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Thursday, August 8, 2019

The Case For and Against China's Rise?, Random Stuff, and More

- some are saying that the US led order has reached it's limits. They don't have much more to give? The argument is that we should give others a chance for this reason alone? Not doing so is likely to result in conflict as countries jostle for power
At this event, Le Maire stated ever-so candidly that “the Bretton Woods order has reached its limits. Unless we are able to re-invent Bretton Woods, the New Silk Road might become the New World Order”.
CrossTalk: Trump's Trade War
Trade War intensifies: US elite's ties to 'ENEMY' China that you don't know of
How Americans Are Losers In The US-China Trade War
- supporting either (US or China) case for global leadership does not automatically lead to world peace. Both have large arms industries with large export orders. It's likely that war will continue either way
Arms exports (SIPRI trend indicator values) | Data
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/MS.MIL.XPRT.KD
- the obvious benefit of US destabilisation (whether intended or not) is that it causes prices to drop in other parts of the world. This keeps inflation in check. Without destabilising forces then the converse (uncontrolled inflation) is obviously possible? Can the Chinese come up with peaceful way of development which is better then the current state of affairs? The obvious way is to flip things on their head. Russia have generally provided Europe with low cost gas (against all competitors including the US). If this occurs for all natural resource providers globally we can have peaceful global development. The only other obvious problem is natural resource exhaustion and population size control. If cheap space travel is possible sometime down the line this ceases to become a problem? The obvious problem is for the US. The US depends hugely on it's military industrial complex for income
carbon neutral cities china
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/sunrise-on-chinas-first-carbo-neutral-city/
http://www.chinawaterrisk.org/interviews/the-future-of-low-carbon-cities-in-china/
russia cheap gas europe
https://fortune.com/2019/07/02/us-russia-gas-prices/
https://oilprice.com/Latest-Energy-News/World-News/Russia-Says-Its-Gasoline-Prices-Are-Europes-Cheapest.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/08/russia-and-the-us-battling-over-europes-gas-market.html
Proof U.S. Presence In Africa Has Made It LESS Stable
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0lXHP2eC0Y
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_revolution
- deaths per capita are roughly the same over centuries? So called, Pax Americana is a myth (and so is any potential Pax-China)? So called, Neocons believe that war helps you but in reality war destroys you if you're more directly involved with it (GDP of US goes up over short term but over long term US GDP relative to global gets smaller and smaller. Profit margins in defense industry generally aren't that much better then other industries if you dig around as well) or if the cost of going to war exceeds what you can get out of it (obviously)...
Is There a Global War Coming _ George Friedman at Brain Bar
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwnPgscg0vU
The XQ-58A demonstrator, developed by Kratos in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory, is part of the low-cost attritable strike demonstrator program. The goal of the initiative is to “break the escalating cost trajectory of tactically relevant aircraft,” Kratos said in a press release.
war casualties per century
“When I was born, it was a crime to be a gay man, legal to discriminate on the basis of sex or race, and casual bigotry was a socially acceptable fact of daily life,” May said. “All that has changed – and greatly for the better.”
Ma says blaming China for any economic issues in the U.S. is misguided. If America is looking to blame anyone, Ma said, it should blame itself.
“It’s not that other countries steal jobs from you guys,” Ma said. “It’s your strategy. Distribute the money and things in a proper way.”
He said the U.S. has wasted over $14 trillion in fighting wars over the past 30 years rather than investing in infrastructure at home.
...
“The world needs new leadership, but the new leadership is about working together,” Ma said. “As a business person, I want the world to share the prosperity together.”
https://www.9news.com.au/world/fighter-jet-crashes-in-irans-south-with-two-pilots-surviving-persian-gulf/2555e8ca-e6a5-4348-b002-4929fea34f7e
share of global gdp by region
https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/24/infographic-heres-how-the-global-gdp-is-divvied-up/
us global share of gdp
15.81 - 2014
15.74 - 2015
15.48 - 2016
15.26 - 2017
15.16 - 2018
15.03 - 2019
14.78 - 2020
14.52 - 2021
14.26 - 2022
13.98 - 2023
13.71 - 2024
https://www.statista.com/statistics/270267/united-states-share-of-global-gross-domestic-product-gdp/
Data for this Date Range
Dec. 31, 2017 24.08%
Dec. 31, 2016 24.57%
Dec. 31, 2015 24.28%
Dec. 31, 2014 22.09%
Dec. 31, 2013 21.74%
Dec. 31, 2012 21.58%
Dec. 31, 2011 21.18%
Dec. 31, 2010 22.70%
Dec. 31, 2009 23.92%
Dec. 31, 2008 23.15%
Dec. 31, 2007 24.97%
Dec. 31, 2006 26.92%
Dec. 31, 2005 27.57%
Dec. 31, 2004 27.99%
Dec. 31, 2003 29.56%
Dec. 31, 2002 31.64%
Dec. 31, 2001 31.79%
Dec. 31, 2000 30.60%
Dec. 31, 1999 29.68%
Dec. 31, 1998 28.96%
Dec. 31, 1997 27.36%
Dec. 31, 1996 25.66%
Dec. 31, 1995 24.82%
Dec. 31, 1994 26.32%
Dec. 31, 1993 26.60%
Dec. 31, 1992 25.74%
Dec. 31, 1991 25.89%
Dec. 31, 1990 26.53%
Dec. 31, 1989 27.63%
Dec. 31, 1988 26.98%
Dec. 31, 1987 28.02%
Dec. 31, 1986 30.06%
Dec. 31, 1985 33.62%
Dec. 31, 1984 32.91%
Dec. 31, 1983 30.71%
Dec. 31, 1982 28.88%
Dec. 31, 1981 27.50%
Dec. 31, 1980 25.16%
Dec. 31, 1979 26.02%
Dec. 31, 1978 27.05%
Dec. 31, 1977 28.17%
Dec. 31, 1976 28.64%
Dec. 31, 1975 27.98%
Dec. 31, 1974 28.57%
Dec. 31, 1973 30.39%
Dec. 31, 1972 33.20%
Dec. 31, 1971 34.84%
Dec. 31, 1970 35.44%
Dec. 31, 1969 36.60%
Dec. 31, 1968 37.30%
https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_gdp_as_a_percentage_of_world_gdp
china share of global gdp
https://www.statista.com/statistics/270439/chinas-share-of-global-gross-domestic-product-gdp/
15.26 - 2012
15.91 - 2013
16.50 - 2014
17.07 - 2015
17.64 - 2016
18.16 - 2017
18.69 - 2018
19.24 - 2019
19.72 - 2020
20.18 - 2021
20.61 - 2022
21.01 - 2023
21.39 - 2024
- it's obvious that despite what the US says a lot of the defense alliances that the US aren't "real". Even people in the US and in these countries say this. It will be interesting how things turn out if the Empire collapses
united states defense treaties
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_alliances
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_military_alliances#Twenty-first_century
Washington has too many allies, including the Philippines. The latter is a net cost, committing America to its defense while adding little to America’s security. Washington should clarify—and limit—its ambiguous commitment. Finally, Washington must launch a broader rethink about where and when the United States is prepared to go to war in the Asia-Pacific.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/philippines-mutual-defense-treaty-isnt-really-mutual-all-50772
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/skeptics/philippines-mutual-defense-treaty-isnt-really-mutual-all-50772?page=0%2C1
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2017/02/mapped-americas-collective-defense-agreements/135114/
Poland wants a permanent U.S. military presence — and is willing to pony up as much as $2 billion to get it, according to a defense ministry proposal obtained by Polish news portal Onet.

