I find the whole notion that having a revolving door government is a measure of democracy is absurd beyond belief. You want power of recall, and the ability to hold the government accountable. Simply shuffling who's in charge doesn't accomplish that.
37
Chinese doctors to provide free surgeries for 600 cataract patients in Zimbabwe
(english.scio.gov.cn)
A fun fact about Russian economy is that state industry plays a fairly dominant role there. A 2023 World Bank study gives a pretty good overview. In particular, it distinguishes between businesses of the state (BOS), that are at least 10% government owned by some government, and state owned enterprises (SOE), which are majority owned or more, and controlled, by the government.
Top line result is shown in the following chart:
And here's another chart showing SOE in Russia compared with China https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/state-owned-enterprises-global-economy-reason-concern
Russia is also an autarky being self sufficient in all the necessities. If rich people decide to flee west once the relations improve, it likely would be a good thing for Russia overall.
I think the fact that we are seeing a sort of a nazi coming out party now is worrisome though. Obviously they don't have to be flaunting the fact that they are fascists to do fascist things. However, what this shows is that there is broad societal support for open fascism and it's no longer taboo to identify as a fascist.
Unfortunately, a lot of people bought into the whole narrative how people in the US are living their best lives. Meanwhile, older people of having lived in USSR, and they know what it was like from personal experience. I do expect this will start changing going forward cause of the rift with the west, and China becoming more prominent in terms of Russian politics. Interestingly, there's now a lot of tourism from Russia to DPRK happening now too, and most people have positive things to say about it.
perfect analogy
45
They're just going to continue avoiding calling it a nazi salute aren't they
(www.thedailybeast.com)
26
GT investigates: How does USAID use aid to interfere with and 'brainwash' recipients?
(www.globaltimes.cn)
I think it's more than just a shift in rhetoric because they've already met and both sides said the talks were productive. This is a genuine attempt to resume dialog and diplomacy that was completely absent during Biden years. This should be understated.
Exactly, millions of people are falling out of the liberal mainstream right now. They're becoming open to new ideas as a result, and unless communists can present them with a narrative that resonates with them, then they will inevitably move right.
I think it's sober in a sense that it recognizes that Ukraine is just a pawn in relations between US and Russia, something that western media refused to admit up to no.
What's really funny here is that libs managed to make Trump look like a sophisticated negotiator by comparison.
The fact that the US is talking directly to Russia and is clearly trying to normalize relations is a monumental shift in policy.
34
Almost 90% of Japanese companies see Trump as bad for business, Reuters survey shows
(www.reuters.com)
19
Jeffrey Sachs explains how Jake Sullivan refused to say publicly what he admitted privately about Ukraine in NATO
(peertube.mesnumeriques.fr)
Yeah, that was confirmed earlier.