Comments by "richie" (@richiesd1) on "GZERO Media" channel.

  1. Sounds like wishful thinking rather than an accurate analysis of the war. Time will tell. Remember Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan when the reports kept on saying victory is right around the corner.
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  2. Wishful thinking. People should listen to John Mearsheimer. Time will tell.
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  3. Well, we, as a country, enabled the deplorables. We deserve the outcomes
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  4. Ian’s voice is at a higher pitch. He’s worried but he won’t say.
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  5. In the West, not in the world
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  6. The new HK security law is actually the same as US law. Would the US accept foreign judges or foreign intervention? Btw, I’m American and I’m trying to be objective.
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  7. OMG. Really? American diplomats were telling Europe to wait. But they did not listen. Angela Merkel wanted a deal and rushed it, if anyone did. China did not. Watch DW’s reports on the deal.
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  8. I am really sorry for the USA that you are actually drawing this equivalence. A large proportion of the population is uneducated, uninformed.
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  9. It’s our job to educate the population. If we don’t do it, we will just suffer the consequences.
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  10. On thé Minsk Agreement, the ambassador was factually inaccurate. Ukraine and the West never wanted to implement the agreement. It was a delaying tactic and Russia was hoodwinked.
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  11. Why should the EU side with the US to support American hegemony? We should work to improve the well being of our citizens not protect hegemony. So what if China continues to grow at a faster rate than the USA or Europe? We can all get richer together; but China may get a bigger share of the pie. It’s up to us to be more productive and efficient than China.
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  12. Typical austerity measures don’t fix anything. Only the poor suffer.
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  13. That part about Hong Kong was not fair. The HK security law prevents foreign interference, something that Americans don’t want either. Why do Americans think they can fund HK protests?
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  14. The trainer was incompetent.
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  15. Seems like always the same refrain “China has so many problems, authoritarian regimes cannot succeed, china will underperform, government planning does not work.….” If that’s the case then go to sleep and don’t worry about china. I am American and I listened to too much western thinking and I lost out. Some of my friends were working in shanghai in 2000. They bought property and they are now rich. I was thinking back then that prices were too high to be supported by local salaries. Ha! I was so wrong.
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  16. Exactly. The West should have made a deal with Russia to begin with and avoid the war altogether
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  17. I don’t understand Ian’s argument. Companies will take all the available facts into account and make the most rational decisions. That’s how economics work.
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  18. Sean R , give me a break. If we don’t trust China, why didn’t we prepare? No matter the failures in China, It’s our job to prepare.
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  19. Fentanyl? Nancy Reagan said “just say no to drugs”. Easy peasy.
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  20. We, in the west, believe that our political and economic system as almost the “laws of nature” and would always create the superior results. Well, the results speak for themselves.
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  21. Stephen Peel, I'm glad you say a hard border is not needed. Tell that to the brexiters. Without a border people and goods can come and go unchecked.
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  22. It is futile. They are so illogical and ignorant.
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  23.  @ladagol  , I agree with you. I am American and I don’t trust America anymore simply because we the people elected Trump.
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  24. I was always told democracy is more efficient and allocates resources better. What changed?
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  25. The West broke Lebanon. The West should fix Lebanon. Honestly, the contract should be given to a Chinese company to rebuild the port. I don’t think the French or Americans can do it.
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  26. Sounds a bitter comment from an American or European. Why are you worried about what they think? Let them work with China and Russia all they want.
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  27. I thought the United States might be happy about it. Didn’t Trump order some Chinese companies delisted? If Chinese tech is less innovative then it’s less pressure on the United States
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  28. Is Russia the culprit for rampant inflation that is hurting purchasing power in the global south? Preventing Russia from selling energy into the world market has cut supplies and caused inflation. Russia is more than happy to sell its energy.
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  29. Whatever Ian said is not American policy is because Americans can’t do it.
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  30. Better than low class uneducated parents raising their kids on their own.
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  31. I hate to say it, Ian, you made excuses for Trump at the beginning of his presidency. Now, serves us right for the disaster of a presidency we have. As a whole, we Americans, deserve Trump.
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  32. The developing world is more untrusting of the USA and former Colonial powers than China.
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  33. Let Trump win again. America would get what we truly deserve.
