The world but especially the Western alliance breathed a huge sigh of relief at the collapse of the former Soviet Union in late 1991. Over the following years, nation after nation dialed back their military preparedness, declaring what was then called a peace dividend. Defence budgets fell from about 4%
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Alberta Politics: Thanks to Donald Trump, the post-war American imperium that’s run like a Swiss watch is coming unsprung!
PHOTOS: U.S. President Donald Trump’s inaugural parade makes its way through Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20, 2017, just before the stuff hit the fan and everything went to hell in a handbasket. (Photo: United States Navy.) Below: President Trump, former president Barack Obama, the late Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau,
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Trudeau’s Trade Fetish
One line from Vice news sums it up perfectly, “Justin Trudeau is one of the few world leaders still trumpeting the pre-2016 dream that everything will be hunky dory in the mad world of global politics if we can strike up a few more free trade deals.” Vice columnist Drew
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: The Evisceration of a Thug.
Few have done it so well as Roger Cohen’s op-ed dissection of Donald Trump in Der Spiegel.Many of us tend to take Trump’s insults to decency as they come, one at a time, but Cohen stitches them all together to paint a picture that’s much darker and dangerous than we
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: Faint Hope
These days good news on climate change is hard to find. Yet recent progress by major emitters, specifically China, give hope that the world might just meet the Paris Climate Summit goal of limiting global warming to 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. Over the past half-century, growth in the global
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: And This Is Where We Need to Worry
China is in the process of ascending to superpowerdom, displacing America from its perch. And the US Navy is worried that they’ll get away with it without a fight. There have been instances where a dominant power, an empire, yields to another peacefully. The transition from the British Empire to
Continue readingThe Disaffected Lib: I Missed This Last April. It Seems Justin Did Too.
This comes directly from the business page of Canada’s most oil-friendly newspaper, The Calgary Herald. It’s from April 24, 2017 to be exact. China’s ambassador to Canada tried to allay concerns about a possible free trade pact between the two countries, addressing worries surrounding state-owned enterprises snapping up oilsands assets.
Continue readingThings Are Good: China Launches Major Effort to Clean Its Water
China’s amazing economic growth came at the expensive of the natural environment (amongst other pains) which the country is now trying to revitalize. The country is literally paying the price of not having good environmental protecting policies, let this be a lesson to other countries that good policy can prevent
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – The Guardian’s editorial board weighs in on the undue gains going to the 1% while everybody else faces stagnation or worse: While the rest of society have shared in an equality of misery following the crash, the top 1% – households with incomes of
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Saturday Morning Links
Assorted content for your weekend reading. – The Economist observes that the effects of climate change fall disproportionately on poorer people, rather than the wealthier ones who have caused more of the damage: The costs of global climate change will again be unevenly (and uncertainly) distributed, but harm will often
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Afternoon Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Martin Lukacs writes that the world should able to draw plenty of positive examples from Canada’s politics – though not from the corporate-focused federal Libs: As Donald Trump rips up the Paris climate accords, it may seem easy to despair. But these provincial
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Christopher Hoy reminds us that as much as people are already outraged by inequality, we tend to underestimate its severity. And Faiza Shaheen writes about the dangers of unchecked inequality which erodes social bonds. – Meanwhile, Andrea Hopkins discusses how Canadians are
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Monday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material to start your week. – Michal Rozworski highlights how UK Labour’s platform provides for a needed move toward the democratization of economic activity along with an end to gratuitous austerity. And a distinguished group of economists has signed on to support the plan. – Charlie Skelton examines how
Continue readingThe Political Road Map: Nuclear Korea and Donald Trump
To begin, if you know someone who is currently working in South Korea, you may want to prepare their return home or at the very least…ensure they renegotiate any contract they are under for a larger sum. While many South Koreans have become used to the threats posed by the
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Sunday Morning Links
This and that for your Sunday reading. – David Olive offers his take on what a basic income should look like – and is optimistic that Ontario’s ongoing experiment should hit the mark: A UBI would be pointless in the absence of existing supports. In the Ontario pilot projects, the
Continue readingThings Are Good: Beijing Replacing Gas Taxi Fleet with Electric Taxis
Smog and Beijing go hand in hand due to the explosive growth of car ownership and poor environmental management. That’s starting to change. China’s capital city has mandated that when any new taxi hits the street that it has to be electric. This follows their efforts to replace their buses
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: Wednesday Morning Links
Miscellaneous material for your mid-week reading. – Peter Martin reports on the Australia Institute’s recent study showing that corporate tax levels have little to do with foreign investment: New research ridicules the Prime Minister’s claim that cutting the company tax rate will boost foreign investment, pointing out that almost all
Continue readingThings Are Good: Over 100 Golf Courses Closing in China
I make games for a living and I love seeing people have fun – but I really don’t like golf courses. Golf takes up a lot of land and consumes an inordinate amount of water for the amount of entertainment it provides. Essentially, I agree that golf ruins a perfectly
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Donald Trump and the Road To Nuclear War
It was one of the worst and most depressing sights I have ever seen. Donald Trump and his ghastly family standing there in the shadow of the great Lincoln, who appears to be looking down on them in disbelief.While a military band played, a military choir sang the Battle Hymn
Continue readingWe Pivot: Read Chapter 2 of Trump’s Dystopic America: Lighting Up Hughes
Follow the continuing saga of life after inauguration. How will BigHands dance with China towards WWIII? Read and share “Lighting Up Hughes” – 21c at http://ow.ly/4PiR307hrIV
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