zazen

@PurpleTree @Scholar @Lyubov You guys view comments from myself, Raze or Hatfort above and conclude we are anti-West for the sake of it. I think this is mistaking focus for bias, and clarity for having some anti-West agenda. Maybe the reason the West gets critiqued more is because it does more criticizable things? At a scale incomparable to others. The Western centric view wants people outraged about headscarves in Iran while the countries surrounding Iran are reduced to moonscapes by the West. They want you crying about artistic suppression in China - which, in reality is China refusing to let foreign backed protest movements destabilize its governance - while they turn a blind eye to ethnic cleansing in Gaza. Theres a reason why the threads on this forum regarding the Ukraine/Russia war or Israel get the most engagement - because in the grand hierarchy of global destabilisation, death and destruction - these pose the most risk and are the most vile. The reason for frequent comments criticizing the West and in particular the US, is because of the frequency of violations and the fact that the US is behind the worst of them. You yourselves are now bemoaning how the US is now treating Europe. As Kissinger said ''“To be an enemy of America can be dangerous, but to be a friend is fatal.” Westerners, especially Europeans, are being force fed a civilisational and geopolitical red pill through the red blood of their own people in Ukraine. The war has laid bare the reality of their existence: that they aren't independent nations, but vassals propping up US hegemony. Anyone pointing out the empire's tendency to feed its "allies" into the wood chipper gets dismissed as an "America hater" or "Russian bot." Now we're watching european economies implode while Washington whistles all the way to the bank. Apparently, focusing on the empire that has 800+ military bases, turns nations into failed states and treats sanctions like party favours means you're "obsessed." Some of us can't help noticing that one player is responsible for more global chaos than all others combined. And now Europe's getting that "special friend" treatment previously reserved for the Global South. Their leaders are learning what leaders in the Middle East and Latin America have known for decades: the empire doesn't have allies, only useful idiots. This challenges our worldview about our own ''Western civilisation” and the lofty sounding rhetoric we were made to believe about it. The Cold war with Russia is ending, but the awakening from the splash of cold water waking us up from our propagandized existence has just begun.

It actually proves the opposite. If Russia truly didn’t care about its demographic decline, it wouldn’t be fighting this war with such urgency. The fact they're willing to take on the immense cost and risks of this conflict suggests that they saw it as a now or never situation - meaning this wasn’t some whimsical imperial adventure but a strategic necessity before they lost the capability to act. Rather than proving that Russia is recklessly expansionist, it suggests they calculated it was better to secure their strategic position while they still had the manpower to do so, rather than risk NATO creeping further in and waiting until they were weaker and unable to respond. If Russia were truly in an aggressive, imperialistic phase, it would be engaging in expansionist wars more consistently across multiple fronts, not reacting to a direct geopolitical threat at its border. The essential concern isn’t that Ukraine might become a wealthy, thriving democracy - it’s that Ukraine was being turned into a military proxy, potentially housing NATO forces right on Russia’s doorstep. The timing of Russia’s action aligns perfectly with NATO’s increased involvement in Ukraine, not with any sudden surge in Ukrainian prosperity. Before the war began Ukraine's GDP per capita was half that of Russia's, it wasn't some beacon of prosperity threatening Russia. Think about it - why would Russia, a country with the largest landmass on Earth, the most resources, deep integration with the rising multipolar world - throw all of that into chaos over envy? Why would a nation positioned to thrive in a post-Western world order, plugged into the economic future of BRICS and China, jeopardize itself over a country that was already one of Europe’s poorest and most corrupt before the war even started? Ukraine wasn’t on the verge of becoming some economic powerhouse that would shame Russia into democratic reform. Even if we entertain that idea (that Russia can't bear a successful neighbour) then we have to ask: does that justify going to war and risking nuclear war with NATO? War is not some minor policy adjustment. It’s the most extreme move a nation can make, that carries existential risks in this case. Why would a country deliberately destabilize itself, endure years of economic warfare, burn through its manpower, and risk nuclear escalation just because it's pride is stung by a successful neighbour? Nations don’t throw themselves into the fire over a bruised ego. If anything, it’ the West that can’t tolerate independent systems that reject its neoliberal model and may work better. The US has spent decades toppling governments, imposing sanctions, and waging wars against nations that dared to take a different path. Russia or China isn’t the one trying to force its way of life on the world. The mythical successful neighbour theory is at best a secondary cause of the war, not a primary one which is about security concerns and the geographic red line that Ukraine represents as a buffer zone - which is the essence of the war, in reality.

