EPTUS Politics Mega-thread - Page 2504
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Now that we have a new thread, in order to ensure that this thread continues to meet TL standards and follows the proper guidelines, we will be enforcing the rules in the OP more strictly. Be sure to give them a complete and thorough read before posting! NOTE: When providing a source, please provide a very brief summary on what it's about and what purpose it adds to the discussion. The supporting statement should clearly explain why the subject is relevant and needs to be discussed. Please follow this rule especially for tweets. Your supporting statement should always come BEFORE you provide the source. If you have any questions, comments, concern, or feedback regarding the USPMT, then please use this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/website-feedback/510156-us-politics-thread | ||
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Danglars
United States12133 Posts
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Biff The Understudy
France7917 Posts
Trump and his goons talk tough and try to be the bug guys in the room, but never before has America catered to dictators and despots to such an extent and given up in such a way to even pretend fighting for human rights and democracy. I also seriously doubt anyone in China cares what Trump or any of his surrogates say anymore. Anyone who has paid attention knows that nothing they say has any value, any meaning, nor that they are competent enough to even do something if they happen to believe what they are saying. Outside of destroying alliances and decades of diplomatic work, and rendering America's word meaningless for a forseable future, this administration has achieved exactly nothing in terms of foreign affairs. | ||
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Belisarius
Australia6233 Posts
This is one of the many issues where Trump's rhetoric and results are completely opposed. At least on climate change, you get what it says on the tin. On foreign policy, people back him believing he is big and strong, when in reality you would be hard-pressed to find a president who has been more impotent on the world stage. | ||
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Biff The Understudy
France7917 Posts
Again when it was time to save Hong Kong democracy, Trump was too busy tweeting like a gen Z edgelord and playing golf. It's such a joke. | ||
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LegalLord
United States13779 Posts
Barr's "China wants to replace you, not work with you" comment was a good and relevant one - but beyond that, his flaws are well-known. Buffoons like Pompeo, low-tier politician turned CIA tourist turned Secretary of State, seem like the norm for Trump's foreign policy staff: big on bluster, low on competence, unable to contemplate diplomacy as a viable option. There's a right way to transition towards a better isolationism approach, but it's hard to imagine a way that's more wrong than the Trump way. Didn't start a new major armed conflict a la Iraq, I guess, but it'd only be a matter of time at this point. | ||
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Wegandi
United States2455 Posts
On July 17 2020 23:14 Biff The Understudy wrote: I mean the thing is that with Trump everything is a show and everything serves self interest. I find it hard to see Barr words as anything else than a posture for the incoming election. They will go with that machisto shit for weeks then accuse Biden on being soft on China. Again when it was time to save Hong Kong democracy, Trump was too busy tweeting like a gen Z edgelord and playing golf. It's such a joke. What expectations do you have of foreign countries "making" China acknowledge HK liberties? China has long not given two shits what anyone does when it comes to their internal matters. Just look at Taiwan. What has France done? The only option after the British ceded the territory was to open emigration from HK to said countries. In that respect, the Brits are front and center. Give me all your huddled liberally minded HK'ers. I find it a bit funny that all the worlds issues are Trumps fault. You all were yelling about America being the worlds police, now you want them to be? Make up your minds. You know who is responsible for HK? China. That's who (well, and all the bemoaning about colonization evils so HK was given back to China - I'm sure, they're very happy right now). I feel like ya'll have concocted this Trump uber mensch where he's simultaneous responsible for everything in the world and yet impotent to affect much. It's bewildering. Trump is a buffoon, but let's place blame where blame needs placing; you do a massive disservice attempting to redirect China's authoritarianism to anyone/anything else. | ||
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Erasme
Bahamas15899 Posts
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JimmiC
Canada22817 Posts
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Sbrubbles
Brazil5776 Posts
On July 18 2020 00:07 Erasme wrote: It's not. With all the footages and witnesses coming out, it's safe to compare current China to nazi Germany. If France and the rest of the nations had acted early on, when they had the military advantage (like now), the casualty number would've been lower. As you said, just talking doesn't do enough. I'll agree with you that it shouldn't entirely rest on the US's shoulders. "Acting early on, when they had the military advantage". If you're talking about some sort of armed intervention after WW2 to stop communism, this has to be one of the most insane thoughts uttered in these forums. | ||
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JimmiC
Canada22817 Posts
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Sbrubbles
Brazil5776 Posts
