By Donald A. Collins | 6 March 2022
Church and State
Statements of limitless cooperation between Russia and China are deemed more complex than previously stated. Can be read here in this article.
China’s Strategic Assessment of Russia: More Complicated Than You Think.
Two are currently glued together ONLY by their alleged shared view that the USA poses a threat to their core interests.
— Rohitashw Trivedi (@RohitashwT) March 6, 2022
Furthermore, the vicious enormity of Putin’s obsessive invasion doubtless alerts Xi to the danger of nuclear escalation.
Xi’s economic interests lie so highly tied to US trade and cooperation that the growing moral disgust and sanctions against Putin make Xi’s real fealty questionable. The specific Russian oil exports to China will of course continue or increase.
“All of Russia’s gas exports to China are just a small proportion of its shipment to Germany & less than 10% of what Gazprom sells to Europe overall,” Jeff Schott says of last year’s exports. https://t.co/YeA8NLeTlp
— Peterson Institute (@PIIE) March 3, 2022
The firm reaction of the West also may give some pause to Xi’s stated claims about Taiwan.
Stable peaceful international commerce trumps stupid, dangerous unpopular war, proved by Putin’s invasion as an obsolete way to expand power.
As the Ukraine horror war continues, I bet Xi is going to be very quiet.
And of course, Xi has much to be quiet about after China’s treatment of the Uighurs.
#Beijing's treatment of the #Uigur minority is straight out of the #Communist playbook. Remember Chairman #Mao? The Black Book of Communism estimates that 65 million perished in #China under Mao’s watchful eye. https://t.co/7CBPSATuUg
— Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) January 29, 2021
Especially after his very flawed Olympics.
In short how long are Putin’s generals going to play along with Putin’s nuclear mutual destruction threat scenario when world opinion stands unyielding. That the nuclear power plant fire fortunately has not yet turned lethal still remains troubling.
However, Putin’s days are numbered, either in days, months or even a year, as all the Russia power groups, the armed forces (as they bungle the Ukrainian invasion) or the oligarchs as their overseas assets get impounded, or the common people who are the real victims of the sanctions, won’t tolerate the effects of such condemnation and the hardships it has begun to impose on everyone.
Meantime as the world watches in horror at women and children getting sacrificed, what can be done short of starting a major war?
I thought Peggy Noonan’s Wall Street Journal column of March 5th offered the best strategy for dealing with this volatile situation of a cornered Putin of unknown mental condition. She said:
More than ever back-channel communication is crucial, “military to military, top military leaders talking to each other.”
Along with that, “I think we have to have much broader outreach in the long run directly to the people of Russia,” he said. “Putin is in trouble with his elites, and has to be worried about public opinion.”
Another diplomat said it’s important to speak to the Russian people, who not only are suffering economically, with long lines at the ATM, and the value of their savings and salaries falling with the ruble but will suffer politically. “You don’t get to do a move like Ukraine, with all its oppression, without increasing oppression at home.”
You can read her whole column here.
“An amazing aspect of the crisis is that something reminded the West it’s the West—more than a geographic entity but a certain shared history and political traditions, a certain shared human experience, even some shared commitments.” https://t.co/Qnpq2YjkfW
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) March 5, 2022
Trump’s Putin comments will keep growing in the minds of US.
Citizens as his swarm of core pals begin to realize his use of hate of his own country to consolidate authoritarian power.
During Biden’s State of the Union address did the stony faces of GOP leaders like McConnell, McCarthy and Ted Cruz reflect the growing realization of what Trump has wrought for their party?
Bill Barr defection is no surprise as his new 600-page book comes out. Read here.
Barr writes in a new memoir that former President Donald J. Trump’s “self-indulgence and lack of self control” cost him the 2020 election and says “the absurd lengths to which he took his ‘stolen election’ claim led to the rioting on Capitol Hill.” https://t.co/kXTb8TercC
— Adam Goldman (@adamgoldmanNYT) February 27, 2022
Read news items about Trump’s comments here and here.
Who will take the most precipitous fall first Trump or Putin?
Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC, has spent over 50 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of “From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013”, “Trump Becoming Macbeth: Will our democracy survive?”, “We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?”, “What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?: Leaders Commit to Reduce Human Population” and “Vote”."What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?": https://t.co/fHuh0CG6JD
"We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?": https://t.co/TA4j7cp1tE
"From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013": https://t.co/lkC2t3E1A9 pic.twitter.com/bQsL2mLBcO— Church and State (@ChurchAndStateN) November 1, 2021
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