The Polish offer reflects a long-standing desire in Warsaw to build closer security relations with the U.S. and put American boots on the ground. The push dates back to Poland's entry into NATO in 1999, but has taken on added urgency in the wake of Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region four years ago and aggressive posture toward the alliance.
https://www.politico.eu/article/nato-poland-offers-us-up-to-2-billion-for-permanent-american-military-base/
- likely that China will be more pacifist/less interventionist (history indicates far lower number of wars involving them)? That said (under normal circumstances), you wouldn't build a large defense force and naval capability if you weren't likely to use it. One strange thing about the defense challenge is that China generally wins more of it's battles/wars then the US does and also doubles as a nuclear power? They shouldn't have to fear many enemies like the US? Some argue that China is challenging the US. In reality, it is far more limited then the US. The US also has military bases surrounding China. The opposite is not true. US has a bizarre policy of massive trade and military containment with China for a long while now? US believes in deterrence policy which means dealing with problems before they occur via overwhelming response
John Pilger special on his documentary "The Coming War on China"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H57QtomQWyg
https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2019/08/06/with-mounting-questions-about-cost-and-survivability-a-shifting-political-landscape-for-us-aircraft-carriers/
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australian-government-unconvinced-by-cambodia-s-denials-over-chinese-military-base-20190726-p52b4g.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/hastie-dismissal-betrays-governments-lack-of-plan-on-china/11400710
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hastie-wins-support-for-his-china-warning-from-former-diplomat-sharma-20190810-p52fup.html
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-takeover-of-sihanoukville-is-almost-complete-despite-base-row-20190805-p52e44.html
chinese military overseas base
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_overseas_military_bases
defense force comparison
Pentagon has expressed concern over increasing Chinese military activities. China is planning to construct military bases around the world.

 The move, according to Washington's claims, is aimed at protecting China’s investments in the Belt and Road Initiative.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2019/05/04/595061/US-alarmed-as-China-flexes-military-muscle-with-bases
- it's fairly obvious that Chinese people don't want to do menial low paying jobs forever. It's also obvious that they they're taking steps to get around this by becoming leaders in other areas
Why China Doesn’t Want Your Trash Anymore
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gNZtI7hbvI
https://au.news.yahoo.com/could-mexico-cactus-solve-worlds-plastics-problem-025842869--spt.html
waste by country
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Environment/Municipal-waste-generation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_by_country
https://ourworldindata.org/plastic-pollution
http://www.atlas.d-waste.com/
Total amount of municipal waste collected
http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?d=ENV&f=variableID%3A1814
- China have become genuine leaders in science, technology, medicine, manufacturing, etc... You can't accuse them of copying and espionage if they're innovating and beating others legitimately across the board? That said, if they are engaging in shenanigans when they don't need to that's another problem entirely. What's really needed is a measure of Dodginess Per Capita (DPC) that can be applied to any citizen across the globe? Ironically, the Chinese are experimenting with such a system via the "Social Credit System" and so is the US via wide spread data collection and analysis (in a more distributed fashion such as via credit ratings, data analysis of online and social media profiles, metadata analysis via SIGINT/OSINT/ELINT, mass media, etc...)
US China Trade War Explained -Who Needs Who
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxN12jzHrqI
China rises to world No. 2 in science research while Japan declines: survey
http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190506/p2a/00m/0na/002000c
https://www.zdnet.com/article/china-top-internet-firms-pump-45-more-into-r-d/
As a designer, I can tell you I would much rather jump on a plane to LA or some other US state to work on my models than to sit in airports and airplanes for 24 hrs and deal with a 12 hr jetlag. But I can tell you as one who has done designs with US companies in the past and had to deal with the hassles, these foundries that make all the industry's clubheads now in China are incredibly good at what they do. So if you want the best clubhead production, you go to China because that's where it exists. Not here unfortunately because we just plain got beat at it.

