Russia produces more container ships by tonnage than the US with a fraction of the population, to pick just one example of many. Before SpaceX, the US was dependent on them for rides to the ISS. They produce some of the most formidable and battle-tested military-technical systems in the world. How exactly is that a failed state? Seems like you want other people to make the same decision you did since maybe you’re unsure that it was the correct choice.
Two out of the three of those are heavily military-based, and thanks to the cold war, the US and Russia have been heavily investing in the military for over half a century. So maybe that's not a fair comparison to make.
Besides manufacturing capability, I think determining whether something is a "failed state" or not, you need to look at other things, focusing more on social details. Is the government truly democratic? Is the law applied more-or-less fairly and equally? Is the press free, and are people able to discuss things without fear?
Aside from manufacturing exports, how is the internal economy - are people able to afford the basics, and things that might be considered luxuries? How's education, how's the ability to travel both internally and externally, how's economic and social mobility?
I don't think container-ship-tonnage is a great metric of whether something is a failed state or not.
Stalin managed to kill more Russians and Ukranians than Germany did during both world wars combined. Putin is turning the country into a geriatric corpse because young people who have other options leave and those who can't get killed in the war or don't want to bring children into this kind of future. A functioning state has to at least keep it's residents from getting mass murdered or facing such a bleak future that they die out voluntarily.
How are western companies blocked from accessing China’s domestic market? Because they are obligated to follow local laws? That’s like saying GDPR blocks American companies from operating in Europe.
This isn’t a new subject. For instance, both Google and Facebook are not allowed in China despite their past attempts to comply with mercurial and vague CCP laws.
I’m sure there are more US companies and industries that are not allowed to compete in China’s domestic market.
The GDPR is protectionist legislation for EU companies, but it doesn’t prevent US companies from doing business in the EU. It’s a terrible comparison to the CCP’s outright ban on many US companies.
Most likely because China relies on Windows? I don’t know and it’s a moot point.
All I know is that there has been a large swath of US and other Western companies that are barred from doing business in China. That’s a fact. As to why, it’s likely protectionism for local mainland companies who wouldn’t have been able to compete.
I’ve already listed one news article with specific examples. One can find more over the past decade. I don’t have the burden of proof. That’s on you since this is common knowledge in the West
Burden of proof would fall upon the person making the claim. Appealing to the cultivated state of general ignorance in the West does not absolve you of this. In fact, the article you reference supports my position since it cites “restrictive laws and regulations” as the reason these companies do not operate in China.
I didn’t make a claim, I asked how Western companies were blocked. But my evidence that Western companies are not blocked is that Apple and Microsoft operate in China. Uber operated there as well but lost to local competition. Phrenology was well known and documented also.
Demand for dollars will remain strong as long as they are the least onerous way to conduct international trade for essential goods. The US makes very few of these goods domestically. Eventually the mountains of sanctions, central bank asset seizures, endless debt and money printing, and policy of foreign meddling will tip the scales.
Is Ukraine free when the US is meddling in its internal politics and orchestrating coups to protect ‘American influence’? Where is the freedom and riches you promise in all the countries the US has bombed over the past 60 years?
Protecting ‘American influence’ = an unending payday for the corrupt military-industrial complex monopolies and nothing more.
Exactly. China sees the current sale price of Russian petroleum products as just such an opportunity, and is using the Northern Sea Route to move the products (1). The Russians have recently passed a law to further assert their control of that route (2). Interestingly, the US countered by conducting what amounts to a freedom of navigation operation in the area (3).
Don’t forget Iran and Venezuela. And the Israel/Palestine conflict, along with other geoeconomic factors, puts Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations in play. New production coming online via projects such as EACOP as well.
> There isn't invalidation of people who wish to express that opinion publicly and even on project hosted forums, chats, bug-lists, etc
This was and I believe still is disallowed on any communication venues controlled by the Elm core team. Any discussion of alternative designs or workarounds was shut down and deleted, regardless of tone.
It’s because the only people left in the Elm community are those who are content with its current state and aren’t interested in having a stake in the future direction of core components or in even knowing whether there is a direction.
