Western 'DEI' university ranking system versus real hard science ranking system

 The much hyped western university ranking systems, apart from being very subjective and western biased, are in many ways similar to the 'DEI' distribution system, based on feel good factors and not meritocracy. DEI stands for Diversity, Equity and Inclusivity.  DEI is a spin off from Wokism in practice. And the forces behind this movement are so powerful that American culture and life, embracing every entity, every aspect of life, the economy, administration, the military, universities etc etc are invaded and compromised, with rainbow warriors everywhere, with people of colours, women, LGBTQ given priority and special considerations for employment and advancement. 

This DEI stuff maybe why America is in rapid decline, when people are hired, promoted, placed in high positions, not on merits but to meet the quota of DEI and to be politically correct. Theoretically it is a feel good phenomenon for equality of colour, sexes, age and whatever. It is meant to be a happy combination, a happy formula for all. The western university ranking system has a lot in common with the DEI thinking. Universities must have this and that to be ranked highly, academic excellence is only one of many factors.

Trump and Musk are on a crusade to dismantle this DEI thing and many top dogs in the administration, in the military perceived to be where they are because of DEI are being chopped, sacked on the spot. Top on the list are the black and women generals. 

Under the DEI western university system, and coupled with the huge western biased, practically all the top universities are American or western universities. The top Chinese or Asian universities barely qualified ot be in the elite list. And all the top universities either were living on their past glories, with little academic excellence to prove, or those that knew how to game the system, by adding all the 'DEI' factors to score and to stay in the top of the ladder.

There are now alternative university ranking that used hard data, like academic excellence, top quality research papers in science and engineering, not masak masak field of studies, and Chinese universities are now ranked in the top ten, sweeping away all the American or British Ivy League universities.  The Chinese universities are now the top producers of high quality academic and scientific papers, not degree mill toilet papers. When real substance counts, when STEM disciplines are what that matters, the Chinese universities ranked right at the top. 

Trump and Musk are doing the right thing if they want America to be great again by removing the not so great but looking pretty people, picked under DEI criteria and put the real talents in the jobs. If this trend holds, the feel good 'DEI' university ranking system would also go the way of the dodo birds.

Below is a table from Wikipedia on the ranking of universities in Engineering alone. The world in the future depends on hard sciences, engineering, maths and high tech. To be good in AI, quantum physics, rocket science, being good in talking cock, in smooth talkings, twist and turns with words, hair splitting, would only win an argument in Congress or in the Senate as a pyrrhic victory at most. No amount of lies, misinformation, fake information can make a country great. High ranking universities based on DEI criteria are as good as Hollywood stuff, fiction with little substance.

Engineering

2024	University	Country
01	Tsinghua University	China
02	Zhejiang University	China
03	Harbin Institute of Technology	China
04	Shanghai Jiao Tong University	China
05	Nanyang Technological University	Singapore
06	Xi'an Jiaotong University	China
07	Huazhong University of Science and Technology	China
08	University of Science and Technology of China	China
09	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	US
10	Tianjin University	China
11	Southeast University	China
12	Central South University	China
13	South China University of Technology	China
14	Northwestern Polytechnical University	China
15	Chongqing University	China
16	Tongji University	China
17	Georgia Institute of Technology	US
18	Beijing Institute of Technology	China
19	Stanford University	US
20	Beijing Institute of Technology	China

Source Wikipedia

Ukraine War - Pruning the European powers

 Europe is a bigger threat to the American hegemony with Russia in the G8. Russia had been kicked out to weaken the power of Europe to challenge the American dominance. But the Americans are still not comfortable seeing Europe still growing in strength while the American industries are weakening, other than the Military Industrial Complex. European economies cannot grow stronger than the American's. This same logic has been applied to Japan and now to China. American hegemony is what matters to the Americans.

Taking down Russia is not the only objective of the Ukraine War. In the name of taking down Russia, and also China, Europe is being taken down with their economies heading into recession with many big European companies facing bankruptcies. In the case of Ukraine, there is no better formula to let the Slavs killed each other with the Americans selling them all the weapons they need and with the Nazi Slavs happily doing the killing and dying without knowing the American plan to their destruction. 

