Book recommendation
 

This book is very well researched and informative.

Kill your television!
 

“Obviously the Russian military has been demoralized and is running on fumes.” Well yes, according to our main stream media. But we’re being misled unfortunately. It’s not that hard to balance the truth by seeking sources that are outside of western media influence.

Regarding world domination being China’s end game: the US has 750 foreign military bases in 80 countries. China has 5. I think their end game is to live well and prosper.

Taiwan
 

Taiwan is called the Republic of China, a separate country, and mainland China is called the People's Republic of China, but they do not rule Taiwan, though they wish to, the #1 maker of semi-conductors in the world.

My husband and I were alerted to Peter Zeihan and geopolitics about a month ago when we were sent an email linking to a video of a recent speech he made to a group. Instead of trying to watch the hour-long speech on the little screen I found it on YouTube on the big screen.

Not only is that speech on YouTube, so are many, many more dating back to around 2013. All are based and built on the idea that geographical and demographic advantages are possessed by certain countries and is how they got where they are today. He is also such an engaging speaker that one doesn't want to miss a single word.

I regret living on the planet so long without being exposed to this kind of geopolitical knowledge, but then it is not uncommon for Americans to be insulated and isolated.

Zeihan believes that after Russia dispenses with Ukraine it will come for NATO. This is fantasy. If you read a 2017 Rand study (available online) it’s clear that it’s the other way around. US/NATO have been pushing ever eastward since the fall of the Berlin wall after promising Gorbachev they would not expand “one inch” beyond Germany’s border. Yes Russia is in an existential fight for its survival. They will never accept NATO in Ukraine.

As regards Putin’s desire to reconstitute the Soviet empire here is a quote: “ People in Russia say that those who do not regret the collapse of the Soviet Union have no heart, and those that do regret it have no brain.”

Life will get more and more interesting.

At some point the people of China will rise up against the party.⁹

Sorry, I promise to leave this alone but since 1980 China has lifted 800 million people out of Poverty. And here’s a tidbit exposing Pompeo’s misleading statement about the CCP vs a recent study released by the Harvard Ash Center.

“In late July, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a speech that the Chinese Communist Party rules over an “oppressed” people. “The CCP fears the Chinese people’s honest opinions more than any foe,” he said. While the Communist Party presents itself as a spokesperson for the Chinese people, Pompeo was now accusing them of holding their own people hostage. But a recent study released by the Harvard Ash Center portrayed a different reality. In a decade-long survey of more than 31,000 Chinese citizens from 2003 to 2016, researchers Edward Cunningham, Tony Saich, and Jessie Turiel found that “Chinese citizen satisfaction with government has increased virtually across the board.”

i see things a little differently. Russian would like to PARTNER UP with China to oppose the US, Europe, and the west. But, Russia is NOT about to become China's lap dog. Russia has the earth's most nuclear ICBMs so can't be taken lightly by anyone. Both China and Russia are showing signs of weakness because of increased totalitarian decision-making.

Ever talk to people who live in China? I have an get a different answer on citizen satisfaction.

The reason for NATOs expansion is that former Warsaw Pact countries want to distance themselves from Russia

I think a Chinese citizen who was not careful of what they said to whom would be very misguided and perhaps sent somewhere to think about it

If Putin were dead or overthrown and a true democracy replaced the dictatorship, then Russia would be a STRONGER country than it is today country, not WEAKER. That could possibly happen. The question is what system will dominate, not which country in the future.