No society can do without social inequality, because it must foster the useful knowledge and skills of its citizens in order to survive in the competition among nations. If it were to defy this imperative—as Mao did during the Cultural Revolution and as Vladimir Putin has done since the attack on Ukraine, through which he lost his best minds to foreign countries—then a country slides into the abyss because it falls behind technologically. If, on the other hand—as in turbo-capitalism—it is a state’s declared goal to reward useful knowledge and skills beyond measure, then it risks an uprising by the disadvantaged segment of the population and thus destroys social stability. Nothing is as dangerous to a state’s cohesion as the resentment of segments of the population who were respected citizens just yesterday but suddenly count for nothing. When millions of Germans lost their jobs in the wake of the Great Depression of 1929 and were forced to beg at public soup kitchens to feed their families, they turned to a man who, until 1928, had been nothing more to the overwhelming majority than a political clown: they turned to Adolf Hitler.
Putin and Trump – Resentment and its Bloody Legacy weiterlesen
Kategorie: Russia
TrumpoLitics, MuskaRade – an era of lawlessness begins
After more than half a century of peace at least in the Western world, the starting signal for the beginning of a new era of lawlessness in international relations has just been sounded in the US. Donald Trump wants to place the Panama Canal, up to now the property of a sovereign state, under US administration, i.e. occupy it. Not without reason, of course. The US is vitally dependent on the sea route for trade between the west and east coasts of the country, as the completely outdated and dilapidated rail infrastructure is unable to cope with the trade and transport by road is too expensive. In 1989, the United States already saw its interests threatened. At that time, it took appropriate action against dictator Noriega. Trump is a cold-blooded realist. He knows exactly what will happen after such an attack. There will be short-term outcry, especially from South America but otherwise:
TrumpoLitics, MuskaRade – an era of lawlessness begins weiterlesenIsrael and Ukraine – about wars of princes and wars of faith
The 1949 Geneva Convention defined war crimes by setting out specific rules on how wars may not be waged under any circumstances. Protecting civilians is the top priority. This agreement was a great attempt to secure fundamental human rights. However, the effort was doomed to failure from the outset.
Israel and Ukraine – about wars of princes and wars of faith weiterlesenWhere does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany?
(I sent this essay to some of the authors quoted by Dohnanyi in his book “Nationale Interessen” (National Interests).
The following thoughts are the result of reading two books by a very clever, well-informed and experienced German politician, the former mayor of Hamburg and later Federal Minister of Education and Science Klaus von Dohnanyi, who, despite his immense reading, despite a generally remarkably balanced judgment, nevertheless found a late political home with the “Alliance Sarah Wagenknecht” (BSW) – a party that, being more than just US-critical, treats Putin and his regime with kid gloves. How can a clever man go so astray?
Where does Klaus von Dohnanyi want to lead Germany? weiterlesenWohin will Klaus von Dohnanyi Deutschland führen?
(Ich habe den Aufsatz an einige jener Autoren versandt, die von Dohnanyi in seinem Buch „Nationale Interessen“ zitiert)
Die folgenden Gedanken sind das Ergebnis der Lektüre zweier Bücher eines sehr klugen, hervorragend informierten und erfahrenen deutschen Politikers, des ehemaligen Hamburger Bürgermeisters und späteren Bundesminister für Bildung und Wissenschaft Klaus von Dohnanyi, der trotz immenser Belesenheit, trotz eines fast immer bemerkenswert ausgewogenen Urteils gleichwohl beim Bündnis Sarah Wagenknecht (BSW) eine späte politische Heimat fand – einer Partei, die mehr als nur US-kritisch ist, während sie Putin und sein Regime mit Samthandschuhen behandelt. Wie kann sich ein kluger Mann derart verirren?
Wohin will Klaus von Dohnanyi Deutschland führen? weiterlesenCan we still be saved?
Confronted with such a question, the critical reader will think of several counter-questions. Who is meant by „we“? From “what” are we meant to be saved? And “who” dares to ask such a curious question? Can we still be saved? weiterlesen
All against all: the cyberwar against truth and reason
(section taken from my yet unpublished new book »Homo Faber – what holodoxy tells us about the future of man«)
Hardly any thinking person today would still claim that the „progress“ of weapons technology makes the world a better let alone safer place, but this was precisely the prediction made with regard to the internet and the social media. The interconnectedness of all with all appeared to its creators as a promise of worldwide dissemination of truth and knowledge. The fact that everyone could now express their opinions and that these could, in principle, be heard by everyone else on the globe was even hailed as the dawn of a new global democracy.
All against all: the cyberwar against truth and reason weiterlesenFALTER, SPIEGEL and Nord Stream 2 – what about the quality of Western “quality media”?
Up to the present day, no authority exists that we could call upon to define once and for all the quality of quality media. It is possible, however, to make comparisons among existing media. FALTER, SPIEGEL and Nord Stream 2 – what about the quality of Western “quality media”? weiterlesen
Will peace come to Ukraine during the G 20 summit in November?
I allow myself to believe in a miracle or rather in the force of reason that urges Russia and the US to end the war in Ukraine. But for those who do not believe in political reason, let me add that elementary interests are at play. Vladimir Putin must have realized that he can no longer win his war against the „Ukrainian brothers“, because contrary to what he thought at the beginning, the Ukrainians have by now turned into Russia’s bitter enemies though once they were among its best friends. Will peace come to Ukraine during the G 20 summit in November? weiterlesen
Warmongering – the Problem of Guilt
Up to now, there are few who dared to express an obvious suspicion, namely that the United States may have carried out the act of sabotage against the Northstream pipelines. Warmongering – the Problem of Guilt weiterlesen
Sabotage, reasons of state, and the ordinary citizen
Nordstream 1 and 2 were rendered unusable for years on two consecutive days with the help of powerful explosive devices. According to a usually well-informed expert from CCTV-4 (the Chinese state television), the force released on this occasion was equivalent to at least two tons of TNT. The explosion was so powerful that it caused seismographs in Denmark and Sweden to tremble. Sabotage, reasons of state, and the ordinary citizen weiterlesen
Europe on Probation
The war was prepared long in advance. At the latest since 2005, when Vladimir Putin described the disintegration of the Soviet Union as the „greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century,“ he was anxious to reverse what he saw as a disastrous development. Europe on Probation weiterlesen