A) I’m not as concerned about Macron’s puerile rhetoric, which merely aggravates Washington and his fellow Europeans, as I am about his inviting von der Leyen on his Chinese trade junket, apparently only to debase her on the global stage. It’s juvenile and narcissistic, and suggests that is fetish for powerful men is part of a larger personality problem.
B) Jack Teixeira isn’t a charismatic man; he’s just the chief stupid boy of some online Lord of the Flies-aping tribe of incel stupid boys.
C) If NPR doesn’t want to be labeled as government funded, it should stop taking government funding. NPR always wants its public largesse cake and to eat it, too.
Macron is exhibiting a true political death wish. I suspect it's a reaction to being rejected and loathed by the French public: It's causing him to say, "Screw them all. To hell with everyone." It's not rational, but sometimes politicians are irrational. Macron was for so many years the Golden Boy and prodigy who could do no wrong: It's a very hard comedown to feel a despised failure.
It's all about Macron and restoring de Gaulle's concept of grandeur. DeGaulle professed the policy of a "third way," and Macron is echoing this. Always, always a third way. Incidentally his translated speech is just an incidental product of the reason he was there. France signed about 5-6 contracts with Chinese state businesses. France had an entourage of 50 CEO's. Yes, he professes Europeanism but with France first. Shortly after being elected for the first time he ordered a French investment bank to buy up shares of AIr France-KLM to the extent that French ownership exceeds the Dutch 3 to 1. Make France great again!!!
When Bill de Blasio was elected mayor of NYC, I got the impression he thought "beloved" was going to precede the title in his obituary. Within a week, it seemed like most of the people who voted for him were ready for his term to end. But that's what you get when you try and take voters' ponies.
I think current French policy re: China and Russia and Brexit are in fact closely related. Brexit and the estrangement of Britain from the European Union since the later Thatcher years have basically handed leadership of Europe to France on a silver platter and been completely disastrous for trans-atlanticism of the kind I think Claire and many other Cosmopolitan Globalists consider themselves supporters of. Now I don't think we have yet to truly taken into account the history of implications of this in part due to what I call lulls in the UK's relationship with the EU. Yes you can draw a straight line from Maastricht and Black Wednesday to Brexit but there were other period under say Tony Blair when could say Britain did play a leadership role. All of Eastern Europe and about half of the Western European countries supported the Iraq War for example but in retrospect the Blair years simply look like a head fake of Britain long road out of Europe.
Second the similarity between Macron domestic and foreign policy stances is that Macron is basically a monopolist. He doesn't want to be your best friend he wants to be your only friend. Hence Macron is quite happy to see the British removed as a competing power in the EU and Europe. Macron along these lines probably wouldn't mind a Trumpist type figure back in the White House. Macron would like nothing more than forcing the Baltics and Poland to eat his shit and btw, when you look actions not words that Baltics and the Poles when push comes to have ate Macron's shit at the EU Council since Brexit. Poland is not nearly in the position geopolitically or economically like Britain was to veto even EU initiatives that require unanimity among member states initiatives that are strongly part of Macron "third pole" agenda of equidistance between the US and China. Hence a lot of public criticism of Macron doesn't actually come govt officials in the CEE countries but from think tankers and newspaper columnists. Actual govt officials in the CEE know where the boss resides post Brexit and he resides at the Elysee Palace.
He sure made Ursula von der Leyen sup from the foecal buffet in China. It’s almost pathological how Macron holds anyone who isn’t an authoritarian dictator in such disdain. The leopard’s starting to show his man-boy spots, IMHO.
I'll sheepishly draw back my comment, as on further review it does seem like it's only a slight bump in the needle. There are perhaps slightly elevated levels of tension from the Saudis, Iranians, Israelis, etc (I'm concerned for the well-being of Rabbi David Stav). I wasn't at all prepared for the information about Nicaraguan persecution and absurdities out of Colombia. General Henry Sanabria sounds like the villain in a movie about the Satanic Panic of the 80s, but so depressingly modern with his stance on homosexuality.
There are a few stretches I might add, like North Korea could arguably be considered a cargo cult. But, I'll blame my initial impression from reading about Sanabria. He wanted exorcisms to be performed as law enforcement operations. I'm so glad they had the sense to fire him.
A) I’m not as concerned about Macron’s puerile rhetoric, which merely aggravates Washington and his fellow Europeans, as I am about his inviting von der Leyen on his Chinese trade junket, apparently only to debase her on the global stage. It’s juvenile and narcissistic, and suggests that is fetish for powerful men is part of a larger personality problem.
