No. Seriously, people who pick up Molotov cocktails and shotguns to take on TANKS are not going to crumble because the US is late with a delivery or ten. Not immediately, anyway. Sure, they legitimately need the aid and it should have been there by now, but they were at war more than two years before the US finally decided to send lethal aid sometime in 2017. No, they can’t hold out forever against the economic power Russia can bring … Continue reading “Is Ukraine Doomed?”
Division, Derision and Devolution: What the Heck is Going on in the World Today?
I thought I’d pick a nice, light, simple topic for today. Oops, sorry about dripping sarcasm on your shoes. I hear laughter takes it right out! They say history doesn’t repeat but it does rhyme. The problem is that history is created by people. People who assume they’re smarter than their ancestors because enlightenment, science, technology, the passage of time, et cetera. Pick your poison, we all do this. We assume that the big questions can easily be answered by … Continue reading “Division, Derision and Devolution: What the Heck is Going on in the World Today?”
Which is More Important, Israel or Ukraine?
To the US? Ukraine, hands down. More details? Seriously? The question wasn’t rhetorical? I define politically important as ‘affects real people’. For the majority of people just wanting to be well informed, good citizens that’s the best possible definition. If an issue or event doesn’t affect people or only affects a few, unless you’re one of the few, that thing isn’t politically important enough to spend bandwidth on learning about it. But it doesn’t serve when talking about most nation … Continue reading “Which is More Important, Israel or Ukraine?”
Israel Attacked – Welcome to the Old Normal
Millennials and Zoomers were blessed to grow up in one of the most placid periods in world history. They did the same stupid stuff that we Boomers did – they thought they understood the world and ignored anyone that said different. We ended up messing up quite a bit of the good stuff our parents had left to us. It comes as no surprise our young ‘uns have done the same. No pretense that the US is perfect. But no … Continue reading “Israel Attacked – Welcome to the Old Normal”
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”
Is the Ukrainian War Important to the World?
In a word, yes. Sure, sure, I hear South American, Indian and African leaders complaining that the war has nothing to do with them. They’re wrong. Oh, it’s understandable – the threat isn’t direct. It’s not like Russia is invading Africa. Oh, wait. Okay, so Russia isn’t in a declared war on Africa. Ukraine certainly won’t be declaring war on Africa. Neither is sending troops to fight in South America or India. Case closed, right? Not really. Let’s start with … Continue reading “Is the Ukrainian War Important to the World?”
Is Ukraine Important to America?
/ Yes. Oh, you wanted the why part? Why didn’t you say so? Russia wants to be the sole superpower. Russia is going to be a pain in the neck until it either gets what it – and no one else sane – wants or until it gets smacked hard enough to come to its collective senses. We seem to be in the middle of that latter one with Ukraine right now. Let Russia bash its brains out on Ukraine. … Continue reading “Is Ukraine Important to America?”
Will Trump Destroy Ukraine?
Nope. See y’all next… You guys are really into details aren’t you? Okay, from the top. Trump is a businessman and a deal maker. He might not like a given policy but he’s not going to sacrifice all the assets just to dump the policy. If he were going to do stupid stuff like that he’d have pulled out of Afghanistan as disastrously as Biden did. Trump isn’t going to miss a good opportunity for a deal. So yes, he’s … Continue reading “Will Trump Destroy Ukraine?”
Russian Desperation
If you think the coup attempt in Niger is unrelated to the Ukrainian War, you’re sadly mistaken. We’re getting kinda used to the nuclear saber rattling. It barely gets a reaction any longer. But what, you ask, does a coup in Niger have to do with anything? Well, everything. France has close ties to Niger. Niger is a former French colony. At the moment protestors are flying the Russian flag. Russian? Yep. As most of you probably know Russia’s pet … Continue reading “Russian Desperation”
Winning is the Best Way to End a War
It amazes me that so many people forget the lessons of history so very quickly. We were all taught how foolish appeasement had been in the lead up to World War II. So why are so many so convinced that appeasing Russia will end any better? Mostly, because we stink at keeping up with current events that don’t involve celebrities and our favorite entertainment. Name off your ten favorite movies, no problem. Name ten wars going on in the world … Continue reading “Winning is the Best Way to End a War”