Recent posts

#1

Off the Record / Re: It Was Nice Knowing You Al...

Last post by Tonitrus - Today at 12:29:33 PM

I wonder what it is like in a Five Eyes meeting these days

It's actually Six Eyes, someone else is now also watching. 

Not directly...only through the Palantír.

#2

Off the Record / Re: World Economic Forum 2026

Last post by Tonitrus - Today at 12:28:12 PM

Carney's speech was unfortunately, but necessarily grim, but impressive.

Macron will hard to top for style points.

#3

Off the Record / Re: It Was Nice Knowing You Al...

Last post by mongers - Today at 12:15:25 PM

I wonder what it is like in a Five Eyes meeting these days

It's actually Six Eyes, someone else is now also watching. 

#4

Off the Record / Re: World Economic Forum 2026

Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 12:05:57 PM

Coalition mechanics...

#5

Off the Record / World Economic Forum 2026

Last post by Josephus - Today at 12:01:54 PM

Canada's PM Mark Carney delivered a strong speech today, arguing that middle powers, such as Canada, need to band together and form a coordinated bloc capable of resisting coercion from great powers and shaping a more stable international order.

#6

Off the Record / Re: US - Greenland Crisis Thre...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 11:14:17 AM

I think that is a misreading of the European position and views on this

It's a misreading of Bessent to think he cares about the European position and views. He has a constituency of one.

With Bessent, Vance, Rubio, we are dealing with people in a powerful co-dependent relationship with a highly disturbed, abusive and dangerous person.  Their overwhelming motivation is to placate Trump.  And as Tamas astutely observed, it is common for people in that position to feel genuine anger and irritation at outsiders, who though objectively are acting rationally, are perceived as being "difficult" because they aren't cooperating with the essential agenda of pleasing the abuser.

The other powerful dynamic at work is that all three are maneuvering for the rapidly approaching (?) post-Trump GOP landscape. As dominant as Trump is now, a third term is probably beyond his reach.  Bessent, Vance, Rubio are all extremely ambitious people with little to no fixed principles, and Vance and Rubio happen to be the two leading candidates for the GOP nomination in 2028.  But  their prospects depend on keeping their current position and good graces with Trump.  If the cost of securing that means blowing up NATO for no reason, they will gladly set the charges.

#7

Off the Record / Re: Go Persians, go!

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 10:55:20 AM

Do we have any indication of whether the regime is under any real threat from the protests?

Signs point to "no"

#8

Off the Record / Re: It Was Nice Knowing You Al...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 10:52:38 AM

I wonder what it is like in a Five Eyes meeting these days

#9

Off the Record / Re: What does a TRUMP presiden...

Last post by crazy canuck - Today at 10:44:14 AM

Obviously, there are going to be some fine examples of courage - there always is. But not nearly enough widespread, not nearly enough ordinary, for the situation and the world we live in.

The problem is not a lack of bravery of career civil servants.  The problem is those people have been replaced by sycophantic followers of Trump.

You do a great disservice by attributing a lack of bravery to a group of people who were clearly brave and as a result lost their jobs:

#10

Off the Record / Re: It Was Nice Knowing You Al...

Last post by HVC - Today at 10:42:19 AM

Would the US bother hitting Australia? If not we've got our white bastion