Ukraine is dispensable, Ukrainians are also expendable and exchanging Ukrainian lives with Russians in whatever ratio, and with the Ukrainians and Europeans paying for them is sheer genius. When most of the Ukrainians are dead or gone, Ukraine and all its land and resources are up for grabs. Ukraine would be so indebted to the Americans and Europeans that selling their pants and underwear would still not be enough. Clown Zelensky thought all the aids were free and keep on asking and asking as if there is no tomorrow. And this fool has still not wakened up to the tragedy he created for Ukraine and the Ukrainians.

Let's turn to Europe. The Americans are in economic decline and hanging on to only a handful of industries when they are still marginally ahead. Instead of trying to out compete with China and with Europe, the American's only game is to put them all down, yes, to blow out everyone's candle.  Obviously, this childish strategy of the Washington clowns is not working. But in a way it is succeeding against the Europeans and Japan, though failing against Russia and China. Europe and the G7 countries are gasping for air. Cannot buy or sell to China and Russia, cannot buy cheap Russian oil and gas. 

Europe depends heavily on trade and trade needs cheap energy. The Americans are forcing them instead to buy expensive energy, several times more expensive than what they got from Russia. And they have no choice but to do as told by the Americans. How could Europe survive when the enemy is from within, ie the American control NATO?

The Ukraine War may not have weakened Russia, but Europe and the Americans also got to sell all their junk weapons to Ukraine in exchange for a big chunk of Ukrainian land. Also helped to decimate a lot of Slavs, Ukrainian and Russian Slavs on both sides of the war, without sacrificing a single American life. Caveat, the mercenaries and contractors and unknown Special Forces that would not be counted.

Well done, Washington clowns! Europe is a done deal.

Africans could see through the American lies better than others

 The fact that Xi did not attend Trump's inauguration despite being invited sends a clear message to Trump. Xi obviously could not stand the 'vagina' mouth spitting nonsense in his ears. On the other hand, some uninvited 'guests' even needed to go to the inauguration hoping to pick up some scraps thrown by Trump. China does not have to be there to be looked down upon and to pick up scraps. China can compete, survive and prosper on its own initiative and at its own pace.

The Africans have been complaining about Western leaders visiting Africa and wanting only to smear China. Everything China does in Africa is bad for the Africans. Building infrastructures, railways and roads, opening up mines, providing cheap loans is being fabricated as debt traps. The Africans can see all the developments under their noses that are bringing positive results, the increase trade among African countries making good use of new transportation lines and are sick and tired of all the Western propaganda intending to divide and rule. They could see the realities versus the fabrications and are wising up.

It is ironic that Africans can see which country is buttering their bread, while some countries outside the supposedly called 'dark continent' are still content to be made used of despite being taken to the cleaners.

Anonymous

Trump thinks everyone is stupid and he is the smart one

 We do not yet know whether Putin will agree with what Trump is proposing in Ukraine. This is just a one-sided gloating, just like tariffs are to punish China and every Tom, Dick and Harry. It is just a self-proclamation to uplift his own falling ego. The whole world, including three-year old kids, know who are going to pay for those tariffs and it is not China or any other country.

The greatest blessing of all must be that BRICS and the Global South market can afford those countries facing tariffs by the USA to do trade with the Global South itself for their exports, not just the USA and the EU. To put it more bluntly, even the EU is distancing itself from the USA, with two European states wanting to join BRICS - Serbia and Turkey. Turkey had tried for years to be accepted into the EU, but had been pushed aside, just like India. But Turkey is in NATO (which I consider to be European) and Putin must be wary of Turkey having split loyalties like India.

Why would Putin even want to accept the USA in Ukraine, or even NATO expanding into Ukraine, when all along he knew there was a nefarious agenda behind the move. It would defeat the purpose of having the war and all the sacrifices. What is going to happen once Trump is no longer the President? The USA could easily go back on its words, tear up any agreement just like after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Just listen to what Trump is boasting about not caring even if he breaks the rules to take what he wants. Oh, the rules are for others to follow, not the USA by the way.

Trump just wants desperately to punish China by hook or by crook but is falling into a trap he dug for himself. Trump has to extend his tariffs to every country that have Chinese investments and punishing them the same manner as punishing China. Every country could mean the whole world, since Chinese investments are worldwide, not just in rich countries of the West. That is making friends and allies extremely wary of the USA and pushing them closer towards China I would say. It is making the USA more isolated. But that is what Trump wants after all. Trump can lure all the manufacturing back to the USA, but can he realistically think the USA can produce anything cheaper than China to sell to the rest of the world? Stupidity has no cure really.

