Miscellaneous News

FairAndUnbiased said:

The problem is that multiple 3rd party surveys including Russian, Chinese, western, and semi-western (ie Japanese) surveys report the same thing within margin of error.

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At least for Russia, western survey results are in general agreement with domestic and Chinese survey results.

If they're lying specifically about Iran because it is more difficult to corroborate results even from Iranian organizations themselves, that is possible. But Iran has open elections too, with known results, and since 2013 they've been relatively consistent in voting for the pro west candidate. They've also been making baffling choices that don't make sense unless you conclude they're secretly pro west.

So I don't see a fundamental proof of a lie here. The number is at least plausible.

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Ahmadinejad and Raisi were also Elected by Iranians too. If Iran was that pro-west then no amount of force could stop an anti-regime rebellion by now.

Surveys are never a true representative of any kind of public opinion, especially when conducted by foreigners. The ones they will talk to will always be elites/urban residents/ english speaking or even diaspora.

There is a huge amount of western worship among Chinese diaspora and also Chinese speaking reddit channels. Does that show that Chinese too are secretly pro-west? China also has the track record tiananmen protests, which spread the whole country. Will you call that a sign of pro-western population as well?

Economic hardship due to sanctions have huge impacts on Iranian people. But they haven't started a full scale rebellion yet.

Russians
https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/1lamkaa

iBBz said:

-Trump strikes at Russia's nuclear triad, obliterating Tu-95s. Russia does absolutely nothing to demonstrate to the US that it's red lines are real.

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I think this take is at best an exaggeration. The Ukrainian attack was very innovative and did do significant damage but its effects on Russian nuclear capability was limited at best. Independent accounts (not the Ukrainian propaganda) show that something like 10-20 bombers were destroyed and a similar number damaged and some of the damaged/destroyed bombers were not operational with no engines, etc. being used for spare parts. Further the best Russian bomber, Tu-160, was not attacked at all.

Regardless, Russia relies overwhelmingly on its land and sub based ballistic missiles for nuclear deterrent because it knows full well that non stealth bombers aren't exactly highly survivable in an all out war with NATO. So it's not like Russia was really relying on these bombers for nuclear deterrence in the first place. So this really doesn't move the needle with respect to the nuclear weapons picture.

Ukraine did in the past attack Russia's nuclear deterrent much more directly, with the attack on Russia's early warning radar in 2024. Reportedly this attack caused concern in USA because it may lead the Russians to think a nuclear first strike was coming (one of the radars attacked was useless for the Ukraine War so why attack it?) and respond appropriately. This was extremely foolish and Ukraine, probably under American pressure, has not done anything similar since.

Racek49 said:

Yes, the US wasted a trillion dollars, that's true. And the result? China and Russia are surrounded by enemy states or US vassals. Moreover, there will be a lot of submarines in the nearby seas. In the event of a war, the US will attack from foreign territories close to the borders of Russia and China. The US itself will be ten thousand kilometers away. And they can prepare for a counterattack with long-range means in time and minimize the damage.
Yes, economically the US is declining due to too much emphasis on services in the economy. But it remained a military superpower and dominance in the financial sphere and the dollar and its printing or its digitization ... that's for further analysis ..
Oh yes, I'm depressed about that attack. I've experienced the rise and fall of efforts to build a better world and new hope in China and Putin, who brought Russia to the better side. Well, it's going to be difficult now, friends.

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Surrounded by vassals that won't do anything when push comes to shove, I'm willing to bet that no Asian country will assist the US against China in any meaningful way, outside of the Philippines other Asian countries seem to want to cool the temperature every time there's a flair up. The truth of the matter is that when it comes to modern warfare there comes a tipping point where one technologically advanced nation can't use technology to gain supreme advantage over another slightly inferior technologically advanced nation, the US can have all the bases it wants and can reach China faster than China can reach the US but any major battle will see the US power diminish even if it ended up prevailing. Like I said earlier, the only way I see China losing to the Americans (and the west in general) is if it foolishly tries to directly confront the US like the Soviets did.