TOM
https://forums.golfwrx.com/discussion/357557/ping-and-china
patents by country
- the Chinese are actually fairly generous? More foreign aide comes from China then the US in spite of being less wealthy then the US. The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) seems to creating the basis for future growth for many countries around the world as well  (contrast this against the in ability of the US to get the TPP deal done. It's stuff like this which makes you wonder whether or not the metaphorical baton has already been passed from the US to China?). Both US and China are large contributors to United Nations (UN) 
largest foreign aide donors by country
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organizations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.[1][2] "Belt" refers to the overland routes for road and rail transportation, called "the Silk Road Economic Belt"; whereas "road" refers to the sea routes, or the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.[3]
...
The Chinese government calls the initiative "a bid to enhance regional connectivity and embrace a brighter future".[6] Some observers see it as a push for Chinese dominance in global affairs with a China-centered trading network.[7][8] The project has a targeted completion date of 2049,[9] which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.
- it's really difficult to perceive China as a genuine threat? Most people know it as "the land of dodgy, cheap stuff and cheap labour", Chinese food and alternative diets (such as dogs, cats, and even Pandas in the distant past?), Chinese Triads, fat and lazy Giant Pandas, China's Great Wall and China's Great Firewall, Chinese movies with heroes who don't speak English but know martial arts and can fly, fake goods, development at the cost of environmental destruction, the omnipresent and ever present Chinese Communist Party (CCP), a country which can't seem to make up it's mind between communism/socialism/capitalism, ghost cities, etc... On the other hand, the US is the land of pop culture, Hollywood, gangs, regular mass shootings, rampant capitalism where profit doesn't matter but market share does, fast food, bad healthcare, couch potato culture, sitcoms (like Mr Ed, Seinfeld, Simpsons, etc...), a massive military industrial complex, never ending wars, crazy politicians, a country with an empire but struggles to look after all of it's own citizens, really big companies, etc...
"I think big tech is, as I have said elsewhere, facing a day of reckoning. They've gotten too big, they've gotten too dismissive of community concerns and governments are awake now that they need to be able to reform either competition frameworks or taxation arrangements to ensure that the people are paying their fair way, that big tech is paying its way. I think the year of light regulation like taxation for tech, that's gone."
https://www.itwire.com/government-tech-policy/fixing-big-tech-tax-avoidance-high-on-labor-agenda.html
did chinese eat pandas
https://www.quora.com/Do-the-Chinese-eat-pandas
https://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/14/asia/china-panda-poaching/index.html
Though humans apparently ate panda in prehistoric times, contemporary Chinese have little taste for the animal. There is an oft-cited saying that Chinese people will "eat anything with four legs except the table" — including braised camel hump, monkey brains, and shark’s fin on the occasional (luxe) Chinese menu. The liberal Chinese palate often extends to animals kept as pets, with dogs, rabbits, and even cats sometimes meeting their end as a soup or spicy dish. But panda banquets are unheard of.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/10/23/chinese-people-used-to-think-pandas-were-monsters/
what does dog taste like
Chopsticks in hand, I reached for the grilled dog. Hung instructed me to wrap it in herbs and dip it in the murky shrimp sauce. After a deep breath, I slowly nibbled the meat. It was chewy and fatty, with a strong animal taste like squab or venison, but not as succulent. The minced galangal and subtle charcoal flavor were pleasant enough, and the meat itself was reminiscent of beef — if you closed your eyes and didn’t think about it too much.
https://www.villagevoice.com/2011/08/01/dog-meat-what-does-it-taste-like/
what does cat taste like
“When I first started working here, I was surprised so many people ate cat. But now, fine, they like it,” he said, adding that demand appeared to be increasing each year.
“Eating cat meat is better than eating dog as the meat is more sweet, more tender than a dog,” Thien said.
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/article/1561037/its-sweeter-and-tenderer-dog-meat-vietnams-taste-cat-leaves-pets-peril
united states defense spending
Military Spending in the United States. In fiscal year 2015, military spending is projected to account for 54 percent of all federal discretionary spending, a total of $598.5 billion.
America's Defense Budget Is Bigger Than You Think | The Nation
May 7, 2019 - Each year, Congress approves hundreds of billions of dollars for the US defense budget—but the real number exceeds $1 trillion.
https://www.thenation.com/article/tom-dispatch-america-defense-budget-bigger-than-you-think/
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/08/priceless-racism-duke-edinburgh-170810082226234.html
coup attempts by country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coups_d%27%C3%A9tat_and_coup_attempts_by_country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_coups_d%27%C3%A9tat_and_coup_attempts
https://www.quora.com/What-country-has-had-more-coups-and-coups-detats-than-any-other
https://au.news.yahoo.com/baby-formula-australia-china-daigou-032543894.html
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/38772991/china-directs-users-to-approved-vpns-as-firewall-tightens/
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/30/travel/china-tips-visas-vpn-phone.html
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6314184/growing-relationship-with-china-creates-opportunities-for-criminals/
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-02/chinese-reporter-outburst-a-sign-of-more-to-come/10330610
https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-need-to-talk-about-china-why-hastie-was-right-to-sound-the-alarm-20190808-p52f8u.html
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/insane-levels-can-a-world-where-profitless-companies-are-flying-last-20190808-p52f3d.html
https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/this-is-pretty-big-qantas-auspost-seal-1-4bn-deal-to-tackle-online-shopping-20190809-p52ffw.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/10/americas/america-guns-world-analysis-intl/index.html
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/this-student-attended-a-protest-at-an-australian-uni-days-later-chinese-officials-visited-his-family-20190807-p52eqb.html
https://bigleaguepolitics.com/venezuela-invests-in-chinese-mass-surveillance-companies/
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mr+ed
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mister_Ed
In its 'United States nuclear forces, 2019' report, the non-profit indicated that the US also has approximately 2,385 warheads which are retired and slated to be dismantled before 2030. If the retired warheads are included, the total US nuclear arsenal amounts to approximately 6,185 warheads stored across 24 locations in 11 US states, as well as five European countries.
https://sputniknews.com/military/201905011074609241-us-nuclear-arsenal-size-revealed/
crimes by country
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/safety/
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/stats/Crime/Violent-crime/Murder-rate-per-million-people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Perkins_(author)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ugly_American_(pejorative)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_World
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World
http://www.johnperkins.org/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Britain%27s_Imperial_Century
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military-industrial_complex
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_war
- WikiLeaks and history tells us that most countries engage in shenanigans. Proponents of Chinese leadership are arguing that it's simply that many people just don't like the Chinese, that they somehow have a anti-Chinese bias and that's the reason for the anti-Chinese (and conversely anti-US) rhetoric? The Chinese and Russians say the world has always sort of had rules (or that the US led rules based order is a myth). It comes down to the fact that the US simply doesn't want others setting the rules?
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/defending-the-rules-based-order-cuts-both-ways-20190804-p52drd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_revolution
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/china-tells-us-diplomats-in-hong-kong-to-stop-interfering
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/former-us-pacific-fleet-commander-praises-australia-for-refreshing-debate-on-china-20190810-p52fsp.html
https://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2019/08/papua-new-guinea-backtracks-on-china-debt-refinancing.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-11/microfinance-loans-land-loss-rights-abuses-cambodia-report/11386962
https://dissidentvoice.org/2019/08/chinas-bri-could-save-destroyed-southeast-asia/
http://theconversation.com/view-from-the-hill-its-not-in-the-national-interest-for-the-backbench-to-shut-up-about-china-121732
https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/1722767/us-secretary-of-state-criticises-chinas-mekong-dams
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/clive-hamilton-slams-useful-idiots-of-chinese-influence-on-campus-20190808-p52f8c.html
- despite what is said the US and China both manipulate their currencies and engage in massive levels of financial shenanigans
Buying Russian arms?! Be ready to regret this! - Fair competition acc. to US?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek68jjESDh4
- if there is a fight of some sort for global leadership it needs to be quick so that people can get on with life. The irony is that the Cold War started with the USSR on the backfoot/rebuilding. It wasn't really a fair contest. It's the same this time. If there's a clear winner someone needs to let go and let go quickly otherwise this could go on for decades. Is it possible for a peaceful change in global leadership to occur (if needed) or will someone decide to take the world with them if they can't get what they want (China or US)?
The U.S. and China Will Both Lose the Trade War _ Debate #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CddK86g90o
Dozens of US footwear giants ask Trump to halt tariff hike on China
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-akTMYuWTU
- people worry that Chinese leadership is going to be too forceful and authoritarian? One country, two systems as in Hong Kong perceived to have significant problems? China has also had problems dealing with Tibet, Taiwan, India, Russia as well. Less direct problems with other nations (includes South China Sea issues with Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Japan, etc...). That said, the US also has problems with many countries as well. The main problem thus far is that the Chinese just seem impatient, restrictive, authoritarian, and too forceful with regards to pushing their set of rules on to the world? Restrictions may be in part due to "charity paradox" (namely, those who are wealthier can afford to give away more then those who are poorer)? Some within China have stated that the US is just better at manipulating people?
“American diplomats meet with formal government officials, we meet with opposition protesters, not just in Hong Kong or China,” she said. “This literally happens in every single country in which an American embassy is present.”
The diplomat in question was “doing her job and we commend her for her work”, Ortagus added.
As protests over a now-suspended proposal to amend Hong Kong’s extradition laws have progressed, the Chinese government has increasingly turned to accusations of interference by foreign powers, even at one point calling violent unrest in the city “the work of the US”.
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3022068/us-calls-china-thuggish-regime-singling-out-us-diplomat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territorial_disputes_in_the_South_China_Sea
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-xinjiang-emergency-exploring-the-context-evidence-and-implications-tickets-68223607647
https://www.dw.com/en/taiwan-pro-beijing-politician-you-can-change-china/a-49638777
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-17/chinese-government-praises-anti-hong-kong-demonstrations/11424480
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/lennon-wall-vandalism-spreads-to-university-of-sydney_1
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-11/analysis-hong-kong-protest-offering-a-reminder-of-chinas-past/11390326
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-taiwan-china-media-insight-idUSKCN1UZ0I4
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/shanmugam-hong-kong-protests-wishful-thinking-china-system-11800102
- some people say that working with the Russians and Chinese is easier and that they are more effective? They have less complex political systems which make life more streamlined across the board in foreign relations, defense, finance, etc... Didn't realise but many countries still have Cold War mentalities despite what they say on surface?
“Buying drones from the U.S. takes time, is expensive and there is accountability, but buying Chinese drones is now cheap, fast and no one breathes down your neck — the floodgates are open,” said Jalel Harchaoui of the Clingendael Institute in the Netherlands.
arms embargo united states
- US has tended to be more capitalist orientated then most other nations. Willing to use force to get others to see things it's way. There's been an obvious problem with this. Large companies who have too much power relative to their market (and even government) distort the world in ways which many would prefer not to see. Large scale data collection companies are making things easier for themselves and their entire ecosystem. The irony is that while they are the economic drivers for the US economy they're also ruining it (and countries where these businesses operate) at the same time? Advertising, retail, media, marketing, journalism, entertainment, finance, etc... Many fields are getting distorted/disrupted. Is the world better off under the US, China, or someone else?
Big Tech algorithms face scrutiny across the globe over privacy & fake news concerns
- it's obvious that if US leadership continues it wants to integrate the entire world on their own terms (neo-liberal, capitalist, secular (politicians may say that the US/West is Judeo-Christian. In reality, the impact of religion isn't really that significant?) democracies. However, there's a lot of pushback on this from enemies, allies, neutrals, etc... The Chinese don't really have a model of development is being exported (that the public can readily see as of yet)? As an aside, it seems that much literature in this area is often highly biased. You'll have to make your own mind after reading lots of material
https://www.rt.com/usa/466199-facebook-control-news-zuckerberg-reality/
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/frenetic-fun-and-driven-by-ai-tiktok-has-taken-off-20190806-p52e8x.html
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/chinese-families-big-book-readers-20190322-p516si.html
https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/chinese-government-censors-ruling-lines-through-australian-books-20190222-p50zpn.html
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/government-mps-sound-alarm-over-chinese-government-influence-at-australian-universities-20190817-p52i3i.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confucius_Institute
From John Locke's A Letter Concerning Toleration (1689) to Voltaire's Treatise on Tolerance (1763), two towering European philosophers have argued against religious or political bigotry and fanaticism. But today liberal "tolerance" amounts to a fanatical conviction about one's own beliefs thinly disguised under the veneer of "tolerating", meaning putting up with, other people's misguided beliefs and practices.