Anonymous

President Xi is not going to talk to Trump

 Trump wants to talk to Xi, but in the meantime the USA State Department is removing a clause that says it does not support Taiwan independence. This has been the modus operandi of the USA leaders all along, just before meeting their Chinese counterpart, trying to show that it is in a position of strength. Now, Xi is not going to talk to Trump ever, in the face of such provocative behavior.

In the face of this, China and Russia are not buying Trumps delusional call to cut military spending by as much as 50%. In fact, China and Russia should increase their military spending. No sweat, as these two are not spending an arm and a leg like the USA does, and the USA is probably finding it too expensive and heavy a burden to continue spending more and more with less and less returns due to corruption and no clear-headed direction. (China and Russia should spend more on defence. It is the Americans that should cut their overblown defence budget. If the Americans continue to expand their military budget, China and Russia should increase their military budget to bankrupt the Americans.) How much did the USA lost in Afghanistan after a 20-year misadventure that achieved nothing. It was a US$2 trillion black hole that still befuddled analysts about the purpose. Even some of the USA military leaders are unable to understand the reasons for getting involved in Afghanistan in the first place.

It has further been reported that there are trillions unaccounted for by the Pentagon over the years. Some of the money had probably been channeled into conducting regime changes, paying protestors, funding radicalized NGOs through NED and of course the ripping off by military contractors blindly. (Not to forget how much have gone into the pockets of politicians in Washington. Everyone is dipping into the defence budget. This is the main reason why they are increasing the defence budget like no tomorrow.)

Now, non-elected President Elon Musk is calling for an audit of the Pentagon, under his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is expected to cut back on spending. The DOGGIES have uncovered corruptions and unnecessary spendings in many Federal agencies and Musk is getting lots of credit for ferreting them out. Talk about good dogs with sensitive noses. These savings will undoubtedly be diverted towards funding Trump's tax cuts for the super-rich, of which he and Musk are among them.

Secret plans are no secret if you just follow the money trail.

Anonymous

China's home bred maths talents cannot be put down by sanctions or bans

 Now the USA needed urgently to pass laws to kill Rednote and DeepSeek since it cannot compete with them. Instead of taking up the challenge to innovate in order to compete, the USA is basically taking the easy way out by banning, sanctioning and threatening. Raising tariffs to high heaven is not going to encourage innovation. More likely it is going to stifle innovation in the US going forward.

China has benefitted largely because the USA is behaving like an ostrich, burying its head in the sand when facing danger. The head may be saved by being in the sand, but the body will be at the mercy of the predator.

DeepSeek was the big shock that the USA encountered. And the other bigger shock was that DeepSeek was the brainchild of just a couple of young graduates from China's own universities, not the kind of innovation that depended on 'long in the tooth' old timers unable to think out of the box.

According to Kevin Walmsley, the USA could not believe that top Chinese Universities were turning out such outstanding students and tried to dig deeper into the issue, trying to find out whether there were people educated in Western Universities teaming up with them and providing the expertise to help them. They were disappointed that the brains behind DeepSeek's innovation all came solely from top Chinese Universities, Beijing and Tsinghua, all without any education derived from Western Universities.

Not being convinced they dug even deeper to try to find out whether the Professors who taught these geeks were culled from Western Universities and research establishments and imparting their knowledge to these young Chinese scientists. They found out that those professors were themselves all cohorts from Chinese Universities.

Now there is an awakening about Global University rankings that failed to take into account the research papers written by Chinese University researchers just because they were all written in Chinese. The realization struck them like a bolt of lightning. They only started realizing this when China became the dominant player in high-speed rail construction, EVs, batteries, shipbuilding, space exploration, telecommunications and catching up in aviation, semiconductors and nuclear research and development.

Too little too late I would say. Even without any Mainland Chinese Nobel Prize winners in any category to gloat about, China is producing cutting edge technology in many fields. Too much arrogance, too deeply entrenched in superiority complex mentality and looking down on China for far too long is a price to be paid by the USA today.

Anonymous

West Bank - Netanyahu's massacre of the Palestinians about to start

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to carry out an "intensive" operation in the West Bank after explosions on buses close to Tel Aviv on Thursday (Feb 20), in what Netanyahu's office described as an attempted mass attack.

