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Another informative podcast. Interesting discussion about whether Russians are European. Thomas Sowell in his book Conquests and Cultures, suggests that Western Europe advanced due to the river systems and access to the sea that provided easy trade routes, and the civilizing influence of the Roman occupation. Eastern Europe, mostly the Slavs, missed out and remained centuries behind. In some cases there was no written language until the 15th century. They were finally dragged into modern agriculture, industry, science and education by expatriate residents, Germans, Jews, Indians and latterly English and others, who came to do business and settled. Naturally they became prosperous and powerful and at various times were expelled by the resentful indigenes, who in spite of that, gradually industrialized. And as your podcast says, once they acquired "critical mass" Russian literature became world class. Sowell's point is that the key is human capital, not race or colour.

I like the story of the Russian businessman who said as long as the price of sausage and beer does not go up, he will tolerate Putin. How many Chinese think the same, or are they less cynical? Do they accept their illiberal government, thought police, and social credit as the price for prosperity and access to cars and Gucci goods?

Is it true that Obama removed missiles from the Ukraine to placate Russia, and promised to protect the Ukraine, but then reneged?

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Claire, the punchline is obvious: The bartender looks up and says, "What's this? Some kind of joke?"

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I love the anecdote of the Soviet major (?) hugging Kundera and telling him “we invaded you because we love you”. That’s Super Powers for you - always so misunderstood.

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I will have more to say about this later but listening to this podcast today I was thinking of a quote from Elliot Cohen's recent Atlantic piece that came out yesterday which is that in several important aspects of foreign and national-security policy that Biden's Administration is the same as Trump's but with more civilized manners. While this quote was made in reference to Afghanistan I wonder if the Cosmopolitan Globalists might like to comment as to whether this same quote might apply towards Russia and Ukraine.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/04/exit-strategy/618590/

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Maybe a second question that is way out of left field. What do the Cosmopolitan Globalists think about the CPTPP and it's global impact? The reason I bring this is up at the moment the CPTPP is a club a lot of countries(other than the US) seem to be seriously looking at joining and unlike the EU and NATO the existing countries in it seem to be looking for new members although I doubt te CPTPP are particularly interested in Ukrainian membership at the moment.

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I guess there are two things I find interesting about the CPTPP in recent months. One is that a CPTPP that includes the UK but NOT the US effectively has the potential to be a "Fourth" economic bloc albeit quite a motley one(although it is not as if the EU, US, and China at the moment have their act together in a strong way) in addition to the US, EU, and China so in some sense I am not sure if I was the US, EU, and China I would not be "thrilled" with the CPTPP breaking into their "club." Second I am a bit surprised that the US has not either joined the CPTPP itself nor has it tried to call upon its special relationship with the UK to try to ward off London from having anything to do with a "fourth" economic bloc.

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