Autopsis » Geopolitics

The Endorsement from Hell

Doug — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:16:38 +0000

I was forwarded a copy of "The Endorsement from Hell," a recent editorial by Nicholas Kristoff of the New York Times.

My comments on the editorial follow the "Read more" link. Mr. Kristoff’s editorial follows my comments.

Parallels

Doug — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:49:30 +0000

In the early 1900s Argentina was the second richest country in the world. In subsequent decades its middle class enjoyed a very high standard of living. The country was rich in seemingly infinite natural resources, copious crop producing areas whose soils were as rich as any on the planet short of Iowa and vast, wide open spaces, ripe for exploration and exploitation.

In the subsequent decades the population of Argentina made a decision, whether it was conscious or unconscious is open to debate, but it was a decisive one, nonetheless. The large middle and smaller upper classes of Argentina decided to abdicate governance to a small ruling class while they enjoyed a life of leisure, decadence, and for many, a non-stop party.

The following decades brought a parade of one corrupt and incompetent regime after another, vacillating between right, then left flavors of greed, fraud and ineptness.

The alternating conservative and liberal governments used common methods to divert the population’s attention from their disastrous job of non-governance: radical partisanship, extreme nationalism, phony threats from across the borders and abroad, illogical wars, blaming all problems on foreign or world body institutions, etc.

All the while the population watched popular entertainment, cheered on their favorite football team and partied the night away.

Finally, after nearly a century, the party came to halt. The country’s public debts were enormous, unemployment rose, runaway inflation ensued, real GDP fell, the currency collapsed, the government defaulted on its bonds and the economy imploded.

Any parallels you may draw to a country you are closely familiar with are entirely up to you.

The Best and the Brightest?

Doug — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:14:30 +0000

As my friends and family back in Iowa head to the caucuses today I am half a world away. This year, of all years, with the most wide-open and potentially interesting presidential campaign of my lifetime in progress, I am overseas and will miss the entire show.

Mercifully, today will draw to a close a season of relentless television political advertising that has turned Iowa’s quadrennial moment of fame into a ruthless, multi-year long battle of attrition. Those few voters left standing after the mind numbing media assault will provide an early measuring stick of which candidates remain viable contenders.

Over the last year I have been following the race from afar, hearing the distant rumble of the campaign artillery, and occasionally taking in the rhetoric on CSPAN. Contrary to my nature and past practice, I have not followed the daily cut and thrust of the campaign. Thus, I do not profess to have intimate knowledge of the candidates.

Nonetheless, on this initial day of reckoning, I offer up the following candidate assessments.

(more…)

Buchanan’s Book, America and Immigration

Doug — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 13:02:05 +0000

What do you think of the idea that the United States of America is probably destined to disinegrate into clusters of independent states?

What is your opinion of the idea that America is divinely appointed as the world’s leader, now and forever?

How about America as the racially pure homeland of descendants of European immigrants?

Here’s what I think.

(more…)

A Battle of Boyne Veteran

Doug — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:40:36 +0000

I was doing some research for a project yesterday and came across the clipping that follows.

It is an excerpt from the March 5, 1776 issue of the Londonderry Journal, the newspaper of the time in what is now Londonderry, Northern Ireland.

Several things are interesting about it.

First is the extraordinary age of the deceased. It is amazing that anyone lived that long in those times.

Second was his service record. It’s not often you find a reference to military service that includes the Battle of Boyne.

For those of you not steeped in Irish history, the 1690 Battle of Boyne was one of, if not the singular decisive moment of modern Irish history. It was when the forces of William of Orange, the Protestant, defeated the forces of James, the Catholic. It cemented England’s rule over the whole of Ireland which lasted for a further 232 years until predominantly Catholic Ireland won its independence as the Irish Free State in 1922 and the predominantly Protestant counties in the north of Ireland subsequently seceded to form what we now know as Northern Ireland.

The modern day reminder of the Battle of Boyne comes on July 12, when the Orange Order marches triumphantly through the streets celebrating the Protestant victory. Their route through Catholic neighborhoods was an annual flashpoint during “the troubles,” Ireland’s modern day insurrection designed to unite all of Ireland. That era, thankfully, has been superseded by the current peace agreements and integrated Protestant/Catholic government in Northern Ireland.

The ability of the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland to find a peaceful resolution after centuries of atrocity filled conflict gives hope for similar solutions to similar sectarian battles raging elsewhere.

Happy New Year

Doug — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 01:00:26 +0000

Please see the PDF file at:

http://www.hackneys.com/docs/happy-new-year-2007.pdf

Reflections on China

Doug — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 03:21:03 +0000

A friend asked me for some thoughts on China based on my research and travels.

Please see the PDF document at:

http://www.hackneys.com/docs/china-reflections.pdf

What’s to Fear?

Doug — Mon, 04 Oct 2004 04:29:37 +0000

What’s to Fear?

I’ve met few Americans and practically no Europeans who have any big concerns about

China

Americans are generally much more concerned about procuring another credit card so they can go buy more stuff than they are about what is happening out in the world, especially with a country so far away and foreign as

China. Europeans are almost entirely consumed with finding a way to herd the cats of the nations of the European Union (EU) into a unified state, and have little time for Asian concerns when there’s German dominance and the Premier League Championship to worry about.

With the Islamic world vacillating between battling for its soul with the Islamists and blaming the non-Islamic world for all its troubles and sub-Saharan Africa busy dying of AIDS, there really aren’t many outside of Asia paying much attention to the Chinese these days.

That suits China just fine, since they’ve been busy quietly sucking up 33 to 60% of the world’s construction materials, becoming the world’s second largest consumer of oil, dominating world manufacturing, accumulating $470 billion USD in foreign currency reserves, growing their economy at between 7 and 9.5%, finding jobs for over 150 million under- and un-employed workers, increasing exports at over 20% annually, and in short, completing the next step of their internal agendas and preparing for their global coming out party with the 2008 Olympics.

For the rest of the story please see the PDF document at:

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/china/13-Whats-to-Fear-11.pdf

The Greatest Gift

Doug — Wed, 08 Sep 2004 04:25:23 +0000

Japan and the bomb.

Please see the PDF document at:

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/japan/09-The-Greatest-Gift-12.pdf

The Death of Development

Doug — Tue, 07 Sep 2004 04:21:45 +0000

7 September 2004

Japan

is dying.

Japan, a nation that has existed for thousands of years, a nation that has the world’s most developed infrastructure, a nation that has the world’s most rigorous academic system, a nation with the world’s second largest economy, a nation with the world’s fourth largest military spending, a nation with one of the world’s highest standards of living, is dying.

Japan, a nation long defined by its collective and individual iron will, is unable to gather the strength to make the necessary societal and personal decisions to save itself.

Japan, a nation whose successes have been built on societal and individual self-sacrifice, is unwilling to make the sacrifices required to rescue itself. Japan, a nation whose businesses are renowned for their long-range planning of ten, twenty and fifty years, is unable to look beyond the short term and take action to prevent the inevitable consequences of long term trends.

Japan is dying.

For the rest of the story please see the PDF document at:

http://www.hackneys.com/travel/japan/08-The-death-of-development-10.pdf