Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , ,

The Post Russo-Sino World

Yeah, yeah, I know. I was the one forecasting a Democrat Party collapse and then there wasn’t really a red wave. Actually, I still think the Democrat Party will collapse but the Republicans may beat them to it. Party system shifts happen that way. Political parties, like nation-states, can be stubbornly resilient little buggers. Government and politics often are glacial in their timeframes – unless they are doing something that you don’t like. They seem to manage to speed up … Continue reading “The Post Russo-Sino World”

Author Archena Posted on Categories MondayTags , , , , ,

Poverty with Chinese Characteristics

Xi Xinping is not an idiot. He is also not a capitalist or an opportunist. Not sure if he’s an ideologue, I kinda doubt it. He’s not power mad, or a raving lunatic. Cold blooded SOB is a given since he heads the CCP – it’s a prerequisite. Xi Xinping is not leading China toward greatness. He might or might not know that. He’s not going to be invading Taiwan anytime soon. He’s not a madman. Xi is what you … Continue reading “Poverty with Chinese Characteristics”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , ,

Russian Disarmament: Doing it the Hard Way

Seriously, Russia, are you nuts? Mutually agreed disarmament with a well thought out peace agreement in place is a wonderful idea. Throwing everything you have including the kitchen sink at a country that clearly isn’t going to give in is idiotic. You know this. It’s time to face facts: you already lost. Nuclear weapons can’t help you. They are great deterrents and terrible battlefield weapons. I don’t mean terrible in terms of their destructive power, as true as that is, … Continue reading “Russian Disarmament: Doing it the Hard Way”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Recovering Libertarians are Recovering

Ten years ago libertarianism was all the rage in conservative circles. The short version was they didn’t like ‘losing’ the culture war all the time and thought they could just skip all that culture stuff and worry about important things like freedom and not spending ourselves into oblivion. Didn’t actually work so well. Turns out, culture informs politics more than politics informs culture. This little tidbit is what is destroying the Democrats at the moment. While over time politics can … Continue reading “Recovering Libertarians are Recovering”

Author Archena Posted on Categories MondayTags , , , , , ,

Dear Russia, Suck it up. You Lost. Go Home While You Still Can.

No, I don’t expect it will be that easy. It seems to me to be true enough but even assuming that the Russians agree, that doesn’t mean they are ready to quit. Far from it. Nor is it just that their pride will be hurt, Russia will lose not only prestige internationally, but influence regionally and its status as a peer power to the US. Russia will become a developing nation that other nations feel sorry for, not the proud … Continue reading “Dear Russia, Suck it up. You Lost. Go Home While You Still Can.”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , ,

Russia is Losing. World is not Ending. Calm Down.

Dear Tim Pool, Love your work. You can relax though. We aren’t having a civil war in the US and we’re not going to have a nuclear war, or even WWIII. Love, QS Y’all want details again, don’t you? Here goes: Russia cannot beat Ukraine militarily unless NATO and the US quit sending stuff to Ukraine. Russia doesn’t have enough stuff on hand for a real mobilization and their guys have decided not to play the cannon fodder game. Ukraine … Continue reading “Russia is Losing. World is not Ending. Calm Down.”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , ,

The Highly Successful Russian Mobilization

Oh, stop laughing – they have been incredibly successful in mobilizing their manpower. Estimates are that at least 300,000 men are already on the move. Oh wait, Forbes thinks it’s 700,000.* To other countries. As fast as they can. This might not have been quite what the Russian government had in mind when they instituted the mobilization. But it is definitely what they got, more men fleeing the draft than answering the call. Ukraine’s ‘I Want to Live’ hotline has … Continue reading “The Highly Successful Russian Mobilization”

Author Archena Posted on Categories MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

Calm Down – This is Normal

I don’t mean the ‘new normal’. I mean normal. The half insane, scary as heck, what are they thinking behavior of not just Russia and China but the entire international community is the real normal. Those of you who can’t remember the Cold War have lived in the weird times. America was the big scary thing so everyone loved/hated it – including some Americans. Europe was preoccupied with becoming something never quite defined. Elites worldwide were convinced – or pretending … Continue reading “Calm Down – This is Normal”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , ,

When Nation-State Collapse is a Good Thing

Recently, a friend asked me if I understood what a collapse would mean for China. Short answer: yes. Long answer: as much as one can understand before such an event, I believe so, yes. My friend was aghast at the idea that China would collapse because of what it would mean for the people of China and the rest of the world. He’s not wrong to worry about such things but a better question is what happens if China doesn’t … Continue reading “When Nation-State Collapse is a Good Thing”

Author Archena Posted on Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Green is Dead, Long Live the Green

Solar and wind are so yesterday. I realize most climate activists haven’t gotten the memo but as grid scale power sources, they are both pretty much toast. Yes, yes, Scotland and the North Sea, most of the US Southwest, et cetera are indeed exceptions. Thing is, that’s exactly what they are: exceptions. Very few places on Earth have enough solar or wind capacity to use those sources at grid scale. Sure, you can pop solar panels on your house almost … Continue reading “The Green is Dead, Long Live the Green”