To be tolerant today means we are convinced by the superiority of our own beliefs but out of the generosity of our spirit and goodness of our heart and the superiority of our civilisation we put up with you, for we have no choice. Both the superiority of belief and the virtue of tolerance are thus attributed to the tolerant culture rather than denied to the barbarity thus tolerated.

Until such time that we reach a point when we do not "tolerate" each other but in fact see the truth and the beauty of the world from each other's perspective, Prince Philip, bless his splendidly racist soul, exposes the hypocrisy of liberal "tolerance". I love him for it. He screams out loud what other racists like him have learned how to conceal and camouflage in what they think and project as civilised demeanour - as they load their fighter jets with bombs to drop on brown and black people to send them "back to the Stone Age".

There is a beautiful barbarity of truth to Prince Philip's racism, exposing the ugly hypocrisy at the very foundation of "Western civilisation".
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/08/priceless-racism-duke-edinburgh-170810082226234.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-02/chinese-reporter-outburst-a-sign-of-more-to-come/10330610
https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/abr-online/archive/2018/218-april-2018-no-400/4663-david-brophy-reviews-silent-invasion-china-s-influence-in-australia-by-clive-hamilton
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-04/chinese-launguage-silent-invasion-book-launched/11174920
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-02/chinese-government-media-cite-australian-critics-denounce-book/9504146
https://www.policyforum.net/in-defence-of-silent-invasion/
- most investment is going into China and the US. They're the drivers of the world economy (but it's been China and Asian countries mostly of late). It's what you suspect for the rest. Europe, Asia, South America next with Africa last
foreign investment by country
- some say that the US gives more then it takes, while others say that it takes more then it gives. It really depends on what side of the fence you come from. The irony with the debt load issue is that much of the debt that China holds belongs to the US. If China crashes it takes the US along with it. Since both are drivers in the world economy it leads to a global economic problem
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-growth
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/gdp-growth-annual
https://tradingeconomics.com/china/gdp-growth
https://tradingeconomics.com/china/gdp-growth-annual
global economic growth trading economics
https://tradingeconomics.com/country-list/gdp-growth-rate
https://tradingeconomics.com/world/gdp-growth-annual-percent-wb-data.html
https://tradingeconomics.com/search.aspx?q=world%20gdp%20growth
https://tradingeconomics.com/world/gdp-growth-annual-percent-2010-wb-data.html
china vs united global economic growth
GDP growth (annual %)
https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ny.gdp.mktp.kd.zg
The U.S. and China Will Both Lose the Trade War _ Debate #3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CddK86g90o
debt load by country
COUNTRY COMPARISON :: PUBLIC DEBT
- ironically, there are parallels between the end of the USSR and the US Empire now? The obvious major problem is if the US Empire collapses what happens? There'll be a power vacuum and countries will have to fend for themselves (at least temporarily) until a new global order and power structure can be setup. China (maybe only if they team up with Russia and/or Europe?) can't really cover some of what the US does at the moment?
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2016/11/challenges-to-us-empire-international.html
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2016/07/are-we-now-ussr-brexit-and-more.html
The Collapse of the American Empire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPk9HSLagVg
https://www.newcoldwar.org/joining-forces-russia-and-china-are-fostering-military-cooperation/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-18/china-pla-military-still-need-the-humble-yak/11405070
It represents the creation of a new axis of power: the combined military might of China and Russia. It’s confirmation of a new cold war with the Pacific’s free democracies, the United States, Australia, Japan, South Korea and others.

It’s being branded as a “clash of civilisations”, but it’s really about power.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/intimidation-repression-and-dodgy-deals-how-putin-and-xis-bond-could-blow-up-asia/news-story/de623485585967f0b3aa266a97a7d0e7
- note, play on words throughout all the China vs US arguments. One basically creates more freedom for countries to operate within their own space while the other creates freedom but within the confines of rules that the US dictates?
https://www.smh.com.au/national/blinkered-chinese-nationalists-are-trolling-me-but-once-i-was-one-of-them-20190818-p52idd.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/world-is-watching-china-s-response-to-democracy-call-20190819-p52iiy.html
https://www.smh.com.au/national/humiliating-chinese-nationalist-trolls-target-critics-in-australia-20190819-p52in4.html
“Putin and Xi are on the same page when it comes to the fundamental concept of a desirable world order,” Dmitri Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Centre think tank, recently wrote.