Come to think of it, who exactly have the US fought that makes it this almighty power? The only fights they love to fight are against enemies that are so weak and technologically inferior that it isn't a contest. They also seem to have a habit of letting others soften up the enemy and then swooping in to claim glory after all the hurly burly is done and everyone has exhausted themselves. The Americans are very well armed, yes, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are the strongest military.

iewgnem said:

Preparing to take on the entire western world together does not mean starting the conflict, but if you're not prepared and able they will start one against you as a whole, which China already experienced 150 years ago. Too many simple minded liberals fails to understand the only thing western mind understand is force.

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The only thing any nation state -level polity understands is force. And its the only thing they should understand. Trying to humanise bureaucratic institutions with constituents numbering in the millions to billions is a fool's errand. They only obey physics, of which the closest political study is Marxism. To do any less is immoral - How can you face your constituents if you do not solve their material problems with material solutions?

I see too much talk of the West being some unique barbarian here. Every non-Chinese polity speaks and heeds only the same language, so they must be corralled with the same. And the same is true for China, if there is ever again any reason for it to use force against itself (say... reunification). The same applies to China from the perspective of any other polity.

The Qin unified 天下 with force. If the world is to move into the next era, there must be another Qin. The reconciliation of the growing pains can happen later, as analgesia under one polity. Either that, or accept that China can only exist beside opportunistic neighbours as long as it remains healthy, which its historical cycles suggest it will not.

supercat said:

Today's gaslighting and BS from The Economist:

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Much better to invest in something tangible like OnlyFans/PronHub and Cryptocurrencies, both of which are banned in the PR of C, which goes to show that they frighten the SeeSeePee and are worthy of investment.

FairAndUnbiased said:

Remember how Russias entire economy is being kept afloat by Chinese components? After the war, Russia will have its own industrial ecosystem with Russian design, Chinese and domestic parts. Which is a vast improvement for Russia over western design, western parts.

Iran hates China more than some NATO countries. That irrational hatred prevents them from asking for Chinese help. You cannot help someone who does not ask for help, it never turns out well.

In China, a girl jumped off a bridge into the water. The police tried to rescue her but she dragged the police officer down with her in the struggle.

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Russia is the Super Power because it has the backing of that Arab Aviation that shop around the world and Arab Wealth that make currency work like reserve currency under sanctions. It does not take much to come to this conclusion just by observing Putin. this Putin taking to Orthodox children commissioner (traditional clothing). you have to think what is not in conversation.
Putin is tearing apart Russian history from Poets to Warriors all the way to 1100 year celebration of a religion and unlimited number of mosques. some will be so expensive to build that shock visitors.

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Putin orders Security Council to monitor all work on protecting traditional values​

"Concluding today's meeting of the Security Council, the country's president said again and again: I ask you - every point must be under control and every point has its own very important meaning and weight," Shoigu said.

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The Most Honorable Prisoner: Why Alexander II Received Imam Shamil in Russia as a Friend​

June 28, 2022
The national hero of Chechnya and Dagestan, Imam Shamil, surrendered to Russian troops in August 1859. Having lived as a prisoner for 10 years in Kaluga, the leader of the highlanders received such honors from the emperor that even the highest ranks of the Russian army were not awarded. Why did the tsar value his "forced" guest so much?

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Interesting -

StraightEdge said:

Interesting -

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1933606377244471679

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Could be a dual citizen.

Randomuser said:

In other words might makes right once again. At the end of the day despite all this talk of democracy, human rights, freedom, justice blah blah blah it all comes down to force. Imagine wasting all your time being an expert on this theory only to realize some kid with a gun now has authority over you.

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Always has ,always will be ,i.e Greek scientist Archimedes was killed by lowly Roman legionnaire soldier during sack/attack on his native city of Syracuse,higher civilization weakened "older brother"China attacked brutally by Japan at opportuniity,-lesson :don't ever be hard-power weak,whatever soft-power/arts/ etc you might have.