Skip Navigation

User banner
Posts
155
Comments
319
Joined
2 yr. ago

  • the drive to localize to improve indigenous capabilities? Or would you get more bang for the buck? Or does it produce better outcomes?

    Good questions.

    Have only skimmed this spefific rapport, but I'm happy that in this report they finally seem to be open to a shift in thinking about aid.

    Afaik, aid has usually been actually kind of outsourced to non regional organizations. Generally 80/90% of money for the aid is used on that.

    Many organizations need also to bribe, pay , convince local warlords to get there, and then the question remains,how effective the locally sourced( new) aid centre will be.

    But, If you can cut the overhead and could invest like 80% of the money instead of the say, 20%, that would be a win.

    Also, the current aid programs have been having negative outcomes and received critique. Basically, what I read was, that aid organisations ended up cultivating an atmosphere of extra dependence for their target groups, and or in some places the help only made the sitiuation worse, on the longer term.

    Also , your valid and critical questions should always be addressed and situations will need some monitoring, so they can't cut all the overhead, and neither should they.

  • I'm sure there are plenty of unique factors

    Correct. it's a very complex situation, which nobody wanted, yet here we are. And politically and judicial, both on regional, national and European level, there is no known simple solution.

    What really triggered this mess was a court ruling regarding an environmental N0 ( nitro oxygen?) and a Co2 and smallparticle emission report not very long ago. That ruling gridlocked everything.

  • And to add another viewpoint, this development has spiked the attitude and emotions concerning immigrations. For literally, atm there simply is no affordable housing to be found for the current nationals . Not talking about the political or the morality, simply about the absence of (current and new) infrastructure for placements in the foreseeable future.

    Not to mention, that the Netherlands is one of the highest populated areas per kmÂČ in the world, especially considering that only like 30% of it's total landsurface is used for housing and all the rest is industry, trade, but especially agriculture takes a huge bulk.

  • Unfortunately, imo this does sound as the start a new serious escalation. I could be wrong, but they really don't like the continued support Ukraine is getting and want to stop that. Especially extra aid and maybe in this new phase , support coming from influx of extra military from abroad. Also, according to internal rumors in Russia, their war economy is slowly killing their home economy. Lots of domestic business are closing shop, and many people have been working in warfactories. Also when planes, trains and other stuff massively starts falling apart, something which already has been happening, they won't be able to maintain the supply lines. So probably very soon (summer) we'll see a very heavy offensive from 2 or 3 sides, and they really don't want extra trouble, as apperantly this wars costs are trememdous in their scale. The longer it takes, the lower the win chances for Ruzz will become, though I wonder atm, if anyone in the top even knows what their actual plans could be. I surely don't hope something like " If we can't have it, nobody will" , like Stalin did, and they'll turn the place into a wasteland.

    Fyi via ap ap link "It was the first time that Russia has publicly announced drills involving tactical nuclear weapons, though its strategic nuclear forces regularly hold exercises. Tactical nuclear weapons include air bombs, warheads for short-range missiles and artillery munitions and are meant for use on a battlefield. They are less powerful than the massive warheads that arm intercontinental ballistic missiles and are intended to obliterate entire cities."

  • Location: "Mykhailivka, a village on the right bank of the River Dnieper in Ukraine, lies dangerously close to the front line of Russia’s war on its western neighbour. Seventy years ago, however, it was the site of an excavation by Ukrainian archaeologists. There, they discovered one of the earliest known settlements of the Yamnaya culture."

  • Yeah it sounds pretty bad. Apart from the terrible working condition and human abuse, I worry for their lack of concern for the fishing population as they have no regards for endangered species and future world population of fish and seamamals, and they currently form the biggest fleets in the world.

    "When quizzed about illegal activities aboard Chinese boats, 80% of them had reported shark finning — the act of removing fins from sharks and discarding the rest of the shark back into the ocean — and 59% reported the deliberate capture and/or injury of vulnerable marine megafauna, including manta rays, dolphins and sharks.

  • "It is understood the European Commission is concerned that Meta’s moderation system is not robust enough to counterbalance the potential proliferation of fake news and attempts to suppress voting."

