A mixed-message threat within NATO, impolitic empty threats and a failed war in southwest Asia, and picking a losing economic fight with China. Another troubling week in the Empire.
Thanks for the insights on the Sumy attack. I knew something was fishy about the reporting on it, because all the western media in synchronized action were making noise about it emotionally...while ignoring 2 years of mass murder in palestine. NONE of the news reports I read even mentioned a word about a military assembly or the NATO officers. I guess because those kind of fact would make the public ask far more questions about the actual nature of western involvement in that needless war.
One side commnent on this:
"...As Chas Freeman has been eloquently noting, international diplomacy and the real estate business require very different skills...."
On the above, I would say yes and no. At level we are talking about, the real estate business isn't about hiring tradesmen to put bricks together and collecting rent on the building.
At THAT level, you make money in real estate by influencing public policy: zoning, development planning, commercial planning, housing planning, and not least taxation. And sometimes the window of opportunity is very short.
Doing THAT requires elite skills at project planning, business and finance, networking, coalition builidng, law, and negotiation. Plus you have to understand and master stakeholder management. There will be people who can pull levers like lawmakers, and you have to influence them, you have to do detailed negotiations with financiers who are very concrete, and you will even have to influence those who have an indierect impact or are impacted, such as local communities, cultural institutions etc. That is what is takes to make big money in the real estate business at that scale.
It's also why Trump went bankrupt so many times. He's sloppy. Witkoff might not be.
I dont know anything about Witkoff specifically. All I'm saying though, is that I wouldnt be so quick to write the guy off in the way that the media shallowly does: "real estate speculator". Those types exist, to be sure, but the are also megabrains in that business, and we shouldnt automativally assume them to be all the one type.
Let's just say it is very difficult to negotiate against the New Primakov Triangle, who have experience diplomatic cores and coordinate. Then, if you've head of state who keeps changing his objectives, or at least his public statements, its even harder.
It is certainly true that Witkoff has achieved more in 3 months that Blinkenlights did in 4 years, but that is one hellava low bar.
There is a needless war going on and the entire west has entrenched itself in a cloud of lies and self-gaslighting. Extricating the west from its own backside, well that's not going to be easy for anyone.
All I am saying is lets not dismiss the guy just because of the word "real estate". The analysis of his capabilities (or lack), should be a bit deeper than that.
Thanks for the insights on the Sumy attack. I knew something was fishy about the reporting on it, because all the western media in synchronized action were making noise about it emotionally...while ignoring 2 years of mass murder in palestine. NONE of the news reports I read even mentioned a word about a military assembly or the NATO officers. I guess because those kind of fact would make the public ask far more questions about the actual nature of western involvement in that needless war.
One side commnent on this:
"...As Chas Freeman has been eloquently noting, international diplomacy and the real estate business require very different skills...."
On the above, I would say yes and no. At level we are talking about, the real estate business isn't about hiring tradesmen to put bricks together and collecting rent on the building.
At THAT level, you make money in real estate by influencing public policy: zoning, development planning, commercial planning, housing planning, and not least taxation. And sometimes the window of opportunity is very short.
Doing THAT requires elite skills at project planning, business and finance, networking, coalition builidng, law, and negotiation. Plus you have to understand and master stakeholder management. There will be people who can pull levers like lawmakers, and you have to influence them, you have to do detailed negotiations with financiers who are very concrete, and you will even have to influence those who have an indierect impact or are impacted, such as local communities, cultural institutions etc. That is what is takes to make big money in the real estate business at that scale.
It's also why Trump went bankrupt so many times. He's sloppy. Witkoff might not be.
I dont know anything about Witkoff specifically. All I'm saying though, is that I wouldnt be so quick to write the guy off in the way that the media shallowly does: "real estate speculator". Those types exist, to be sure, but the are also megabrains in that business, and we shouldnt automativally assume them to be all the one type.
Let's just say it is very difficult to negotiate against the New Primakov Triangle, who have experience diplomatic cores and coordinate. Then, if you've head of state who keeps changing his objectives, or at least his public statements, its even harder.
It is certainly true that Witkoff has achieved more in 3 months that Blinkenlights did in 4 years, but that is one hellava low bar.
There is a needless war going on and the entire west has entrenched itself in a cloud of lies and self-gaslighting. Extricating the west from its own backside, well that's not going to be easy for anyone.
All I am saying is lets not dismiss the guy just because of the word "real estate". The analysis of his capabilities (or lack), should be a bit deeper than that.