It’s a vision of international division.

Not of unified international law.

It’s a vision of “several independent power centres instead of a single-nation hegemony; protection of state sovereignty from foreign political and ideological influence; and full equality among peers, including the United States”.

It rejects the concept of international human rights, of international accountability or standards.

It’s about authoritarian rule.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/intimidation-repression-and-dodgy-deals-how-putin-and-xis-bond-could-blow-up-asia/news-story/de623485585967f0b3aa266a97a7d0e7
- despite what is said by many Western analysts the Chinese have been fairly up front about their desire to maintain their existing system? If the US/West never wanted China to rise up they never should have engaged with them in any form?
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/why-our-china-policy-is-based-on-a-fundamental-error-20190818-p52i94
Chinese scholars, thinkers, and policy-makers have debated about democracy, an idea which was first imported by Western colonial powers but which some argue also has connections to classic Chinese thinking. Starting in the mid-eighteenth century, many Chinese argued about how to deal with the ever-encroaching Western culture. Though Chinese Confucians were initially opposed to Western modes of thinking, it became clear that aspects of the West were appealing. Industrialization gave the West an economic and military advantage. The devastating defeats of the First and Second Opium Wars compelled a segment of Chinese politicians and intellectuals to rethink their notion of cultural and political superiority.[1]

Democracy entered the Chinese consciousness because it was the form of government used in the West, potentially responsible for its industrial, economic and military advancements. A segment of Chinese scholars and politicians became persuaded that democratization and industrialization were imperative for a competitive China. In response, a number of scholars resisted the idea, saying democracy and Westernization had no place in traditional Chinese culture. Liang Shuming's opinion was most popular, holding that democracy and traditional Chinese society were completely incompatible, hence China’s only choice was either wholesale Westernization or complete rejection of the West.[2] The debate centered on the philosophical compatibility of traditional Chinese Confucian beliefs and the technologies of the West.[3]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_views_of_democracy
- one funny thing is that technically both the US and China are in huge levels of debt. The rest of the world is sort subsidising them? That said, if we let the debt bubble collapse everyone is in trouble? The world is too interconnected now. Steve Keen had an interesting ideas, regular Debt Jubilees and debt relief (already happens between countries). Another is to get those with surpluses (such as Germany) to buy more from those in debt
Dollar is the strongest currency... no more? US govt raises spending by $320bn to cover $22trn debt
WTO 'special treatment': Developed vs Developing
- the main reason to subsidise either the US or China (even if it can't afford to be "world leader") is because it's easier? A genuine change in world order would require others to take their place in various spaces which will take time and isn't easy. Ironically, some are saying greater points of convergence in human history has led to greater conflict
Are China and the US doomed to conflict _ Kevin Rudd
- if neither US or China can figure figure things out we're in de-facto Cold War and possibly on the way to a Hot War? If we are already on a Cold War footing it feels like a very strange/clumsy/awkward version of it? Who knows how long this could last?
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/the-signal/11397818
- Chinese market is obviously far larger then the US market by population size. All things being equal Chinese becoming consumers is better for everyone? That said, there are still heaps of people who are poor who are living in China? They can't afford to spend as much as others would like? There's also the natural resource consumption problem. If China becomes the world's largest consumer market Earth's natural resources will be exhausted faster and earlier
- US dollar ratio tells you a country's relative financial power. PPP tells you their power relative. It also tells you who takes better care of their citizens. The Chinese government doesn't seem to be doing that badly especially some of the historical troubles they've had?
ppp per capita
currencies versus us dollar list
- who wins and loses by US or China winning/losing? Existing allies will support whoever is giving them more. China has been driving global economic development more then the US of late? Can they keep it up? Will it change over the long term? Are more countries happier or grumpier with the US or China?
The Belt & Road Initiative Is a Trillion-Dollar Blunder _ Debate #2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgXmUubTIYw
Shouting match in Washington at Venezuelan embassy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEjgbbiGxlU
Turkey's defence deal with Russia and Erdogan's balancing act | Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR55ZWlH_Ks
countries under sanction
"the partnership" iraq australia book
BOOKS: THE PARTNERSHIP, by Greg Sheridan
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/australia-negotiating-with-trump-administration-to-buy-emergency-oil-supplies-20190801-p52cti.html
- there are many who will attempt to leverage better positions for themselves by playing on the China vs US debate
He has been sharply critical of Australia in the past and is unlikely to let Morrison's concerns, which centre on Beijing's activities, to dominate the Pacific Islands Forum agenda at the expense of climate change.

Oxfam Australia's climate change adviser Simon Bradshaw said the summit in Tuvalu was shaping as a key test for Canberra.

"If Australia is to remain a trusted partner to the members of the Pacific family, and with that retain the ability to help shape the region's future, it must immediately step up its response to the number one priority of its neighbours - climate change," Bradshaw said.

The Pacific Islands Forum summit will officially open on Tuesday and continue until Thursday.

In May, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had warned that the political will to fight climate change has faded, and that the Pacific Islands are on the front line of that losing battle.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/08/australian-coal-existential-threat-islands-fiji-pm-190812061625646.html
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/economic-diplomacy-china-dependency-and-notable-departure
https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/global-financial-crisis-did-system-really-work
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/their-enemies-are-not-our-enemies-pacific-nations-wont-join-stand-against-china/news-story/bfc1c7c31f4645db2f6b37f30997e216
https://www.macombdaily.com/opinion/column-china-does-not-have-the-upper-hand-in-hong/article_80ce7586-bf9b-11e9-a45c-8b9f46361a50.html
- one thing I didn't realise is that it was acknowledged in aftermath of World Wars that US was lucky to not be more directly involved. Others had to reconstruct their countries. US and allies were lucky, didn't have to do this, and were forced to take on global policeman role (and because they wanted to enforce their particular vision on to the rest of the world). If this interpretation is correct then US will be forced to do this until it is no longer able to do so? As an aside, note the physical locations of the Five Eyes/Echelon alliance. Normally, relatively geographically isolated, stable countries that are English speaking? It's a "natural alliance/network"?
us defense spending trend
https://www.sipri.org/media/press-release/2019/world-military-expenditure-grows-18-trillion-2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes
defense force comparison
- another thing I didn't realise is that the Chinese (leadership in particular) have long memories. They realise that they basically lost their position of national wealth and global leadership via war and them being colonised. This could account for some of their frustration and lack of patience in international affairs? That said, it's easy to see why others may be fretting about potential Chinese leadership. They ran massive trade surpluses with Western countries previously. It could be that Western countries are just worried that they will not be able to compete and ultimately their standard of living will drop
Are China and the US doomed to conflict _ Kevin Rudd
http://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2015/11/china-background-economic-warfare-and.html
https://au.news.yahoo.com/wwii-pacific-battlegrounds-now-us-china-tug-war-035513136--spt.html
The Opium Wars were two wars in the mid-19th century involving Great Qing and the British Government and concerned their imposition of trade of opium upon China, thus compromising China’s territorial sovereignty and economic power for almost a century. The clashes included the First Opium War (1839–1842), with the British naval forces, and the Second Opium War (1856–1860) aided by French forces. The wars and subsequent imposed treaties weakened the Qing dynasty and Chinese governments, and forced China to increase its imports from colonial and imperial powers.[1][2]

