Expanding the Legacy
Campaign Fun Facts
The Republican campaign for the presidency is being shredded by an epic catfight between Trump groupies vying for the love and attention of their idol. Get the popcorn! Also: Kamala Harris Takes Advice from Chinese Sage and American Cheapskates Fail to Pay Up for Defence of Ukraine.
Turmoil to Erupt Regardless US Election Outcome
Whichever way US voters decide on election day, it’s the day after that causes most concern. A win by Donald Trump is unlikely to be contested by his opponents but promises to usher in a man who vowed to don the mantle of a dictator on his first day in office. Conversely, it is a foregone conclusion that a loss will be bitterly contested by Mr Trump.
Battling the Odds: Somaliland Still Denied Recognition
It has all the trappings of a country - a government and parliament, army, courts, elections, passports, and a currency - but it doesn’t feature on any map other than as a terra incognita marked by a speculative broken line. However, this geographic entity has been in existence since 1991, yet the wider world stoically denies its existence. Somaliland seceded from greater Somalia in 1991 after that country’s dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, a major general who seized power in a 1969 coup, responded to local unrest by unleashing his army on the region and dismantling the economic and political power base of the Isaaq clan which had dominated the area since Medieval times.
Don’t Expect the Debate to Clinch the Deal Either Way
The showdown between the two contenders for the US presidency produced only winners. Campaign staffers on both sides declared their candidate victorious. To gauge who actually came out ahead, it is telling that mere minutes after both debaters had finished their closing arguments, Democratic campaign leader Jen O’Malley Dillon released a statement saying that Kamala Harris is ready for a second debate next month and asking, rhetorically, if Donald Trump would be up for that. He is believed to mull the question.
‘Super Mario’ Raises Alarm over Sluggish EU Economy
MEGA: Make Europe Great Again. Mario Draghi knows how to do that. Yesterday, the former president of the European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled his report on the Old World’s many ailments and the cures het prescribes. Mr Draghi presented the study to Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission which manages the affairs of the European and serves as its executive branch.
The Parallel Universe that Threatens China
Once-upon-a-time it was believed that the prosperity generated by an economy was linked to the measure of freedom a society enjoyed. The belief held that liberal free societies would enjoy a greater growth in prosperity than those ruled by authoritarians. Then China came along and proved all that wrong: growth and affluence could be delivered by a totalitarian regime - and in spades.
For Fun and Profit: Poking and Provoking ‘The System’
US right-wing podcast host and social media influencer Darryl Cooper probably personifies all that can go wrong when a little bit of knowledge merges with scepticism unbound in a mind wrecked by paranoia and hell-bent on causing disruption.. In his own words, Mr Cooper likes to post “provocative shit” to see how close he can “step up” to various lines without crossing them. It turns out that the lines are fluid or even non-existent in Mr Cooper’s lucrative business model: he merrily keeps pushing the limits regardless the absurdity he steps into and onto.
European Defence Spending Set to Reach €300 Billion
Whilst you were not looking, a new regional superpower has emerged in Europe. Poland is determined to build the third-largest NATO army, eclipsing France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom by a wide margin. Earlier this week, foreign minister Radoslaw Sikoski announced that Poland will immediately boost its defence expenditure, already amongst the highest in NATO, to a full five percent of its GDP. Mr Sikorski justified the increase by noting that the ‘Cold War peace’ has ended. Army chief of staff General Wieslaw Kukula echoed the sentiment: “We need to prepare, and be ready to fight, an all-out conflict.”
The Sense and Nonsense of the Luddites
Luddites thrive on nostalgia and a fear of technological progress. However, before dismissing them as sentimental fools, it would be wise to consider a few of their more reasoned arguments, especially in light of the advent of artificial intelligence. To some, AI is but the latest iteration of the much touted ‘paperless office’, the big promise of the 1980s which never quite materialised. In fact, the world’s offices are inhabited by more paper shufflers than ever before.
The Dogma Fuelling the War in Ukraine
The consensus amongst Putin whisperers in the United States and Europe is that the small man at the big table may be eventually be pacified once he sees and feels the folly of his misventure in Ukraine. In this reading of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin is but an opportunist, seizing the day and the moment (and land) whenever and wherever he can. By denying Mr Putin opportunity, so the narrative continues, he will eventually cease and desist since the price of war will have become too high or even unaffordable.
