First man in space was a Russian, first man on the moon would be a Chinese

 The Soviet Union did not have the financial muscle to compete with the USA in space in the sixties and was to take a back seat in space exploration. That was a pity, because the Russians built the International Space Station in 1993, after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, said to be in co-operation with the USA and many other countries. However, the Soviet Union was also the first to send a man into space in 1961, beating the USA. That was why the USA probably invented the moon landing in 1969, when John F. Kennedy threw down the gauntlet to NASA to do something to take back the USA's lost pride. Many we not convinced that the USA really went to the moon. It was more like the moon in a Hollywood Studio. Had the Russians not be constrained by financial reasons, it would never have lost the real space race to the moon.

China on the other hand is financially stronger to do better than the Soviet Union and is giving the USA a run for the money today. The rescue of the two stranded astronauts on the International Space Station has been made into a song and dance by the USA. Much ado about nothing really in the hands of the Russians or the Chinese. Hollywood will probably do a blockbuster over the fiasco.

Anonymous

The realignment of forces and a new war game

  Trump's enthronement as the pretentious Emperor of the dying American Empire is a catalyst for rapid change in the world. Countries are forced to take sides or realign themselves in the face of Trump's outrageous and unreasonable demands to the point of extortion at the expense of weak countries. The unipolar world is gone but a new multipolar system is emerging with new partners and players.

Trump's disregard to allies and enemies have taken the world by storm. Canada and Mexico, close trading partners of the Americans were the first to face the thunderbolt of Trump. Both could not believe that Trump would turn against them and are standing up to Trump. Mexico's lady President Sheinbaum proved to be a tough lady to deal with. Boy PM in Canada, in his last few days in office, was also standing up like a man in his boyish ways, challenging Trump's every move. This was quite amazing coming from this kid. Ok, this kid is no more and a man has taken over his job to take on Trump.

The Europeans too were in shock. How could Trump totally ignore them in his dealings with Zelensky in the Ukraine War? The European states have huge interests in Ukraine. Thye want to keep the Russians bogged down in Ukraine with Ukraine as the sacrificial lamb and a clown Zelensky willing to go along. In a way, Trump has called their bluff. For the last three years, the Europeans presented themselves as a weak disunited entity, allowing the Biden/Blinken circus to lead them by the nose into an unwilling war, forcing them to cough up whatever to support the war. Biden/Blinken thought they were in control of the Europeans without realising that the Europeans were the master puppeteers, making the Americans doing the heavy stuff and taking a bigger share of the war effort for them.

Trump is telling the Europeans that it is their war, and they should fight it themselves. America will now take a back seat or would not even participate as a tool of the Europeans. Now the Europeans, knowing that Trump has called their bluff, have to stand up to face the Russians with all they got. Even with the Americans pulling out, the Europeans would continue with their war with Russia, with or without the Americans. Who is duping and conning who is now out in the open. Trump would not allow the European to have a free ride at the American's expense and making the Americans doing the donkey works.

Trump is also not giving India a chance to play both sides. India has to take sides and Modi's game plan is to be with the Americans and abandoning the Russians and BRICS. There is no reason for India to remain in BRICS with its open declaration to be on the side of the Americans.

India's exposure of where its interests lie makes it easier for Russia and China to lead BRICS without having to be mindful of Indian interests. BRICS would now move on its own terms and direction without India. 

Japan's position that is similar to Europe, wanting to use the Americans against China and Russia is also being put to test. Japanese PM has several meetings with Trump to pretend to be a willing docile partner but waiting for the right moment to strike may not be so easy now. Trump is going to force Japan's hand. The American occupation force is there to rule or protect Japan and Japan has to pay up. How this would play out is still too early to tell.

The picture of this new realignment of forces would see the Americans alone without the Europeans but with India and may be Japan on their side. European states would now be strutting out alone as another pole on their own in competition with BRICS and the Global South in partnership.

A new ball game is about to begin.

PS. Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri to all Muslims in the world.

Anglo-Saxon Americans and British enjoy great wealth and splendour by plunder, ravaging and robbing off the wealth and resources from other

 In the past few hundred years the white people especially the Anglo-Saxon Americans and British could enjoy great wealth and live in splendour because it was due to their plunder, ravaging and robbing off the wealth and resources from other countries and colonies. Moreover they had used forced labour especially captured African slaves to work for free in their plantations, factories and other economic outlets and domestic chores.

However now with the rise of almost all ex-colonies white men will find it hard to exploit other people and other countries. So there was actually no greatness in the past among the white people for you cannot equate their plunders, ravages, killings and exploitation with greatness. They were a sort of savage vicious wild beasts whose thirst for ravaging, robbing and killing can never be saturated and satisfied. Terrorist leader Trump must know that is vicious treachery and not greatness. So how can Trump a terrorist who intends to revive white evil colonialism by teliing the whole world of his intention to invade and annex Canada, Greenland, Mexico and Panama equate to making the US great again. It is rather making US more vicious and treacherous. Dotard Trump's diabolical plots will hasten US downfall to fade into oblivion forever.

Yang Ker Qiang
Taipeh, China

Anglo-Saxon Americans and British are really very evil and wicked beyond comprehension

 The Anglo-Saxon Americans and British are really very evil and wicked beyond comprehension. Why can't they live in peace with other people other countries? Why must they always think of dominating other people other countries? They have nothing better to do then to think of fighting, of attacking and invading other countries. Day in day out and for hundreds of years they have nothing better to do then thinking and planning of wars of invasions, killing and massacre of other people and forciibly taking over other countries lands.

The BRICS countries and other countries of the South led by Russia, China, Iran and North Korea must warn the savage Americans that should they start a war anywhere on earth that war will be fought in American mainland and let them taste their own medicine of the great suffering, pain and death that for decades they have been imposing on others especially on weak and small countries. Let Russia and China with the help of other countries of the South destroy the United States and thus get rid of an evil on earth.

Soerano Ali Jakarta, Indonesia

Trump professes peace but starting wars like all American gangster presidents

 Trump professes to want peace in Ukraine but is already starting a new war in the Middle East against the Houthis, intending to drag Iran into the turmoil. I think many people have been fooled by Trump's conman tactics trying to show that he is different from Biden and pulling back USA military adventurism, just in Ukraine.

As I always say, any USA President, whether from Democrats or Republicans camps are just the right and left arm of the Deep State and can never have a mindset of trying to be a peaceful country.

In the recent past, fighting communism was the narrative which was what the Korean and Vietnam Wars were all about. With the rise of China, under a communist regime, the arguments about the failure of communism held no water.

When Russia and China discarded their communism expansion doctrine, the USA started a new narrative of fighting terrorism which resulted in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Communism was then thrust into the back burner, never to be a justifiable reason for wars.

Now the Wars in Ukraine is about revisiting the threat from Russia, accusing the Russians of trying to claim back territories it lost when the Soviet Union broke up. The reality is the exact opposite, with NATO discreetly trying to expand towards the Russian border. What happened in Ukraine goes much further back than just February 2022, when Russia liberated the Donbass region, when Russian speaking citizens went under intense persecution by the Kyiv Regime of Zelenskyy.

The USA is stoking the fire in the South China Sea now, intending to ignite another conflict with China.

Any man of peace does not go around starting wars all over the world. Trump is no different from any former USA Presidents, just using the same old USA playbook and intent on having never ending wars to sustain the USA hegemonic agenda.

Anonymous