> is there any connection between these events, or am i just taking the simulation hypothesis too seriously.
While I don't know about the rest, Russia has been a neocon project for a long time. If Trump hadn't given them the shock of their lives by winning and then spent the next four years sucking all the oxygen out of Washington, Hillary would have granted their wish in 2017-18.
Putin is no saint. But I think he is vastly superior to his drunkard predecessor who let the country be looted by oligarchs.
It is also possible that this is a Wag the Dog situation.[1]
Putin is smart as hell, most probably sociopath on top. You don't get to be long term successful KGB apparatchik for nothing. The problem is, nobody who wants all that juicy freedom, democracy and other perks of good western life wants strong Russia, these things are exact opposites. Its by far the biggest actual threat to European democracy.
I come from country who was invaded by them in 1968 when we showed we may head towards democracy, and the Russian mentality remained the same since then.
Its sad germans as a nation are still heavily traumatized by what their ancestors did during WWII, and probably hell will freeze sooner than german army fighting, well anything. This leaves Europe severely weakened in eyes of nearby machos like Putin or Erdogan.
He could have built a fine prosperous empire that people are actually happy to live in. Instead, everything is worse and he just siphons tens of billions to same banks as discussed here via his buddies (UBS cough cough). It may be the Wag the Dog situation, but all above is still valid.
Being a cynic I would say you don't sell it (except maybe with the Russian situation) but just do it. Who should stop the US government from going forward with this?
I know, I am a cynic. But I once was (young and naive) a member of the German social democrat party. I visited the state convention for their youth members. It was a perfect politics simulacrum. With decisions being made, backroom deals (because we don't like the other people - even if their proposal was factually good). And so on.
The perfect training ground for young party "soldiers" streamlined to not show any sigh of a consciousness towards real problems. Just play the power game. Show how scrupulous you are without being obvious.
I left this rotten club behind (politics) and never looked back. Nowadays 20 years later the people back thrn being good at this game and aiming for the top posts in this youth org of the SPD sit at the center of power in Berlin in relevant positions.
Yes it's discusting how modern politics operate not in the interest of the population but in their own and their enablers (donors and powerful).
The most obsurd is when soldiers are sent to fire weapons where each bullet costs more than they make in a year at another group of people that have even less for political reasons.
Because US political structures are designed in a way that discourages competence. We spend an insane amount on social services but nobody cares if they work, spend wisely or have an impact.
While I don't know about the rest, Russia has been a neocon project for a long time. If Trump hadn't given them the shock of their lives by winning and then spent the next four years sucking all the oxygen out of Washington, Hillary would have granted their wish in 2017-18.
Putin is no saint. But I think he is vastly superior to his drunkard predecessor who let the country be looted by oligarchs.
It is also possible that this is a Wag the Dog situation.[1]
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wag_the_Dog