A round-up of things that have caught my eye or ear this week including what Trump doesn't understand about Ukraine, the future of dollar supremacy, America's war on EVs and the possible end of Maduro
Interesting point on the inability of Trumpite Republicans to see the need to address climate change in their pure self interest. Sometimes historical and dogmatic ideologies just don’t shift even in the face of unarguable facts. I was amazed for example how so many UK farmers voted Brexit - when the core plan was to abolish subsidies (I know, that hasn’t happened) and expose farming to market forces. It seems those farmers could not shift from an historic accepted wisdom of “EU bad”…..often learned at their parents’ feet. Something similar here.
I had hoped I had made clear in the following sentences that I profoundly disagree with the likes of Farage. But I think it is important to note that unlike American appeasers who see the Ukraine war entirely through the prism of a Cold War superpower conflict, European Putin-apologists such as Farage, Le Pen and previously Johnson have always understood that it is about the post-imperial EU project which they all oppose.
I have a strong suspicion that the Russians see the EU and NATO in much the same light as anathema to their worldview: (mostly) western liberal countries working together under a common and mutually supporting framework. From a Putinist perspective, EU membership likely leads to NATO membership.
On a side note, I should also say that the 'NATO enlargement' argument is one of the most pernicious and successful myths promoted put about by Russian propagandists (alongside 'poking the bear'), especially as plently of otherwise-reasonable people fall for it.
“The Ukrainian public saw aligning themselves with the EU as the best way to guarantee their independence, democracy and prosperity. For the same reason, Putin would never let it happen.
That is why Putin apologists such as Nigel Farage (and Boris Johnson before he changed his tune in 2022) are half right when they blame the EU for the war in Ukraine.”
I’m sorry but I can’t buy that argument. Those apologists are not right in any percentage regarding EU culpability for the war. That’s like putting the blame for a woman’s rape on her wearing attractive clothing.
Re EV and Musk, have you not noticed that Musk is an assidious claimant of Government handouts? He is a subsidy maximiser. And, probably, his major interest is in space flight.... So he needs the subsidy flow
You are using one of those "it's not even wrong" arguments, or maybe several of them. As it stands, Ukraine is a nation that really does not conform to the EU desired template in a lot of ways. So objections to the Russian invasion need proper explanation. How ethically correct is the Ukrainian nation? Who knows? How aligned to the EU socio-economic model is Ukraine? Who knows? In the knowledge vacuum, the supply of massive armament support reminds me of those 1970s proxy wars that the US and the USSR fought in Vietnam, Angola. Bolivia, Cuba etc. What are the objectives of the support the US and Europe are supplying? How long will it continue? What is the opportunity cost?
Interesting point on the inability of Trumpite Republicans to see the need to address climate change in their pure self interest. Sometimes historical and dogmatic ideologies just don’t shift even in the face of unarguable facts. I was amazed for example how so many UK farmers voted Brexit - when the core plan was to abolish subsidies (I know, that hasn’t happened) and expose farming to market forces. It seems those farmers could not shift from an historic accepted wisdom of “EU bad”…..often learned at their parents’ feet. Something similar here.
I had hoped I had made clear in the following sentences that I profoundly disagree with the likes of Farage. But I think it is important to note that unlike American appeasers who see the Ukraine war entirely through the prism of a Cold War superpower conflict, European Putin-apologists such as Farage, Le Pen and previously Johnson have always understood that it is about the post-imperial EU project which they all oppose.
Great round-up!
I have a strong suspicion that the Russians see the EU and NATO in much the same light as anathema to their worldview: (mostly) western liberal countries working together under a common and mutually supporting framework. From a Putinist perspective, EU membership likely leads to NATO membership.
On a side note, I should also say that the 'NATO enlargement' argument is one of the most pernicious and successful myths promoted put about by Russian propagandists (alongside 'poking the bear'), especially as plently of otherwise-reasonable people fall for it.
“The Ukrainian public saw aligning themselves with the EU as the best way to guarantee their independence, democracy and prosperity. For the same reason, Putin would never let it happen.
That is why Putin apologists such as Nigel Farage (and Boris Johnson before he changed his tune in 2022) are half right when they blame the EU for the war in Ukraine.”
I’m sorry but I can’t buy that argument. Those apologists are not right in any percentage regarding EU culpability for the war. That’s like putting the blame for a woman’s rape on her wearing attractive clothing.
Re EV and Musk, have you not noticed that Musk is an assidious claimant of Government handouts? He is a subsidy maximiser. And, probably, his major interest is in space flight.... So he needs the subsidy flow
You are using one of those "it's not even wrong" arguments, or maybe several of them. As it stands, Ukraine is a nation that really does not conform to the EU desired template in a lot of ways. So objections to the Russian invasion need proper explanation. How ethically correct is the Ukrainian nation? Who knows? How aligned to the EU socio-economic model is Ukraine? Who knows? In the knowledge vacuum, the supply of massive armament support reminds me of those 1970s proxy wars that the US and the USSR fought in Vietnam, Angola. Bolivia, Cuba etc. What are the objectives of the support the US and Europe are supplying? How long will it continue? What is the opportunity cost?