Thursday, September 15, 2022

Putin and Xi Jinping

The leaders of Russia and China are holding a summit.  This is not a good development for either Ukraine or Taiwan.  Both leaders have proved to be brutal autocrats, and they both have interests in seizing land, righting what they see as old wrongs, and they are willing to sacrifice lives to gain their objectives.

Ordinarily the United States would act as a brake on Russian and Chinese expansionism, but the United States is no longer united.  Because of Trump and his foreign policy, U.S. status in the world has declined.

This doesn’t mean all is lost.  I heard a Taiwanese admiral this morning say that Taiwan would fight like Muhammad Ali:  “Float like a butterfly, strike like a bee.  They can’t hit what they can’t see.” 

I know that the correct phrase is sting like a bee, but the admiral has the right idea.  Dictators often overestimate their power.  My money is on Ukraine and Taiwan.

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