Comments by "" (@orboakin8074) on "Zeihan on Geopolitics" channel.

  1. I would love to hear what your opinion's/predictions about the upcoming election in my country, Nigeria. Most of us see it as an election against the ruling APC party of buhari for 8 years and a return to the more right-leaning economically liberal PDP.
    2
  2.  @tiredgardener  when two people are fighting, a third person wins.
    2
  3.  @xpusostomos  yes, and not a very effective leadership or a majority of them, I would imagine😕 The aid can still be given to the majority of Palestinians and not be effective to Hamas, especially as food aid.
    2
  4.  @mmoarchives2542  maybe but better than the delusional thinking that some folks are saying like that "River to the sea" nonsense that will never happen.
    2
  5.  @ryankline1164  friend, while I agree that religion can cause problems, it's more of a net positive than you think. I mean,you do know that it was Christianity that developed scientific method and many of the innovations and sociocultural and economic systems that currently benefit humanity, right?
    2
  6.  @karunama3771  Also, don't try to make this a religious issue when what happened to Copernicus and Galileo was due to institutional problems and interests. In our world today, James Watson, a Nobel laureate and scientist who discovered the double helix structure of DNA, was stripped of his honors due to his positing the theory that genetics and intelligence are linked. This clearly happened due to the perception that such a notion is simply bigoted and not worthy of scientific research. Isn't this essentially what happened to Copernicus and Galileo? I.e. going against institutional convention?
    2
  7.  @etcher6841  Oh, thanks. Sorry if I came off as hostile but i am glad we shared information and enlightened each other on this topic. Your conclusion is pretty much the true one based on historical evidence. Galileo did have powerful backers in teh church but even they were subservient to powerful institution of the Church and the elites/politicians outside of it. It's basically what also happened to James Watson, the Nobel laurete who discovered the double helix DNA structure. He was stripped of his honors for positing the theory that intelligence and genetics have a link because it goes against cultural notions, rather than any scientific falsehoods. At the end of the day, principles and laws may hold true but they can be subverted by corrupt humans in institutions and those who speak out tend to get silenced and shamed.
    2
  8. Never let communism into your society. One has to wonder what Russia would be like had the communists not taken over and destroyed the socioeconomic, cultural, and demographic frameworks that existed prior. It would definitely be better than it is now.
    2
  9.  @israeliseoluwa6704  Oh, I know Nigeria is a serious mess now. The inflation, insecurity, power grid issues, food supply etc. But I am still optimistic mainly because I remember how things were during the 90s with military rule. It was equally as bad, if not worse. Well, all that changed when we became a democracy again in 99 and from then, our economy rapidly changed and improved because of competent leadership in PDP. So, there is good reason and precedent for my optimism.
    2
  10.  @stevenwilliams3015  Friend, how exactly am I lying? I know that APC's policies are negatively affecting us but how does that disprove anything in my comments? our GDP is still very high. Our economic prospects are also one of the better ones in Africa. This inflationary period will pass too. Also, please don't act as if I am responsible. I voted for PDP (the only party with a history of improving Nigeria) and my state is Edo, governed by PDP, where improvements are happening with infrastructure, education, and job creation. SO please, try and understand my perspective. I know things are bad, but I also know they have been much worse and once we get sensible federal government (PDP) back, our economy will be fixed.
    2
  11.  @emmanuelaliji3497  friend, kudos to you. You just summed up part of the reason for my optimism for Nigeria. These policies, as you state, are good and sound but came at the wrong time. Removing the subsidy was good cause our economy can't afford to pay for it anymore but it came at the wrong time and that is why I keep hating APC. In 2012, GEJ of PDP tried to remove the subsidy when our economy was strong but they stopped him. Then buhari overspent and indebted us. Now we are dealing with consequences. Things will get better but much harder before then.
    2
  12.  @adewalem5474  I can understand and sympathize but to say Nigeria will never get better is strange. You are older than me so you remember what this country was like under military dictatorship until 99, correct? Did things not improve after we returned to democracy and PDP liberalized our economy? Did our debt, inflation, cost of living not drop? Did our economy not become the largest in Africa and a fast developing one? Did our middle class not grow? Things have gotten better but what we need is good political leadership, which APC will never provide.
    2
  13.  @adewalem5474  oh, just one more thing. During the global recession of 2007/8, did we have serious hardships in Nigeria like many other developing countries? Or was our economy stable under PDP? Now, before and during COVID, how did our economy perform under APC?
    2
  14.  @paskowitz  Damn right👍👍
    2
  15.  @retiredrebel  okay? So what didn't I say in my initial comment or subsequent responses?