B) Jack Teixeira isn’t a charismatic man; he’s just the chief stupid boy of some online Lord of the Flies-aping tribe of incel stupid boys.
C) If NPR doesn’t want to be labeled as government funded, it should stop taking government funding. NPR always wants its public largesse cake and to eat it, too.
“France is an ally, not a vassal” - reasonable.
“France has no lessons to learn from anyone” ...really?
Macron is exhibiting a true political death wish. I suspect it's a reaction to being rejected and loathed by the French public: It's causing him to say, "Screw them all. To hell with everyone." It's not rational, but sometimes politicians are irrational. Macron was for so many years the Golden Boy and prodigy who could do no wrong: It's a very hard comedown to feel a despised failure.
It's all about Macron and restoring de Gaulle's concept of grandeur. DeGaulle professed the policy of a "third way," and Macron is echoing this. Always, always a third way. Incidentally his translated speech is just an incidental product of the reason he was there. France signed about 5-6 contracts with Chinese state businesses. France had an entourage of 50 CEO's. Yes, he professes Europeanism but with France first. Shortly after being elected for the first time he ordered a French investment bank to buy up shares of AIr France-KLM to the extent that French ownership exceeds the Dutch 3 to 1. Make France great again!!!
When Bill de Blasio was elected mayor of NYC, I got the impression he thought "beloved" was going to precede the title in his obituary. Within a week, it seemed like most of the people who voted for him were ready for his term to end. But that's what you get when you try and take voters' ponies.
Do we know how the French public are reacting to his comments, and to our (US) reaction?
I think current French policy re: China and Russia and Brexit are in fact closely related. Brexit and the estrangement of Britain from the European Union since the later Thatcher years have basically handed leadership of Europe to France on a silver platter and been completely disastrous for trans-atlanticism of the kind I think Claire and many other Cosmopolitan Globalists consider themselves supporters of. Now I don't think we have yet to truly taken into account the history of implications of this in part due to what I call lulls in the UK's relationship with the EU. Yes you can draw a straight line from Maastricht and Black Wednesday to Brexit but there were other period under say Tony Blair when could say Britain did play a leadership role. All of Eastern Europe and about half of the Western European countries supported the Iraq War for example but in retrospect the Blair years simply look like a head fake of Britain long road out of Europe.
Second the similarity between Macron domestic and foreign policy stances is that Macron is basically a monopolist. He doesn't want to be your best friend he wants to be your only friend. Hence Macron is quite happy to see the British removed as a competing power in the EU and Europe. Macron along these lines probably wouldn't mind a Trumpist type figure back in the White House. Macron would like nothing more than forcing the Baltics and Poland to eat his shit and btw, when you look actions not words that Baltics and the Poles when push comes to have ate Macron's shit at the EU Council since Brexit. Poland is not nearly in the position geopolitically or economically like Britain was to veto even EU initiatives that require unanimity among member states initiatives that are strongly part of Macron "third pole" agenda of equidistance between the US and China. Hence a lot of public criticism of Macron doesn't actually come govt officials in the CEE countries but from think tankers and newspaper columnists. Actual govt officials in the CEE know where the boss resides post Brexit and he resides at the Elysee Palace.
He sure made Ursula von der Leyen sup from the foecal buffet in China. It’s almost pathological how Macron holds anyone who isn’t an authoritarian dictator in such disdain. The leopard’s starting to show his man-boy spots, IMHO.
Is it me, or was a higher proportion of mayhem this edition drawn along religious lines?
I don't think so, no--why, what are you noticing?
I'll sheepishly draw back my comment, as on further review it does seem like it's only a slight bump in the needle. There are perhaps slightly elevated levels of tension from the Saudis, Iranians, Israelis, etc (I'm concerned for the well-being of Rabbi David Stav). I wasn't at all prepared for the information about Nicaraguan persecution and absurdities out of Colombia. General Henry Sanabria sounds like the villain in a movie about the Satanic Panic of the 80s, but so depressingly modern with his stance on homosexuality.
There are a few stretches I might add, like North Korea could arguably be considered a cargo cult. But, I'll blame my initial impression from reading about Sanabria. He wanted exorcisms to be performed as law enforcement operations. I'm so glad they had the sense to fire him.
Unrelated: I think your big kitty is an ocelot.
Never underestimate the capacity of the Sandinista regime for violence and persecution of clergy.
The clashes mentioned in Darfur and Nigeria may have a religious aspect.