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WombaT
Northern Ireland26078 Posts
On July 17 2020 23:59 Wegandi wrote: What expectations do you have of foreign countries "making" China acknowledge HK liberties? China has long not given two shits what anyone does when it comes to their internal matters. Just look at Taiwan. What has France done? The only option after the British ceded the territory was to open emigration from HK to said countries. In that respect, the Brits are front and center. Give me all your huddled liberally minded HK'ers. I find it a bit funny that all the worlds issues are Trumps fault. You all were yelling about America being the worlds police, now you want them to be? Make up your minds. You know who is responsible for HK? China. That's who (well, and all the bemoaning about colonization evils so HK was given back to China - I'm sure, they're very happy right now). I feel like ya'll have concocted this Trump uber mensch where he's simultaneous responsible for everything in the world and yet impotent to affect much. It's bewildering. Trump is a buffoon, but let's place blame where blame needs placing; you do a massive disservice attempting to redirect China's authoritarianism to anyone/anything else. My expectations in such a regard aren’t huge to be fair. This approach is still a mess though, it’s the combo of the China rhetoric while simultaneously alienating multilateral organisations and traditional allies. He’s impotent to affect a lot of what he’s trying to actually affect, doesn’t mean he does a lot of other damage collaterally with his buffoonery. Personal opinions do vary quite considerably on this. My own particular blend sees the world economic order being rigged to fuck people, it’s just only now China is the powerhouse it is it’s starting to bite in the West. Of course the ‘China is taking our jobs’ crowd isn’t particularly receptive to that message. | ||
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Biff The Understudy
France7917 Posts
On July 17 2020 23:59 Wegandi wrote: What expectations do you have of foreign countries "making" China acknowledge HK liberties? China has long not given two shits what anyone does when it comes to their internal matters. Just look at Taiwan. What has France done? The only option after the British ceded the territory was to open emigration from HK to said countries. In that respect, the Brits are front and center. Give me all your huddled liberally minded HK'ers. I find it a bit funny that all the worlds issues are Trumps fault. You all were yelling about America being the worlds police, now you want them to be? Make up your minds. You know who is responsible for HK? China. That's who (well, and all the bemoaning about colonization evils so HK was given back to China - I'm sure, they're very happy right now). I feel like ya'll have concocted this Trump uber mensch where he's simultaneous responsible for everything in the world and yet impotent to affect much. It's bewildering. Trump is a buffoon, but let's place blame where blame needs placing; you do a massive disservice attempting to redirect China's authoritarianism to anyone/anything else. Oh, there is plenty the US can do, and in normal time it would be in China's best interest to be in good terms with America. And of course China's regime is awful, but this is the US megathread. The US response to the HK crackdown has been, well, nothing. So I was really just pointing out than Barr showing his muscles and playing tough on China is just laughable. That's another electoral tactics. And again I'm waiting to hear those folks say that Biden is soft on China while they haven't moved a finger when it was time to do so. | ||
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Sent.
Poland9248 Posts
The US response to the HK crackdown has been, well, nothing. Is this really nothing? What else would you want him to do other than changing his rhetoric? The relationship between China and the West is rapidly eroding, and that could have serious implications for Hong Kong's status as a global financial hub. The latest blow to the city's standing came Tuesday, when US President Donald Trump followed through on a threat to revoke the United States' special relationship with Hong Kong, which has in the past exempted the city from certain tariffs, among other privileges. "Hong Kong will now be treated the same as mainland China," Trump said in a speech at the White House. The Trump administration first suggested it would change its view of Hong Kong several weeks ago, when China began preparing to impose a sweeping national security law on the city. (...) Alongside the decision to end the special trading relationship Tuesday, Trump also signed a separate piece of legislation that would impose sanctions on businesses and individuals that are seen as helping China restrict Hong Kong's autonomy. https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/15/business/hong-kong-special-trade-status-us-intl-hnk/index.html | ||
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Lmui
Canada6215 Posts
USA has cut off Huawei's access to TSMC - after september they lose access to the most advanced silicon nodes https://www.anandtech.com/show/15915/tsmc-confirms-halt-to-huawei-shipments-in-september That severely handicaps their ability to deploy more advanced technology. It's come way too late though, they've gotten gigantic off the backs of stolen IP from Nortel, and other companies around the world. It's realistically too little, too late. | ||
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JimmiC
Canada22817 Posts
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DarkPlasmaBall
United States45077 Posts
