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You are not living in Europe, right? Because while I agree that China is a problem, the USA is a much, much bigger problem for Europeans than China is right now
by shevy-java 20d ago
You are not living in Europe, right? Because while I agree that China is a problem, the USA is a much, much bigger problem for Europeans than China is right now. It's mostly the USA that wants to depict China as the main problem when in reality the USA behaves in a hugely aggressive colonial manner. Trump just makes this more obvious, but that has been the case way before Trump already.
- thesmtsolver2 20d agoWhat? Go ask almost anyone in Asia outside Mainland China. They all consider China to be the aggressor because they are. E.g., Tibet or India.
- kakacik 20d agoBoth claims can be correct. US became Europe's adversary, quite active and pushy. We don't know yet where the end of backstabbing and shitting on us lies, we can easily have a war ie over Greenland within 2 years. China? It wants to sell its cars here, and thats about it. Incomparable.
- broken-kebab 20d agoChina isn't a big bully for European nations cause it's counterbalanced by USA, not of inherent niceness. Also in two years there will be a different president in White house, but in Beijing things aren't that fluid.
- kakacik 20d agoUS is also nice to others only because it benefits it long term ie in building and maintaining its hegemony, fighting for petrodollars and so on. Now that it shat on those decades of hard-won fights and alignment thats irrelevant thing of the past. Ask/look around in places that dared to stood apart or directly up to whatever US wanted, the story is everything but nice and bloodless. Ask those that fought for them, and were completely abandoned to be then murdered one by one (vietnam, afghanistan). Rest of your post is just wishful thinking, US is in semi-lawless state now with new oligarchy ruling the country based on emotions and whims and hardly any laws, so prior experiences do not guarantee any form of future. I personally would literally, objectively, trust Xi more than trump if I had to choose (which I don't, nobody does), any day any night.
- broken-kebab 20d agoUSA fluctuates expanding, and diminishing its power mainly because it's typical for electoral democracies to change its course with higher frequency. It's friendly to Europe most of the time, and hostile at times. It's culturally closer, and functionally democratic. You quite obviously don't like the latter statement, but it is, and it is verifiable claim. 1) Can an American sue the country's gov't and win? 2) Is said gov't changeable by the way of elections? 3) How easy it is to participate in political debates for electoral outcomes? On all 3 USA gets pretty high score. In high contrast against the backdrop of China. Like, if you prefer a world hegemon who is actively imperialist, and contra democracy, cause you're so outraged by the orange man - that's your choice, of course. But let's not pretend the choice is well-thought. Were HN a Chinese place, and you dared to criticize Chinese imperialism your account would not remain unpunished for long, for instance.
- hvb2 20d agoFor European governments that have their email and such running with Microsoft, it's quite the signal when individuals lose their email because the US doesn't like them. See international criminal court.
- DarmokTanagra 20d ago[dead]
- JumpCrisscross 20d ago> Go ask almost anyone in Asia I think it’s fair to say the U.S. and Russia are Europe’s principal geopolitical adversaries, today, while for anyone in Asia or Oceania it’s China. (Africa and South America are being weirdly carved up—it’s not particularly clear who is trying to colonize versus trade with them.)
- iso1631 20d ago> colonize versus trade Very similar pressures in reality.
- JumpCrisscross 20d ago> similar pressures in reality In the way slavery and employment are similar, sure. In practice they’re very different things, even if one—when taken to the extreme—can turn into the other.
- iso1631 19d agoSee what happened to countries over the last 80 years which didn't want to participate in the American economic system See what happened to countries in the 18th and 19th centuries which didn't want to participate in the British economic system
- carlosjobim 20d agoWhen Trump talks about doing the anti colonial thing and withdrawing troops from European soil, the response is outrage. But I've learnt that iPhones and social media is American imperialism, but thousands of troops in dozens of military bases on European soil is not, somehow.
