Volgens Plato (c.427 BC - 347 BC) waren / zijn er 5 staatsvormen: (1) aristocratie (o.a. koningen), (2) timocratie (o.a. militairen), (3) oligarchie (o.a. de rijken), (4) democratie (o.a. het "volk"), en (5) tirannie. Mogelijk valt een theocratie (o.a. Iran, Israel) binnen de staatsvorm timocratie. "De overgang van de ene staatsvorm naar de andere vindt steeds...
Intro LO: This Bloomberg Balance of Power article underlines my earlier Taiwan comments: Taiwan is digging its own political “grave” by investing almost US$ 200 billion in 5 new American factories (eg, Reuters-2025, CNBC-2025). This Bloomberg article might also be an example of my blogs on (business, private) Money versus (national) Politics. Please see my related...
Intro LO: The most important quote might be in the 5th paragraph below: “He noted that the number of marriages in China last year was less than half of the 13.47 million in 2013.” Note: bold & italic markings by LO. Source: Reuters, 10 February 2025, Marriages in China plunge by a record in 2024, fanning birthrate concerns Hence, China may not have enough...
Before Covid-19, many articles assumed that the Chinese economy would soon surpass the American economy. Even before Covid-19, I never believed that. Nowadays, many articles assume that China may never become an economic Superpower. As long as the CCCP rules, that new belief is valid. Hence, my blog title: does a Superpower need pragmatism? In my view, ideology will...
INTRODUCTION LO: The FT opinion below is an interesting, valid analysis that is worth reading. Until 2020, I would - probably - have agreed with the conclusions below. In my 2019 update of the 7 Belief systems (eg, 2015 original), I had even removed Politics from its Power domain. The subsequent Chinese political crackdown on various business sectors made me...
Until late 1971, Taiwan represented entire China as a member state at the United Nations. On 25 October 1971, UN Resolution 2758 ended its membership, and allowed mainland China to represent the People's Republic of China (PRC). Today, Taiwan's informal status is stronger than ever (eg, Trouw). Hence, my question: should Taiwan be re-admitted to the UN? The simple...
Recent Comments