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 WednesdayTags , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Did We Do It? Nord Stream Sabotage

Knowing only the public information I have access to right now, no. I’m extremely dubious that the US was involved. Let’s start with the elephant: Biden’s comments in February that the US could destroy the pipeline. The German Chancellor was right there. It was a joint press conference held February 7th. Reporters pestered Biden until they got a soundbite. It wasn’t even a very good one considering he said nothing about destroying the pipeline, just ‘ending it’. Germany did that … Continue reading “Did We Do It? Nord Stream Sabotage”

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 CurrentTags , , , , , , , , ,

Mobilization. Are We Serious Yet?

Short answer: no. Long answer – oh please, as if war weren’t serious. If you’re not serious, don’t invade. Having the best military on the planet does you no good if the political war is already lost. I’m an American – ask me how I know and try to keep a straight face. In my political opinion, Russia lost this war on February 24, 2022, the day they were stupid enough to invade. Despite all protests to the contrary, Sweden … Continue reading “Mobilization. Are We Serious Yet?”

Author Archena Posted on Categories 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 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, WednesdayTags , , , ,

Is Russia Losing the War with Ukraine?

I’m writing this on September 11, 2022. At this time, the Kharkiv front has collapsed in a rout for the Russians. Ukrainian troops have reached the border and have liberated a large swath of territory on the eastern side of Ukraine. Russian media is having a hard time covering for the defeat. No, that doesn’t mean Russia has lost – yet. But it looks very, very bad. I’m not a military analysis and I don’t play one on TV but … Continue reading “Is Russia Losing the War with Ukraine?”