| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 10:03 - Jan 25 with 331 views | Guthrum |
It is a very good article highlighting how outside the historical norm the post-War world order has been. And how hypocritically it has sometimes behaved.
However, the bit about the Pakistani student made me wonder what he'd say if asked about Bangladesh, or the Baluchi minority in the south-west. The overthrow of Mossadeq does a lot of heavy lifting in anti-US-imperialism rhetoric, but the Iranians themselves, over the last 80 years, have not been very kind to Sunni minorities in the south, or to their Kurdish population. Guatemala planned to invade British Honduras (now Belize), in an attempt to take over and prevent it becoming an independent nation. It's not only the West which has behaved imperiously towards other parts of the world.
The chief achievement of what we might call the era of the United Nations has been the prevention of major wars within the European continent (which were often also fought all over the globe).
The new world order - if it persists much beyond Trump and Putin's lifetimes - is unlikely (despite their desires) to see the return of fragmentation and competition within Europe itself. Indeed, the compulsion is likely to be the other way, towards more unity. After all, there are no longer substantial overseas empires to provide a base to oppose the others (and, often, a causus belli). Apart from the odd outlier (mostly fairly naked peddlers of outside influence), everyone sees togetherness as their best source of strength. |  |
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| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 10:46 - Jan 25 with 277 views | Churchman |
Thank you for posting this. It’s thought provoking and interesting. Towards the end of the article it refers to the 60th anniversary of DDay:
‘Watching those old men making their way through the Normandy cemeteries was a graphic and poignant reminder: democracy, the rule of law, accountable government are not naturally occurring phenomena; they are not even, historically speaking, normal. They have to be fought for, built, sustained, defended.
And that is the challenge now facing what Mark Carney called "the middle powers".
And not only is Mark Carney right, he’s the only one of the smaller, middling powers that truly ‘gets it’ and the challenge facing those powers. The challenge is not insurmountable, but the first stage is to move away from denial (sort of the dear old change curve on a global scale).
The Europeans and especially Starmer are in denial with a good dollop of confusion. They desperately hope all is as was, just as the appeasers did in Britain and France in the 1930s, and by creep@rising around the likes of Trump, it’ll all be ok. It won’t. The problem is not going away.
An example of denial is the governments approach to defence. It’s as you were, dressed up with fine words. There is no planned additional expenditure for another five years if at all. Post war dividend, hope for the best, other priorities. Particularly the latter. Reeves’ last benefits budget where the annual additional spend on what they decided was priority was £32bn. It’s an active choice they made and to me is ample proof of that.
Carney sees it, most of the others (excluding the threatened - Poland etc) do not. What you believe in, assuming you believe in anything, has to be fought for. It’s perhaps the fault of the post war generation including me, that we have assumed all would be well without effort.
Europe and its allies in the world have a lot of economic leverage and people too! It’s time to collectively use it. That means sacrifice, whether that be financial, physical or political including the set aside of the ongoing insanity called Brexit.
Are the non American leaders strong enough to face the challenge? Carney is, Poland’s leader is. The three big European players, U.K., Germany and France? Well, I hope they surprise me, but I’m not holding my breath.
Today’s rambling rant done. |  | | |
| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 10:53 - Jan 25 with 270 views | Guthrum |
| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 10:46 - Jan 25 by Churchman |
Thank you for posting this. It’s thought provoking and interesting. Towards the end of the article it refers to the 60th anniversary of DDay:
‘Watching those old men making their way through the Normandy cemeteries was a graphic and poignant reminder: democracy, the rule of law, accountable government are not naturally occurring phenomena; they are not even, historically speaking, normal. They have to be fought for, built, sustained, defended.
And that is the challenge now facing what Mark Carney called "the middle powers".
And not only is Mark Carney right, he’s the only one of the smaller, middling powers that truly ‘gets it’ and the challenge facing those powers. The challenge is not insurmountable, but the first stage is to move away from denial (sort of the dear old change curve on a global scale).
The Europeans and especially Starmer are in denial with a good dollop of confusion. They desperately hope all is as was, just as the appeasers did in Britain and France in the 1930s, and by creep@rising around the likes of Trump, it’ll all be ok. It won’t. The problem is not going away.
An example of denial is the governments approach to defence. It’s as you were, dressed up with fine words. There is no planned additional expenditure for another five years if at all. Post war dividend, hope for the best, other priorities. Particularly the latter. Reeves’ last benefits budget where the annual additional spend on what they decided was priority was £32bn. It’s an active choice they made and to me is ample proof of that.
Carney sees it, most of the others (excluding the threatened - Poland etc) do not. What you believe in, assuming you believe in anything, has to be fought for. It’s perhaps the fault of the post war generation including me, that we have assumed all would be well without effort.
Europe and its allies in the world have a lot of economic leverage and people too! It’s time to collectively use it. That means sacrifice, whether that be financial, physical or political including the set aside of the ongoing insanity called Brexit.
Are the non American leaders strong enough to face the challenge? Carney is, Poland’s leader is. The three big European players, U.K., Germany and France? Well, I hope they surprise me, but I’m not holding my breath.
Today’s rambling rant done. |
Did you see the PM I sent with link to an interesting video? | |
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| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 11:43 - Jan 25 with 241 views | Churchman |
| BBC article on the new world according to Trump politics on 10:53 - Jan 25 by Guthrum |
Did you see the PM I sent with link to an interesting video? |
Just watched it and responded - thank you. It’s fascinating.
I also made my weedy excuses as to why I’d not picked it up earlier. [Post edited 25 Jan 11:52]
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