America is OVAH
[quote] Even in previous moments of American vulnerability, Washington reigned supreme. Whatever moral or strategic challenge it faced, there was a sense that its political vibrancy matched its economic and military might, that its system and democratic culture were so deeply rooted that it could always regenerate itself. It was as if the very idea of America mattered, an engine driving it on whatever other glitches existed under the hood. Now, something appears to be changing. America seems mired, its very ability to rebound in question. A new power has emerged on the world stage to challenge American supremacy—China—with a weapon the Soviet Union never possessed: mutually assured economic destruction.
[quote] China, unlike the Soviet Union, is able to offer a measure of wealth, vibrancy, and technological advancement—albeit not yet to the same level as the United States—while protected by a silk curtain of Western cultural and linguistic incomprehension. In contrast, if America were a family, it would be the Kardashian clan, living its life in the open glare of a gawping, global public—its comings and goings, flaws and contradictions, there for all to see. Today, from the outside, it looks as if this strange, dysfunctional, but highly successful upstart of a family were suffering a sort of full-scale breakdown; what made that family great is apparently no longer enough to prevent its decline.
[quote] ... Duclos agreed: “The Netherlands were the dominant global power in the 18th century. Today they are a successful country, but they have simply lost their power. To some extent the U.K. and France are on the journey to become the Netherlands, and the U.S. is on the journey to be Britain and France.” Bruno Maceas, Portugal’s former Europe minister, whose book The Dawn of Eurasia looks at the rise of Chinese power, told me, “The collapse of the American Empire is a given; we are just trying to figure out what will replace it.”
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 19 | June 29, 2020 11:40 PM
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Boris, What time is it in your country?
by Anonymous | reply 1 | June 29, 2020 4:42 PM
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China has its own problems boiling just below the surface. They have a growing rural crystal meth problem, and that pesky ethnic Tibetan, Uighyur situation is not going to just go away any time soon either.
by Anonymous | reply 3 | June 29, 2020 4:46 PM
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Back in the ‘80s pundits were bearish on a America, insisting its decline was inevitable and Japan’s rise was unstoppable.
Didn’t happen. China won’t take over either. China has a very fragile economy and China’s actual GDP is about 30% smaller than stated, according to numerous studies. China has also destroyed its reputation and now many countries including those along its OBOR initiative have turned against it, as well as European countries, the U.K., Australia, and many countries in Africa.
by Anonymous | reply 4 | June 29, 2020 4:48 PM
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The world would be very different if China were to become the dominant superpower. They aren't really as interventionist as the US, at least not outside their immediate sphere of influence, which would embolden every wannabe dictator to start shit as they please.
China seems mostly interested in itself, securing its power internally and economically, and keeping its own population in line. That 'silk curtain' goes both ways. Outbound projects like the silk road are costly and much less effective than they seem.
by Anonymous | reply 5 | June 29, 2020 4:54 PM
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so move to china cunt-face OP
I'm sure you'll love being gay there, in prison
by Anonymous | reply 6 | June 29, 2020 5:01 PM
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[quote] They aren't really as interventionist as the US, at least not outside their immediate sphere of influence,
China has definitely expanded its sphere of influence into Africa.
by Anonymous | reply 7 | June 29, 2020 5:11 PM
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Germany can handle this. Mutter has got it.
by Anonymous | reply 8 | June 29, 2020 7:15 PM
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Trump has severely weakened this country especially by allowing the Covid response to get out of hand. If he makes things worse before he leaves, I don't know if we can recover. We just can't have a good economy if this pandemic kills everyone off. The re-opening could have happened if wearing masks were mandatory but the fucking GOP/Trump decided it was better to politicize the whole damned thing. I feel like we are at the tipping point that's edging towards a terrible fall.
by Anonymous | reply 9 | June 29, 2020 10:07 PM
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America could stop doing things like giving foreign aid (38 billion) to countries like Israel who have universal health care, schooling paid for and an income tax system that sees people tax progressively. If you made between $74,000 to $170,000 in Israel you'd be tax 14% on that. We get fuck all for the taxes we pay and Israel is living good and getting 23 billion on top of that.
by Anonymous | reply 10 | June 29, 2020 10:25 PM
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[quote]Israel is living good and getting 23 billion on top of that
Sorry 38 billion
by Anonymous | reply 11 | June 29, 2020 10:26 PM
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R3, China can always clear away the pesky rurals with another cultural revolution. In America, mobs demanding that random people confess to thought crimes could never happen.
by Anonymous | reply 12 | June 29, 2020 10:37 PM
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And 600 American Billionaires are 584 billion dollars richer since the pandemic began. 40,000,000 out of work, half the population too obtuse to believe simple science and public health measures that have PROVEN, BEYOND a reasonable doubt to be effective. And 126k americans dead
It's like we had 1 week where we could relax, ok ALL white people are not evil, Trump is losing support daily. Now, China discovered a new swine flu which probably happens all the time, but still, it's hard not to see it as part of an evil plot to ensure Biden does not win.
by Anonymous | reply 13 | June 29, 2020 10:43 PM
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[quote] China, unlike the Soviet Union, is able to offer a measure of wealth, vibrancy, and technological advancement
lol
Thanks for that hot take, Atlantic. Hopefully the CCP paid them in USD and not CNY.
by Anonymous | reply 14 | June 29, 2020 10:46 PM
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R13, you act like if those 600 billionaires didn't have all that money, it would be evenly distributed across the rest of us. I don't think that's how a free-market economy works.
by Anonymous | reply 15 | June 29, 2020 10:47 PM
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[quote] China can always clear away the pesky rurals with another cultural revolution.
Umm yeah, another cultural revolution from them would mean tens of millions of deaths and should not be anything anybody strives towards.
by Anonymous | reply 16 | June 29, 2020 10:49 PM
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Does this mean our country is shitty enough where people will no longer want to come here, and we can turn off the immigration spigot?
by Anonymous | reply 17 | June 29, 2020 10:59 PM
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China with their GD bioweapon, currency manipulation, stealing proprietary information, human rights be dammed! They fucking suck. Too bad American leadership sucks as well .. gah
by Anonymous | reply 18 | June 29, 2020 11:31 PM
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R15, in 2019, Billionaires made 1.2 Trillion dollars. in 202 they made more than half that in 12 weeks.
The amount of stimulus fraud is staggering and we'll never know the extent of it. We know for sure that 13 public companies RETURNED 170 million because they didn't deserve it. Plus, they're hiding how much all these fucking companies got. These 13 were PUBLIC, they have to release their financials. It's staggering when you think about the penny pinching, soap box speeches we've heard about 38 dollar Obama muffins or something equally banal.
Offsite Linkby Anonymous | reply 19 | June 29, 2020 11:40 PM
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