No casualties were reported.

The Israeli police earlier said there had been explosions on three buses in two Israeli suburbs outside Tel Aviv and that four explosive devices had been found. Local media reported the explosions had occurred on buses in depots and were empty.

The explosions were a stark reminder of the devastating bus bombings in Israel that were a hallmark of the Palestinian uprising of the 2000s, although such attacks are now rare.  CNA

Netanyahu and his savages are planning to start another Gaza Genocide in the West Bank. More and more fabricated news and false flag incidents would happen, and the blame would be on the Palestinians to justify another round of genocide to completely wipe out the Palestinians from Israeli occupied Palestine.

Who is behind all the fake bombings and attacks need no further guessing. The Israelis may even sacrifice a few dead Israelis like they did in the 7 Oct Incident and launched another big invasion of the West Bank. And the Americans as usual would provide all the weapons for the massacre. Actually, Trump had already authorised it and billions worth of weapons already moving into Israel in preparation of the next genocide. The western media would keep mum, may even support the genocide knowing that the incidents were fakes, committed by the Israelis.

And the UN would make a few noises and nothing to stop the genocide. This is the fate of weak and divided Palestinians and the Arabs in general. One by one, they would all be taken out and their countries lost. The creation of a Greater Israel is as sure as the sun will rise. Similarly, the destruction of the Arab states. 

In the meantime, the Arabs can only talk and cry, and even go to Washington to beg the Americans, the mastermind behind the grabbing of their lands, thinking and believing that the Americans would save them. Inshaallah!

'The United Nations rights chief said on Thursday (Feb 20) the parading of the bodies of hostages in Gaza was abhorrent and flew in the face of international law.' CNA. Wow, really, what about the genocide of more than half a million women and children in Gaza? Great fun?

US and EU markets versus Global South markets

 For those countries still trying, thinking and dreaming that the USA and EU are their markets to aim for, they are delusional. How much do they expect to sell in the USA and EU compared to the Global South and BRICS? How big is the population of the USA and EU compared to the Global South?

After all the exposure by Rednote, countries must realize that people in the USA and the West are no longer the norm in having most of the spending power. Some living in USA needs two to three jobs to pay for food and a roof over their heads, not to talk about having anything left to afford spending on other things. That era is gone, and this is the century of wealth migrating to the East. Of course, the top 1% are still going to be counted and being gloated about in the USA and the West compared with other countries in the East.

When businesses in Asia, Europe or USA talk about spending, they often mention Japanese and Chinese tourist as valuable customers with spending power. China is a big market for Western big names and its importance is not to be sniffed at. It would not be far-fetched to say that almost any Global big name has a strong foothold in China, in a market they cannot do without.

They used to say that 'when the USA sneezes, the world catches a cold'. This is no longer the truth. Trump can gloat about bringing back manufacturing back to the USA, sanctioning companies that refused to do manufacturing inside the USA, erecting high tariffs against imports all to no avail. The USA must match its ambitions with realistic capability to carry them out. The USA does not control raw materials needed, does not have the logistics to refine them, does not have the skilled manpower to carry out the rebuilding, does not have the capability to produce cheap enough goods to compete on the global market. Talking and boasting is easy, doing it is not that simple. How long are all these going to take to come to fruition? By the time the next administration takes over, it is still in evaluation stage.

Anonymous

India US relations as tight as the Modi hug while Indonesia is replacing India in BRICS

 Modi probably will tell Trump - Slap baby slap. Modi has a thick beard to absorb the pain and a thick skin that does not feel any shame. He will probably spin it as success, having hugged Trump so tightly. India and USA will have another ''iron clad' relationship to tout about going forward, when India is needed to sabotage BRICS and break away from Russia to weaken the bloc.

It does not matter really if India leaves the bloc, as India has no way out but to use the US$ for its trade that runs counter to the agenda of BRICS. What is the purpose of having a member that is sleeping with the enemy inside the bloc?

Oh, just in case India leaves BRICS, keep the 'I' for Indonesia or Iran. Now, am I a conspiracy theorist for thinking that student unrest in Indonesia now ongoing is not due to outside instigation? Indonesia joining BRICS is rattling someone with the resources and motivation to conduct a regime change in Indonesia. Make a guess who would that be?