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  34. Don B, I have been following Ian Bremmer years. I like his commentary and I’m glad he has his own media outlet now. However, maybe because he consults CEOs, whatever the issue, Ian always takes the slightly more “conservative”issue of the day. For example, Ian said Peter Navarro is a serious guy. Really? Navarro has been a failure and Navarro’s writing is full of stories he totally made up. Navarro admitted it. On trade with China, how is the first phase where the Chinese state commits to buying American products advancing trade liberalization? On the one hand we want China to free up its markets; but on the other hand, we want China to force feed American agriculture to its citizens. About GAFA, it’s about internet sovereignty because tech companies can operate unfettered extraterritorially. America having initial internet competitive advantage can dominate the world. Europe wishes it had built a great firewall but it’s too late for that. Now Europe wants do tax American tech giants. If you recall, back in the early 2000s, Bill Gates, Larry Ellison and all the tech luminaries were sure that the great Chinese firewall would crumble because Chinese consumers would find ways bypass it to access superior “free” American internet services. I don’t recall if Ian was so sure as well. The Great Chinese firewall was a resounding success and China created its own Internet giants which are now often more innovative than us. My point is that we need to learn from China and do better than China. We need to stop being so sure that China will fail. And we need to stop being so aggrieved when they succeed. John Mearsheimer says that we put all our energies on the forever wars of the Middle East (which Ian Bremmer supported) and weren’t paying attention as China rose. If we think that China is a worthy competitor, we need to outdo China in technology and development for the world — prove that our system generates more wealth and innovation. If we truly believe that China is not a worthy competitor, then we don’t need to worry about China.
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  35.  @kshen7485  , i agree democracy is only a veneer. All countries have hegemonic ambitions and that’s normal. A country’s power has to do with the dynamism and vitality of its internal population. Right now the US is losing and China is winning in terms of vitality. Chinese people feel positive about the future whereas Americans feel increasingly negative.
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  36. Ian Bremmer now sounds like John Meirsheimer. Ukraine should have negotiated before the start of the war, or at the Istanbul talks. It was a mistake for Ukraine to listen to the west.
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  37. As Americans, we sure deserve Trump.
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  38.  @liiv3354  , According to Kishore Mabubhani, US diplomats go around Europe telling Europeans not to cooperate with China in Africa. Europe should invest alongside China in Africa. Europe should not be drawn into a US led containment of China.
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  39. Green paradigm? China is now leading in green tech We Americans believe that green is a cost, not an opportunity.
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  40. OMG, I see a lot of government planning and intervention. Where does that leave the ideology of “government is not the solution, government is the problem”?
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  41. @Romeo Matei , haha I agree. But that has become almost theocracy in USA. Many people, believe it’s a law of economics or nature.
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  42. True. Up to congress to legislate. Can’t leave it up to the courts.
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  43.  @mandarinandthetenrings2201  , ok. Whatever you say. What if there is a frozen conflict like in Korea; and Russia keeps Crimea and Donbas which they already annexed through Russia’s parliament? Who won in your estimation? There a good chance Russia will also capture Odesa. Trying to be a realist here — wishful thinking is not facts.
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  44. Why should China not have the same ambitions as the USA? The Republicans say government planning is bad. So let China fail by picking winners and losers. Of course, as an American, I’m being facetious.
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  45. State subsidies, planning, etc .... ie “picking winners and losers”, that’s what the Soviet Union did and failed at. What’s different with China?
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  46. I believe it’s “heart rending” and “gut wrenching.” Sorry for the nit pick
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  47. Update for Ian: For decades, Washington had the largest diplomatic network in the world. Now China does, boasting 276 diplomatic posts—including embassies, consulates, and permanent missions to international organizations. The United States’ network, meanwhile, stands at 273, down one post since 2017. https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2019-11-27/new-geography-global-diplomacy Of course, it’s more nuanced than the number of embassies, but our diplomatic supremacy is far from assured. https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/475690-does-china-have-the-most-diplomatic-pull-on-the-planet
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  48. Wolfgang sounds very much like an American. Very much an Atlanticist. Europe should chart its own course and not wait for the USA. The national interests of Europe are different from those of the USA.
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  49. Is the US not provoking China by flying to close to their coastline? What if the tables were turned.
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  50. I too have read the basic law and the new security law. They are available in English on HK’s government website. The basic law required HK to pass a national security laws which HK had not done. The national security law disallows foreign judges from sitting on national security cases, and prevents foreign NGOs from interfering in politics. It’s actually no different from the USA where foreigners, even permanent residents, are not allowed to contribute to political campaigns. We don’t even have foreign judges sitting in our courts. People should read the joint declaration and read the basic law before they talk.
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  51. Abu al-Sous, well said!
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  52. @Be Low Below , sure, rich Americans are happy with the tax cuts. They are doing better under Trump, but that’s at the cost of America and the West doing worse and being poorer in the long run since Trump has undermined the liberal international order. Trump has also undermined established norms and the rule of law in the United States. We, as country, voted for Trump so we deserve what we got.
