One of the great dichomities being revealed is the difference between the personal qualities needed to be good at getting elected and the qualities needed to be good at governing. The latter appears to have been sacrificed on the altar of the former. Add into this mess the meglomaniacs that have forgotten that politics is the "art of the possible," not "I can do anything," and you get the pathos that we all see in the body politic nowadays. They are also way in over their head with respect to understanding and responding effectively to the "wicked" problems the world currently faces - the administration's recent A.I. comments being an example of that.
At very least, many of the medieval Chinese dynasties resembled this state. For which cause the buddhist painters retreated to nature and there produced their masterly poetry and art.
How does Boethius put it? Sometimes the wicked come on in overwhelming force; at that time, Philosophy draws off her forces into the citadel and laughs to see them making prize of the most valueless of things; fame, wealth, carnal pleasures.
Any sound cosmology then acknowledges the sublunary nature of wicked power; it waxes and wanes seasonally. But the power of righteousness, though it must sometimes retreat, only increases in scale.
evil destroys itself. if we will be good, our part is to extricate ourselves and by grace be extricated from evil. We can fight it too but not to destroy it utterly. that final victory isn't a human power.
With Xi apparently in ill health, many analysts appear to be considering a change of the guard in China sooner rather than later. With the Chinese issues of depopulation and the housing crash, it has liquidity issues while being somewhat asset rich. Its gold hoarding is spectacular, but its hold on rare earths and manufacturing seems brittle without energy to fuel maintain and grow an economy that is stalling. Who next after Xi?
At the same time Putin is aging, the imperial gas station holds a lot of keys for economic growth in the west again, prevented by western leaders set on proving a point rather than pragmatic policy for the people that vote them in. Putin Trump and Xi may well all fall in quick succession, and at that point I suspect it is all to play for. Who fills the void and what their vision is for the future is critical.
There are hawks in China as there are in the USA and Russia. The noise of debate leans heavily towards polarised spheres of influence rather than polarisation and multiplicity. The USA now has its western hemisphere pretty much sewn up, as it slowly exits the EU and the UK the suggestion is China or Russia or both could fill the void. A scramble for African resources appears to be back on colonial polices from China are becoming more obvious.
The previous visit by Trump who was heavily lambasted in the UK in his 4 years pre Biden was followed by Xi in a golden coach replete with organised Chinese fans enroute from palace to palace and monarchical favour. Then we had Covid and Biden. And now we have China still favoured above Trump. It looks like the UK has known for some time where it is going, and the EU seems to know too.
Africa will become a smattering of proxy states, the USA will stay in the West, re-industrialise and secure its sovereignty and the rest will be sub divided. Geopolitical reality.
Presidents almost always lose seats in the midterms. More recently they generally lose the senate, house or both.
It is known, hence why such monstrous efforts are put into frustrating any change for the two years in which they have a window to do so. Lame duck is the norm, rarely the exception.
Increasingly the myths of the past collide with the required myths of today.
Their boomers believed ridding the world of our Empire was a price worth paying. No kings. Their strategic calculation was that our bases in Suez were vulnerable, not dispersed, so they ejected us from them only to trust the Israelis to police the region in our place. They didn't foresee how much influence this would give them.
Our boomers were propagandised to believe that the second coming of Satan had been defeated by a stiff upper lip. The residual self image of a John Mills character is so ingrained that it will only die with them. The state and our character won it, saving the Jews in the process, and therefore this eternal virtue could not have been complicit in Rotherham.
So America struggles to control an indirect Empire via finance, energy and food whilst a rising power waits patiently in the wings.
They need new myths, but they would contradict the old ones. The language of election success is not the language of leadership once in power.
I trust your observations far more than any other modern 'Letter from America' and it sounds as though they're already quite exhausted.
It’s the only show in town. The quicker ‘representative democracy’ crumbles the better. ‘Narnia business’ - absolutely floored me Frank. Whomsoever is responsible for that gem, capped doffed.
One of the great dichomities being revealed is the difference between the personal qualities needed to be good at getting elected and the qualities needed to be good at governing. The latter appears to have been sacrificed on the altar of the former. Add into this mess the meglomaniacs that have forgotten that politics is the "art of the possible," not "I can do anything," and you get the pathos that we all see in the body politic nowadays. They are also way in over their head with respect to understanding and responding effectively to the "wicked" problems the world currently faces - the administration's recent A.I. comments being an example of that.
