Why is that abstract, but redrawing borders on a map isn't?

he shits the bed

At this point I can't tell if you mean that literally or figuratively

Hey, NAFOids don't call it "The New Orc Times" for nothing

It's just an old boys' club with a few onion layers of academia wrapped around to make it less obvious

Based on your instance, I'm adding this as another data point to my hypothesis that programmers in general have some of the dumbest takes on (geo)politics

Also gotta love how he pivoted his economy. Putin is running the economy and the war all by himself, just like Xi and Kim, and Stalin before them. Anything they can do to contribute to the scary evil dictator image

Even so, the presence of a capitalist world hegemon is the biggest factor stifling anti-capitalist movements at the moment.

Even if the end of US unipolarity leads eventually to unipolarity for another capitalist power, the transition period in between these two situations will have a higher revolutionary potential and can prevent another capitalist world hegemon from ever emerging.

Just like the posts about Ukraine losing are nothing but Russian propaganda

/s

By and large, tech workers specifically are some of the least amenable to class consciousness I have ever seen- believe me, I’ve tried.

Same here. I swear, working in tech as a communist will drive you insane sooner or later. All the colleagues I've worked with range from grindset hustlers, "work hard" types who gladly chug the corporate koolaid, liberals who conscientiously read mainstream media to "stay informed and not fall for propaganda" i.e. towing the US line on Ukraine, Palestine, China etc - all the way to manosphere chuds, anti-communists and ancap cryptobros and, presumably, crypto-fascists.

I've tried spreading a little class consciousness here and there, but it's hard and if you use a word that sounds just slightly socialist, the discussion is over most of the times.

The incentives to radicalize are just not there. The pay is relatively good, KPIs and decent raises and title changes give you the impression of meritocracy, the job tends to be mentally draining, and often tech workers are passionate about tech and have it as a hobby in their free time. So this usually means less paying attention to current events beyond the easily accessible mainstream news (because it's easier to stay in the same tech context in your spare time, or just chill), and more belief that the system is working and that the poors can be disregarded because it's their failure, not a systemic issue.

10 years ago: millenials order too much avocado toast at the brunch restaurant, of course they're poor

Now: gen Z make too much avocado toast at home, of course they're poor

The risk is that other EU countries would adopt similar policies and create long-term problems for Taiwan and its 24 million citizens to freely determine their future.

More like create problems for the US to freely determine Taiwan's future

Serious question though, can it still count as self-determination? Afaik the pro-reunification/pro-PRC side has been suppressed for decades, especially at the start of the occupation, and Taiwan is constantly bombarded with anti-PRC propaganda, all thanks to the US

If we pretend history doesn't exist and we do what libs did e.g. in Gaza assuming it all started on Oct 7, then sure, people want to separate from the PRC, they should do it

But this ignores how they got into that position and what "independence" entails (becoming another Ukraine). You get pushed into a direction and then you're made to think you got there of your own accord

This is the second deranged piece they put out on this topic, after this one (probably the same thing though, given the dates).

The United States needs strategic clarity toward Taiwan, including an explicit pledge to defend Taiwan from an unprovoked Chinese invasion

Ok cool, so that means they won't lift a finger, right, because it says "unprovoked"? 🤡

prevent a conventional war that could escalate

consider extending its [US] nuclear umbrella over Taiwan

So they recommend avoiding conventional war and threatening to fire nukes first - sounds like them admitting (again) that they can't beat China in a conventional war. Yet they're so unhinged and trigger-happy about nukes.

plan for possible US nuclear use, and help prepare Taiwan to operate effectively after a nuclear detonation

Fucking ghouls. Basically "Make sure we can still use the island for military operations after we get it glassed". They're ready to irreparably damage Taiwan even more than they've enabled in Ukraine.

Just how much influence does the Atlantic Council have over NATO decisions? From what I heard, it's fair to say "a lot" but I couldn't find much info. Do these people end up taking important positions in NATO?