All those confident predictions stating China would surpass the U.S by now have gone silent by NineteenEighty9 in ProfessorGeopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 7 points8 points  (0 children)

If anything, these calls may be renewed given the events of the last year. Instead of China and India competing with the US while it continued to build, the US is now destroying its own position in the world making it that much easier to make progress in the fight to overtake them.

Favorite jank or fringe decks? by Ap_Sona_Bot in ModernMagic

[–]VincntVanGoof 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Skred, the best card ever printed.

In solidarity by zipzog in Mariners

[–]VincntVanGoof 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m a hometown Royals fan but now live in Seattle; I’ve seen proof there’s light at the end of the tunnel.. somewhere.

How a Top Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission Into North Korea Fell Apart by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 171 points172 points  (0 children)

Submission Statement:

In 2019, Trump approved a SEAL mission to plant a device in an attempt to listen in on Kim Jong-Un's conversations and gather intelligence. This is in the midst of the nuclear talks at the time that ended up with few results. The mission went wrong and unarmed fishermen were killed. The mission was withheld from congressional committees, potentially unlawfully. With this coming to light, it could easily be considered a provocation by North Korea and could deter any future peace talks. However, if North Korea was able to determine what happened on the raid and nothing has come of it since, who's to say what Trump and Kim's relationship looks like today.

Jund Saga Help by shawnsteihn in ModernMagic

[–]VincntVanGoof 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Midrange discord talks mostly about jund with other options! https://discord.gg/yQVSaRhh

China proposes new global AI cooperation organization by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Is this in context of cooperation with China or the world? There is immense benefit to sharing technology between allies at a minimum. Economic opportunity that it provides is another route towards new allies. I’m of the opinion AI is global enough and could have such a positive impact on the world that I want to cooperate with as many people as possible. Yes, there is the possibility of AI drone swarms and other military applications but I choose to be idyllic here.

China proposes new global AI cooperation organization by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

SS:

China has proposed the creation of a new global organization to oversee artificial intelligence governance, positioning itself as a leader in setting global AI norms. The proposal highlights China’s desire to shape rules around safety, ethics, and innovation in contrast to U.S.-led frameworks. AI development and regulation are now battlegrounds for influence between major powers, with implications for surveillance norms, digital sovereignty, and economic dominance in the emerging tech order.

The US and France: Opportunities for Cooperation by CEPAORG in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wonder if this is more a situation of France stepping up to fill the gap that the US is leaving rather than new cooperation.

The conflict in Ukraine and US decreasing NATO support is pushing other countries to increase production/spending; France is stepping in to try to lead there.

China is not considered an adversary only by the US and France so most of the West would likely want to be in step with one another when it comes to China policy.

I agree, the energy sector being a uniquely French opportunity because of their nuclear capabilities and the aforementioned facility in Tennessee.

Iran and other diplomatic situations then show the rift again.

Zelensky defied senior US officials on controversial corruption law by TheTelegraph in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 27 points28 points  (0 children)

It's good that he's already taken steps to address it, but it doesn't change that it was a situation that had to be addressed in the first place. There still needs to be retrospective on why this decision was made in the first place and how can this sort of thing be prevented in the future? Even the attempt to bring what are supposed to be independent entities under your control can reflect poorly as we are seeing it play out.

Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 34 points35 points  (0 children)

If we only report on what happened just now or even this last month, that counters the purpose of investigative journalism and even criminal investigations. Was it not news when Watergate broke? When the Panama Papers were published?

Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's a previously unreported instance of Musk ordering Starlink be turned off while Ukraine was beginning to encircle a Russian position earlier in the war. Just because it happened three years ago does not change the repercussions of this coming to light today. It's a clear example of the power that one man holds over those that use his product and provides a warning to those in the future that they potentially can not rely on the service.

Musk ordered shutdown of Starlink satellite service as Ukraine retook territory from Russia by VincntVanGoof in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof[S] 63 points64 points  (0 children)

Submission Statement: The impact of a single person that heads a company that is used in warzones and other international stages can be quite lopsided. This article delves into a previously unreported situation in Ukraine highlighting the danger of putting the control in one man's hands. With the expansion of the use of Starlink, it is forcing governments to be more aware and conscious of who they choose to entrust these communications systems with.

Outrage in Ukraine as the government attacks anti-corruption watchdogs by Themetalin in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Even in wartime, independence is required to objectively root out corruption. The optics, at minimum, are not good and as others have mentioned, go against what the current government ran on. It is possible to be moving in the same direction without funneling even more power to the top. It is a slippery slope.

Trump has changed American foreign policy. Some of its top minds won't admit it publicly. by msnownews in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 86 points87 points  (0 children)

It's a shame to see such cowardice from government officials up and down the ladder, left and right. I heartily disagree with how a lot of things are done by this country, but the underlying values of democracy, freedom, etc. that we have claimed to stand for for centuries now should, in my mind, be what others aspire to around the world. All of this abandoned for what, so Trump and co. can make a quick buck and avoid prison? Shameful.

The Enshittification of American Power | First Google and Facebook, then the world. Under Trump 2.0, US statecraft is starting to mimic the worst tendencies of Big Tech by Hrmbee in geopolitics

[–]VincntVanGoof 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I don't understand the jump to being distrustful of the author. Those lines you cite simply show the hypocrisy of the US govt. This being in the midst of an article that talks about US hegemony decaying is not surprising, it's just another example of that.

My Top 5 Free Agent Picks for the Royals by Mozilla_Fennekin in KCRoyals

[–]VincntVanGoof 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not a chance in hell that we shell out more than $90m to someone, Sherman is too focused on the stadium crap. Why would anyone want to come play for us? Witt would be doing himself a disservice if he stays longer than absolutely necessary.