    2
  16.  @yimhappy  Great question, friend. Regarding Chinese growing influence in Africa, it is a mixed bag. On one hand, their capital "investments" are cheap and they tend to be more willing to "lend" money to African governments and it can help with infrastructure developments here. But on the other hand, it is all part of their belt-and-road initiative and not out of some altruism for Africa. Given the harsh terms of these loans and their propensity to support corrupt and inept governments here, some of these projects usually end up not benefitting the local economy since China tends to employ their own home workers and saddle the African countries with the bill. Plus, there is the risk of losing the infrastructure on default like what happened in Sri Lanka and this could happen to many African countries due to their already weak economies. China is also known for illegal resource obtaining here. Many illegal mines in my country have Chinese involvement. This is a reason why many of our countries in Africa tend to have a balance of foreign deals with teh west and China and India. In my country, though we have seen increased borrowing and trade with China, our economy is strong enough to service these debts and our new government has stepped up our bilateral deals and trade with the west and India.
    2
  17. Rest in Pieces. He and his group have brought civil war and conflict to my region of west Africa.
    2
  18. Daily reminder that Communism and socialism are evil and will destroy your society😢
    2
  19.  @chestnutters9504   Biafra war happened because a rougue Nigerian soldier Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and several others killed some of our prominent founding Nigerian leaders. This then led to reprisals and ethnic clashes. Then rather than surrender him for his crime, an Igbo man, Gen. Ojukwu, sheltered him against the advice of other Igbo people and plunged the east into a civil war that many Igbos didn't want. After the war, reconciliation happened. As for Boko Haram, you do know that most of them are islamic insurgents from neighboring Chad, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso etc, right? They are not just limited to Nigeria and our military has gotten better at dealing with them. Finally, on the issue of religion, what exactly makes you think the majority of Nigerians don't co-exist, despite our faith differences? Or do you just think social media is representative of all reality here?
    1
  20.  @ateampossible  they should still try. I seriously doubt the majority of Palestinians are happy with Hamas and their "leadership"
    1
  21.  @7thsealord888  yes, that is true but I still think it can be done with Israel. America and Canada managed to do it with their Native and First Nations peoples who had brutal wars and attacks from both sides. Simikar situation was achieved in my country, Nigeria, first with British and later our own democracies a d military governments as we work to build a national identity despite our many tribal differences. Civic nationalism can be achieved, with force and diplomacy.
    1
  22.    yes, I like this. It won't be easy to establish. Lord knows my country (Nigeria) had, and still has issues, with our national unity but getting better. Same thing with USA and Canada with their integration of Natives and Indigenous peoples.
    1
  23. Sorry but whenever I hear "far-right" in terms of western politics, upon closer inspection, they just turn out to be more like hardline democrats or liberals from the 90s😒 Maybe it's cause I'm Nigerian or maybe it's cause Americans have abused terms like "far-right" so much so it has lost meaning.
    1
  24. Islamic terrorists are genuinely dumb. These attacks on ships aren't even attacking Israeli ships! And their actions are mainly attacking Egypt and other Arabian economies. These people are genuinely stupid.
    1
  25. Successful at what?! The only countries suffering due to their attacks are Egypt and other Arab countries there that need the trade from the Gulf. Israel's Mediterranean ports are still open. How are the Houthis hurting them?!
    1
  26.  @muhammadadeel8639  oh,we don't give a damn about any resources from Niger. My country literally provides them with money for their security, 70% of the electricity,and helps secure their border. You can foolishly think that we "want their resources" but we don't. We simply don't want their Islamists plaguing us as they have always done.
    1
  27.  @fredowusu22  What does Gaddafi have to do with anything happening now in Niger or Nigeria?! Are you okay? I am speaking for myself and my country. You can pretend to be foolish and think this coup will not negatively affect us but I won't. A destabilize Niger means more Islami insurgency for us in Nigeria. Look at Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea! All have had I creased terrorism and loss of human life since their coups. If you think that is good for Africa, good for you but most of us are not sick in head like you.
    1
  28. @EveryoneIsAmelak  considering how Arabic governments view Iran with suspicion and dread, I wonder if you are just confused? Also most of your media is controlled by Americans. Not sure what exactly you are asking that for
    1
  29. As soon as i am done with college in a few months, i am going to enroll in a trade school qnd i aim to become an electrician. My coll ge experience has made me so embittered to the whole thing and i detest the thought of working in a corporate setting😣
    1
  30. And yet some westerners eill still blame the USA😕 Bad socioeconomic systems and policies, and corruption are what cause this. Here in Nigeria, our power grid has failed due to this😢 Cuba has a chance to actually break this cycle. I hope they take it.
    1
  31. How is it weird? You do know Iran and Saudi have been jostling for influence and had a rivalry due to their Shia Sunni schism, right?