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  53. “Whatever it is, it’s still raging.” Maybe she’s imagining in her head, but it don’t think it was on a loop on the computer. She’s just saying that for effect.
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  54. Exactly. Americans always can criticize whatever China does.
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  55. metro lights, we sure deserve our president.
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  56. Doug Quan, no. The deplorables voted for Trump in 3 states, PA, MI, and WI. Hillary won by 3 million votes. The deplorables are responsible for Trump. But, we, as a country deserve Trump because we kept on apologizing for Trump, including Ian Bremmer.
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  57. Jim Gaston, actually China’s GDP is substantially greater in purchasing power. For example, when a Chinese infrastructure firm bids on a project on Africa, they can outbid any western construction company in cost and quality. Are American engineers willing to live in the jungle for a couple years to build a project? Americans have to stay at the Hilton and hang out the country club in the capital while Chinese engineers live in camps with local labor and work their asses off 7/7. Honestly, as a can-do American, I admire hard work. And that’s not cheating.
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  58. Jim Gaston, ok. You’re free to believe what you want. I’m American and I travel extensively. I’m not for China. I try to be objective and if we want to improve, we need to reform. Blaming China will do nothing. China has never demanded immediate repayment of debts; but the USA has, causing currency crisis all over the world. The IMF then comes in to bail out US banks while the debtor countries are stuck with austerity. China has reworked and extended loan balances and did debt to equity conversions (port in Sri Lanka). China’s audience is not the west, but developing countries; and those countries remember debt traps very well. I don’t see American civil engineers leaving their families behind to work in infrastructure, in the jungle, like laying fiber optics in Africa. If we don’t like the deals China offers, what’s stopping us from offering better deals? Mike Pence said at APEC that the USA will offer better deals. The world is still waiting. Example: if China offers a 3% loan, we can offer 1%. Remember, put up or shut up is an American core value. You fail to understand purchasing power parity. It has nothing to do with the exchange rate of a currently why you travel. The CIA publishes a GDP PPP list.
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  59.  @ScottLongwellR , Ha! With enough will and money, one can do anything. Other than the UK, the other countries were not interested in following the US lead. They had to be coerced. I was in Korea at the time and they had large demonstrations against following the US. In a postcolonial world wars do not work. At the time the US was the unipole and wanted to go kick ass. As an American, I was against the war, but I was called the traitor. I don’t feel sorry for us Americans because we asked for it. The Muslim world hates us for good reasons. We would have been better off engaging them with a large Marshall plan for development. We, Americans, failed, we must bear the consequences.
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  60. China is not a military challenge to Europe. Their interests are elsewhere, in Africa.
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  61. shazmosushi, what are you talking about? When does the USA listen to world organizations? The USA has the CIA that reported on the virus outbreak.
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  62.  @anwiycti1585  , light for whom? In 1991 US became the unipole thanks to the fall of the Soviet Union. 2000 before 911 was probably peak American power. Now we have a multi polar world with the comeback of Russia and China about to pass the United States in GDP. In total purchasing power China has already surpassed the United States years ago
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  63.  @lupen_rein  , as John Mearsheimer would say: "you won". Your "conventional wisdom" foreign policy is being implemented. We will see if your solution will win the war. Just remember what the "conventional wisdom" said about Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, even Iran, Syria, Cuba, etc.. Please, please take responsibility if and when your policy fails. Don't blame it on whatever... such as changes in public sentiments, incompetence, etc...
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  64. Walter Burton, excellent point. Op ed means opposite the editor.
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  65. I was under the impression that government planning is bound to failure, or at least less efficient. If that ideology is true, then we don’t need to worry about China.
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  66. Very funny.
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  67. Wen Ling, this is what John Mearsheimer said. Everything country has the same ambition to become a regional hegemon. But the US believes that it has found “the end of history” which is clearly not the case. Humans will always develop new forms of government.
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  68. Taiwan never declared independence. They are the “Republic of China”.
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  69. a kev, well, ROC means republic of China and ROC pretends to represent all of China. Essentially, the Taiwanese argument is the same as the Mainland argument — they both claim to represent all of China and that the other is the rogue province. I am not taking side, just pointing out the truth. Taiwan probably could have declared independence before, when China was weak; but that’s too late now. For context, Catalonia in Spain declared independence, a step much further than Taiwan has ever taken. But Catalonia was not allowed to have independence.
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  70.  @michaelhurlburt7906  Do you remember John Ikenberry’s book _After Victory_. It came out after the fall of the Soviet union. Today the Chinese are actually practicing the same policies that the French did. Dirigisme, it was called. Maybe ideology does not matter but the competency of the leaders do matter a lot more.