@Lyubov That's definitely a fear we need to watch out for - that this is just a temporary freezing of the conflict to be re ignited at a later date. But the fear is more from the West wanting to re-ignite it than the East. What use does the largest country with the most resources on the planet have for expanding, especially with an aging and declining demographic. Most, if not all expansionist imperial action has taken place when powers have had a bounty of young men to partake in such actions - not when your demographic pyramid is upside down, and especially not when you already sit on the most resources on the planet and are integrated with a rising super power and Global South (BRICS) you can sell those resources to. Absolutely no incentive to destabilise yourself and get bogged down in a war with the West - but absolutely every incentive for the West / US to destabilize and bog Russia down in it as it threatens their unipolar position. Whats changed now is the strategy in countering this new multi-polar reality. Trumps admin acknowledge this reality - even the Munich Conference was titled: Multipolarization. Reality has set in, this reality will either be fought, or a strong position within it will be sought - which is what Trump is attempting to do. In fact Trump has said that he wants to try to dis-unite Russia and China by working with Russia. Not only are they talking peace but joint projects together: https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-us-saudi-arctic-energy-rdif-ukraine-russia-capital/ And this is where you are correct in that these peace talks are disingenuous or serve another agenda. Beside Trump demanding half of Ukrainian mineral profits to be for the US which is just mafia behavior - they seem to be seeking peace with Russia so they may have them on side to go to war with China - the real rival that has been mentioned many times as the actual threat. This is bipartisan and a strong US stance now. China isn't a threat to US existence, it’s a threat to the US ego and supremacy. I don't think Trump is stupid enough to go to war with China, though he's surrounded by China hawks. But they will attempt to counter China however they can economically, technologically and geopolitically - in this case by warming relations with Russia so they can wrestle Russia away from China. Russia obviously isn't naive enough to fall for this. We can't pick our neighbors. Just as Ukraine and Europe can't choose not to neighbor Russia, Russia can't choose not to neighbor China - so its only rational and wise to have good relations with those you can't magically separate from. And totally unwise to paint them as the devil and not want to engage in talks with them, especially considering the existence of nuclear capability. To your post above from the previous page and to add to what @Raze says above - isn't it actually because of Russia being treated un-fairly that this whole shit show has unfolded? Fairness is the foundation of stability. The entire Ukraine crisis is a direct result of treating Russia unfairly since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Russia was willing to play nice. It disbanded the USSR, accepted its diminished role, even floated the idea of joining NATO. And what did it get in return? A West that kept moving the goalposts, absorbing one ex-Soviet state after another into NATO, encircling Russia while pretending this was all just about “defensive alliances”. The West is even arrogant enough to openly declare their intent through think tank documents strategizing how to encircle and weaken Russia. Russia isn't being imperialistic per se, it’s reacting to imperialism itself. It's reacted in the most blatant way now (by invading Ukraine) when NATO is on its doorstep threatening its core interests from within its historic buffer zone of Ukraine. Until we can terraform geography to have perfect buffer zones, or we enlighten ourselves into blissful Bhuddas that can co-exist - geographic red line buffer zones must be taken seriously rather than encroached upon. Every nations security concerns should be dealt with fairly rather than unfairly. The reason for this mess is Western supremacy, imperialistic encirclement and a vassalized Europe that have licked the boot of US foreign policy, and marched in it's shadows, without any thought for a independent foreign policy that may serve it better. This whole US - EU split may help wake them up a little and develop some independence for once.