    1
  32. @urlauburlaub2222  interesting points. I never thought about it like that.
    1
  33. @-oysterthief4444  agree.
    1
  34. @siphotheguy1870  and how does this negate the majority of bad things they continuously do?
    1
  35. Well to be fair, most places affected by these sand people are other Arab countries😂 Israel's Mediterranean ports are still open. So they are pretty incompetent.
    1
  36. I stil can't believe so many people assume the middle east will cause WW3. The middle East is just not relevant enough for such. There were three chances for Israel and the Arabs to cause it during the 48 war, six day war and Yom Kippur war but nothing. It's just a proxy hell hole. The most likely outcome from this is that it will embden and give Israel carte blanche to go even harder on the Palestinians since Iran actively attacked Israel and they can claim Palestinians are fully in cahoots.
    1
  37. Honestly, the French will still jave a presence in the Sahel and west Africa. Simply put, due to poor geography, poor trade and economics of these areas, they simply need a strong foreign power. Also,this is not the first coup Niger has had but like their fifth one. Every time they had a coup, they simply re-did their diplomacy with France but the French will still maintain a presence there. Russia or China have no long term interests there
    1
  38.  @kgypster  oh, the west definitely deserves some of the blame but most of the problems in the middle East are their own fault. Look at the coups sponsored by Abdul Naseer that destroyed the governments of countries like Yemen and Iraq and led to military dictatorships and oppression. That is one example.
    1
  39. Very good analysis, Peter. I remember watching a documentary on the history of Vietnam and one point was made about US-Vietnam relationships post-war. A guy said that Vietnam views China as the greater existential threat to them. Also, since America actually made peace, they managed to become allies. The US-Vietnam war was a short episode in the ongoing war with China.
    1
  40.  @zibbitybibbitybop  many thanks 👍
    1
  41.  @tvictor7351  thanks for telling it like it is. I absolutely agree with everything you correctly pointed out. The corruption and economic mismanagement that has led to the inflation crisis is what we need to focus on.
    1
  42. My views on the two recent conflicts around the world (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas) are very stark. For the former, i was indifferent but later came to oppose Russia, mainly due to them being the primary aggressor and partly due to their subsequent destabilizing of Sahel countries that border my own (Nigeria) and for the latter, i was initially against the IDF and Hamas for theor the excesses but now i am just indifferent. This tribal blood feud between Israelis and Palestinians has been around before even my dad was alive and it will continue after me. I simply don't care.
    1
  43.  @LRRPFco52    thanks for the explanation. Many people, myself included, tend to forget how much of a huge factor a region's geography is to their sociocultural, political and economic development/stability. Here in Africa, we certainly have bad geography but nothing nearly as terrible as the middle East.
    1
  44. I am Nigerian and I am glad to know that the US dollar will remain the global currency. It's better for the global economy.
    1
  45.  @barba928  many thanks
    1
  46.  @endyephraim1864  🤣🤣Omo, tribalist man! I didn't vote for any of the people you mentioned. I voted and have always voted for PDP. I voted Atiku but he sadly didn't win. Unlike you folks, I still support the only party with a history of improving Nigeria.
    1
  47.  @Babaonana556  Dangote has his issues and is trying to establish himself as a monopoly but he is no oligarch, especially since there are other competitors in his industry here. By that logic, Bill Gates is an oligarch too, right?
    1
  48.  @redeyed33333  um, we did apply for BRICS membership this year, friend.
    1
  49.  @redeyed33333  oh, wait. My mistake you are correct. The only real source that states my country was looking for membership was South Africa's foreign minister, Nalendi Pandora, who stayed that we were interested in membership but so far, only she has said this. After reading more, it turns out that while we were not invited officially to join during their 2023 conference in Johannesburg, we also were not actively seeking membership that year.
    1
  50.  @tadeajao3344  India once penetrated Nigeria? Interesting....When did this happen? we have had diplomacy and ties with India but not as much as we are currently having with them. So how did they penetrate us, as you claim? Also, yes, India has similar problems to us but also has a vastly larger economy, better management of resources, better infrastructure development (they literally have better electricity production despite not having much petroleum like us) and they are also global leaders in pharmaceuticals, IT, and light industry/manufacturing. Why wouldn't we want to have closer ties with them for our own development? Indian manufacturing may not be as cheap as China but it is more reliable. And on a final point, strange how you think India always takes over businesses in Africa when they are many examples of china operating illegal farms, mining operations, or smuggling resources out of Africa and even engaging with war lords and slavers here. Why are you not talking about this? Has India done any of this here? And you winder why our country wants more deals with them🤔🤔
    1