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  71. Jimmy Bobby, recognize Taiwan? I don’t know how the US can so that when the US itself recognized the PRC. The US was mad at Panama for dumping Taiwan, but they did so anyway.
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  72.  @jameslowell9656  , exactly. Also, if a supreme court decision becomes precedent, congress can pass legislation to affirm it so that it cannot be reversed. That also obviates call for the supreme court to reverse itself in the future.
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  73.  @GR-cf4qh  , there are certain human rights that are universal. That's why they should be Federal protections. Doesn't the USA interfere around the world to advance human rights, based on our own definitions?
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  74.  @lawrenceralph7481  sounds like blah, blah, blah to me . Congress can just pass a law like any other laws. .
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  75. India will become its own pole in a multipolar world. That’s the way it should be.
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  76. We will see. I predict Russia will win the war. It will not be a decisive victory but more like a frozen conflict. Russia is not going to give back the territory that it conquered already — that’s pretty certain. And the west will not be able to make Russia give the land back. We need to be realistic here. Wishful thinking will not solve problems.
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  77. No need to argue… time will tell. For you guys who are so sure that the west will win, then don’t worry about it. You should stay confident and welcome dissenting analyses. The news are so biased in the West because the narrative is needed for continued public support of the war. If Russia wins, Western news media will be discredited for decades into the future. Anyway, I am confident enough that Russia will win (Donbas and Crimea will never be returned to Ukraine) that I am willing to wait for history to provide the facts.
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  78. I think Ian supported the war to begin with.
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  79. And we thought that the internet was going to take down all the autocrats.
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  80.  @pattypatriot1418  , ok. So why worry that the Chinese are cracking down on their own tech companies? Should we not be happy that that is making China less efficient?
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  81. Haha…. Just like there were “positive” news out of Vietnam until the fall of Saigon that “caught everyone by surprise”
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  82. Why? Because they disagree with you?
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  83. Highly secretive. Ha! Like the Americans don’t know.
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  84. Right. If the future of China is skewing on the downside, then why all the worry in the West? Realistically, the west can grow and China can grow even more and that would be a win-win. However, the west sees that as a lose proposition because that would mean proportionately less power for the west, namely America. Western motives are not about what’s best for humanity, but the motives are about preserving Western hegemony. If America can kick down China even to the detriment of humanity, Americans will do that.
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  85. Wasn’t that debt trap to German banks, imf and EU?
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  86. I love geopolitical channels. But by nature, they are not objective. Ian Bremmer as the Russian "expert" should have predicted this situation. In finance, accurate predictions and timing are key. In geopolitics, predictions are easier if one is objective. I predicted iraq myself. And with regard to Ukraine, how is Putin going to lose? By losing he will win anyway because Ukraine will be wrecked and never part of NATO.
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  87. I think it’s because the West spins false narratives, and now people around the world are better educated and understand the truth. For example, the narrative that Russia is using energy as a weapon. Not true: Russia is happy to sell energy. But the West imposed sanctions to block Russia from selling energy which is causing inflation for everybody; and hurting poorest countries most. Why not be honest and say that we need to suck it up in order to support Ukraine? Plus, we need to give poor countries large amounts of money to help them with inflation.
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  88. mantis shrimp, yeah, but do spying and subversion build goodwill? There’s another article on US missteps https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/foreign-policy-challenges-persist-for-a-distracted-us-in-the-midst-of-pandemic/2020/04/10/2f72cf0a-7b45-11ea-a130-df573469f094_story.html
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  89. justin Wang, that’s a good one. I am American, but I can laugh too.
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  90. It ain't going to happen. history shows that the United States was the great pacifier. Rivalries will break out among all the European countries.... The small countries will not want to submit to France, UK and Germany. And the 3 big countries of Europe will become rivals again Poland is becoming a 4th center of power. And they will extract their historical grievances on the great powers. Remember that the world wars and most modern wars all started in Europe or by Europe.
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  91. As an American, I will say that, true or not, any public personality who doesn’t say we are #1 does not survive long. It’s a big problem and it’s difficult to reform because if we’re #1 already, then why change. We will go down crying #1
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  92. Go back and listen to Ian Bremmer in 2016. He did not anticipate the damage that Trump would so to America. He, and and those like him who thought that Trump would be presidential, and that American institutions would withstand Trump, caused the situation we have right now. As a country, we deserved Trump and we are now the weaker for it.
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  93. You would think that a confident America would not worry about China. Let them make the mistakes of Communism and fail on their own.
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  94. Coltsfan, I am American and I try my best to be objective. The US is failing in many ways and we deserve what we get because we refuse to implement best practices. Problem with American culture is that we are like teenagers, always self congratulating ourselves, so any kind of criticism is unamerican. If you’re a media personality, you have to be somewhat of a cheerleader.