- watwut 20d ago> thousands of troops in dozens of military bases on European soil is not, somehow Presence of allies is not colonialism. Threat to annex Greenland is. Threat to annex Canada is. Keeping pet dictator in Venezuela and taking their oil is. On the other hand, when Germans, France and other European soldiers came to Greenland to defend against an American threat, it was not colonialism. It was being allies. > and withdrawing troops from European soil, the response is outrage. The response to withdrawing troops from European soil was mockery and frustration from army that is loosing valuable bases. Either way, it is not an anti-colonial thing. > When Trump talks about doing the anti colonial thing Trump is modern colonialist. He is not talking about doing "the anti colonial thing" ever, instead he is bragging about making America colonial. ------ Trying to frame Trump as somehow anti-colonial is really new level of post-fact dishonesty. It does not work, because his appeal is based on dominance, violence and willingness to steal.
- carlosjobim 20d agoWhich way is it: Allies or a threat? How much double-think can you fit within a comment? To me the question is crystal clear: No country should want to have foreign troops permanently stationed on their soil, no matter how good friends they are.
- watwut 20d ago> Which way is it: Allies or a threat? How much double-think can you fit within a comment? America was a trusted, respected and liked allied nation. It was not a threat. Then Trump supported by people like you turned into a threat to Canada (another former ally), Greenland, democracy and freedom. So, America is not respected or liked, except by neo-nazi it supports. There is no double think involved here. > To me the question is crystal clear: No country should want to have foreign troops permanently stationed on their soil, no matter how good friends they are. It is irrelevant what you think about what other countries should or should not want. The question is what is colonialism.
- aivisol 20d agoPlease speak for yourself. Not everyone in Europe thinks US is bigger problem than China. For many China is far bigger geopolitical threat since they openly support Russia in its current war.
- nonethewiser 20d agoI have no idea how people can overlook this. I mean I have some idea. A sort of “enemy of my enemy is my friend” meets “leopards ate my face.”
- atakan_gurkan 20d agoHonestly, I had the impression that the current US regime also supports Russia in its current war. Did they not ask Ukraine to give the already occupied land and then some? As far as I remember, that was in a form almost like an ultimatum, too. China might be a bigger threat, but I find it hard to believe that this would be the reason.
- petcat 20d ago> Did they not ask Ukraine to give the already occupied land and then some? Ukraine is never going to retake the territory they've lost without European soldiers on the ground. Macron famously said that he would have to send troops to Odesa and yet 3 years later there are still no French troops in Ukraine. Meanwhile Putin has captured even more land and is now actively bombarding Kyiv. It is painfully obvious that Europe lacks the political will to do any kind of substantial intervention. The war is at a complete standstill and it will last for another horrible decade if no concessions are made. It's the unfortunate reality of the situation.
- foldr 20d ago>The war is at a complete standstill and it will last for another horrible decade if no concessions are made. There is a slight hope that the current Russian regime will collapse before then and be replaced by one that doesn't want to continue the war. (Though, that said, it could equally well be replaced by a regime that's even more ultranationalist than the current one.) While Europe certainly does lack the political will to make a substantial intervention, it's not just a question of political will. There is the small matter of not starting the third world war to consider.
- zerozerotwo 20d agoThis is such a hilariously delusional comment. Who do you think is financially backing the Russians who bomb your cities?
- expedition32 20d agoWho do you think is financially backing the Chinese? The trillion euro of EU imports...
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- Vaslo 20d agoThis is all in your head. We just expect people in Europe to begin picking up more of the tab for things like NATO, and don't want our enemies (your enemies if in western/central Europe too, BTW) to get control of future energy/minerals. You call it "aggressive colonial control", Americans call it "time for Europe to accept more financial and personal responsibility.
- preisschild 20d agoI'm from Europa and consider China a far bigger threat. Trump is probably going to get replaced by a Democrat in a few years. China has been ruled by dictators for decades and probably will be for decades and they are a lot more hostile to democratic nations.