  • This sort of reporting

    Ecaxlty. Imo it's not of the best quality considering the original title and content form WSJ, " Putin Didn’t Directly Order Alexei Navalny’s February Death, U.S. Spy Agencies Find" WSJ article . Arch

    " The assessment doesn’t dispute Putin’s culpability for Navalny’s death, but rather finds he probably didn’t order it at that moment(...) European intelligence agencies have been told of the U.S. view. Certain countries remain skeptical that Putin wouldn’t have had a direct hand in Navalny’s death"

    At Reuters they like to add their own stuff quoting Ruzz officials and confusing the actual original content.

  • Imo, it's not healthy when any one political party (or one head of state for that matter) governs for too many consequent years, and this goes for any country. This would automatically lead to nepotism and corruption, a dysfunctional state as the leaders become more and more estranged from its constituents. Even though I can empathise towards the voter's choice for upholding the ANC in power for fear of regression to their past regime. Democracy, though simple in theory, can be very complex in reality.

  • is how institutions like slavery get perpetuated.

    Yeah, without taking responsibility, accepting consequences, owning up to one's actions and failures, facing the actual shame , etc ; there's no way anyone would change their behaviour and erroneous ways.

  • Afaik, some important events will coincide in 2024:

    ● Resurgence of far-right parties on European level due to new elections later this year, and the 2024 US presidential elections.

    ● Per second half 2024 (July 1 to the end of 2024) Hungary will hold the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, putting it in charge of the EU’s policy-making process for six months.

    ● Recently, there are many new developments: there have been multiple indictments & arrests of members of EP and local members of Parliaments across memberstates for spying charges [ Add: new polls suggest that this has lead to a decrease in the popularity of the far-right ].

    In Hungary a new political opposition leader is rising ; Mr Magyar.

    The EU is passing a new disinformation bill, to stop anti-democratic players and institutions.

    Also, there are many discussions whether Hungary [OrbĂĄn], should or could hold the position of being President of The Council, considering its anti-democratic, anti-EU, and pro-CCP and pro-Putin stance [ Hungary has signed a "security contract" with China recently, enabling the surveillance in Hungary, by Chinese police officers]

    link balkaninsight

  • Ah yes , I forgot that bit. These men on the ground are usually called instructors & maintenance crew. Germany ( Rheinmetall) and other facilititators are building factories with some self defense systems in U.A. They are called the construction crew, I reckon. Political correctness, just use the "correct" names.^^.

  • If this forces the Germans into delivering Taurus it becomes an even bigger deal.

    Exactly.And the UK will or are supplying, and German politics won't have an argument not to send the Taurus anymore.

  • Good to know that it's official now. Whether something will change; we'll see..

  • FYI: medium credibility source Factual Reporting; mixed [mediabias link] (https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/truth-out/) Any other source available?

    added: being downvoted for pointing this out won't change the source and it's info, though. Just shows you are very biased.

  • Condemning Iran because of attacking back but when Israel does it - it suppose to be okay? Double standards.

    No, you are wrong. The EU condemned the atack on the embassy in Damascus, see link

    "BRUSSELS, April 3 (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday condemned an airstrike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1 that killed seven people and called on countries in the region to show restraint."

    Please respond in an informed way, instead of escalating things without any basis. Let's stay on topic.

  • to relieve the pressure from the supply side.

    EU is for example paying or subsidising billions to some sort of called " external migration route " countries, to help shelter migrants ( I think Turkiya, Tunesia maybe some others). Also they came up with a kind of billions Euro European Aid program to offer third countries alternatives to the Chinese Belt and Road initiative.

    Most measures seem quite complicated and sometimes controversial. Imo there doesn't seem to be one best simple solution as the world is facing multiple geopolitical problems and disorders. I believe they are working with several policies simultaneously. Also, it's poltics and we do have a surge of right winged politics, so it seems a relative win for the centre.

  • The Panama papers consisted of 11 millions documents, 214 000 offshore companies, 14.000 customers.. And now 27 are charged, and that's it.

  • And the beats go on..( all seeing I YT).

    One day we might know what happened, or not. Thing that has me worried is; what will come next?