In 1820, before the first Opium War, China's economy was the largest in the world, according to British economist Angus Maddison.[3] In another investigative report published by Michael Cemblast of JP Morgan and updated by the World Economic Forum, similar conclusions were reached—i.e., China's economy was the largest in the world for many centuries until the Opium Wars.[3][4] Furthermore, China was a net exporter, and had large trade surpluses with most Western countries. Within a decade after the end, and as a result of the Second Opium War, China's share of global GDP had fallen by half, and its sovereignty over its territory was seriously compromised until the end of World War II, and the retrocession of Hong Kong and Macao at the end of the 20th century. [4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opium_Wars
- the US can't really afford to be too choosy at the moment? They need the money? Various leaks indicates that China (and other countries) saved them during the 1999 Tech Bubble Burst, the 2008 GFC, even up to fairly recently, etc... The irony is that China (and Japan as well who hold a large chunk of US debt and suffer from stagnant growth) may now be in trouble because of excessive debt (the silly thing is that much of US debt is internally held via various 'fronts'. Either way, it will face the same issue that the UK and USSR faced when their Empires ended. They can either choose to sustain their Empire while being unable to deal with internal problems or let go of their Empire and try and take better care of their own citizens and immediate needs). It may be India's, Russia's, Africa's, Asia's, Middle East's, or South America's turn to drive global growth (if debt is to be used to drive demand and consumption. This seems to be handled in part via the Belt and Road Initiative)?
Keiser Report: Desperate tweets of deglobalization (E1388)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFrtPlsNvxk
US ambulance system on the verge of collapse | Al Jazeera English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Okhpq-o0meQ
U.S. military in region is 'weakest' in history: Iran deputy Guards chief
https://ca.reuters.com/article/topNews/idCAKCN1SW070-OCATP
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/25/us/politics/tom-udall-senate-retirement.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belt_and_Road_Initiative
clinton buy debt hope leak china
https://www.itwire.com/strategy/activist-group-launches-campaign-against-apple-censorship-in-china.html
who holds us debt
https://www.thebalance.com/who-owns-the-u-s-national-debt-3306124
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_debt_of_the_United_States
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heres-who-owns-a-record-2121-trillion-of-us-debt-2018-08-21
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lost_Decade_(Japan)
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-09/now-dollar-everyones-problem
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/the-doom-loop-could-bring-on-a-global-recession-20190815-p52h9v.html
https://dtbnguyen.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-occupy-movement-veterans-for-peace.html
- if you didn't already know there are a lot of good returns in BRICS and developing countries at the moment
BRICS is the acronym coined for an association of five major emerging national economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Originally the first four were grouped as "BRIC" (or "the BRICs"), before the induction of South Africa in 2010.[5] The BRICS members are known for their significant influence on regional affairs; all are members of G20.[6] Since 2009, the BRICS nations have met annually at formal summits. China hosted the 9th BRICS summit in Xiamen on September 2017,[7] while South Africa hosted the most recent 10th BRICS summit on 08 January 2018. The term does not include countries such as South Korea, Mexico and Turkey for which other acronyms and group associations were later created.

In 2015, the five BRICS countries represent over 3.1 billion people, or about 41% of the world population; four out of five members (excluding South Africa at #24) are in the top 10 of the world by population. As of 2018, these five nations have a combined nominal GDP of US$18.6 trillion, about 23.2% of the gross world product, combinedlp GDP (PPP) of around US$40.55 trillion (32% of World's GDP PPP) and an estimated US$4.46 trillion in combined foreign reserves.[8][9] Overall the BRICS are forecasted to expand 4.6% in 2016, from an estimated growth of 3.9% in 2015. The World Bank expected BRICS growth to increase to 5.3% in 2017.[10] The BRICS have received both praise and criticism from numerous commentators.[11][12][13] Bilateral relations among BRICS nations have mainly been conducted on the basis of non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit.[14]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BRICS
bond yield by country
https://tradingeconomics.com/bonds
https://countryeconomy.com/bonds
japan bond yield trend
https://tradingeconomics.com/japan/government-bond-yield
united states bond yield trend
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-bond-yield
share market indices trends by country
https://countryeconomy.com/stock-exchange
https://tradingeconomics.com/stocks
https://markets.businessinsider.com/indices
https://www.livemint.com/market/mark-to-market/traders-flock-to-gold-as-fears-of-recession-in-the-us-loom-large-1566151993985.html
- the belief that this current model of development can continue on forever is unrealistic? Countries are having to take really bizarre measures in order to maintain the system as is such as Zero Interest Rates (ZIRP), Negative Interest Rates (NIRP), and Quantitative Easing (asset buyback by Central Banks) which are now present in Japan, much of Europe, Asia, etc... These are some of the few ways to keep asset prices moving upwards if there is little growth. It obviously comes with the flaw. Namely, the rich get richer while the poor get poorer (for the most part) even if technological advances drive the overall group forward. As the these problems accrue the US (and countries within it's network) will have to make a decision as to whether it's system is worth saving? Is it worth saving the 'Empire' or to fall back into it's more immediate needs. The obvious thing is how much trouble citizens are willing to put up with before their political leaders listen to them (for both China and the US)?
Is the world actually getting better _ UpFront
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ie7-xhxSh94
Jyske Bank said this week that customers would now be able to take out a 10-year fixed-rate mortgage with an interest rate of -0.5%, meaning customers will pay back less than the amount they borrowed, or precisely what we said would happen in our 2016 preview of the dystopian future.