If Indonesia cracks down on those student protesters, the next stage would be condemnation by the West, accused of using force against students and curbing human rights, proceeded by calling for sanctions. Everybody knows what is in the playbook of you know who.

Anonymous

China is winning the tech war quietly

 The problem is the USA always like to hype their superiority in everything, while China hides its superiority and only reveals them when it is time to do so and gives the USA a shock and awe.

It is a good strategy by China. Keep the enemy at arm's length and never try to point out their mistakes. Just like the 6th generation fighter jet and the Fujian aircraft carrier. How good they are can only be guessed at by the USA just looking at test flights and sea trials using satellite photos to gauge. What they are saying is of course those are junks, not up to standard and cannot compare to the USA F35s and nuclear subs. As if those so-called analysts are testing them in real time.

China is constructing two new nuclear aircraft carriers now being spotted and reported, with China just keeping mum, which will undoubtedly again be construed as incomparable to the Gerald R. Ford. Let them be lulled into a false sense of security. The test of the pudding is in the eating, not the gloating.

What we have witnessed so far is that China has decimated the USA, Japan and South Korea's car industry. China has levelled the playing field in space exploration. China has manufactured the best drones that are coveted by many countries. China is the frontrunner in high-speed rail construction, which even the Japanese are unable to overcome. China has beaten the world in infrastructure building. China has already dominated the shipbuilding industry. China is at the top of the ranks in telecommunication technology, in mobile phone competition. China is going for the aviation sector, semiconductor and is winning the AI war.

Let the USA and the West continue to look down upon Chinese innovation. China has nothing to lose and everything to gain from such superiority complex trotted out by the West.

Anonymous

China going all out in the AI race

 DeepSeek is not just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many other Chinese AI developers at work in China, all competing against each other. There will arise more iceberg tips for the USA AI developers to overcome and navigate.

Xi Jinping just had a meeting with all the leaders of technology companies in China, including Jack Ma, and this shows the priority that Xi is placing to position and inculcate moves to make China conquer the AI sector as well.

Apple is already aware of how fast the AI sector is moving in China by tying up with Alibaba's Qwen for its iPhone development in China going forward. China is the market that is still important for Apple, which is why such a move by Apple is necessary. USA AI developers are not going to find any foothold in China, even knowing that this is the one market that they are coveting.

Moreover, in other parts of the world, with DeepSeek's open source and Alibaba's Qwen also open source, China is going to corner the market for AI usage in BRICS and the Global South. What does that leave for USA AI developers? They were investing hundreds of billions hoping to reap the benefits but is now having to lick their wounds and considering whether to pour in further hundreds of billions into a useless black hole.

Anonymous

Musk is auditing Fort Knox...is there gold in Fort Knox would soon be revealed

 The circus in the White House is coming to an end. The successive American Presidents were really clowning around thinking that they were the Presidents of the USA but actually were kept in the dark, ignorant of many things in the country. They could sign presidential decrees or orders, thump their chests, threaten countries with wars, sanctions etc etc, but did not know what is happening at home, like how the money are being spent or smuggled to fill someone's pocket, how effective are their weapons and military might, or how much gold is there in Fort Knox. They have no control over the American assassination arm, the CIA.

So far, Musk has done a great job in exposing the scale and widespread corruption in many state departments, including past presidents and top politicians. It is looking so ugly. After firing so many staff in USAID, FBI and CIA, the victims would dare not complain or resist as they know their guilt and corrupt practices have been exposed and would have been hung them high and dry. They simply slip away to avoid being charged and jailed.

Now comes the interesting part, is there any gold in Fort Knox. This has been the biggest mystery surrounding the gold, owned by America and foreign countries kept for safe keeping in the Fort. Have they been stolen, smuggled out and really nothing is left in the Fort? The behaviour of the guardians of the precious metal is suspicious and saying the gold is not there. Several countries have asked to have their gold back but rejected with flimsy excuses. Can you believe it, owners of the gold have no right to take them back. 

It has also been reported that Britain is quietly sending huge amount of gold to America recently. Why? To keep up the facade and pretence that the gold is still there, by topping up some for show?

Trump the gangster is not going to be fooled by the Deep State like the other presidents. He wants to know the truth and to hang the masterminds behind this deceit, lying to the presidents, making them look like a puppet on a string, and pulling the string from behind. When the lie about the gold is exposed, many heads will roll.