Nice summary. How can anyone be mad about US and Russia diplomatically coming to the table to stop the war and killing, and more widely mend their relations and defrost this Cold War atmosphere that’s lingering for no good reason. The Biden admin didn’t communicate with Russia for 3 years since the war began, yet Trump has done so in 3 weeks. It’s good Trump is in talks with Russia, it’s bad he’s in talks without the key players involved whose security architecture is affected - Ukraine and the EU more widely. How can Person A and B decide the fate of person C? Perhaps Ukraine and Europe had their chance but showed no sign of being open to engage in talks…Zelenskyy literally signed a decree banning negotiations with Putin. Further to your point about China - it’s positive for war to stop, but not if it’s solely to stop one in order to get ready for the next one. Rubio even mentioned that we are in a era of multipolarity, that doesn’t mean many will happily sit by and do nothing about that changing reality. Wild times with what Trump and Elon (sharing Jeffrey Sachs) are posting:

@PurpleTree You have many people on ignore and love to boast about it lol. It’s just a different opinion or set of facts that maybe counters your narrative. The world’s changing fast, best to keep open minded. You opened a thread saying anyone can post negative neutral or positive info on China. On the previous page I literally said on the China economy point - that’s it’s probably not as good as China says but not as bad as the West says it is. Check out Sirius report or Arnaud Bertrand on X. Good sources on China. Speaking of the devil, a new vid on China advancing in submarine military tech just dropped: News: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/02/12/china-mystery-nuclear-battery-submarine-taiwan-war-us-navy/ https://asiatimes.com/2025/02/chinas-magnetic-tech-can-detect-us-stealth-subs-study/# “China, have unveiled a novel detection method capable of identifying even the stealthiest submarines by tracking their magnetic wakes.” Just as US is dislodging from Europe / Russia so they can focus their attention on the Pacific against China.

Odd how even the Swedish school shooting was barely covered by the usual right wing pundits and X accounts. Had these incidents been by a brown man they’d be raving about immigration.

Way to seem strong in the face of humiliation. Crying at “rules based order” being eroded as if NATO solely existed as a defensive alliance which played by the rules, as if the EU didn’t toe the US narrative and support them on their imperial adventures, as if they follow democratic rules such as when the EU referendum in 2005 was voted against by France and Netherlands - to which they rebranded it as the Lisbon treaty and shoved it through anyway lol. A strong Europe would be a great counter balance to the US and a bridge to the East, along with a strong but healthy USA. Vaselined and vassalized for too long, but this may be the needed kick up the ass.

It's a general truth, that truth is antithetical to power, but not a total or absolute truth. Truth is antithetical to the unethical gain and use of power - which few people are able to do. Truth seekers become trapped in a kind of moral paralysis when they either reject power altogether, retreating into self-righteous purity, or they fall into confusion, unsure how to wield truth and power together without corrupting themselves in the process. Power isn't anti-truth, in fact the truth is empowering. It's usually the case that the ones we view as having power actually don't have it - power has them! Truth simply collapses the options on the playing field of power and wealth. Instead of having a buffet of good and bad ways to obtain them, you are only left with the good. Power isn't inherently bad, just like the hands aren't. The hands just grab and accumulate - in this case power and wealth. It's the vision of the man, the clarity to see what is the right and wrong way to go about using his hands that makes the difference. Why should having better vision paralyze the use of the hands? This becomes a cynical view of power that dis-engages those from power and is a disservice to the world if anything. Because it leaves those who are blind to pursue and wield power with no counter to their corrupting effects.

