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[oikophobia]

#1

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

Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 10:31:46 AM

European leaders are weak willed, like most of their populations. Combined with an atmosphere of oikophobia and subsequent lack of belief in the superiority of our cultures and societies...
Why would they bother defending? They've been beaten already.

Is that what is causing the housing crisis?  People are scared of houses?

Afraid/ashamed of the self, the indigenous, the own culture and civilisational achievements.
which you very well know.

#2

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 10:29:50 AM

I also think there are good signs from Germany but we're not there yet.

according to the Germany watching in the flemish version of 'the financial times' we should start to see results next year in germany. But he also admits he's an optimist.
So there we are.

#3

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Crazy_Ivan80 - Today at 10:27:36 AM

I'm curious though how modern China would deal with such losses.

might not register, it's not even a 1000th of their population

#4

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Sheilbh - Today at 10:14:09 AM

I get your point sheilbh and it's not a major difference but I feel the need to push back hard on the reflexive assumption that dominates administration thinking in the US that Russia is a great power akin to the Czars in 1815 or the USSR c. 1960.  They just aren't.  They are more on the level of Spain with a rusty nuclear arsenal and bunch a demoralized conscripts operating fleets of drones cobbled together from Chinese parts.

I think that's fair and we are possibly boh responding to our own political contexts. You have Trump and are pushing back against that.

In Europe, I saw Kaja Kallas yesterday:

Kaja Kallas
@kajakallas
We need to build up European military capabilities swiftly.

Strengthening European defence and supporting Ukraine are not separate tracks.
They are mutually reinforcing priorities.

Today's call with defence colleagues from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and the UK underscored our shared determination to move forward on both.

Calls are good. But I think we are significantly beyond the point where they are sufficient for the security risks we face in this continent, if we need the capacity to face them ourselves. See also European defence manufacturers complaining that they've had lots of warm words but very few orders. This is a holding pattern we have been in for a few years now and I think there is complacency exactly on the "gas station with nukes" line which I don't think we can afford.

I'll probably stop banging on about it when I see shovels in the ground for new factories and munitions rolling out.

It is why I would caveat that none of my criticism of Europe in general applies to, for example, Poland who are absolutely doing all of this. I also think there are good signs from Germany but we're not there yet.

#5

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by Josquius - Today at 09:44:08 AM

I do agree with the point that Russia is a superpower when it comes to crime and internet shitbaggery.
It helps them greatly that what they want, destabilising things and providing aid to populists, is very much the easier task then stabilising and moderating.
They're also quite the power when it comes to national insanity. As Minsky says the numbers they're taken are far above what anyone in the west would ever consider tolerating- I'm curious though how modern China would deal with such losses.

#6

Gaming HQ / Re: The Miscellaneous PC & vid...

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:31:01 AM

Larian dropped like 3 DLCs worth of content on BG3 and charged nothing for it.  They also made a Linux native build specifically to optimize performance on steam deck. Whatever weird ass wicker man thing they are making, I'm buying.

#7

Off the Record / Re: The EU thread

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:26:53 AM

Edit: Very long winded but basically if power isn't just a spreadsheet of economy and population etc but an ability to leverage the capacities you have, isn't the pain threshold a really key part of that? If it's high you can do more with less, if it's low you need to build up more.

I don't rate that "leverage" component so highly. 

Russia had a formidable army on paper in 2022, but that entire force is basically gone now.  Most of the equipment wrecked, much of the manpower either dead, wounded, or degraded; the strategy failed, the tactics and organization scrapped and reworked, the leadership that survived mostly canned or turned over.  That's not unusual for a long duration war like this one; it devolves to a test of endurance.

Russia's willingness to tolerate losses led them into a war that another European nation could never have done, but it isn't helping them get out of it. They've managed to seize some strategic depth around the Crimea and little else.  Lording it over the smoldering ruins of Bakhmut etc. isn't going to reverse Russia's strategic and civilizational decline.  Their regime structure gives them the power to choose, but the choices left are acknowledging that their goals far exceed their reach, or continuing to reinforce strategic failure.  That kind of autonomy is not so attractive.

I get your point sheilbh and it's not a major difference but I feel the need to push back hard on the reflexive assumption that dominates administration thinking in the US that Russia is a great power akin to the Czars in 1815 or the USSR c. 1960.  They just aren't.  They are more on the level of Spain with a rusty nuclear arsenal and bunch a demoralized conscripts operating fleets of drones cobbled together from Chinese parts.

[oikophobia]

#8

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

Last post by Razgovory - Today at 09:05:34 AM

European leaders are weak willed, like most of their populations. Combined with an atmosphere of oikophobia and subsequent lack of belief in the superiority of our cultures and societies...
Why would they bother defending? They've been beaten already.

Is that what is causing the housing crisis?  People are scared of houses?

#9

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

Last post by The Minsky Moment - Today at 09:03:30 AM

Even if a Democrat does return Trump has clearly demonstrated a large minority of Americans are their bitter enemies and will return their foes to power over and over again.

I don't think that's true of a large minority; the vast majority of Americans couldn't care much about Europe either way.

What has happened is that the fringe identitarian blood-and-soil neo-fascists managed to secure a foothold in key positions in Trump administration and this is their play to link up with their ideological allies across the Atlantic.

The other piece is that the Russians have been trying to insinuate their dupes and proxies into Trump's counsels since 2016 (recall the bizarre Carter Page affair).  They mostly failed then but have wildly succeeded now, with Useful Idiot #1 heading the national security team and the VP fully on side.

#10

Off the Record / Re: [Canada] Canadian Politics...

Last post by Josephus - Today at 08:17:57 AM

If I were Conservative I would feel betrayed.

I do wonder what the impetus for crossing was.

Just a guess, it looks like PP is going to remain as leader, and that is not a happy thought for some in the Conservative caucus.

Maybe but on the other hand, if one more guy crosses, I'm sure PP is gone.