What the hell is going on in the world?
Discussion
I am putting this here because I think it is more of a general discussion, but I suspect it will get moved to NP&E anyway, but what the hell is going on in the world?
It seems to me that since 2015 it has all gone a bit wild... some things that I am thinking of:
1) Brexit. I get why the Tories wanted the referendum, I never thought we would actually do it though.
2) Trump getting elected... Seriously?
3) Russia shooting down a passenger plane.
4) China getting feisty with Taiwan.
5) Russia invading Ukraine... twice.
6) Trump getting elected again... Just how.
7) The rise of reform, and other right wing political parties around the world.
8) Israel vs Gaza
9) USA basically kidnapping the Venezuela president
10) USA starting on Iran, how is that different to Russia & Ukraine.
Just off the top of my head...
Can't we all just get along?
It seems to me that since 2015 it has all gone a bit wild... some things that I am thinking of:
1) Brexit. I get why the Tories wanted the referendum, I never thought we would actually do it though.
2) Trump getting elected... Seriously?
3) Russia shooting down a passenger plane.
4) China getting feisty with Taiwan.
5) Russia invading Ukraine... twice.
6) Trump getting elected again... Just how.
7) The rise of reform, and other right wing political parties around the world.
8) Israel vs Gaza
9) USA basically kidnapping the Venezuela president
10) USA starting on Iran, how is that different to Russia & Ukraine.
Just off the top of my head...
Can't we all just get along?
lizardbrain said:
There are a lot more conflicts today vs 15 years ago. But we are comparing to one of the most peaceful periods in history.
Unfortunately it does look like a bit of a reshuffle is going on and it has a few years to run yet.
15 years is not a long enough period to make a comparison.Unfortunately it does look like a bit of a reshuffle is going on and it has a few years to run yet.
At any given time in human history, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of conflicts taking place.
As above, don't think you can say the last few years have been any weirder or worse than any other period, a lot of local wars, particularly long standing ones, go under reported.
For example, picking at random just the year 2010, and I don't think other years will look much different, wiki lists:
2010 in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (3 C, 24 P)
Arab Spring (11 C, 11 P)
Operation Atalanta (6 P)
Gaza flotilla raid (1 C, 22 P)
2010 Kyrgyz Revolution (10 P)
Military operations of the Iraq War in 2010 (2 C, 1 P)
2010 riots (2 C, 24 P)
2010 Air Untuk Rakyat rally
2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes
2010 Yellow Sea conflict
2010–2011 Ivorian crisis
Action of 30 March 2010
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Battle of Beledweyne (2010)
Operation Blow to the Head
Boko Haram insurgency
2008–2011 Cambodian–Thai border crisis
Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)
Chongqing gang trials
List of clashes in the North Caucasus in 2010
2010 Ecuadorian crisis
2010 Guinea-Bissau military unrest
2010 Israel–Lebanon border clash
2010 Kenya–Al-Shabaab border clash
2010 Kingston unrest
April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
Maoist insurgency in Nepal
2010 Mardakert clashes
Melbourne gangland killings
Mohmand offensive
MV Moscow University hijacking
2010–2012 Myanmar border clashes
2010 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes
2010 Nigerien coup d'état
Operation Green Hunt
Orakzai and Kurram offensive
George Athor's rebellion
2010 Rio de Janeiro security crisis
ROKS Cheonan sinking
2010 Sáric shootout
Operation Scorched Earth
2010 timeline of the Somali Civil War
2010 South Darfur clash
South Yemen insurgency
Sudanese nomadic conflicts
2010 Thai military crackdown
2010 Thai political protests
For example, picking at random just the year 2010, and I don't think other years will look much different, wiki lists:
2010 in the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) (3 C, 24 P)
Arab Spring (11 C, 11 P)
Operation Atalanta (6 P)
Gaza flotilla raid (1 C, 22 P)
2010 Kyrgyz Revolution (10 P)
Military operations of the Iraq War in 2010 (2 C, 1 P)
2010 riots (2 C, 24 P)
2010 Air Untuk Rakyat rally
2010 South Kyrgyzstan ethnic clashes
2010 Yellow Sea conflict
2010–2011 Ivorian crisis
Action of 30 March 2010
Al-Qaeda insurgency in Yemen
Battle of Beledweyne (2010)
Operation Blow to the Head
Boko Haram insurgency
2008–2011 Cambodian–Thai border crisis
Chadian Civil War (2005–2010)
Chongqing gang trials
List of clashes in the North Caucasus in 2010
2010 Ecuadorian crisis
2010 Guinea-Bissau military unrest
2010 Israel–Lebanon border clash
2010 Kenya–Al-Shabaab border clash
2010 Kingston unrest
April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
Maoist insurgency in Nepal
2010 Mardakert clashes
Melbourne gangland killings
Mohmand offensive
MV Moscow University hijacking
2010–2012 Myanmar border clashes
2010 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes
2010 Nigerien coup d'état
Operation Green Hunt
Orakzai and Kurram offensive
George Athor's rebellion
2010 Rio de Janeiro security crisis
ROKS Cheonan sinking
2010 Sáric shootout
Operation Scorched Earth
2010 timeline of the Somali Civil War
2010 South Darfur clash
South Yemen insurgency
Sudanese nomadic conflicts
2010 Thai military crackdown
2010 Thai political protests
Eric Mc said:
At any given time in human history, there have been dozens, if not hundreds, of conflicts taking place.
Exactly this.The difference today is that all these things are played out in real-time on our TV screens, phones and computers. Everywhere you look and listen 'News' is thrust down our throats. There is no time for considered reporting to be done thus no time to present both sides of the same story.
