Until about a year ago, many articles claimed that China would surpass the USA as an (economic) SuperPower. I never believed those articles. China did and does not meet the SuperPower criteria. Today, many articles assume that USA may not be surpassed. I doubt that too. The Roman Empire was - probably - the first global empire. Alternatively, it was a multi-regional...
Military
Analysis: Xi reprimanded by elders at Beidaihe over direction of nation (Nikkei)
11 Sep, 2023
Nikkei Asia title: Analysis: Xi reprimanded by elders at Beidaihe over direction of nation Nikkei subtitle: G20 absence hints at turmoil in Chinese domestic politics By: KATSUJI NAKAZAWA, Nikkei senior staff writerDate: 5 September 2023 "There are signs of turmoil in Chinese domestic politics. On Monday, it was announced that President Xi Jinping will not attend an...
Tainted love
4 Sep, 2023
Recently, I had a weird experience following a conversation with a new friend from Argentina. She told me that her grandfather was born in Belgium. When I researched his name, a shady past emerged from various sources. I assumed she knew. She did not, despite some family rumours. She loved her grandfather a lot and was astonished to hear "my" version of the truth....
Putin has signed his name on the wrong piece of paper this time (the Telegraph)
28 Aug, 2023
The Telegraph title: Putin has signed his name on the wrong piece of paper this time Telegraph subtitle: Get ready for the flood of kompromat By: Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon OBE Date: 24 August 2023 "As Vladimir Putin sits thinking in his bomb-proof office, he may come to regret the fact that the entire world is sure that he ordered the death of the...
All warfare is based on deception (Sun Tzu)
25 Jul, 2023
If all warfare is - indeed - based on deception, would disinformation then qualify as lying? A simple answer would be a Yes. A complex answer would first look at human intentions. It could be argued that the victim has good intentions (eg, survival), while the aggressor has bad intentions. “All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack,...
A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma
27 Jun, 2023
My title is how Winston Churchill (1874-1965) described the Soviet Union during a BBC Broadcast in October 1939: “I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest.” (source) Yesterday, I published the opinion of Leonid Bershidsky as my blog on the...
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