The irony of calling on others to spend less on military when you spend as much as the next 9 countries combined lol. The fair thing would be to cap spending as a percentage of GDP, not simply cut spending in half. Because if everyone cut spending in half, the US is still spending 9 times as much. Trump is now threatening BRICS nations with 100% tariffs if they stop using the dollar in trade: https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/brics-is-dead-says-trump-as-he-threatens-member-nations-with-100-tariff-125021400094_1.html ''US President Donald Trump has said that Brics was created for a bad purpose and most people don't want it. He said that Brics is dead and reiterated his threat to Brics nations, saying he would impose a 100 per cent tariff on the bloc if they try to replace the US dollar with any other currency.'' If most people don't want BRICS then why is it such a threat to replacing the US dollar as the reserve currency? What a retarded take. This is essentially how the West has played the game - put others down so you can get up and remain there. Like the following: Westerners will say I’m being anti- West, but I’m trying to be as objective as possible - I’m western myself! And when I see the pattern of history including what’s occurring today, it’s obvious who is playing what part in the world as an agent of stabilisation vs destabilisation. I also think we trip up over ourselves with spiral dynamics jargon and have a halo effect over the West - implying other cultures / nations are by default worse off because of being less developed. Let’s not even get into what being developed means. But we spiral dynamics apartheid ourselves against other nations, spiritually circle jerk and give ourselves a self congratulatory pat on the back from a high horse built on foreign skulls. “Progress bro” “We is developed bro”. Lol

@Nivsch I think Bibi gets scapegoated so a larger segment of Israeli society don’t get blamed. I may even add that Bibi is scapegoated so a segment of the US elites don’t get blamed. Bibi is a symptom of the problem: occupation - which requires the dehumanizing of Palestinian people. That dehumanization stems from a superiority complex which is behind a lot of imperial / colonial behaviour. There are many Israelis who think just like Bibi - meaning that this is a societal issue not just a Bibi one. Obviously not all Israelis, but it’s a sizeable portion. If we even just go by the many polls - it’s usually at least half voting in favour of pretty nasty things. There is a smaller portion of Westerners who think Israel’s actions are just. They suffer from the same sickness as Bibi himself.

@PurpleTree Regarding economy - probably not as good as China says, but not as bad as the West says. A good discussion debunking some misconceptions about China (social credit score etc) https://youtu.be/SVicS79Y93Q?si=7LfUl_EnHVmXVazf

Shahid Bolsens analysis in the video above was correct then: Wants his son in law, Kushners fund called Affinity partners to develop Gaza - of which Saudi has invested heavily. This means gulf states will have a say in the deal. But they have made their stance clear regarding the need for a Palestinian state before any normalization and being against displacement. The audacity to speak on Gaza in such a way - as if it’s an investment.

@Ishanga True, shouldn’t be war mongering to that degree either. For most people they want to maintain their distinct identity as a form of belonging. I think another part is that most people don’t really want to be associated with what America stands for vs what it says it does. I was curious to hear JP’s thoughts on this, he just posted : Gonna check it later.

It’s more a reflection of Western hegemony in decline. Some empires fall backwards and inwards, others forward and outwards in a last attempt - US is falling forward. I’m seeing some seemingly intelligent people on Twitter declare how the US is “so back” lol. All these imperial bootlickers including Musk commenting FAFO (fuck around and find out) to Trump supposedly putting many nations (allies included) and institutions on “notice”. Everyone’s like “omg who’s Uncle Sam gonna come after next and put in place” meanwhile it’s the US who has lost its place as the centre of the world. They’re reframing posturing as strength and a L as a W. This empires lashing out because it’s dying out.

@Jodistrict Shahid is awesome. Not sure how often people click on videos that are shared on the forum but his are just next level. This one is also very good on Trump and the late stage of empire:

Two great videos from two intellectual giants with moral clarity - both covering the state of the world: Jeffrey Sachs Chris hedges

Kushner and his fund want to build plush resorts there. Trump prob getting a hard on thinking of his tacky gold plated skyscraper there. Never mind the billions in gas reserves just off the coast. He will cement himself almost as a prophet amongst Israel. Rather than follow the principles of prophet Jesus of Nazareth - Zionists will lick the ass of Trump and not even wipe the orange off. He loves nothing more than ego stroking, even if that means signing off on drone striking innocents in the Middle East.

