Comments by "Peter Jacobsen" (@pjacobsen1000) on "CaspianReport" channel.

  1. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to unity is what we also see in Europe and Latin America: Who should gain power from a union and who should relinquish power? Everybody wants the first, no one wants the second.
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  2. Africa is really moving these years. I remember the 80s when Ethiopia was seen as a country of famine and misery. I think Ethiopia and many other African countries (Nigeria, Rwanda, Ghana and others) have a great future ahead of them. Systems are put in place, the new leaders are smart and responsible, and economic development is well underway.
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  3.  @sparks1792  "Europeans just like crying". Generally speaking, it is not Europeans or other US allies who consider themselves 'vassals'. Rather, the claim that US allies are vassals comes from our common adversaries who try to split us apart: China, Russia and their collaborators.
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  4. -Climate and Energy Security -Digital Connectivity -Health and Health Security -Gender Equality and Equity That's very nice, but is that really what the developing world is looking for right now? What about road and rail infrastructure, electricity generation and grids, ports, airports, water distribution infrastructure, and investments in mining, business and industry? Many of these countries need the very basics first, only then can they begin to think about 'equality and equity'.
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  5. And as an Azerbaijani, he pronounced 'Uyghur' with a Turkic accent. Not sure if that's the correct pronunciation, but it sounds right to me.
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  6.  @navdeepkumar5085  "when Europe has nothing to eat..." Navdeep, Europe has had a food surplus for decades. We used to make so much food we didn't know what to do with it. Eventually, we had to pay farmers to limit their crop land. We don't grow delicious Basmati rice, though, so we have to get that from you guys.
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  7. I find it very difficult to understand Hubert's narration.
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  8. Finland doesn't use Broad Gauge. I once traveled by train from Finland to the Soviet Union (in 1988). We had to stop and change wheelsets at the border. Same situation when we arrived at the Soviet-China border on the other side.
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  9. But why do people save money? Presumably to spend them at some later stage. But that is the problem in China. Not enough money is being spent.
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  10. Amazing! Sudan as an African bread basket. I had no idea. Thanks to Shirvan and Caspian Report for educating me.
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  11. Despite fast economic growth, Rwanda is still a very poor country by any measure. Its GDP/capita is only around USD 900.- Compare that with Laos at $1500/capita or Cambodia at $1600/capita. Both Laos and Cambodia are very low income countries.
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  12. Caspian Report, still better than Visual Politik. (and almost as eagerly awaited as Primitive Technology)
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  13.  @ameytiwari1247  But India couldn't do it. In fact, they split up into three countries because they couldn't work it out together.
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  14. I find it so strange that Turkmenistan is not more interested in this economic integration. They could make huge profits from a natural gas pipeline to Europe and China, in addition to this trade corridor.
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  15.  @keys6556  : P20 Pro as well. Just got it. Pretty nice phone.
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  16. So far, it looks like the only condition that guarantees a high fertility rate is abject poverty.
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  17. Production makes you rich, yes, but only if people actually buy your products. If there are not enough consumers to buy your products, you will certainly not get rich.
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  18.  @Innerspace100  Well, I stand corrected, then. But we still needed to change wheelsets. It was a very boring wait.
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  19.  @dragosalexpop  Huh, I didn't know that. Historically, as I understand it, broad gauge was a defensive measure by Russia/Soviet Union to prevent neighboring countries like China, Japan, Germany from invading by rail. On paper, it does make sense, but no other country has ever followed this idea, to my knowledge.
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  20. There are only 160 million of those combined, the same amount of people that China will have lost by 2045. After that, where are they going to get new people from?
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  21.  @kevinu.k.7042  Yes, that's is true, as it is for most lowest-income countries. But still, over 30% of Rwandan children suffer from severe malnutrition, causing stunted growth. Laos is also still struggling with the same problem. But for both Rwanda and Laos, as long as every year is a little better than the last, there's good reason to remain optimistic.
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  22.  @kevinu.k.7042  Certainly, what Rwanda has done is lay a very good basis for economic development. There is almost nothing more important than strong institutions for building long term prosperity: Rule of Law (rather than rule of man), easy to understand regulations, and government transparency. I'm not aware of any country that has yet to make all wealth and income of government employees and elected officials completely open to the public, but that would certainly help to limit corruption, graft, and nepotism.