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  95. BamBamBatMan, so childish. I said we deserve what we get, good or bad. If we think our ideology is superior, then it we have nothing to worry about. We Americans tend to think of our system as operating under the laws of economics, whereas others do not. if that’s the case, then we have nothing to worry about. Are you sure we have the final answer on economic efficiency?
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  96. BamBamBatMan, I believe there are no laws of economics. Economics is just a social construct that humans create. It’s all about good management. Americans, however, tend to believe in ideology such as the American economic system is the final answer and reflects the fundamental laws of economics. If we have the best system, then we will enjoy the best outcomes. No need to worry about the competition. If you worry, then you’re not confident.
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  97. yuan hao chue, the US is definitely overusing swift. In the short term, it’s a win for USA; but the world now knows that the US is not a neutral party that can be trusted. Alternatives will be developed. Yes, the world is moving from uni-polar to multi-polar.
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  98.  @johnnewsom2059  , unfortunately, we are no longer a country of rational thinkers and doers. Americans now believe all sorts of crazy things.
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  99. Lean Fang, what about the Covid stay at home orders in USA? They are just health edicts. Not laws. Not that I disagree with the health directives, but objectively, they are not laws, just administrative orders. I can show you a poster at the park across my home. It’s full of shit in legal terms (maybe good health precautions, but illegal). Remember, we Americans like to say that you only succeed when there is rule of law. If, as you claim, there is no rule of law in China, then why is China succeeding, getting richer and richer, and now a peer competitor to the USA? Hugh White said that such claims about China have been repeated since at least 1989, yet China is not failing, it’s succeeding.
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  100. Lean Fang, China is succeeding in so far as the economy is now a peer competitor to the USA. As far as geopolitics, all countries naturally want to dominate if they can, regardless of ideology. All else being equal, even if the KMT were running China today, the US would still feel threatened. If the US has a Monroe doctrine for the Western Hemisphere, it’s only natural for China to want something similar in Asia. Likewise, Russia wants to be the top dog in Europe, as it tried for centuries. War is not acceptable and impossible to win in a post colonial world. The fighting will be in economics and development. And that will benefit the world. So I think of belt and road, as a gift from China to win over friends. The USA is free to up the game. The resulting competition will be good for the world. The problem is that America is politically divided, stuck in forever wars in the Muslim world, and the American public is becoming intellectual stagnant while the developing world embraces education. 60% of American tech workers are born overseas, so clearly American K-12 education is failing. Americans are now panicked because we are waking to the fact that the rest is the world is innovative. One more thing: the west has been claiming for the last 40 years that China will fail because of the lack of rule is law. If you believe that, then go to sleep because China will fail. If you believe that China is a peer competitor, then offer the world, especially Asia and Africa, better options. We Americans like to say “put up or shut up”. We should look in the mirror.
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  101. Lean Fang, what you say about privacy in China is irrelevant to foreign policy and geopolitics. No country would allow foreign companies to operate extraterritorially like internet companies do. The USA would build a great firewall if Chinese tech becomes dominant. In fact, CFIUS forced Chinese companies to divest from American tech. Kai Fu Lee ran google China. He is now based in Beijing and a big investor in Chinese AI.
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  102. Gary Setiadi, yes. Countries have no choice but to allow American tech to operate because they don’t have the technical expertise to build a firewall. Europe is now attempting to tax American internet giants and they have setup a giant fund for their own startups. No different than China 2025, but the implementation will not be very good.
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  103. Al Wa 王八 王八蛋 Winnie D pooh, so Google’s technology was not good enough to defend against a band of incompetents?
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  104. So true, Christian.
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  105. We deserve what we got. We were supremely confident we were right. We still are in so many ways. I’m not sorry for us.
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  106. I also respect Ian Bremmer. But, in 2016, Ian pretty much said Trump would be a fine president. He did not foresee the destructiveness of a Trump Presidency. Well, it’s because of that type thinking that we have what we have today. We deserve Trump and the crisis that we are living today.
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  107. Love it.
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  108. How is Putin going to lose? By losing he will win anyway because Ukraine will be wrecked and never part of NATO. Or lets Russia is defeated and Ukraine because part of NATO. Ukraine will be a big political and financial burden. And how is an arms race and a new cold war with Russia in the strategic interest of the west?
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  109. Seems like excuses, excuses by westerners. And I am American.
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  110.  @05KAR  , true. Western liberal hegemony has been nothing but failures since the start of the unipolar moment. But Western leaders don't understand how the world really works.