That is not to excuse all that is happening or those instigating it. We all live in the moment so it's difficult for us to use history as perspective other than to recognise that the biggest problem with humanity is our constant failure to read the minutes of the last meeting.
Megaflow said:
I am putting this here because I think it is more of a general discussion, but I suspect it will get moved to NP&E anyway, but what the hell is going on in the world?
It seems to me that since 2015 it has all gone a bit wild... some things that I am thinking of:
7) The rise of reform, and other right wing political parties around the world.
Just off the top of my head...
Can't we all just get along?
I think the branding of left and right in politics is wrong, it should be moderate to extremist.It seems to me that since 2015 it has all gone a bit wild... some things that I am thinking of:
7) The rise of reform, and other right wing political parties around the world.
Just off the top of my head...
Can't we all just get along?
I often think about this.
I think the Cold War kept things in order, in the West and East for a long time. We had a few proxy wars, but for the most part the threat of Nuclear War and mutual destruction kept things that matter to us as least pretty level.
When it ended there was a period of reasonable calm (relative to history).
9/11 changed all that, the Banking Crisis damaged the western economies, and Covid took all the money.
Western Economies have been stalling for more than a decade, Countries are skint and drowning in their own national debt, people are feeling poorer than before.
Optimism, Hope, National Pride, etc etc at all time lows, the only Politicians offering easy solutions and optimism are the populists.
There's an assumption that everything will work out in the end, because we live in the West there's an inevitable point when all this will work out and we can go to normal when we consume and the rest of the world provides for us because we've got all the money and they've got all the cheap labour, it's that arrogance that will be our downfall. We're still all fighting over tax and the US is borrowing money like a drug addict to keep it's massive military going. Trump is starting another massive war in the middle-east, meanwhile China is investing billions, if not trillions into Africa knowing that once Asia becomes even wealthier, they'll need some cheap labour.
I think the Cold War kept things in order, in the West and East for a long time. We had a few proxy wars, but for the most part the threat of Nuclear War and mutual destruction kept things that matter to us as least pretty level.
When it ended there was a period of reasonable calm (relative to history).
9/11 changed all that, the Banking Crisis damaged the western economies, and Covid took all the money.
Western Economies have been stalling for more than a decade, Countries are skint and drowning in their own national debt, people are feeling poorer than before.
Optimism, Hope, National Pride, etc etc at all time lows, the only Politicians offering easy solutions and optimism are the populists.
There's an assumption that everything will work out in the end, because we live in the West there's an inevitable point when all this will work out and we can go to normal when we consume and the rest of the world provides for us because we've got all the money and they've got all the cheap labour, it's that arrogance that will be our downfall. We're still all fighting over tax and the US is borrowing money like a drug addict to keep it's massive military going. Trump is starting another massive war in the middle-east, meanwhile China is investing billions, if not trillions into Africa knowing that once Asia becomes even wealthier, they'll need some cheap labour.
Megaflow said:
I
Can't we all just get along?
It's a good question. I'd make a couple of points....Can't we all just get along?
I've met, through my businesses over the years, many people from China, Russia, Iran, Iraq.... guess what? They are entirely normal people - nice people actually. Just like you and me.
I'm a fan of all things Carl Sagan and have a curiosity about our galaxy and the universe. I am not particularly knowledgable about it, but it seems highly likely that we are the only civilisation alive for many hundreds (if not millions) of light years. The 'pale blue dot' that is earth is quite likely unique.
And yet, we (or our leaders, unelected and elected) want conflict or to avoid conflict - fight, in other words.
I am not some BLT+ pacifist, far from it. But it does seem odd that humans cannot get along.
I think it may be something to do with the emergence of the Internet and specifically social media combined with 24hour rolling news, PLUS at the same time we have seen the growth of following toxic combination:
1. A shift away from notions of personal responsibility towards "it's all someone else's fault".
2. A rejection of critical thinking in favour of feelings and emotions which has in turn created the idea that everyone's opinion should be treated as equal.
3. The frequent celebration of mediocrity on the grounds of inclusion.
4. The frequent rejection of genuine achievement on the grounds of elitism.
5. The utter failure of western politics to be candid with the electorate - instead we get constant promises of "we can make it better and someone else other than you is going to pay for it".
6. Wilful ignorance and the refusal to learn the lessons of history.
1. A shift away from notions of personal responsibility towards "it's all someone else's fault".
2. A rejection of critical thinking in favour of feelings and emotions which has in turn created the idea that everyone's opinion should be treated as equal.
3. The frequent celebration of mediocrity on the grounds of inclusion.
4. The frequent rejection of genuine achievement on the grounds of elitism.
5. The utter failure of western politics to be candid with the electorate - instead we get constant promises of "we can make it better and someone else other than you is going to pay for it".
6. Wilful ignorance and the refusal to learn the lessons of history.
The US is losing its post-Cold War hegemony and have to contend with the rise of China.
The Democrats & pre-MAGA Republicans response to this was to maintain their advantages and the alliances which helped win them the cold war while trying to compete technologically with China.
The new Conservatives in the US have basically given up on the US global empire and are instead focusing on total dominance of the Americas & unnasailable domestic political control ala Erdogan.
They can sit surrounded by water armed to the teeth and burning oil while the rest of the world either moves on or crumbles.
The Democrats & pre-MAGA Republicans response to this was to maintain their advantages and the alliances which helped win them the cold war while trying to compete technologically with China.
The new Conservatives in the US have basically given up on the US global empire and are instead focusing on total dominance of the Americas & unnasailable domestic political control ala Erdogan.
They can sit surrounded by water armed to the teeth and burning oil while the rest of the world either moves on or crumbles.
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