AI comments?
The A.I. "summit" at the White House.
Didn't seem any different to Biden's 2023 efforts, unless i missed something?
Utterly brilliant, Frank. You’ve sussed out the system and explain it like no one else. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
yes, but,
isn't all this a cyclical matter?
At very least, many of the medieval Chinese dynasties resembled this state. For which cause the buddhist painters retreated to nature and there produced their masterly poetry and art.
How does Boethius put it? Sometimes the wicked come on in overwhelming force; at that time, Philosophy draws off her forces into the citadel and laughs to see them making prize of the most valueless of things; fame, wealth, carnal pleasures.
Any sound cosmology then acknowledges the sublunary nature of wicked power; it waxes and wanes seasonally. But the power of righteousness, though it must sometimes retreat, only increases in scale.
evil destroys itself. if we will be good, our part is to extricate ourselves and by grace be extricated from evil. We can fight it too but not to destroy it utterly. that final victory isn't a human power.
Bleak, but... "A formless anger is finding its way in the dark" is hope.
With Xi apparently in ill health, many analysts appear to be considering a change of the guard in China sooner rather than later. With the Chinese issues of depopulation and the housing crash, it has liquidity issues while being somewhat asset rich. Its gold hoarding is spectacular, but its hold on rare earths and manufacturing seems brittle without energy to fuel maintain and grow an economy that is stalling. Who next after Xi?
At the same time Putin is aging, the imperial gas station holds a lot of keys for economic growth in the west again, prevented by western leaders set on proving a point rather than pragmatic policy for the people that vote them in. Putin Trump and Xi may well all fall in quick succession, and at that point I suspect it is all to play for. Who fills the void and what their vision is for the future is critical.
There are hawks in China as there are in the USA and Russia. The noise of debate leans heavily towards polarised spheres of influence rather than polarisation and multiplicity. The USA now has its western hemisphere pretty much sewn up, as it slowly exits the EU and the UK the suggestion is China or Russia or both could fill the void. A scramble for African resources appears to be back on colonial polices from China are becoming more obvious.
The previous visit by Trump who was heavily lambasted in the UK in his 4 years pre Biden was followed by Xi in a golden coach replete with organised Chinese fans enroute from palace to palace and monarchical favour. Then we had Covid and Biden. And now we have China still favoured above Trump. It looks like the UK has known for some time where it is going, and the EU seems to know too.
Africa will become a smattering of proxy states, the USA will stay in the West, re-industrialise and secure its sovereignty and the rest will be sub divided. Geopolitical reality.
Possibly!
Fun looking for a crystal ball eh?
Great post as always Frank, thank you.
Did you get to meet Vance?
Presidents almost always lose seats in the midterms. More recently they generally lose the senate, house or both.
It is known, hence why such monstrous efforts are put into frustrating any change for the two years in which they have a window to do so. Lame duck is the norm, rarely the exception.
Increasingly the myths of the past collide with the required myths of today.
Their boomers believed ridding the world of our Empire was a price worth paying. No kings. Their strategic calculation was that our bases in Suez were vulnerable, not dispersed, so they ejected us from them only to trust the Israelis to police the region in our place. They didn't foresee how much influence this would give them.
Our boomers were propagandised to believe that the second coming of Satan had been defeated by a stiff upper lip. The residual self image of a John Mills character is so ingrained that it will only die with them. The state and our character won it, saving the Jews in the process, and therefore this eternal virtue could not have been complicit in Rotherham.
So America struggles to control an indirect Empire via finance, energy and food whilst a rising power waits patiently in the wings.
They need new myths, but they would contradict the old ones. The language of election success is not the language of leadership once in power.
I trust your observations far more than any other modern 'Letter from America' and it sounds as though they're already quite exhausted.
It’s the only show in town. The quicker ‘representative democracy’ crumbles the better. ‘Narnia business’ - absolutely floored me Frank. Whomsoever is responsible for that gem, capped doffed.
You absolutely nailed it! Says this American. Bravo! Bravo!!