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  111. Seems to me like the Russians won the latest diplomatic battle
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  112. If China is too confident, then don’t worry, they will fail
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  113. John Newsom, Europe is about to tax American internet companies that operate extraterritorially. Europe wished they had built a firewall and created their own giants. What if the Chinese have superior internet services in the future? The US government would certainly build a firewall to keep American consumers from accessing those services.
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  114. How is Ukraine a win for Biden?
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  115. Doug Quan, Hillary was overall more popular. She won the popular vote. There was a concentration of about 80,000 low-education, white voters in 3 rust belt states who elected Trump. Nothing to do with Obama. Trump voters are responsible for Trump. Nothing to do with Obama. How about some personal responsibility? Trump voters can’t say “Obama made me do it”. They themselves did it. You know that Peter Navarro is responsible for Covid logistics. Ian Bremmer praised Navarro as well qualified when Navarro joined the White House. Well, ok, we deserve what we have have because we (our system) chose Trump and his minions. The US response to Covid is the worse in the developed world. It shows our incompetence, since we are the richest country with the most capabilities.
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  116. The US has foreign agents laws, right? In America, you cannot even make a political contribution if you’re not a citizen.
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  117. Nah, the USA never fails. We have the best political structure that always produce the best leaders and superior results.
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  118. Jim Gaston, the 1990s, Latin American countries borrowed in USD from US banks.. When they could not pay back, they experienced a currency crisis. The IMF gave them loans to pay back their creditors (US banks). If the US banks has to write off the loans, they would have been bankrupt, taking with them pensions of Americans. PPP simply means the Chinese can buy more or achieve more with the same amount of money, in their own country. If you think the US is more competitive, then why are we not outbidding the Chinese in infrastructure projects in Africa?
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  119. Jim Gaston, Mao’s China had not yet joined international institutions.
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  120. Jim Gaston, debt-to-equity conversion is not repo. For example, if you’re the lender on a project to build a subway system for a city and the city cannot pay back the debt, you can take equity in the project and operate it to recoup your investment over the years (likely much longer than you would be otherwise be paid back on a straight loan. Debt to equality may mean that your ROI is negative). The metro still services the population and the economy. If the US is so concerned about “debt trap”, nobody is stopping the US from lending the money to needy country. The US could also buy out China’s interests in a multitude of projects.
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  121. Jim Gaston, the IMF bailout loans went straight to pay back western banks that were made whole. Just the truth. Same thing happened more recently in the case of Greece. For the same amount of US equivalent money, China can pay for many more engineers and equipment on a project in Africa. A US engineer costs at least $100k, plus business class airfares, luxury hotels, fringe benefits for family members, etc..... But if you think American construction companies are competitive, then why are they not bidding for work. Oh, Clark and Subic, former American bases, are being redeveloped by, you guessed it, China! They are linking the 2 sites with high speed rail. As an American , I feel quite sad that China is beating us in places like the Philippines and Panama, of all places.
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  122. XQ Liu, yes. That lockdown in of itself should have been telling enough.
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  123. ni hil, that’s not their responsibility. But you have responsibilities with your own citizens to keep disease out of your own country
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  124. Omg, no mention that America gave the weapons to saddam to go to war with Iran.
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  125. Doug Quan, all that you write does not relate to Covid. The US had the logistics to stop Covid but acted too late. It’s not China’s job to tell us what to do. In fact the CIA issued warnings to Trump. Perhaps the CIA knew more about the initial Covid outbreak than the Chinese government. For decades, we have always said that we don’t believe the data coming out of China. So why rely on Chinese data now?
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  126. Doug Quan, my mistake. The topics is “Trump blames China”. The US doesn’t listen to anymore, so blaming the WHO doesn’t work either. Those are all deflections for the consumption of Trump’s electoral base. It’s not just the initial slow response, it’s the ongoing response that’s a failure. The USA will be the worst affected in the developed world and our health care system will fail many who don’t have health coverage and this people will infect others.
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  127. See…. gun control don’t work.
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  128.  @减压  , what you said is quite true. If there are such things as western values, there are also Asian values. Countries in Asia can all coexist and prosper together.
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  129. DataBlock, you are correct. There were actually US intelligence reports in December. So the US had plenty of information.
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  130. shazmosushi, you do realize that WHO is an institution that the US created after WWII. The US never listens to anyone ever, and always acts in the way it wants. So blaming WHO is just scapegoating. The US has very large and expensive intelligence agencies that monitor the world. Maybe the CIA knew even before the Chinese government itself.
