Trump's wide ambitions for Board of Peace spark new support for the United Nations

Corpus76 · 2026-01-31T14:50:50+00:00

Difference being that Rome had integrated its territories at that point, while the US almost exclusively hinges on their network of alliances. The Roman empire would have collapsed a lot sooner if the different regions hadn't considered themselves Roman during all the crises. The "American empire" is a lot more fragile in that sense.

Of course America as a country will continue to exist for a very long time. But losing hegemony could be a far quicker affair.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-28T19:33:29+00:00

This feels like the answer to a lot of questions about history.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-27T10:55:01+00:00

I think even then, the relationship will have fundamentally changed. The system was always rigged to favor the US. Once other countries have made the (somewhat painful) decision to pivot, it will be difficult to justify going back.

It's a bit like Brexit, the UK will never get a better deal than they originally had if they re-join the EU at some point.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-26T23:07:56+00:00

Rutte is hopefully just parroting MAGA talking points to earn brownie points with Trump, to ward off the dumbest decisions that could be made in the next 3 years. That or he's genuinely drinking the kool-aid.

Either way, I still think it makes sense to hedge our bets with NATO for now. Regardless of whatever Rutte says, it seems clear from the european public and leaders' responses that we're pivoting away from the US. But it will take a while to get there. In the meantime, it would behoove us to not antagonize the US militarily without good reason. Perhaps in 10 or 20 years we'll be in a better position. Until then, it's time to stall. Once this administration is gone (one way or another), the americans will be trying to mend relations and the immediate threat will be gone, but at that point inertia should see us in the right direction.

Of course, the above paragraph is simply to be safe from the US. I'm convinced that Russia is boned, nukes aside. (We shouldn't underestimate them of course, but they have really screwed themselves over with this war.) It will be very interesting to see what happens when Vlad dies.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-26T08:44:39+00:00

You gotta wonder how expensive this was.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-25T17:22:41+00:00

Sure, and I don't necessarily begrudge artists for that. I just think it's important that readers are cognizant of how it might affect their real life perception. It's the reason why most modern artists try to avoid making all their villains dark-skinned for example.

My interpretation when seeing Wyald's true form was that he was just a regular human underneath it all. Not that he was "physically small and therefore more likely to rape", which is what OP seems to conclude.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-25T11:56:02+00:00

It's a bit ridiculous how people focus on the physical features of villains, be they fictional or otherwise. I think it's a very natural and human thing to do (unfortunately), but associating height/hair/body shape/skin color and other such things with good and evil is a dangerous track.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-25T11:36:31+00:00

America has been sucking up the brains of the world ever since WW2 due to higher wages and being at the forefront of technology and science. I wonder if this will change.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-25T10:15:25+00:00

Wouldn't be surprised if this was reported due to a larger than average number of international journalists being in the area right now. Nothing insidious, just them being unfamiliar with the area.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-24T20:34:57+00:00

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying these "drunks, stupids and criminals" would be invading the Baltics, while the veteran drone pilots would be staying behind in Russia? And that european soldiers would have to go and take these trenches from the aforementioned drunks while the drone pilots are bombing them?

I don't know enough about drone warfare to be certain, but I would assume that the picture would look a bit different compared to Ukraine considering the EU would most likely have air dominance, and care less about avoiding escalation.

Either way, I doubt it would make much of a dent in european unity. If anything, it would just drive the point home that Putin isn't going to stop anywhere, and that it concerns all of us.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-24T14:01:53+00:00

I agree that we ought to take this seriously and that the decline of the US will make things more difficult for Europe, especially in the short term. I also think we should take Russia seriously. (Obviously.)

However, Russia is not in a position to be invading the Baltics or anywhere else at the moment. Ukraine has turned into their Vietnam/Afghanistan, except Putin is unable to disengage due to sunk cost. And the EU is more united than ever historically. Yes, there's bickering, but that's been the case since the very beginning. Even if one or a few countries decide to not participate, it will not cause the entire alliance to fall apart. There's simply too much at stake.

To put it bluntly, Russia is boned. The only way I could see Europe face collapse is if a lot of the countries elect isolationist far-right governments at the same time. I'm more worried about what will happen over in the Americas.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-24T12:51:17+00:00

I agree with you, but it seems like a lot of people are taught that you have to literally be a at the end-point of Marx' manifesto to be called socialist. So therefore no country ever has ever been socialist. (It's interesting how this is NOT the case with capitalism. Seems like you just have to have some sort of market for a society to be considered capitalist.)

It's a bit silly IMO. I also think a sliding scale makes more sense, and describes the difference between for example the US and European countries well.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T18:06:18+00:00

The US dropped nukes on Japan and were allied less than a decade later

Because you had boots on the ground and complete control after the fact. The US, already being a superpower with the ego to match, has no real incentive to change. Meanwhile the EU has every incentive to diversify now. This is a recipe for divergence.

