Author Archena Posted on October 3, 2023October 4, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , ,

Ups and Downs: Politics are Never Smooth

Nation states are resilient. That should be no surprise. People are amazingly resilient – otherwise human history would have ended long ago. Nation states are just really large groups of people so they have the traits of people. They can be incredibly resilient and incredibly stupid, often at the same time. Humans are fun. If you’re used to playing computer games where you get to be a character or you’re from the TV generation, this basic fact is hard to … Continue reading “Ups and Downs: Politics are Never Smooth”

Author Archena Posted on February 13, 2023February 13, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , ,

Don’t Become The Monster: Foreign Policy Edition

Look guys, being opposition for the sake of being oppositions is STUPID. So quit it. Any questions? What? Oh for Pete’s sake… We’ve spent the last forty years in American politics with the Democrats desperately clinging to the coattails of Civil Rights in the vain hope of maintaining relevance. They settled for maintaining power. That’s now ending. Yes, the whole process was stupid. Could we please not repeat it on the conservative side? No, I didn’t say Republican because I’m … Continue reading “Don’t Become The Monster: Foreign Policy Edition”

Author Archena Posted on February 6, 2023February 5, 2023Categories MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

COVID 19 Time for Truth: China Edition

I am a cranky old lady with 18 years disease control experience, two degrees in Political Science and no patience left for nonsense. Any questions? No? Good. The entire response to the panicdemic was botched. The WHO and ESPECIALLY the CDC knew better than the crap they were pulling. We here in the United States have over EIGHTY YEARS of successful disease intervention. We lead the charge in ERADICATING small pox. We DANGED WELL know how to handle a respiratory … Continue reading “COVID 19 Time for Truth: China Edition”

Author Archena Posted on January 16, 2023January 12, 2023Categories Current, MondayTags , , ,

No, China Isn’t Fine Now

Seriously, isn’t it hard to live with an attention span shorter than the lifespan of a mayfly? You didn’t make it all the way through that sentence, did you? Sigh. Okay, so for those who can watch all the way through a sitcom, let’s get on with this. Nation-states, including overhyped authoritarian ones, are resilient as all get out. Nation-states can do all sorts of weird and often unwise things that normal people can’t and shouldn’t. Being able to print … Continue reading “No, China Isn’t Fine Now”

Author Archena Posted on November 29, 2022November 29, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , , , , , , ,

Protests and Unrest in China

Okay, those of you that think this is a bad sign for the CCP and that China could collapse, you’re not wrong. Those of you who think China probably won’t collapse aren’t wrong either. Nation-states are resilient and this is not China’s first rodeo. But it is their first ride on a bull this big. So, what does it mean? Well, it means the CCP has pulled off something once believed to be nearly impossible – they have found the … Continue reading “Protests and Unrest in China”

Author Archena Posted on November 21, 2022November 21, 2022Categories Current, MondayTags , , , , , ,

The Post Russo-Sino World, Part II

Okay, when last we left our hypothetical, the world had NOT ended in a fireball. The US was busily trying to corral nuclear proliferation and both Russia and China had fully collapsed. Nation-states can multi-task. They aren’t great at it because humans aren’t, but unlike your Supermom, nation-states really do have many people who can be directed to do different things. This is a good thing because the US is gonna be really distracted, as it was in the Nineties, … Continue reading “The Post Russo-Sino World, Part II”

Author Archena Posted on November 15, 2022November 16, 2022Categories 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 November 8, 2022November 8, 2022Categories 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 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”