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  131.  @meshzzizk  , no guerilla. Ukraine has a flat geography
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  132.  @fh5926  , really? Not our deal. When did the US defer to other countries? We decide what to do, when to do it; and we don't ask anybody's opinion. I think we would be much better off if we stayed out of fighting wars, by proxy or otherwise.
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  133. Stephen Peel, I think you’re mistaken. I’m American and I don’t even follow your politics closely, but I’m more informed. The brexiters want a hard border so they can control the flow of people and so they can enforce “sovereignty” over British territory.
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  134. Diarmuid Kelleher, yes, the world is changing. Unfortunately, many want to go back to the past.
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  135. Sorry, we made out bed. We need to lie in it. If our system were so good, this would not have happened. In hindsight, I’m sure China is glad they built the great firewall.
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  136. Love Trudeau
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  137. Alan Friesen, negotiate new rules will be hard when we’re not at the table.
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  138. Ha! Americans invented the concept of “guilty by association” for Muslims, by they won’t apply it to themselves.
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  139. Is that not a failure of the west to create peace in the Middle East? Anyone see a debt trap there?
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  140. Nicholas Perkins, why are you so concerned about a non-worthy competitor? If government planning is so bad, let China plan it’s own demise.
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  141. Nicholas Perkins, makes no sense. Are you worried that If China “sinks” as you put it, we will no longer have products to buy?
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  142. bakermiaz, when does America ever listen to anyone? Why didn’t America act on its own intelligence reports. Btw, I’m American.
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  143. bakermiaz, if America went by its own CIA intelligence, the WHO data is irrelevant.
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  144. bakermiaz, as an American, my point is that it’s up to us to do our own job. We had our own CiA intelligence reports. Nobody is to blame but us for failing to act. Geez, where’s the personal responsibility? Macau, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Korean, and China (after an initial slow response) all acted swiftly and achieved better results. Even Vietnam.
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  145. bakermiaz, and why didn’t the USA act and warn the world on an existential threat like it did on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction? We are not known to listen to International institutions even though we created them after WWII
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  146. Same lopsided logic as: the West sanctions Russia and tries to block Russian energy, but it’s Russia that’s using energy as a weapon. Btw, Russia is perfectly happy to sell energy.
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  147. a kev, the only reason I brought up Catalonia is because you said the world abandoned Taiwan. If self-determination is a universal value, then it needs to be supported everywhere by the world community, especially where it is most “fresh”. I think the reason Taiwan never declared independence is because there was hope to “take back” China. There was also hedging by the USA, in that, if needed, the USA could abandon Beijing and go back to recognizing the KMT with the support of the UN, since at one time most countries recognized Taiwan as the rightful government of all Of China. But since that time, Beijing has worked hard to get recognition from almost all countries in the world, including Panama, a former US colony, against American protest. I think the independence window for Taiwan has closed. The hope to “take back” China, perhaps over-reliance on US promises, and strategic miscalculation has closed the possibility of independence. Since you brought up “relevance”, the fact that Taiwan is a democracy is not relevant to the issue of independence.
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  148. mantis shrimp, as an American i feel sad. Anything critical is now seen as anti-patriotic in USA. Americans are no longer science based and objective. We can no longer debate ideas. If I didn’t say that I am American, I’d be automatically accused of being a Chinese troll. I don’t even support China, but I can see what China is doing well, for it’s own national interest.
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  149. Brian Case, exactly. We has the same info as Taiwan. In fact the CIA had better info.
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  150. Is NATO to defend against Russia? If so, the argument that NATO is a benign organization does not work.
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  151. david lynch, maybe. But the law has not been implemented yet so we don’t know. You’re just ascribing now.
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  152. On the Covid vaccine, we should look at cost per person vaccinated. I am pretty sure the USA will the highest.
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  153. 5G.
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  154. How is it that social conservatives suffer more drug addiction and family dysfunction? How can we not condemn racism and a culture of low education and ignorance? Honestly, we deserve Trump. He’s a reflection of the population. 40% deplorables. We failed to educate our population so we deserve the consequences
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  155.  @HondoTrailside  , the people in Hollywood come from small towns trying to make it big. Don’t blame China. Just “say no” to drugs, remember that’s a conservative value. What’s the point of conservative values if the upbringing and results are not superior? I was addressing Ian’s point that drugs ans dysfunction are causing people to be angry and voting for Trump. My point is that well-bred kids don’t turn out to be bad adults.
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  156. Actually, with hindsight, we could say bin laden won. We were at the peak of our power just before 9/11.
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  157.  @pattypatriot1418  so I don’t understand why Ian is fretting about it.
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  158. I agree. But he is right biased. He did not foresee the damage that Trump would create. He was so sure American institutions could withstand Trumpism. Well, as a country, we deserve what we got because we let it happen.
