If you trace the history of the opioid epidemic in the United States, it all began shortly after we toppled the Government of Afghanistan.Related:
What the Taliban Poppy Ban Means for Afghan Poverty and Migration
The Taliban have done it again: implementing a nearly complete ban against cultivation of opium poppy — Afghanistan’s most important agricultural product — repeating their similarly successful 2000-2001 prohibition on the crop. But the temptation to view the current ban in an overly positive...www.usip.org
China is done.
If you trace the history of the opioid epidemic in the United States, it all began shortly after we toppled the Government of Afghanistan.
Just sayin...
Western media reports on China: a look back at the top stories!
China is done.
China is done with what?
While the US has been wasting trillions on stupid wars and occupying countries China has been investing in their future by building up Africa and South America and to a lesser extend Latin America. While we in the US look at those places and see shitholes, China sees future customers.
More likely, China sees ‘developing nations’ as resources to be exploited.
Yes, they are like us in that regard. The biggest difference is they do not try to change the country in to their image while doing so. They are now reaping/exploiting the resources of Afghanistan and they will likely have successes where the rest have failed as they do not care what the Taliban does to its own people as long as it does not interfere with them
More likely, China sees ‘developing nations’ as resources to be exploited.
The biggest difference is that China's loans are not made through the IMF. China is making its own Belt-And-Road initiative loans and they are having major lenders' remorse. When they make a loan to some poor African country that can't repay it, they send in a team to extract concessions. They were able to gain control of a port in Sri Lanka that way.Yes, they are like us in that regard. The biggest difference is they do not try to change the country in to their image while doing so. They are now reaping/exploiting the resources of Afghanistan and they will likely have successes where the rest have failed as they do not care what the Taliban does to its own people as long as it does not interfere with them
Without disclosing the amount, in April Beijing wrote off the interest-free loans Ethiopia owed China at the end of 2018.
This year, China cancelled Cameroon’s US$78 million debt. Last year, it wrote off Botswana’s US$7.2 million debt and US$10.6 million that Lesotho owed. In 2017, it cancelled US$160 million of debts owed by Sudan.
Lender’s remorse? China’s Africa projects need lots of debt forgiveness
From Kenya to Ethiopia, Botswana to Cameroon, belt and road developments have seen write-offs of hundreds of millions of dollars, a situation one report says raises ‘legitimate concerns about the sustainability of China’s outbound lending’.www.scmp.com
The biggest difference is that China's loans are not made through the IMF. China is making its own Belt-And-Road initiative loans and they are having major lenders' remorse. When they make a loan to some poor African country that can't repay it, they send in a team to extract concessions. They were able to gain control of a port in Sri Lanka that way.
But in most African countries, they literally get laughed out of the room. The borrowing country will say this was a "investment partnership", not a "loan" and China has to renegotiate or even just forgive the loan.
But that's not the reason China is done. They are done because they face about 6 looming catastrophic country-ending events:
- Demographic collapse which has been discussed to death (no pun intended). China will run out of enough workers, and enough consumers in a decade when the Cultural Revolution generation retires.
- No more US navy patrolling the world's oceans keeping the world safe for free trade. China imports 80% of its energy and most of its food.
- Hostile nations on the primary trade routes. China's oil comes from the Middle East. India (which is our ally, not China;s) all by itself has a navy that could stop those supertankers and cause 500 million people in China to starve and freeze. And even if they don't do it, the Malaysians could close the Malacca straights to Chinese shipping. Or Indonesia could blockade the Jakarta straights.
- A fast-approaching debt crisis that will bankrupt China.
- Covid made the world realize that China manufacturing is not reliable, That plus the fact that Chinese labor is too expensive now, means companies are pulling out of China as fast as they can. The next decade will be a golden age for US and North American manufacturing while China is going to lose both their manufacturing base and customers.
- Their entire government is now a one-man show. Xi purged everyone who could even remotely challenge him and is now another Mao. Even if Xi were the smartest guy who ever lived, one guy can't solve all of China's problems. And Xi ain't that smart to begin with.
The US has decreasing interest in trying to change other countries. I don't think that's a good thing, but it's happening.But done so at market rates
It does not invade, change the government to exploit them. Unlike Europe or the US
Or Sri Lanka could repudiate that deal and kick the Chinese out the same way Nassar kicked the Soviets out after they built him that nice big dam in Aswan.The port in Sri Lanka was built by taking loans from China. Sri Lanka was not forced to build the port, its government was not changed by China. The deal for the port is a lease for 99 tear and just covers the port, not the land around it, it is still within Sri Lankan jurisdiction unlike Gitmo, Hong Kong etc
The US has decreasing interest in trying to change other countries. I don't think that's a good thing, but it's happening.
Franky, the US doesn't need the rest of the world. North America is now self-sufficient in energy and food and most things that we need. Regionalism is replacing globalism and we will keep the sea lanes open for our shipping and a short list of our close allies (Mexico, Canada, Japan, UK, France). The rest of the world is on its own.
The US still interferes with many countries, trying to change governments policies etc. It has tried or has changed governments in Latin America at least 3 times in the last 12 years.
Honderous, Bolivia, Venezuela
Or Sri Lanka could repudiate that deal and kick the Chinese out the same way Nassar kicked the Soviets out after they built him that nice big dam in Aswan.
China just doesn't have the ability to project power globally like the US or Imperial Britain could. They are a region 8tal force in the Far East and that's about it.
Obviously, not all change results in progress.
The Monroe doctrine is not going away anytime soon.The US still interferes with many countries, trying to change governments policies etc. It has tried or has changed governments in Latin America at least 3 times in the last 12 years.
Honderous, Bolivia, Venezuela
When it comes to US enforced changes most are negative
Because the minute it stopped being a win, Sri Lanka would send the China packing.China has been very supportive of Sri Lanka,
It gets a port built at low cost, it does not need to worry if the port is profitable, it does not need to pay to maintain it. Win for Sri Lanka overall
The Monroe doctrine is not going away anytime soon.
And are you seriously argue that Venezuela's government is just fine the way it is? That the US and other countries shouldn't try to overturn the current regime?
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