A interesting comment from a Canadian - the boycotting of US products itself would be impactful. Trumps under the illusion that US can just create everything itself and be self sufficient - of the major imports from Canada potash would be the hardest to get elsewhere at cost and is used as fertilizer for US agriculture. US oil refineries are configured to process Canadian crude. Re-configuring them would be a 5-10 year process and huge investment. Same with lumbar which is used for housing - to get the same quality and quantity with the environmental protections in place is another 5-10 year process. Pretty ballsy to go after something that will cause inflation in two essentials such as housing and food. Energy, in this case oil, basically seeps into the cost of everything. When it comes to Trump it’s best to go by the heuristic : take him seriously but never at his word. Anything he says may just be and often is just a bargaining tactic for other goals. Other than that, he simply wants to reframe the status quo as a win for his own ego, or to posture American strength to the world. This is why the whole game of calling upon troops with Canada and Mexico which had already been agreed upon. Even with Panama, the whole rhetoric of China controlling it is utter nonsense. They simply operate there as any other country can. Imagine crying about international commerce - what a sign of weakness dressing up as strength. It’s like complaining that the kid who opened a hot dog stand on your street is gonna steal your kitchen. With Greenland too, as if the US can’t operate there when Denmark is the most on team loyal partner to the US. They can simply just ask if they want to do something..lol I think in the macro the US empire wants to consolidate control of its hemisphere as it’s lost control of much of the world. This usually happens with empires - they rise on protectionism, liberalise into laissez-fare free trade at their peak, then defensively become more protectionist in their decline against rising powers, by which time it’s too late to reverse the trend. Same thing happened with Britian. The reason they want free trade at their peak is because they have developed enough productive capacity and are confident they can dominate the free market - so they want open markets to sell all their production to.

From 6-8min below: Ex Finance Minster Yanis Varoufakis talking about Europe being a vassal of the US and the US / Ukraine being behind Nord Stream sabotage, to which the Germans just look the other way: Brilliant take on the state of the world from Colonel Douglas McGregor from the 8 min mark below: No wonder he got multiple applauses from the audience compared to others on the panel parroting empire talking points.

It’s one thing for Gazans to move temporarily while they clean up the place of undetonated explosives and rubble, so they can build temporary housing until permanent housing is built which will take much longer. But these fools are calling for a permanent move. Even if they said they need it to be temporary so they can clear up, we all know they wouldn’t take them back. The irony of Trump saying the place has been full of destruction and blood for decades - while sitting next to the man who’s caused it and who’s state has been a behind it..while he grins. They want to bring Kushner and his fund in with the UAE to develop the strip into plush seaside resorts. Not sure the Palestinians are going to just move that easily to begin with, and Egypt / Jordan aren’t going to concede to that either because it will destabilise them also - not to mention that they don’t want to be accomplices in ethic cleansing or lay the groundwork for a future fight with Israel.

Great vid, I subbed to the guy. Trump said UK was workable - perhaps it will be a Atlanticist alliance of US, UK, Canada - with UK and Canada as subordinates, Australia too. Basically the Anglo speaking world. UK and EU will try to balance between US and China/Asia/Middle East as they are in a weaker position and need whatever investment / cheap energy they can get. Australia will balance because they’re literally in Asia itself. US would rather have their partners isolate themselves to the West in order to check mate China - but they seem to be waking up and realising they need a backbone in order to not get stuck between competing super powers and US wanting to vassalize them totally. So if Trumps Mexico and Canada rhetoric is largely posturing over nothing, what about Panama: This is basically a power in relative decline. The US has lost its global dominance so wants to at least consolidate regional dominance in its own backyard - while it can. It’s like a ex champion no longer able to compete for world titles so they settle for defending their local belt. Nothing shows this more than below:

https://m.jpost.com/international/article-840500 It’s tricky with polls because it can depend on the sample size and who was selected etc. Sometimes these polls are used to shape public perception by creating a false sense of consensus. Despite that, a flawed poll can still signal a disturbing dominant narrative in a society - which this shows.