Caveat, Musk is able to walk into Fort Knox and do the necessary checks. One thing for sure, Musk and Trump are living dangerously.

Dictator Zelensky is going to meet with a friendly accident... and be history

 The whole USA Government is a massive lying machine or collection of lying robots on steroids, from one administration to the next.

What happened to all the gloating about 'iron-clad relationship' by Joe Biden that gets thrown out of the window under Trump when the shit hits the fan? Oh, never mind, Joe Biden does not remember a thing. Zelenskyy is now being thrown under the bus decisively. The EU is being thrown under the bus intentionally. Canada is being thrown under the bus unexpectedly. India, as a member of QUAD, is also being thrown under the bus reciprocally by asking for it.

All the above countries have been given the assurances by the previous administration, at one time or another, that their relationship with the USA is 'iron clad'. But when they are no longer useful, having served their purposes, they are all designated for the dustbin, together with the iron chains around their wrist and neck.

Zelenskyy had been to Washington multiple times, even given the platform to speak in Congress, being given all the aid and weapons to fight for the USA in Ukraine. What did the USA do to him now? He is not even allowed to participate in the peace talks between USA and Russia. Imagine a country fighting for its survival and not being allowed to participate in peace talks is indeed mind boggling to say the least. Zelenskyy is not calling the shots definitely and to add insult to injury, is now called a dictator. This clearly indicates that the Ukraine War was and is nothing less than the USA going against Russia.

The EU had even sacrificed themselves to support the USA in helping Ukraine. These are close allies of the USA since WW2, but it means nothing to the USA to throw them under the bus. The whole EU economy is on the edge of a cliff and the USA is pushing it over the cliff. It is no use crying over spilt milk now for the Germans, French and others, being economically decimated and getting insulted at the same time for being irrelevant. No, they are also not in the peace talks between USA and Russia, despite all the sacrifices, which the USA now just consider as collateral damage. Whatever happened to all the shouting on rooftops about 'iron clad defense' that amounts to nothing? For that the Europeans have to blame the pro-USA Trojan Horses in the EU leadership like Ursula von de Leyen and her entourage.

Having said that, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Philippines have also been given assurances of having 'iron clad' chains around their wrists and necks. They are still useful when the USA is pivoting towards a war with China. Perhaps they should learn a lesson by looking at the EU and Ukraine in all their faded glory.

Anonymous

Modi bowed to Emperor Trump and will exit BRICS

 India cannot benefit being in BRICS because Indian rupees are shunned by the other members of BRICS, particularly Russia and, of course, China. The Indian rupee has fallen over the cliff lately and who in his right mind would want to keep rupees to trade with India.

De-dollarization means conducting trade outside of the US$, in other country's currency, which India is unable to do so. Otherwise, what is BRICS being created for? India will only be able to deal with trade in US$ and it has to bow to the USA, even if it means being thrown under the bus. India has no leverage dealing with the USA but have to continue to use the US$, a stance that is diametrically opposed to the agenda of BRICS. India is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Modi thought that being early, uninvited at that, to pay respect to the emperor will give him an advantage and possible exemption over tariffs. He was blindsided, as Trump had already complained earlier that India was the 'Tariff King', which gives him the early opportunity to retaliate.

Many in India are criticizing the slight and shame that Modi failed to gain anything by meeting with Trump and instead got clobbered with reciprocal tariffs and being forced to buy more from the USA to reduce the USA's trade deficit with India. The USA is forcing India to buy weapons like the F35 and other weapons, which if it goes ahead, is going to hold India hostage by being tied to USA expertise needed to service those weapons like the trouble-prone F35 and split the India/Russia alliance that had been forged for decades.

In the face of this, Putin is not going to sit by and watch twiddling his thumb. Energy flow to India is not going to remain cheap as before and India would also be forced to buy highly expensive energy as well from the USA to reduce its deficit. What then will be India's future in BRICS? India leaving BRICS is also one of the items on the USA's playbook to weaken the bloc.

Anonymous

Putin is not Gorbachev. The USA is never to be trusted

 Having severed the relatively good relations between China and the EU, the USA under Trump now wants to split the Russia and China close relationship as well.