What this means is that if you buy a house for $1 million and pay off your mortgage in full in 10 years, you would pay the bank back only $995,000. No mortgage payments would be due between the purchase and payoff date, so effectively a borrower only has to repay principal... with a small discount, guaranteeing that the bank loses money on the loan.
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-08-10/denmarks-3rd-largest-bank-now-paying-people-take-out-mortgage
https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/interest-rates/were-almost-out-of-ammo-reserve-bank-considering-extreme-measures-to-save-economy/news-story/cf5a1247f66ea014db045e815b67f89f
https://theprint.in/opinion/from-us-to-india-the-world-is-unravelling-do-not-delude-yourself-this-is-a-temporary-blip/275974/
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/aug/13/trump-adds-a-dismal-dimension-to-the-us-china-trade-dispute
http://www.srilankaguardian.org/2019/08/france-chaos-or-new-social-compact.html
https://247wallst.com/investing/2019/08/17/would-you-buy-us-debt-that-matures-in-100-years/
us debt to gdp trend
https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/government-debt-to-gdp
- one thing I've realised is that sometimes inhumane national policies are sometimes enforced via international bodies. National Security Study Memorandum 200 and China's one child policy are perhaps examples of this. They were designed to keep world's population down to deal with resource exhaustion issue?
- the current trade war puts things into perspective. If it looks like the US and China relationship is more of a one way then bilateral relationship we can change the world order and things should work out better?
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/11/goldman-sachs-cuts-growth-forecast-as-trade-war-triggers-recession-fears.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/09/imf-says-trade-war-threatens-chinas-growth-pushes-for-resolution.html
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-11/china-is-saving-stimulus-for-trade-war-winter-as-yuan-weakens
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/china-needs-more-adjust-foreign-093000096.html
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/invest-during-trade-war-130000385.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/russellflannery/2019/08/09/trade-war-or-not-china-keeps-minting-billionaire-clans/
- I don't think that the US has become unpredictable. It just feels like the US can't get it's way all the time anymore, that other have come to this realisation, etc... The obvious irony is that some believe China is in a position to challenge now even though it may be coming from behind and even though it mightn't be able to do everything that the US can?
https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/what-happens-when-the-world-cannot-rely-on-the-us-20190813-p52ghv
https://www.smh.com.au/national/we-can-be-wary-of-china-without-blindly-following-the-us-into-war-20190813-p52gqv.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/14/business/german-economy.html
https://www.rt.com/business/466462-us-mortgage-debt-increase/
https://www.rt.com/business/466483-us-markets-crash-recession/
https://www.smh.com.au/business/markets/forget-the-yield-curve-the-30-year-treasury-is-even-scarier-20190815-p52h9p.html
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-15/what-is-an-inverted-yield-and-should-we-worry/11415984
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-15/asx-tumbles-$60-billion-on-us-recession-china-slowdown-fears/11416348
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/techwatch/corinne-weaver/2019/08/14/veritas-google-blocked-newsbusters-other-conservative
https://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/intensifying-uschina-trade-war-piles-pressure-on-australia-to-pick-a-side/news-story/e4a9ce42f530aceedbea282137e8c588
https://www.businessinsider.com.au/us-china-trade-war-until-2021-china-plays-long-game-2019-8
https://scroll.in/latest/933818/trump-says-india-and-china-no-longer-developing-nations-cant-keep-taking-advantage-of-the-tag
https://www.sunjournal.com/2019/08/12/robert-j-samuelson-the-china-american-trade-crackup/
https://www.theage.com.au/national/the-rise-of-china-expansion-will-bring-an-inevitable-competition-20190812-h1h1tj.html
https://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/the-polling-that-convinced-scott-morrison-australia-needed-quiet-politicians/news-story/1988da71192c7b61d8063abdb8efbd34
- if either China or the US stop to exist the world will live on just in another form. In reality, this whole argument is about how global rules take shape, how international relations operate, who takes responsibility for what, etc... I'm guessing that these issues wouldn't really matter to most members of the public. The general perception seems to be that China is playing an important role in world affairs, that they are more authoritarian then the US, that most people don't like them as much, etc...
chinese leadership polls
To complement its rise as a great economic power, the Chinese government has sought in recent years to expand its global influence in other spheres. In addition to massive investment in its military and large-scale economic projects such as One Belt One Road, this approach includes a diplomatic angle that emphasizes national sovereignty and rejects foreign meddling in the name of human rights or democracy.

After years of these efforts, the image of China's leadership is on somewhat firmer footing, while global sentiment toward U.S. leadership remains near a record low. It is currently unclear if this firmer footing will continue to give China's leadership a leg up over U.S. leadership.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/247196/china-leadership-gains-global-admirers.aspx
The research showed international recognition of China’s importance on the world stage, with 70 per cent of respondents in the broader international poll saying China “plays a more important role in the world today, compared with 10 years ago”, while 31 per cent said the same for the US.

“When people say they see China playing a bigger role, we don’t know whether they think that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Stokes said. “In terms of Chinese soft power, what really hurts them is the perception that they don’t protect the civil liberties of their own people.”

On that point, the broader international poll found that 51 per cent of respondents believe “the US is more likely to respect personal freedoms”, compared with 37 per cent for China.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/2168399/united-states-or-china-world-leader-asians-overwhelmingly
For much of the past decade, the U.S. maintained a lead of more than 10 percentage points over China and Russia in the polls, competing with Germany for the spot of the most well-regarded global leader. That changed in 2017, when the U.S. saw its image abroad fall sharply in the poll.

In the most recent report, the U.S. remained neck and neck with China and Russia. China's approval rating jumped up to 34 percent, while Russia continued its steady upward trend of the past few years and reached its highest rating since 2008, hovering just below the U.S. at 30 percent.
https://www.npr.org/2019/02/28/699165764/u-s-leadership-falls-further-behind-china-in-global-regard-gallup-poll-finds
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/hastie-dismissal-betrays-governments-lack-of-plan-on-china/11400710
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/hastie-wins-support-for-his-china-warning-from-former-diplomat-sharma-20190810-p52fup.html
https://www.smh.com.au/world/asia/china-s-takeover-of-sihanoukville-is-almost-complete-despite-base-row-20190805-p52e44.html
- the obvious irony is that we're probably better off with multiple engines (such as the US and China) to drive the world economy, aide development, help in peacekeeping operations, etc... It doesn't have to be a zero-sum game as many people seem to be thinking?
- the public can't really make up their minds about this because national security laws no longer make any sense. The public probably doesn't know what "national security" means because people keep on changing it's definition

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- “The value of the system is in the database,” Pavel said, “and the database will be collected on the territory of a NATO ally, with all allied assets present in Turkey” being mapped and logged into Russian systems, he said. Getting the S-400 ready for battle isn’t like handing a soldier a Kalashnikov, which can be used by any untrained soldier. Rather, Russian personnel will be on the ground to instruct the Turkish military how to operate the complicated radars and fire control systems, handing Moscow critical intelligence on what NATO assets are in the country, where they are, and what kind of capabilities they may have."
...
Just as it would be “hard to imagine that NATO experts would be sitting in Russia for several months and feeding the database,” Pavel said, “it is hard to imagine that Russian experts will be sitting in a NATO ally and feeding a Russian system with NATO data.
https://breakingdefense.com/2018/03/top-nato-general-a-czech-to-europe-grow-up/
Strobino took a bullet in the leg that snapped his femur, was shot twice in the lung and another bullet pierced his neck.

"Yeah, it's wild," Strobino told WSMV. "It's nothing short of a miracle that I'm alive let alone standing on my own legs moving my own body.

"My mind hasn't caught up. I still can't grasp it. It still feels surreal. It still feels like a dream, like this is not real, and it's wild.”

Strobino also minored in biology and said he is thinking about pursuing his master’s degree at MTSU, the television station reported. He said he wants to land a job at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs so he can help other veterans reach their post-military goals.

"The sky isn't even the limit. You can push past that, like there is no limit," Strobino told WSMV. 
- JODHPUR, RAJASTHAN: A Sukhoi fighter jet suffered major damage after being hit by a bird in Rajasthan's Jopdhpur last week, underlining the threat to the crucial Western Air Command base.
The incident was recounted on Monday by Jodhpur airbase Air Officer-in-Command Phillip Thomas to the district administration, which is responsible for the upkeep of the open part of a drain outside the military aerodrome.

