Enjoying the view from Limbo
Ideas and Reflections / World Politics
by Daren Jonescu · Published September 25, 2022 · Last modified December 29, 2022
Jordan Peterson appeared on a program hosted by Piers Morgan to discuss Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. He insisted, among other things, that (a) Putin is in no significant way similar to Hitler or Stalin, i.e., not really a tyrant of global expansionist intentions at all, (b) there is no possible way that Ukraine can win the war, (c) even if Putin decides...
Six days ago, I wrote of the Russian state media’s calls for Vladimir Putin to consider the use of tactical nuclear weapons in response to NATO’s alleged nuclear threats against Russia. At that time, I wrote: In short, Russia, in desperation and about to suffer the most humiliating military defeat since the United States scurried away from the Taliban like the frightened rats...
Here is a social media post from the White House, i.e., from the nominal leadership group of the entire free world: A “digital dollar” may seem far-fetched, but it is not beyond the realm of possibility. Today, the Biden-Harris Administration published policy objectives and a technical analysis for a potential U.S. central bank digital currency: https://t.co/VrwSs7hpNS — White House Office of Science &...
Russian state television, aka the official propaganda wing of Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, is openly “advising” Putin (whose official message this is) that “the time has come for us to hold drills for practising scenarios in which Russian tactical nuclear weapons are used,” on the pretext that “We will soon be issued with a direct nuclear ultimatum from Nato [sic].” In other words, just...
The one and only person whose existence held slightly ajar the door of legitimacy in anyone’s honest judgment of the relevance of the British monarchy in the twenty-first century has now died. Queen Elizabeth II allowed our imaginations to remain connected to the royal family’s meaningful past not only because she ascended to the throne back when that past was still somewhat alive,...
Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, has tweeted “End the CCP” in response to a CNN report describing the digital “health” app that the Chinese government is using to track everyone in the country, to collect personal data on a daily basis, to assign arbitrary color-coded “health status” categories to each human being, to use this “health code” system to bar people from...
Nancy Pelosi, a profiteering progressive fool who happens to be the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, made a brief visit to Taiwan this week. Communist China objected, and claimed her visit was a terrible provocation — because they want to do to Taiwan what Vladimir Putin is currently trying to do to Ukraine. Time Magazine, or whatever they call their online...
Vladimir Putin is not Russia, nor is he “the Russian people.” He is a ruthless dictator who murders or imprisons his most popular opponents and critics, propagandizes his subjects out of any clear alternative perspectives on life and the global political situation, and exploits the poverty and hopelessness that he himself has fostered to cajole the weak and desperate “masses” into viewing him...
Liberty's Labors Lost / What is The Establishment? / World Politics
by Daren Jonescu · Published June 3, 2022 · Last modified June 4, 2022
I just read a very sober and balanced assessment of the conceivable outcomes in Ukraine, written by one Andrew Latham, a very sober professor of International Relations and member of a very sober-sounding Washington think tank calling itself “Defense Priorities.” For “Defense” in that name, read “Surrender”; for “Priorities,” read “Rationalizations.” For Professor Latham’s short essay is a wonderful object lesson in that...
The absolute worst and most immoral thing to do would be to assist Ukraine’s effort in its war of self-defense just enough, and just long enough, to heighten the severity of the conflict and ensure that millions of innocent people will be killed or displaced, and then to get skittish, pull back, and become all prudish and pragmatic about not wanting to disrupt...
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