@MichaelAArouet It's ironic that you're nostalgic for Europe's nostalgia but denigrate the peddling of it to the people of the world. Every older generation berates the present - wistfully musing that the past was "better" than today. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you want to measure the impact of a European leader, look at how much energy foreign adversaries spend trying to destroy their reputation.
The constant stream of pro-Russian and pro-China propaganda aimed at @kajakallas proves she is a formidable opponent to them, and while the exact powers of the EU High Representative position can potentially be reformed, Kallas has the ideal mindset to confront hostile autocrats.
European capitals have every right to analyze and potentially adjust the bureaucratic mandate of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. Rethinking how the bloc coordinates its external actions is a standard part of institutional evolution, but any systemic flaws in the office cannot be blamed on Kallas.
The concentrated hostility directed at her from state media ecosystems in Russia and China (and some other enemies too) is an involuntary admission that her strategic clarity poses a major problem for them. Their fixation on Kallas confirms her status as a high-stakes obstacle.
She has a profound understanding of the psychological games autocrats play, and she refuses to grant them the passive diplomatic concessions they crave. Her clear, unyielding communication style helps insulate the European Union from the gaslighting tactics that hostile regimes use to manipulate Western policy.
The narrative attacks against her should therefore be viewed as validation of her approach. Discussions about reforming European diplomacy are healthy, but Kallas herself is not the issue, as her defiant attitude is exactly what is needed to face down modern authoritarian threats
@QuantumAI6@afneil Mostly debt-fueled. US total debt (govt, household and corp) has >2x’d since ‘08. Total US non-fincl debt to GDP c.~700% of GDP; EU = c.~240% of GDP. That buys a lot of growth, but it also front-loads it and obviously debt-fuelled growth can’t go on forever. Try again.
@QuantumAI6@afneil Europe’s share of global GDP has fallen because of the rapid growth of CHN and IND from very low base 🤡. But keep taking your tea breaks and drinking yourself blind…and then strop blaming others
@QuantumAI6@afneil Last time I checked it was rich Scrooge-like tax-avoiding white businessmen who led the brexit charge - singularly the most significant contributor to UK decline & diminished opportunity. But sure, it’s always easier to blame immigrants for malaise than your own failure(s)
@s8mb meh. Tooze thinks better to be broad-based econ & AI customer than a narrow AI purveyor whose industrial base is well-hollowed. Also, it can't be good business for AI cos to threaten their own supply chain since it's totally dependnt on NL ASML+ DE Zeiss
https://t.co/oTEBUx8FyK
Military historian Phillips O’Brien: There have been no U.S. peace efforts in Ukraine.
There have been efforts to get Putin a very good deal, forcing Ukrainians to give up more territory and people. That is not peace. That is Washington trying to deliver Putin a success. 1/
I would like to know why, if Palantir Systs are so smart, it didn't (BEFORE the assault on Iran) say: "WTF guys - this is so so f*cking dumb". Or, maybe it did....?
Palantir CEO Alex Karp: You look at American performance in Iran, which was been thanks to the bravery of Americans and I would like to believe our tech, very few losses on our side, very precise, very controlled."
(The US blew up an elementary school .. )
@lordbusinesstz@JonSteinsson dont you find it absurd, that the biz lobbyists & bots who are pillorying those who want to reduce poverty & inequality have never produced a single actionable thought benefiting the public? it is obviously clear that they have a moral problem meaning their posts are suspect.
@cafreiman Outside of extreme confiscatory regimes (e.g. 90% in '60s/70s UK) Econ research finds rather weak links between tax rates & "growing more bananas" or deterring ppl fm working. So why denigrate policy favoring higher marginal tax rates to invest in the infra of more civil society?