Putin ought to look seriously at the problems of the EU and how the Europeans have been made used of and discarded like a soiled plastic bag by the USA. Is he going to be next? The USA is never to be trusted - as in the past, at present and in future. Trump will even sell his grandmother to fulfil his desire to control the world.

Putin also has to look back at how the breakup of the Soviet Union and its treatment at the hands of NATO, with Gorbachev having an agreement with NATO that the latter will not expand an inch Eastward, which had been ignored and brushed aside, resulting in the present situation in Ukraine. NATO had plans to expand into Russia's front yard to enable the USA to place weapons in Ukraine to threaten Moscow. Trump may be saying that Ukraine's desire to join NATO is not on the table now, to soften Putin, but what about the next USA administration? The USA playbook is always making use of such tactics to gain advantage and let the next administration walk back on the agreement.

Putin must also consider to what extent the USA would use measures to garner any advantage by hook or by crook. The USA had unilaterally pulled out of nuclear treaties with the Russians to discreetly expand its nuclear weapons program. The USA had forced the Germans to discard the completion of the Nord Stream 2 project threatening sanctions, and when the Russians completed the pipelines itself, the USA even went ahead to bomb the pipelines.

Putin must also not forget about the US$300 billion seized by the EU and USA and how to unravel the reciprocal seizure of Western assets in Russia that are now in Russian and Chinese hands. Putin must also remember that in this world, there are no permanent friends, only permanent enemies. Russia must not forget the indignity of being thrown out of the G7 and all the sanctions being imposed by the USA and the West. Now Trump wants Russia to rejoin the G7, which makes Russia look beholden in the eyes of the world and its destiny under the thumb of the USA.

So, will Putin take the bait and rejoin the G7? What does he expect to gain? Isn't de-dollarization and creation of BRICS his brainchild? Would he totally discard it after all the effort put in by others and all the standing and goodwill that he has gained among BRICS member countries and others aspiring to join the bloc? If he does so, he is going to be really isolated and branded an untrustworthy global leader to follow, his credibility totally destroyed.

Anonymous

Trump wants to con the hillbillies and the world

 Trump and Elon Musk are desperately cutting Federal spending, cutting spending on healthcare, even cutting military spending by a touted 50% and trying to drag Russia and China into the scam to justify such a drastic move, imposing reciprocal tariffs on friends and foe, all to fund Trump's tax cuts for the rich which is reported to be as much as US$4.5 trillion according to one Senator. Trillions with a 'T' mind you, and everyone in the lower and middle class in the USA are expected to help foot the bill, not just friends and foe worldwide. Actually, not all friends and foe are affected by those tariffs which are paid basically by USA citizens themselves, though they are not accepting the reality.

Trump had fooled a lot of people in the past. His six bankruptcies are testament to his conman abilities. That one victim after another fell under his conman tactics, and his ability to rise up again and again is mind-boggling. Elsewhere in the world, people run for cover knowing someone has gone through bankruptcy or would deal with him using a long pole. Not in the USA and Trump knows that.

I am honestly going to believe that Trump may yet pull off this massive con job once again, knowing the Hillbillies are as dumb as a statue. That they can still cheer and clap and allow Trump to run wild at their expense is indeed sad to see.

Anonymous

Ukraine War - Lessons for the Mickey Mouse

 Ukraine is a perfect model of stupidity of a people following the leadership of a Mickey Mouse. Soon Ukraine would be no more. The fate of Zelensky could be very tragic, for single handedly causing the death and suffering of millions of Ukrainians and the destruction of a country.

All the silly believers of the evil American Empire must be in shock. This cannot be true. The Americans are going to support clown Zelensky and his Nazi armies with everything they got. Clown Zelensky only needs to open his mouth and ask and will be given. The painful truth that all this is a big American lie is sinking in. Zelensky may be panicking and working out his escape plan to live with all the ill gotten wealth paid by the blood of Ukrainians to live a life of plenty in a little corner of the earth, not to be found or recognised.

Is there a lesson to be learnt from this bloody fiasco? There are still many Mickey Mouse in Asia, in South East Asia that covet the role of clown Zelensky, believing that the evil Americans would fight and save them to the last Americans. From their silly behaviours, wanting to buy more small arms to fight China is a joke that is not amusing at all.