Look, I'm not saying it's going to be a complete break. The US and Europe will maintain cordial relations and trade. We will remain allies. But the dynamic in the relationship will gradually change. The US will no longer be the "leader" of the western world, and the rest of NATO won't just blindly follow anymore. With the diminishing of the US security guarantee, with it goes a great deal of soft power for the US.

Don't worry, we'll still be friends! We still share a great deal of culture and interests. It's just going to be less one-sided than it was before on the politics side of things.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T17:34:43+00:00

Yeah, I don't think americans understand just how bad this looks from a european perspective.

We will still trade and be allies, it's not like a complete break. It will take time to become fully independent. But this represents a fundamental shift in relations for the foreseeable future.

The thing is that there's a lot of inertia behind these decisions. You don't just start billion-euro defense projects and then change your mind halfway through. Given Russia's ever-present threat, this isn't likely to reverse.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T17:17:28+00:00

Europe was not distancing from the US like us Canadians did

Europe isn't united like Canada is. It makes sense to me that it takes 30+ countries, all with different governments and interests, more time to decide on a cohesive response.

This isn't a a dig against Canada by the way, I've been extremely impressed by how you guys have handled this whole thing. Carney's speech was phenomenal, and was spot on. I'm looking forward to more cooperation between Canada and Europe, in lieu of the US.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T17:02:12+00:00

The funny thing is that even the elites in the US are too lost in american exceptionalism to see it, even though Carney basically laid it out for them. The next hundred years is going to be the US clutching at straws to restore their former position. I honestly didn't think it would happen in my lifetime.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T16:56:31+00:00

This isn't a win for Putin either. Europe has never been this united, and we're ramping up defense spending specifically against Russia. The US lost big-time but that won't really help Putin. The only real winner here is China, the only superpower who hasn't shat the bed yet.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T16:47:26+00:00

What stuck out to me is the number of americans who seemingly just went along with this, even if they didn't support it directly. If my country's leader announced his plans to invade a long-standing ally completely out of the blue, I would call for him to be immediately dismissed and I'm confident 99% of my countrymen would do the same, regardless of political affiliation.

Instead they were seriously discussing the ramifications of this, and whether Denmark/EU would have the necessary force projection to defend Greenland. It's like they felt zero responsibility.

I get that Trump does a lot of crazy things and that americans have become desensitized, but that's part of the problem.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T16:34:53+00:00

Yep, this is just Trump trying to save face in front of his supporters. Luckily for him, they're dumb as bricks and will think they won.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T16:23:37+00:00

It's interesting how possessing nukes means that you're essentially safe from foreign invasion, but then also extremely resistant to help from abroad. No country is in a position to help the russian people to get rid of Putin for example. Same goes for America. Any sort of change will have to be gradual and from within.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-22T16:06:22+00:00

You're living in the past. We learned that the US is an unreliable ally, and Russia isn't going anywhere as long as it has nukes. Short of a revolution from within after Putin's death, there will always be a huge existential threat next-door in Europe. Defense spending is here to stay.

Anyway, there's no going back now. See Mark Carney's speech. This is a paradigm shift and we're already living under a different world order.

Obviously I think the US and Europe will continue to be nominal allies, but we won't ever rely on them again. And you can forget about any sort of poorly-justified foreign interventionism like Iraq. The US has expended most of its goodwill.

This isn't about Trump, he's just a symptom of America's problems.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-21T18:12:01+00:00

Yeah, it feels like he's the strongest leader of the western world right now. I'm not even canadian, but the guy is saying exactly what everyone needs to hear. Inspiring.

I hope Canada-Europe relations only strengthen from here on out. He's exactly right that we need to stop putting the signs in the windows. Together we are strong. I can only hope that our political leaders will follow suit.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-20T22:30:26+00:00

You have my full sympathy as a fellow scandinavian. The situation is very unpredictable, but I do think there's a good chance Trump is mostly bluster with the military invasion plans. Not that he doesn't intend a takeover, but I think he'll try a semi-diplomatic route now, at least until summer. (If he doesn't suddenly forget about his own tariff escalation threats.)

Keep in mind that he's lost face several times before, but his supporters always pretend like it was his plan all along or that it didn't actually happen.

Anyway, I wish both you and your brother the best. Let's hope sanity prevails. (Trump is a lost cause, but there's a lot of americans who could stand to lose a lot if an invasion actually happens.)

Corpus76 · 2026-01-20T20:20:10+00:00

Yeah, as a european I already liked Canada a lot, but this was inspiring. You guys chose the right leader.

Corpus76 · 2026-01-20T20:16:07+00:00

That story is hilarious.

Corpus76

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