General > General Technical Chat
I have the feeling that the whole trade war starts from a pile of nonsense.
Marco:
--- Quote from: soldar on May 29, 2019, 05:50:02 pm ---However much freedom, control and sovereignty Taiwan has is not decided by Taiwan in the least, it is decided by America and China. If tomorrow China and America agreed that America will pull out of the region then Taiwan's position changes dramatically and there is nothing Taiwan can do. Taiwan is as free as China and America will allow. Sort of like I can do whatever I want... because my wife lets me.
--- End quote ---
Likewise, if the US formally allied with Taiwan the only option for China to stop it is global nuclear war. The US and its allies need China less than vice versa and China doesn't stand a chance taking the island in a conventional war without crippling themselves.
PS. the only reason Hong Kong&co are left relatively free is for propaganda reasons, when Taiwan falls the special allowances will disappear.
Marco:
--- Quote from: technix on May 29, 2019, 06:10:55 pm ---Back to trade war. NYT published an article br Kevin Rudd on this. (also attached is a PDF, for ones that is hit with the paywall.) Kevin Rudd was PM of Australia, who also speaks fluent Chinese.
--- End quote ---
--- Quote ---the possibility of negotiating a revised agreement that is more accommodating to American interests is now very slim.
--- End quote ---
Because China now has less room to compromise they must win ... silly argument. There is an alternative to an agreement, the US can do anything unilaterally it damn well pleases.
soldar:
technix, I agree with the opinions expressed in that article.
--- Quote from: apis on May 29, 2019, 06:33:10 pm --- The UK voting system is among the worst that exist and it gives results that very poorly reflects the popular vote. The US have inherited bad aspects of that system unfortunately, but it's difficult to change since it doesn't benefit the existing dominating parties.
--- End quote ---
And yet, the UK has done very well historically with great political stability. Spain OTOH changes ("improves") their system continually to make it "better" and the country has not had political stability in 200 years. Everyone wants to change the system to suit their agenda. It is easy to blame the system but Spain just does not have a culture of compromise and respect. We have a culture of graft and corruption. The political system is just a tool. It does nothing by itself. In the right hands it can do well and in hands who do not know how to use it it can be a disaster.
apis:
--- Quote from: soldar on May 29, 2019, 07:07:29 pm ---
--- Quote from: apis on May 29, 2019, 06:33:10 pm --- The UK voting system is among the worst that exist and it gives results that very poorly reflects the popular vote. The US have inherited bad aspects of that system unfortunately, but it's difficult to change since it doesn't benefit the existing dominating parties.
--- End quote ---
And yet, the UK has done very well historically with great political stability. Spain OTOH changes ("improves") their system continually to make it "better" and the country has not had political stability in 200 years. Everyone wants to change the system to suit their agenda. It is easy to blame the system but Spain just does not have a culture of compromise and respect. We have a culture of graft and corruption. The political system is just a tool. It does nothing by itself. In the right hands it can do well and in hands who do not know how to use it it can be a disaster.
--- End quote ---
Maybe it has something to do with the right-wing nationalists winning the civil war and Spain had to suffer under dictatorship up until 1975. Spain didn't get a democracy until 1977, it's not so long ago (same year as Afghanistan btw.) Many countries began to transition gradually after the enlightenment. First the nobility and rich were allowed to vote, then voting rights were gradually extended to all men and finally also women. The UK allowed all men to vote in 1918 and women in 1923. In Sweden 1909 and women after the war in 1945. New Zeeland seems to hold the record with 1893 (in modern times). So, it's not so strange if the UK and Swedish democracy appear more stable (although from what I can tell Spain is doing fine).
--- Quote from: blueskull on May 29, 2019, 07:03:21 pm ---If the West never tried to spread Western freedom to the Greater China, we could have coexisted very well and none of the political BS would emerge from the beginning.
--- End quote ---
It's not "the west" trying to spread "freedom", it's the US that's been fighting communism all around the globe (there are countless examples). They tried to support the Kuomintang so that the Chinese Communist Party didn't get power over China, they failed to grab power on the mainland but managed to flee to Taiwan.
apis:
Well, being lap dogs is a problem for all small countries. :-[
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