making us present what we did the day before, and what we had planned for the day ahead every single day. We had to make a daily slide we had to present every morning.
This resulted in a lot of talent lost. Lots of engineers left because merit could not get them a promotion anymore. Someone else was required to be removed to get that spot. The daily slide thing was just stupid for engineering work IMO. I don’t think any of my former coworkers are there anymore (I’ve been gone about 5 years). The thing is, that most that left especially early on where the better engineers. They were the ones that had optionallity. The poorer performers complied better because switching is more difficult.
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That sounds like a crappy organization structure and employee development plan. It’s no wonder people left.
I don’t see a mass exodus of the federal government’s most capable resulting from this. We’ll probably lose a few good ones, but we’ll lose WAY more bad ones. It is also difficult for me to describe how absolutely crippling it is to have useless people on the team who are protected from consequences. The dysfunction of government was WAY worse than anything I experienced in the private sector.
Here’s an article about the project that failed after the project I worked on, which also failed. Everything they describe is representative of my experience in Maine DAFS, indicating they were unable to learn from the previous failure, or any failure.
THATS bad for morale, and leads to retaining a lot of really incapable and unmotivated people who KNOW they can fuck off and get paid. Or knew, in the case of the federal government.
Had I been randomly given such a questionnaire at any private sector businesses I’ve been employed, I could have filled it out in minutes and sent it right back without sweating it at all.
Out of all of the pointless things I’ve had to fill out over the years, an explanation of the work I’ve completed seems more sensible than most.
It looks like it. But let’s see.
You don’t need to back Ukraine, but there are bunch of your allies in Europe. They are wondering if US is stil holding up the agreement.
Not that there should be some changes. particularly Western Europe has been way too comfy for the past decades.
How so?
Recent statements Trump has done and US deciding not to condemn Russian aggression.
It might be that I’m a bit too jumpy about this subject, since it hits so close. There are still a possibility that the peace will be made and it will please everyone.
Yeah, thats using a hammer to make a screw go in. Good hammer, good screw, but they don’t make a good fit. And that structure sounds very “equitable”. Now everybody is even. Its not fair, but its even.
If its within your job description to answer emails promptly, and you decide you ain’t gonna, and you get an email saying “respond to this email or we will consider your lack of response as resignation” and you don’t respond, then you’re done. 
. Thatz a broom to sweep the floor. Good tool for the right job.
I’ve had to fill out some form of accountability for work my entire adult life. Whether it was job codes, materials used, reciepts of work completed, something. Anything.
Just sending people checks with no measures of performance or accountability is no way to do business.
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Are those “siding with,” regarding war? What if Trump says “#prayers” to Ukraine? Would we then be siding with it?
Oh, you mean the time all of the snobby aristocrats called him a political neophyte and buffoon?
Yep. I remember that too. I’ve even pointed out those specific facts, only to be called an imbecile and Trumptard or what ever.
Yep.
They definitely get it through their rebuilding and peacekeeping efforts.
Didn’t we agree to security guarantees for them when they have up their nukes?
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Not really. You have to understand, the English may feel white/colonizer/etc. guilt, but in other European nations, that isn’t the case.
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The Soviets were able to do that because Eastern Europe was in a shambles and, we let them do it in spite of Churchill’s warning. Russia will find it much harder this time around.
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I was going to do a longer text about the subject, but the conversation is going fast and lot have been already said. But yeah, 3 things to note:
Ideology. First, and most often misunderstood, thing is about the ideology Putin and his closest members have. US and Europe are based on democratic values and we think that everyone wants what we want (freedom, prosperity from trade etc). There is no civil society or democracy in Russia, and the elite don’t even believe these are something to strive for.
Putin is a former KGB agent who was shocked about the collapse of Soviet Union. He thinks it was a major catastrophe that needs to be fixed. He has stated this several times.
It is very important to understand that Putin is deeply motivated by Ruscist ideology (Google it up, it’s a real thing). To mention two notable figures: Ivan Ilyn has been an important figure for Putin and Alexander Dugin has strong ties to the government.
It clearly states that Russia needs to have supermacy over the Europe and Russia needs to be an Eurasian Empire. It’s anti democratic, anti capitalistic and anti liberal. It also wants US away from Europe.
After Putin has rised to power he has taken away everything that could be democratic. Opposition, free media, civil right movements etc. He’s also been active on the warfront. In Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukraine. I’m not going to think he will stop.
Geopolitics. Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, and very important for Russian history. It joining EU and NATO would be a direct insult for Putin’s thoughts of imperium. Also Estonia, Lithuania, Latvija, Poland, East Germany, Romania etc. have been under Soviet influence. Putin has stated that these countries should not be part of NATO (not that he can decide what independent countries will do).
There are instances where Russian high level diplomats or politicians have said that Estonia or Finland should still be part of Russia (we got our independence in 1917). Many have also said that Ukraine doesn’t have right to exist etc.
Ukraine also has vast natural resources. So there’s that.
Lastly, strength and values. Russia is weak, why care? Russia has fucked up the Ukraine operation, no doubt. That’s why Russia is spending 40%(!) of it’s budget to military now. They’re making sure next time they’ll have enough firepower and men to the next war.
And lastly: feeling that Ukraine was doing something they don’t like so they invaded it? And that’s okay? UN is maybe fucked, but there is a reason why invasion wars are declared “not appropriate”. The time of imperialism where stronger eat the weak should be over.
I probably had much more to say, but here’s something and I’m tired.
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