Ukraine with all the weapons and fundings from America and Europe could not stand a chance against Russia and is being sold by the Americans. The Americans are wiping their hands as if they were innocent party, not involved in the Ukraine War. And better still, demanding payback for every cent they sent to Ukraine, not for free. Ukraine will be bankrupt paying what the Americans and the Europeans sent or did not send to them. It is up to the Americans and Europeans to write their bills and charge whatever they like as a form of war reparation. Ukraine has no say. Clown Zelensky would have scooted if he is not killed by the Ukrainians.

This is the fate of silly Mickey Mouse. And they are plenty in Asia and South East Asia, still deluding themselves that their fate would be different. They wound not end up like Ukraine and clown Zelensky. They are going to scrap the bottom of their empty treasuries to find a few more dollars to buy more weapons to start a war with China. See how they thump their chests in bravado! Brave soldiers without brains!

Trump is also abandoning Europe as a whole, after encouraging them to attack Russia and make Russia their enemy. Trump said, you fools now have to deal with Russia alone. Why are you so stupid to listen and believe in America?

Chinese leaders went through long baptism of fire versus once in 4-year pot luck American conmen and gangsters

 The world is changing. The USA is moving backwards, literally following and falling into the failed footprints of China a century ago, while China is moving forward, shedding its century of humiliation and moving along confidently.

This is made possible in China by having leaders with hindsight to learn from the past, insight to do what is right for its people and foresight to chart the future direction. Chinese leaders look at priorities, what to support and nourish to grow, while at the same time having the foresight to know what to take control decades earlier to solidify its future. Chinese leaders are not ready made and born to lead but have to go through baptism of fire to reach their position. This has enabled China to have capable leaders and thinkers, with foresight to corner all the resources needed, the logistics built up, the strong foundation to leverage on.

The USA is doing the exact opposite with delusional leaders fond of shooting their own feet with hurried policy changes that do more harm than good for the country. Perhaps the USA is still too pre-occupied with enriching the top 1% that all political leaders come from. Greed is still deeply engrained in the mindsets of USA leaders and the undrained swamp.

Anonymous

Failed to take down Russia but successful in taking down Europe. China is next.

 There appears much more under the surface regarding the weird behavior of J. D. Vance at the Munich Security Conference.

The USA under Trump is pivoting towards a conflict with China and the first thing to do is to try to pry Russia away from China. Trump is even prepared to throw the EU vis a vis NATO under the bus and is even prepared to give concessions to Russia in Ukraine, which is why the Europeans and Zelenskyy are kept out of the peace talk. Question is whether Putin is going to be persuaded and takes the bait, knowing that USA administration changes every four years and what is next with the next administration is uncertain. Will he take the risk, knowing that the USA can scuttle agreements at its whims and fancies.

Throwing the EU under the bus is just trying to convince Putin that the USA has given up support for NATO. Ukraine is already a lost cause for the USA anyway, and the EU is deemed irrelevant now after being used by the USA to further its agenda which has failed. The stupid Europeans are now nursing their wounds after suffering a massive slight and economic ruin.

Prying Russia away from China serves many purposes. It is an attempt to break up BRICS. Even his delusional gloating, days ago, about 'BRICS is dead' grandstanding by threatening tariffs of 100% if countries inside and those joining BRICS proceed to support de-dollarization. Those threats fell on deaf ears and did not make countries in the bloc lose their de-dollarization bearings. The bloc even took the opportunity to announce a summit in Rio de Janeiro on July 6 and 7, giving Trump its middle finger.

Trying to pry Russia away from China also means Russia's cheap energy to China could be affected and that will also affect China's cheap manufacturing base. Of course, this is provided Putin wants to divert his energy to the EU once again, which is contrary to USA plans under the Biden Administration, with Trump already forcing the EU to buy more USA energy under threat of tariff escalation if they fail to do so.

In tandem with this move, the USA is also cutting cheap Iran energy from flowing to China in its latest move. China is the largest buyer of Iranian oil and doing it without the use of the US$ is another huge de-dollarization move.

Of course, China already knew this was going to happen, which is why China's energy supply now comes from so many sources. Moreover, China is leveraging on renewable energy reliance, building hydro-electric power stations all along its rivers, harnessing solar and wind energy as well. These are small sources, but China is experimenting with cheaper nuclear power generation, which is going to be a game changer.

Anonymous