Unraveling The Unraveling

[hatrack]

EDIT

This is like asking the question; “If I fall off a 1000 foot cliff, will I hurt myself?” The short answer is “It depends”, and begs a number of questions. Did you jump, or were you pushed? Did you fall by yourself or with others? If you jumped, and you are not suicidal, then you likely made some preparation. You either put on a parachute, or placed a large stunt-man style airbag at the bottom. If you thought it through, you carefully selected the time and landing spot AND you knew how to use your device before you jumped. (This is an important point here). If you were pushed, then you were in all likelihood unprepared and you will most likely die.

EDIT

The battles in Georgia seem to be prompted by two issues; Control of the BTC pipeline and an ongoing crusade by Vladimir Putin to restore Russia to its former power and glory. For the sake of brevity, I won’t elaborate but I highly recommend watching the documentary “The Putin System”.

Both Protracted and sporadic conflicts between the United States and the Middle East continue to remind us of the total dependence on oil and the importance of continued supply. As Vice President Dick Cheney said, “The American way of life is not negotiable.”

The Olympics in Beijing are the coming out party for China. Because of this event the media has highlighted the enormous growth and industrialization of the country. It also highlights the rapidly blossoming love affair with consumerism and capitalism. The Chinese have chosen a path and show no signs of wavering. So, as I see it, we have a very contentious situation here. We have three very large industrialized countries; one wants to become a superpower again, one that has every intent on remaining a superpower and one that is pushing hard to become a superpower. The three threads I see running through these countries are hubris, energy and nuclear capability.

EDIT

http://rationalunderground.blogspot.com/2008/08/unraveling-unraveling.html

[phantom power]

1. One interesting thing is that two of these superpowers share a big border.

And the third superpower is separated from the other two by an ocean. On the other hand, that third superpower is arguably in decline, while the first two are rising.

If I was that third one, I would be thinking of ways to play the other two off against each other, and keep them as preoccupied as possible.

[XemaSab]

2. I'd say of the three superpowers

One is bloated, slow, and out of shape; the second is wounded and undernourished; and the third is still in the peak of its youth, but with that youth there's a lot of risk taking that could turn it into the first or the second. :shrug: