The return of the jungle

Water Cooler
#1

The old order is swiftly disintegrating, and strongman politics is again ascendant among the world’s great powers. Countries are brimming with ambition, like tigers eyeing their prey, keen to find every opportunity among the ruins of the old order. Old scores that had to wait can now be settled. Disputed bits of territory can now be retaken. Natural resources can now be seized.

So, it appears that time has finally revealed what we in the third world have known forever, that this period of Western hegemony and American hyperpower was merely a small piece of history, a moment in time that would pass rather than something “natural” that would remain till infinity.

The worlds second largest nation with the second largest continuous history of humanity has broken through with their technological prowess now providing maximum deterrence against hypothetical American aggression. In some aspects, they have caught up with the Americans and ponder how to pull ahead, in some aspects they are ahead and in some far behind. Nevertheless, the machine emerging here is far more sophisticated than the machine the Democratic-Socialists of Europe or the hyper-Capitalists of America have produced

The worlds largest nation with the longest continuous history in the world is growing at speed but their societal problems of feudalism, tribalism etc seem to have them stuck in second gear. The nationalists who seem now have a stong-hold in their society are embracing neo-liberalism to break the inertia of their society whilst returning to their philosophical roots as guidance for the overarching culture. Will the last of the pagans return to their status of what Keyserling stated " Hinduism at its best has spoken the only truth about the way to self-realization in the full sense of the word" or will they go the way of the Aztecs - thrown into the dustbins of history

Smaller nations too are marching driven by their own needs no longer under fear of the American bullet. Iran bombastic as ever may have tried too much too soon and lies in tatters, Russia continues to grind away in Ukraine and ambitious South-East Asia led by Indonesia continues to flirt with its chinese roots.

BRICS nations divided by so much are walking in-step to create alternatives to petro-dollar warfare

and finally America against America - the country whose people for so long believed their culture was supreme now face some tough questions don’t they? As they have found that despite what they were told the world does not revolve around the USA, and rule by force only goes so far. A culture that became too enamored by science and too little spirituality seems to have created a nation of narcissists with everyone talking but no one listening. The virulent strain of racism that always existed under the surface now seems to have emerged again with Mr Trump in a different form but still as crude as before. Except this time, they are not oppressing 15% of their population, this time their disdain for the so-called “Third World” is being observed by Third Worlders themselves who still have living memories of the brutality of colonialism.

Their so called savior whilst swinging the pendulum away from the strange trajectory their culture was taking is at the end of the day another grifter, a man who loves the sound of his own voice a little too much. Who can save this culture when they look down on silence as weakness and humility as timidness?

At the end of it all, are we destined for war?

#2

We may be moving toward a global conflict, but it’s more likely that we’re entering an era of continuous low-level “cold” conflict and competition—economic warfare combined with occasional mid-sized proxy wars. The United States, China, India, and to some extent Russia, are vying for global influence.

While each of these countries faces its own challenges, I’m betting on the U.S. to emerge as the long-term winner. Despite its flaws, the U.S. has a system that is inherently more self-correcting than its top-down competitors. China, for instance, has abandoned the very system that fueled its rise: the de facto internal democracy within the Politburo Standing Committee, the Politburo, and the Central Committee. Under Xi Jinping, power has been centralized, dissent silenced, and the multilateral decision-making process dismantled - history shows that this kind of power centralization usually doesn’t end well.

Nassim Taleb once observed that democracies may appear fragile on the surface but are actually antifragile, able to adapt and grow stronger under pressure. In contrast, autocracies seem resilient from the outside but can collapse suddenly when faced with significant challenges. I kind of agree with Taleb.

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#3

I’m betting on the U.S. to emerge as the long-term winner.

I think this precisely demonstrates the limited thinking of the Western mind. Born from Aristotle : There is a right and a wrong and exacerbated by American culture. There doesn’t have to be a “winner” and “loser”. If anything the norm of history is multiple winners or in other terms multi-polarity.

Every system has its pros and cons, whilst every attempt at centralization has failed we must remember that the technology was never there to support it. Centralization during the Soviet Union meant layers of bureaucracy which opened up doors to corruption. A telegram sent from Moscow was not what was received in Vladivostok.

Now, the technology is there, information from Beijing reaches Inner Mongolia in seconds, the feedback loops are quicker. If anything, China has created a system with the pros of democracy whilst eliminating its weaknesses

The American system which you say is superior and maybe it is but at the end of the day it is built on the supremacy of the individual. Except humans have in-built flaws in us which needs to be managed imo. If the American system and culture views that as a no-go zone then the weakness always remains. I think that is what we are seeing play out in America in real-time. A disconnected elite living in their own bubble, the rise of grifters playing into the fears of the low-class, a middle-class who believe the grifters are on their side. History shows us what happens in this scenario - the empire falls under its own weight

#4

Well, not going to start arguing about what the term “long term winner” means. Just want to point out that you went on to describe a scenario of a distinct “winner” and a “loser” - a very binary view where the U.S “implodes under its own weight”.