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  23. "Chinese consumers and businesses aren't in debt". Oh, they're in big debt! Corporate debt in China is 123% of GDP, or around USD 22 trillion. Household debt in China is 60% of GDP, or around USD 11.5 trillion.
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  24.  @aarondewindt  "US isn't importing Venezuelan oil anymore thanks to sanctions". I thought the US had resumed purchases of Venezuelan oil recently.
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  25. Very interesting vid. When looking through history, it appears that every society that was open to new people, new ideas, trade, etc. eventually became very prosperous. That is worth remembering.
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  26. Can you point out any factual errors in the video? Just 2 or 3.
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  27.  @ViajesyGeopolitica  "Buy a ticket to China and see it by yourself." I live in China and have lived here for over 25 years. I have been coming to China since the late 80s and have studied this country all that time. I ask again, can you point to any factual errors in this video?
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  28.  @ViajesyGeopolitica  Ok, I think we can conclude that you have been unable to point to any factual errors in the video. Let's end it there.
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  29.  @josephchamoun3440  So is it your contention that if only the 'true' Arab states are included, a union is likely? You think Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan, Syria are willing to enter into a union? Seems highly unlikely to me.
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  30.  @josephchamoun3440  Ah, ok, an even more pessimistic view than I expected, but I am inclined to agree.
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  31.  @thenamewhowillknockksidown7333  Egypt is still a major force in the Middle East, but it has some almost equal contenders: Turkey (big boy in town) and Saudi Arabia. Smaller, but important players include UAE and Israel, and then you have the outside forces who are constantly looking to increase their influence in the region: Russia, Iran and USA.
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  32.  @jakesmall8875  Excellent reply!
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  33.  @khashayar8989  Are you suggesting that the great Arab nations and their populations are all being controlled by little Israel?
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  34.  @khashayar8989  Wow, how weak those hundreds of millions of Arab citizens must be! They can't even break free of Israeli domination. Will they ever grow a pair of balls? How pathetic!
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  35.  @khashayar8989  Well, in the end it's the Arabs' own choice. If they prefer money to self-control, then that's ok with me. They should have the society they want to have.
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  36.  @blazzinga595  What are you referring to?
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  37. " China has surpassed South Korea in comprehensive competitiveness". And before that, South Korea surpassed Japan in comprehensive competitiveness, and before that Japan surpassed the US in comprehensive competitiveness. One day, some other country will surpass China in comprehensive competitiveness.
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  38.  @ellegmye  Thanks, Elle. I did not know that. I was only a teenager at the time and didn't know much of anything outside my own country.
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  39.  @texaswunderkind  But why can't we provide that?
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  40. I can't wait until we get the North Pole. We've been putting up with those squatters Superman and Santa Claus for far too long. Time to charge some rent!
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  41. Already in 2025 the Chinese government has pumped RMB 1.3 trillion into the economy. Every year for the last 3 years, the govt. has pumped money equal to 2.5% of GDP into the economy. Chinese citizens are happy to buy bonds to prop up the economy because it is one of the few things still worth investing in, and it is believed to be a secure investment.
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  42. For those African countries that hope to throw off the CFA Franc and create their own regional currency system, the Euro must be a sobering example. Yes, the Euro has done relatively well, but not equally well for everyone. The Euro suits the north-western European economies well, but it is not so easy for the Mediterranean and Balkan nations. If these African countries end up making their own monetary system, I suspect it will be very beneficial for some of them, and a source of grief for the others.
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  43. 1:27: News headline "BEIJING TOPPLES DOLLAR". I first read that as "Beijing topless Dollar" thinking 'Hmm, sounds interesting'.
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  44. Did CaspianReport just call politicians whores?
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  45. As a tiny country, Timor Leste can never have a fully independent foreign policy, so they may be making a wise move here. Surrounded by big powers (Indonesia, Australia, China) it can be beneficial to them to play those powers out against each other. Once China becomes 'too big' in Timor Leste, the government can invite Australia or Indonesia in to level the field. In the end, Timor Leste benefits.
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  46. China is really throwing its weight around these days. Like a blue whale, just scooping up everything in its way and eating it.
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  47. With respect to Aboriginal interests, it's an open question how long the affected communities would want to preserve their current lifestyles. After all, we were all once hunter-gatherers, but most of us have little interest in returning to that lifestyle. It's not hard to imagine that new generations of Aboriginals would have an interest in agriculture or just a material advancement of their lives. They may hold the land ownership rights, but that doesn't mean they would refrain from developing that land.