 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Cancer Again, Says She Will Remain On The Court https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892293736/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-has-cancer-again-says-she-will-remain-on-the-court?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR1Z_1JzXwt3RGmhqHaCd6b9T9wupPYbZW70xAfB7WBl9K_BMU1DEuSJRFg Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says her cancer has returned and that chemotherapy is yielding positive results. In a statement, she said that her most recent scan July 7 "indicated significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease." In the statement, Ginsburg said she began a course of chemotherapy (gemcitabine) on May 19 after a periodic scan in February, followed by a biopsy, revealed lesions on her liver. She said her recent hospitalizations to remove gallstones and treat an infection were unrelated to the recurrence of the cancer. "Immunotherapy first essayed proved unsuccessful. The chemotherapy course, however, is yielding positive results," the statement said. The statement added: "I am tolerating chemotherapy well and am encouraged by the success of my current treatment. I will continue bi-weekly chemotherapy to keep my cancer at bay, and am able to maintain an active daily routine. Throughout, I have kept up with opinion writing and all other Court work. I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that." Earlier this week, Ginsburg was admitted to the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment of a possible infection and was released a day later. In May, she underwent nonsurgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition, and participated from the hospital in the Supreme Court's oral arguments. She participated in the court's full term, which ended last week. Last year, she completed three weeks of radiation treatment after a cancerous tumor was discovered on her pancreas. It was the fourth time in 20 years that she had been treated for cancer, and the second time in a year. In December 2019 she underwent an operation to treat lung cancer. Imagine if Trump gets three SCJ picks. Holy shit. | ||
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KlaCkoN
Sweden1661 Posts
On July 18 2020 02:21 Lmui wrote: Well can't really say they're doing nothing. USA has cut off Huawei's access to TSMC - after september they lose access to the most advanced silicon nodes https://www.anandtech.com/show/15915/tsmc-confirms-halt-to-huawei-shipments-in-september That severely handicaps their ability to deploy more advanced technology. It's come way too late though, they've gotten gigantic off the backs of stolen IP from Nortel, and other companies around the world. It's realistically too little, too late. Personally I fear there are two outcomes here: 1) The CCP industrial espionage division have gathered enough knowledge about advanced semi conductor manufacturing at this point that China is able to have their own domestic supply chain up and running by the end of the year. This would obviously greatly strengthen the CCP. 2) if (1) is not an option China will invade Taiwan and make TSMC be the foundation of their own domestic supply chain. Cutting China off from advanced semiconductor technology is eerily similar to the US blockading Japanese oil and steel imports in 1940. Many people in the US seems to have this strange idea that Pearl Harbor was an unprovoked surprise attack, when it was actually done in an attempt to lift a blockade strangling the Japanese economy. The Japanese knew war with the US was a huge risk, but a huge risk with some probability of winning was preferable to no access to oil and guaranteed doom for their imperial ambitions. Similarly China obviously knows that annexing Taiwan would carry huge risks, but if the choice is between taking that risk and falling into the middle income trap as their economy is strangled then they will have to take the risk. The bad part (for the people of Taiwan) is that China is in a much much better position to annex Taiwan than Japan ever was to kick the US navy out of the pacific. | ||
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farvacola
United States18839 Posts
On July 18 2020 02:39 DarkPlasmaBall wrote: Our Progressive Supreme Court Lord and Savior, RBG, is sick again https://www.npr.org/2020/07/17/892293736/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-has-cancer-again-says-she-will-remain-on-the-court?utm_term=nprnews&utm_campaign=npr&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&fbclid=IwAR1Z_1JzXwt3RGmhqHaCd6b9T9wupPYbZW70xAfB7WBl9K_BMU1DEuSJRFg Imagine if Trump gets three SCJ picks. Holy shit. Sotomayor is doing just fine  But yeah, here’s to hoping she holds out for just a few months more. | ||
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Lmui
Canada6215 Posts
They're the only company in the world that can build the photolithography equipment, especially the EUV systems that build the most advanced silicon. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-asml-holding-usa-china-insight/trump-administration-pressed-dutch-hard-to-cancel-china-chip-equipment-sale-sources-idUSKBN1Z50HN There is no other company in the world that can build the machine, and independent research for it is largely impossible. Every fab in the world, from Intel, GlobalFoundries, TSMC, Samsung uses their machines and contributes to research. Even production of the EUV light is insane, relying on melting tin, and hitting droplets of molten tin as they fall with laser light twice, 50,000 times a second. There is no substitute, and the homegrown industry cannot be competitive without access to either an external fab, or ASML resources. The state department in the USA has unfortunately been gutted since Trump took office, so the soft power that the USA can wield to apply pressure to China has diminished over the last few years. | ||
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