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talkpoliticsSome time ago I opined that Trump's finances were so opaque that we couldn't really judge him on the finance issue.
I also suggested that there may be a set of metrics with which we could assess Trump's policies in the light of possible collaboration with "external policy makers".
Now the metrics involved alienating the US's traditional allies, and courting the regimes who were the US's traditional opponents.
(As as disclaimer: I think that a NK deal would be a good thing if it happens, whoever manages to make it happen.)
However, trade wars with the G7, requesting the readmission of Russia to the G7 nations, and subsequent rapprochements with Russia et al, do look to be lining up Trump on the side of Uncle Vlad, alongside others like Arron Banks and Nigel Farage in the UK, and a few other Europeans.
The single greatest intelligence operation of all time has left odd bedfellows of the fellow-travellers. Boris, and Rees-Mogg etc are all aligning themselves with Trump and Uncle Vlad, despite knowing the intel available. As for folk like Assange, well....
So given the fact that Uncle Vlad has gotten away with it all, what can we expect from the next branch of geopolitical manoeuvrings?
I'd suggest a complete re-integration of Russia into the world community at the behest of someone other than the US, but with the US's backing.
We can forget about Crimea and the Ukraine, we can forget about nerve agents, and we can forget about all sorts of other activities which have subverted various western polities; because none of that will matter if Russia and the US work in tandem in time to Uncle Vlad's marching music.
But what is becoming obvious is that our intelligence services are not fit for purpose in the modern world. If I can work this stuff out, so can they. Instead they are so preoccupied with Muslim terrorism that they are prepared for our polities to be subverted in other ways by non-Muslims with other agendas.
As for me, common sense indicates I should learn to suck up to Uncle Vlad, his minions, and his agenda. Everyone else has, and I suppose it makes sense.
I also suggested that there may be a set of metrics with which we could assess Trump's policies in the light of possible collaboration with "external policy makers".
Now the metrics involved alienating the US's traditional allies, and courting the regimes who were the US's traditional opponents.
(As as disclaimer: I think that a NK deal would be a good thing if it happens, whoever manages to make it happen.)
However, trade wars with the G7, requesting the readmission of Russia to the G7 nations, and subsequent rapprochements with Russia et al, do look to be lining up Trump on the side of Uncle Vlad, alongside others like Arron Banks and Nigel Farage in the UK, and a few other Europeans.
The single greatest intelligence operation of all time has left odd bedfellows of the fellow-travellers. Boris, and Rees-Mogg etc are all aligning themselves with Trump and Uncle Vlad, despite knowing the intel available. As for folk like Assange, well....
So given the fact that Uncle Vlad has gotten away with it all, what can we expect from the next branch of geopolitical manoeuvrings?
I'd suggest a complete re-integration of Russia into the world community at the behest of someone other than the US, but with the US's backing.
We can forget about Crimea and the Ukraine, we can forget about nerve agents, and we can forget about all sorts of other activities which have subverted various western polities; because none of that will matter if Russia and the US work in tandem in time to Uncle Vlad's marching music.
But what is becoming obvious is that our intelligence services are not fit for purpose in the modern world. If I can work this stuff out, so can they. Instead they are so preoccupied with Muslim terrorism that they are prepared for our polities to be subverted in other ways by non-Muslims with other agendas.
As for me, common sense indicates I should learn to suck up to Uncle Vlad, his minions, and his agenda. Everyone else has, and I suppose it makes sense.
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/18 02:09 (UTC)To be fair, around 90%+ of intelligence work is analysis based on material in the public domain. It's the analysis part that makes the difference.
(no subject)
Date: 13/6/18 07:55 (UTC)I suppose when intel placed less emphasis on clever generalists with good synthetic abilities and turned to hard data analysis only, the agencies developed a tendency to not see the wood for the trees.
One thing you can say about Uncle Vlad, he's a clever generalist and strategist, and he has damnably brilliant synthetic abilities too.
Democratic institutions have structural faults inbuilt; any system that attempts to please more than one opinion is bound to be a chaotic thing. It has upsides as well as downsides. If we want these democratic institutions, we should be aware of their fragility, and tend and guard them properly.