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  48.  @nicksmith7989  Well, in time, most people change their viewpoints. We'll see what happens.
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  49. It's almost exclusively Chinese troll accounts posing as Indians who say that.
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  50.  @sharwama992  "Air in Africa is one of the cleanest on the planet". Perhaps try exports of African air: "African Air! Clean and healthy. Keep your bathroom odor free with African Air! Or pump it in your bicycle tires. Never before have your bicycle tires been so clean on the inside!"
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  51. 0:40 'The Doomsday Clock'. Has anyone ever wondered why this so-called doomsday clock has never been further from midnight than 17 minutes? That's 11:43 PM. Have those who issue these doomsday notices ever explained what it would take for the clock to move back to 11:30PM? How about 9:00PM? Or 2:00PM? How peaceful would it have to be for the clock to be set to 6:00AM? Considering how we have been within 17 minutes of doomsday for the last 60 years, it seems almost impossible to even imagine what the world would be like at 6:00AM, a kind of world that is 60 times more peaceful than now. What does that even look like? Right now, the clock is set to 90 seconds before midnight, when total destruction of civilization will occur. In 1991 it was at 17 minutes. Does that mean the world was 11 times more peaceful in 1991 than it is now? I remember 1991 and it doesn't really feel more dangerous now than it did then.
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  52. It's not fixating, it's just information for people who are interested in macro economy in countries around the world.
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  53. Maybe in a few decades, we will see two completely different and incompatible tech environments: One in China, one in the rest of the world.
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  54. Caspian Report=always interesting
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  55.  @ZakiHaider-y9o  US corporate debt: $12 trillion. US household debt: $18 trillion. US government debt: $ 36 trillion. Total: $66 trillion, or about 220% of GDP. For China, total debt: 250% of GDP.
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  56. "Is Malaysia full of forests?" In the 1980s it was full of forests, and not of the palm oil or rubber tree kind.
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  57.  @Transformersrobotpower  I thought it was interesting in the 80s. I really enjoyed my visit back then.
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  58. Excellent overview! Anyone interested in more info can look into the classic history books: "The Search for Modern China" by Jonathan Spence, and "China, A New History" by John King Fairbank. Both are widely taught in colleges around the world, and are easy and excellent reads.
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  59. I went there and watched one video about demographics (episode 70). Perhaps useful for beginners, but not providing any new information.
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  60. Well, we should first recognize that none of us can really predict the future, only speculate, so here it is: I think China will continue with around 5% growth for 2 years or so, but then they will have to reduce their target to 4% or 3.5% or even 2% by the end of this decade. The reason I think so is that much the growth today already comes from state investments, as much as half of growth. In the last few years we've seen the govt. pump several trillions of RMB into the economy, and it seems to increase. The Govt. is now issuing ultra-long-term bonds at rates around 1.8-2.0%. RMB 1.8 trillion have already been issued this year, about 1.3% of GDP. Chinese people are happy to put their savings into these bonds, because they are one of the few good and safe investments left. The Govt. takes that money and invests in 'New Productive Forces': EVs, batteries, AI, Quantum computing, green energy, etc. Some of these may be very good investments, but we can't know for sure. Does AI make money? ChatGPT, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, do they make money? Will they make money in the future? It's not certain. And that goes for the other technologies, too. Certainly, EVs sell well in China, but it is at the expense of traditional cars, meaning no extra profits are being made, it's just moving money around. China really needs to allocate much more money back to citizens/consumers. 1.4 billion people, if they get money to spend, China could continue to have high growth for a long time. But will it happen? I'm skeptical. In the long term, I think China is at very high risk of ending up like Japan, a stagnant economy. And given China's size, it might even be worse.
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  61. Yes, though it is not unusual in high-growth developing countries to see extreme wealth and income disparities. Farmers and workers make the same they did before, but the guy who starts a motorcycle factory might be able to make many millions = inequality grows very rapidly. However, you're right to point out the rural population. They have so little money that they don't really count in the country's economy. It's like having 600 million potential consumers who just stay home, all day, every day. If they can get more money, they will start spending. But that is easier said than done. Developing is not easy. It wasn't for us in the West, either, we have just forgotten about it.
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