Author Archena Posted on October 4, 2022October 4, 2022Categories 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 September 23, 2022September 23, 2022Categories FridayTags , , , , , , , , , ,

Taking No Joy

This week I’ve talked a lot about nation-states and political parties in collapse. These are bad things even when they are likely to ultimately result in good. But as they happen, people get hurt. Lives are altered, destroyed and even lost. It hurts to see the organization you worked so hard for or really believed in crash and burn. At a bare minimum will be economic losses and disruptions. Anyone happy about any of that isn’t thinking too straight. Lately, … Continue reading “Taking No Joy”

Author Archena Posted on September 19, 2022September 19, 2022Categories 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 September 5, 2022September 3, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , ,

Is China Collapsing?

Is China collapsing? Yes. Is China collapsing tomorrow? No. Is China collapsing in three days? No. Is China collapsing next week? No. Is China collapsing next month? No. Is China collapsing … How many of these stupid ‘China is collapsing in X days’ videos did you binge?! China is not in its final phase of collapse that I can tell. Nation-states don’t collapse quickly. It takes usually several years from the first domino to the final one. I think we … Continue reading “Is China Collapsing?”

Author Archena Posted on August 15, 2022August 5, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Congratulations, China! You’re All Grown Up Now!

Inasmuch as any nation-state can be ‘grown-up’, sure. China has now built two aircraft carriers (it has three), three islands (that are now fully militarized despite their promises to the contrary),a space station and landed on the dark side of the moon. None of these things are the acts of a developing nation. Not. One. So why is China still receiving assistance as a developing nation? The country that is itself lending billions to underdeveloped nations, building massive infrastructure programs … Continue reading “Congratulations, China! You’re All Grown Up Now!”

Author Archena Posted on August 8, 2022August 8, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , ,

China’s Temper Tantrum is Not a Sign of Strength; It’s a Sign of Extreme Weakness

I suppose it’s not really a surprise when generations raised to literally believe that the sky is falling panic at the least sign of strife, domestic or international. Idiotic headlines of ‘Will Pelosi’s Trip to Taiwan Trigger World War Three’ and talking heads pontificating about the economic fallout certainly don’t help but it’s really the military response that’s scaring the pants off people. You can relax. This isn’t the start of WWIII. It’s just the Chinese Communist Party flailing about … Continue reading “China’s Temper Tantrum is Not a Sign of Strength; It’s a Sign of Extreme Weakness”

Author Archena Posted on August 1, 2022July 27, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , ,

Russia and China, Frenemies Forever

Just because it’s not the end of the world doesn’t mean we can take our eyes off the ball. That’s important because international relations is just like a kindergarten but when nation-states throw tantrums they also throw very nasty things like bombs and bullets. I know, everyone is wringing their hands over the coming of World War Three and nuclear annihilation and monkey pox and every other impeding form of doom. You can stop now. It’s okay. There’s not going … Continue reading “Russia and China, Frenemies Forever”

Author Archena Posted on July 19, 2022July 19, 2022Categories MondayTags , , , , ,

The Chinese Communist Party is No One’s Friend

Excepting maybe itself. Although at times it acts so contrary to its own self interest that you kinda have to wonder if even the CCP likes the CCP. One of the most annoying things about getting old is having to say blatantly obvious things because none of the young ‘uns seem to know anything at all about history. Or how to do basic arithmetic, but I suppose that’s another story. Anywho, let’s talk about the freaking elephant in the room … Continue reading “The Chinese Communist Party is No One’s Friend”