The drain has become a breeding ground for birds and dogs. "The birds have emerged as a major threat to our jets' safety. In past five years alone, we have had 53 such cases. Of this, nine cases were reported this year itself," Office Thomas

"The Sukhoi aircraft was hit by a bird during its routine sortie. The pilot made an emergency landing with the help of the second engine but the aircraft sustained major damage as the bird was sucked in one of its engines," he added.

The aircraft will now remain grounded for over six months and incur a huge repair cost, he added.

AoC Thomas said stray dogs enter the airbase through the open drain, posing a major safety hazard to jets, he said.

Divisional Commissioner B L Kothari, who chaired the meeting, assured Air Force authorities of taking prompt steps to rectify the situation. "We have visited the spot mentioned by the Air Force and will see how the problem can be addressed," he said.
- The defence chiefs told the House of Commons defence committee on June 07, 2016 that the Type 45 destroyers’ Rolls-Royce WR-21 gas turbines would have to be replaced with diesel generators because of their inability to operate in extreme temperatures.

But the situation is even grimmer for the Royal Navy as the Type 45 destroyers are fully dependent on an integrated electric propulsion system. A naval officer told the Guardian in June 2016 the warships are vulnerable to “total electric failures”, which would leave them without propulsion or weapons systems in an emergency.

The dramatic reduction in the size of the navy in the past 30 years has in part been explained by a focus on capability as opposed to capacity. To that end, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) commissioned the construction of two aircraft carriers, the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the HMS Prince of Wales.

The MoD’s medium-term plan is to have at least one aircraft carrier operational at all times. But this plan was ridiculed in early July when the 70,000 tonne HMS Queen Elizabeth was forced to return from sea trials after a leak caused “neck-high” flooding in the affected compartments.

The flooding has cast serious doubts on the MoD’s plan to fully launch the £3.1bn carrier in 2020. It was expected that once operational in 2020, the aircraft carrier would accommodate 1,600 crew and up to 40 aircraft, including the F35 stealth fighter.

Despite its shrunken size, and questionable capabilities, British defence chiefs still expect their Royal Navy to perform miracles. Admiral Sir Philip Jones, the erstwhile head of the Royal Navy, claimed late last year that the navy would send warships through the South China Sea.

In an interview with the Financial Times on October 22, 2018, Jones said that Britain had an “obligation” to “showcase” physical support for its allies in the Asia Pacific region.

Britain is now attempting a similar over-reach in the Persian Gulf, with potentially disastrous consequences for the embattled Royal Navy.
- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A U.S. military fighter jet crashed on Wednesday in California at a national park near a Navy air station, leaving the fate of the pilot unknown and injuring seven park visitors, according to military officials and media reports.

The F/A-18E Super Hornet went down at about 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT), Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock, public affairs officer for the Joint Strike Fighter Wing, said in a written statement.

Search and rescue crews have scoured the crash site, east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, Bock said.

The jet went down in Death Valley National Park and seven park visitors suffered minor injuries from the crash, National Public Radio reported, citing a park official.

Authorities closed a parking lot near the site, according to the website for Death Valley National Park, which is on the border between California and Nevada.

The crash occurred near an area that is often called “Star Wars Canyon,” because fighter pilots are known to maneuver their planes through the canyon like the fictional X-Wing Starfighters in the “Star Wars” movie franchise, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The cause of the crash was under investigation, Bock said.
- The US F-22 Raptor fighter jets, participating in a military operation in Syria, have started to lose coating, hiding them from radars, the Aviation Week news portal reported.

The radar-absorbing coating on bodies of the aircraft warped and started to peel off. According to the US Air Force, climatic conditions in the area of usage of the warplanes are one of the reasons of this trouble.

According to head of the F-22 program of Lockheed Martin, John Cottam, the coating wrinkles and peels off due to the fact that it loses its hardness and turns into its original liquid state. He also noted that this process is accelerated by external factors, including rain and sand dust.

Earlier, US pilots complained about destruction of radar-absorbing coating during contact with fuel and lubricating oil. In 2009, a former engineer of the Lockheed Martin, Olsen Derrol, accused the company of application several excessive layers of the radar-absorbing coating in order to hide the fact that the ‘invisible’ coating easily erased from a body of fighter jets under influence of water, oil and fuel.

Developers of the F-22 Raptor claim that they have created a new, more stable formulation and are going to use it on all the 186 produced fighter jets during maintenance operations. According to preliminary estimates, this process will take at least three years.
- Much of what makes up and lies beneath the F-22 Raptor's silver skin remains a tightly guarded secret. The aircraft's outer mold-line is a mosaic of radar-absorbent coatings and radar transparent and radar defeating composite structures that combine to allow the Raptor to remain aerodynamically efficient while also largely invisible to fire control radars. All this takes a lot of work to maintain and many of these applications start degrading shortly after they are applied, with friction from high-speed flight, crushing G forces, and the elements accelerating that process. As such, one of the costliest aspects of operating F-22s—and flying this aircraft is extremely expensive with an average flight hour cost of about $60k—is keeping its stealthy skin up to par. This also is a major contributor to its fairly abysmal mission capable rate of around 50 percent.
- Even the companies that develop facial recognition technology believe it needs to be more tightly controlled. Brian Brackeen, CEO of Kairos, told the Guardian he was “not comfortable” with the lack of regulation. Kairos helps movie studios and ad agencies study the emotional response to their content and provides facial recognition in theme parks to allow people to find and buy photos of themselves.

Brackeen said that the algorithms used in the commercial space are “five years ahead” of what the FBI is doing, and are much more accurate.

“There has got to be privacy protections for the individual,” he said.

There should be strict rules about how private companies can work with the government, said Brackeen, particularly when companies like Kairos are gathering rich datasets of faces. Kairos refuses to work with the government over concerns about how his technology could be used for biometric surveillance.

“Right now the only thing preventing Kairos from working with the government is me,” he said.
- Absolutely truth is used as propaganda. An example is the limited hangout, a CIA term. Truth is told up to a certain point, up to the glass cieling installed in the truth teller’s or propagandist’s consciousness. The media reports on some subjects but will not report on others.
This can be detected by noticing missing subject areas.
- "We overextended the B-1s in [U.S. Central Command]," he told reporters in Washington, DC last April, noting that’s why he recalled the aircraft to the US to receive upgrades and maintenance to prepare for what he described as the next high-end fight.

"Normally, you would commit -- [with] any bomber or any modern combat aircraft -- about 40 percent of the airplanes in your possession as a force, [not including those] in depot," he also explained. "We were probably approaching the 65 to 70 percent commit rate [for] well over a decade. So the wear and tear on the crews, the maintainers, and certainly the airplane, that was my cause for asking for us to get out of the CENTCOM fight."
- "People want corruption-free government, but Karnataka government wants development-free corruption," Modi told BJP's booth-level workers of the state during an interaction with them through video conferencing as part of the party's 'Mera Booth Sabse Mazboot' programme.
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