You’re simplifying the problem. I agree with part of your description of “Christians” as being marginalized by globalism. But you are downplaying the problem by making them seem out of touch with the times. The Industry I work in is very right leaning and MAGA. It is dominated by small and mid sized businesses. Of that I’d say 40% or more of owners actively call themselves Christian, the others generally keep to themselves on their religious beliefs.

The owners who identify and wear their Christianity on their sleeve are typically the sleeziest people you will ever do business with. They are all over the country, they are wealthy and they donate to Republicans in large numbers. They believe they have the right to dictate how they should do business and by extension how their employees live. They resent interference of the government in how they do business or how they treat their employees.

I imagine it is the same in other industries that have strong small business models. These people are not marginalized or weak.

They want to dominate and dictate their own local fiefdoms just like any of the billionaire oligarchs that you read about in the news.

The world has been divesting from the Euro ever since the sovereign debt crisis in 08 and 09. A lack of unified monetary policy is a large factor. However, Europe’s has only accelerated the trend by keeping interest rates low compared to the strong action the Federal Reserve took when inflation became an issue. Europe is now hit with a double whammy of high inflation and low growth. Europes economy is fundamentally weak. Its population is aging towards having a majority of retirees. Retirees don’t spend money on stuff like people in their 20’s 30’s and 40’s. Simultaneously they are dependent upon foreign sources for energy.

The EU simply can’t raise interest rates or they will kill what little growth they have.

Wow, you have it figured out. How much money have you converted into any of the BRICS currencies? It sounds like you would have quite the long term investment when those currencies appreciate due to increased demand.

lol, No that just means making craters. But none the less, I don’t see the same type of change taking place on territory held and populated by Israel.

I doubt Hamas could even come close to revisiting the same destruction upon Israel. They can’t even save themselves let alone go on the offensive. None of the marginal allies of Hamas really give enough of a shit about them to help them even try.

I think we are about a third of the way through the “find out” stage for Hamas. It will be interesting to see how much is left when they are done.

Looks pretty bombed to shit to me.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/27/gaza-before-and-after-satellite-images-show-destruction-after-israeli-airstrikes

No, I commented on a thread about the US being stretched to provide support for Israel and Ukraine. You made it about Israel only. But on any case I think Israel can crater the Gaza strip without much damage other side.

Hamas picked a fight they can’t win.

You stated everyone was getting cratered. Who do you define as everyone?

:Looks up: nope my sky is clear and I’m thousands of miles and an ocean away. That sound like a you problem.

War is never a good solution, but I prefer to be on the side making the craters than getting cratered.

lol Ukraine is a bargain. I think the US has spent maybe 2% of the entire military budget supplying Ukraine with weapons. In exchange we get to see the last large generation of Russians turned into fertilizer along with all of their frontline hardware.

Israel is perfectly capable of turning the Gaza Strip into a moonscape without much support from the US.

The US hasn’t even touched the hardware needed to take on China (long range missiles and aircraft). On top of that we now have a west that is more united than ever behind the American Hegemony.

I think the US can afford to let a few off the chain and rain some good old fashioned freedom on a few Houthis.

The way China organizes its defense spending keeps a lot of it off the books. There are many corporations that are government controlled which engage in research, espionage and military weapons production that are not in the central government’s books.

The CCPs military spend is much higher than they let on.

You keep using that word, but I don’t think it means what you think it means.

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Cool, Israel’s current campaign is legitimate resistance to Hamas aggression as well.

China imports huge quantities of food and fuel. They are far from self sufficient.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-imports-unexpectedly-grow-oct-exports-extend-declines-2023-11-07/

The US is now a net exporter of crude, petrochemicals and LNG. We don’t need the Middle East, in fact they are just competitors. But our allies desperately need those energy sources.

The US is currently in the middle of the largest industrial build out in history in N.A. At the end of it we will produce most of what we need locally. Because of our demographics N.A. has the largest consumer market in the world. Most of what we produce is consumed locally. We export food staples and high end technical products. We don’t need foreign markets… but they need us.

With all of the disruptions that global climate change is going to bring in ten to fifteen years, when N.A. is even more self sufficient than it is now, do you think the US will continue to subsidize the world’s economy? Why would we continue guaranteeing freedom of the seas in areas where we have no interest?

I don’t know, maybe because they are directly affected by closing a major trade route with one of their largest trading blocks.

Of course they could always sit on their hands, make rude noises and let the US carry their weight… Which is what most of the world expects nowadays.

I see the level of political discourse in this sub has risen to the level of :checks notes: Star Wars references.

I don’t know, any national government that encourages chants such as “Death to America” and has been attacking Americans since the late 70s isn’t very high on my friend list. They also have been supplying Russia with military aid against Ukraine, so fuck Iran.

Iran also let a couple of long range drones off the chain last week and attacked some random shipping near India in the Arabian Sea. They don’t seem like the best of neighbors even to nominally neutral countries. But hey maybe random acts of violence are your thing.

If you have no issues with Iran perhaps you should go visit and report back on what you find. It would be great to get an independent opinion.

I’m sure you would make some great YouTube content. Just don’t be a pussy and ask for rescue if your trip goes south. I’d like to see you fully commit to this one.