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I don't think that is how narcissistic personalities, or nation states function. I think they are much more likely to view their failures as humiliations and b
by scaramanga 5y ago
I don't think that is how narcissistic personalities, or nation states function.
I think they are much more likely to view their failures as humiliations and betrayals and make new commitments to redeeming themselves through acts of aggression which enable them to redefine themselves in a positive light.
I mean, when Clinton sailed the USS Independence carrier group through the strait of Taiwan causing china to stand down her military in 1996, what was the Chinese response?
- rossdavidh 5y agoWell, it wasn't to invade Taiwan, as I recall?
- scaramanga 5y agoThe point is that the spectre of such an invasion isn't withdrawn from the table, it's merely kicked down the road. But the US elections are over now, so what does Bill Clinton care? :)
- AnimalMuppet 5y agoWhat did you want Clinton to do? Pushing it off for 25 years is pretty good. You want him to permanently remove it from the table? How is he supposed to do that?
- scaramanga 5y agoCommit to a rules-based international order where disputes are resolved without the use or threat of force while simultaneously pursuing global nuclear disarmament. But if he did that, they'd call him a "pussy" and he wouldn't be re-elected. Not to mention, it's much more difficult and complex than just "getting your missile out for the ladies." It's hard to ignore that this type of short-termism is the typical "borrowing from the future" philosophy that got us to where we are with climate change, nuclear proliferation, financial collapse, and the breakdown of the global order. Edit: in a way discussing this is probably academic, since we will either change the way we approach these problems, or there won't be any "we" left to do anything at all. Here's Tom with the weather :)