Not that I think this is likely, but a part of me wonders if the US and France are telling “Israel” they need to wrap up a ceasefire with Hezbollah and by extension stop the genocide in Gaza, but only because they plan on majorly ramping up in Ukraine before Trump takes office.

Hard to imagine Biden ever getting tough with Israel, but I was expecting to see NATO look for an off ramp with Russia by now, not escalation.

No. I have seen estimates that it would take at least 10 years of concerted effort to ramp up US production to that scale.

And should the US try something - like a naval blockade of China as I don’t think the US will attempt to ignite a direct, “hot”war - those relationships with the global south will matter a great deal. Those land connections based in the BRI will serve as lifeline for China to access the rest of Asia and point beyond in that scenario.

“A Kubrick stare involves an actor looking out from under the brow line and tilting their head towards the camera. Sometimes, the actor will smile in a sinister fashion. It is often used to convey that a character has become dangerously mentally unstable… It often heralds that something "intense" will soon take place”

It really is that simple.