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  159. Why do we need to do anything about China? They have a flawed social model and they will automatically fail on their own, so we say. Remember, our model is inherently superior and will naturally produce superior results.
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  160.  @2KSnSLifestyle  , I thought the American model was universal, like a law of nature.
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  161. Exactly. The deplorables simply came out for Trump and revealed themselves. They see themselves as victims of the world Really? The USA imposed themselves on the world, nobody took advantage of America. Yes, Americans do want to be the policeman of the world, but they have no wherewithal. It’s not as easy as kicking ass and winning quickly.
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  162. Marcus Dali, Ian is smart. But I don’t think he tells us all he knows. He’s not an independent observer. He frequently has an American bias and he feels the need to repeat that “America is the best, blah, blah...”, maybe for the benefit of the American audience. Ok, if you’re so sure, then the results should speak for themselves. The proof is in the pudding as we, Americans, would say.
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  163. BamBamBatMan, I am an American and I believe in American values such as personal responsibility. It’s up to us to create our own destiny regardless of what others do. It’s up to us to defeat Covid. If we were as great as we claim, the results should speak for themselves.
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  164. BamBamBatMan, my point is America has become a country of deplorable crybabies, who complain non-stop but do nothing. If we, the USA, are as great as we claim, then we would lead by example and the world would want to imitate our excellent results.
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  165. BamBamBatMan, Move on. Stop blaming China for everything. Do better; provide the world a better deal than what China offers. I am doing by encouraging Americans to stop acting like victims. Winners aren’t victims.
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  166. Agent00F, deplorables always unmask themselves. All we can do is laugh.
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  167. The US dollar as a reserve currency can be a liability. Because of that, the US will run perpetual trade deficits. Simple math is that for there to be dollars out in the world, the US has to spend dollars out in the world. As the world owns more and more dollars, they own more of America.
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  168.  @drmodestoesq  , seems like lose-lose. Should we not allocate our resources to improving the welfare of our citizens rather than a lose-lose geopolitical contest with Russia?
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  169.  @drmodestoesq  , that will never happen. All countries have ambitions. Large countries have hegemonic ambitions. John Mearsheimer explains well. I recommend you read about the security dilemma in international relations.
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  170.  @cmiksee1932  John Mearsheimer predicted the situation in Ukraine. His theory of state behavior actually works.
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  171. OMG. People around the world want more globalization. It's the western voters who are becoming populist nationalist. The financial Times has been so wrong about the world, especially China.
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  172. Haha. Just look back at Ian Bremmer’s evaluation of Trump back in 2016.
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  173. So many “Russia” experts….But the west so misread Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.
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  174. Go ahead and admit Ukraine. Feel free to pay.
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  175. Andres Mata, FYI, third world is a political term that became archaic after the fall of the Soviet Union. Best to not use it.
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  176. Are Americans going to buy Italian luxury goods if the Chinese don’t?
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  177. Domestic terrorism?
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  178. And what is the source of the polarization?
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  179.  @kshen7485  , I am American, and you should see the “gangsta” culture of drugs, guns, and ignorance. At least in China and Asia in general, people respect academics and they aspire to be educated, even if they are farmers or blue collar workers. They encourage their kids to learn.
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  180.  @poulha  , it's relative. How far near its territory would a great power countenance a military force? Cuba defied the USA and has paid the price since. Did Cuba do anything to Americans?
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  181.  @poulha  the point is that Great Powers cannot countenance perceived threats near their borders. They will do everything they can to drive the other powers away. That is essentially the Monroe doctrine. I actually think that China is doing everything it can to cause the US to overextend itself thousands of miles away. Power projection across the globe is a costly endeavor that will inevitably lead to decline. John Mearsheimer says that the world is too big to be a global hegemon. A great power can only be a regional hegemon in a multipolar world. We shall see in the next 50 years.
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  182. culturehorse, I’m interested in what you consider corruption advantages.
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  183.  Y Liu  , well if you look at Iran, Trump certainly wanted regime change. But Trump did help China become great again in many ways.
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  184.  Y Liu  , yes. I agree. But when in modern times did America only mind its own business? America is a crusader state according to John Mearsheimer. The Trump supporters want to “kick ass” even more than the Democrats. But they want to go all out and use nuclear weapons.
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  185. it will not ruin his campaign. American democracy, yes.
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  186. The West is responsible for the crisis. But Russia is responsible for the bloodshed. The two are not mutually exclusive
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  187. No he's not. All wishful thinking on his part
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  188. szymborska, stupid comment. The wealth gap is just a feature of capitalism. As time goes by, the gap increases until there is a reset. Homes without equity is no wealth.
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