Interesting point but you’re also describing China here. How will China be able to avoid this fate?

I really have to disagree here. Up to 2014 this was probably correct (see my first post). Since 2014, the built-in democracy in the decision making process has been dismantled and power has been centralized around Xi. After Mao, the Chinese said “never again will we be led by one single autocrat”. History tends to repeat itself and this is what we’re seeing here.

#5

Track and Field news.
If you’ve ever wondered what the baton was for in relay races, this video on X explains all
4×200 meter relay at the VHSL Class 3 State Indoor Championships at Liberty University in Lynchburg
(Girl’s High School Championship in Virginia)

#6

Wow that was crazy. They should start allowing hitting with a baton, at least in the final stretch. That would definitely take racing to a whole new level—a “last 100 meters, anything goes” rule. It would be part sprint, part gladiator battle, and you’d have to be fast and tactical to dodge incoming baton strikes. That would be great TV.

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#7

excluding 2021 to today. I would say china is a clear winner that has taken market share from the lazy europeans in the previous 70 years.

factoring 2021 to today, china has been a loser. ever since covid, they are getting hit hard. everybody knows it. they used to the biggest growrth for luxury and many of the luxury brands are reporting extremely bad results there.

anyways us has taken share, so we are net winners due to big tech and ai. imo we are about to tank other economies as we set up these tariffs. us has most of the wealth, so we’ll be fine.

its going be interesting to see how the supply chain will change, there seems to be a growing acceptance and justification since covid. from waht i heard though, many are still taking it easy and not changing anything.

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#8

they used to the biggest growrth for luxury and many of the luxury brands are reporting extremely bad results there.

What about ideology? You forget Mr Xi Jinping has a clear view on what makes a harmonious society. Materialism, hedonism, vanity are characteristics to be stamped out, in such an arena “luxury goods” will never fly. How interesting that the CCP has completed one full cycle within 50 years - from Mao stamping out culture to create a bank slate to Xi reversing course and embracing so called “tradition”.

What lead in big tech and ai are you talking about? In December 2024, the Economist and Foreign Affairs wrote an article on how China was about a decade behind America in foundational models, when the article was being written DeepSeek was being tested. Every un-biased think-tank out there has quietly accepted that chip warfare on China has been an absolute failure and they are ahead of schedule. Mr Ma returning from the cold is symbolic that the CCP is now happy on the regulations surrounding their tech sector and they can run again.

The leaders of America - a president who banged a pronstar, a man sacked before even starting a job cause he was a peado, a director of FBI dating a “country star” 16 years his junior. All these clowns probably off their head on blow as well talking about “Christian values”. LOL!

The leaders of China - men of honor, character and values. Married 30+ years, quiet and away from the limelight.

China’s victory will be total!

#9

“The wicked envy and hate; it is their way of admiring.”

Funny how every time a corrupt Chinese billionaire vanishes, it’s not for hedonism or vanity.
Let’s toast to the incorruptible men of honor, quietly amassing wealth through family trusts in Singapore and loading up on Vancouver real estate while lecturing the masses on frugality.

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#10

All that is left of the west and their population is their delusion that the world admires and envies them. Let them live in their ignorance a little bit longer for a moment is approaching, perhaps sooner than we expect where it will be revealed without a shadow of doubt that the emperor has no clothes.

Everytime a corrupt chinese businessman vanishes it is for greed and being an enemy of the people. Something the west with their celeb cult worship cannot fathom to understand. One only has to look at the clean up of fujian and compare it to the state of degeneracy in ibiza or las vegas to know who will be the victor.

#11

This relentless need to frame everything as East vs West, good vs evil, order vs chaos — it betrays something deeper: a need for simple narratives to explain a complicated world. Binary thinking is rarely a sign of clarity — usually, it’s just the intellectual scaffolding of someone in over their head. But please go ahead and keep fantasizing about total victory and whatnot. Future tends to have surpises for people who think it moves in straight lines.

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#12

Manichean

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#13

This relentless need to frame everything as East vs West,

Every action has a reaction. Pick up a history book to know who has been the aggressor for the last 500 years and you will know what is happening now is simply an equal and opposite reaction.

If anything thinks in terms of binary and lines it is the Westerner. We are simply stooping to your level to make it clear we are not afraid of getting in the mud and it will be an eye for an eye.

Indeed, the future always has surprises. Maybe there is nothing left to discuss then, history will settle this once in for all!

#14

Just to clarify — I was referring to you as the binary thinker, not projecting that onto the East as a whole. I’d never flatten an entire culture’s intellectual tradition into a soundbite.

But what is clear is that you’re still nursing a sore butt over the embarrassment handed out by Britain and Japan back in the day. It’s pretty funny imo. Maybe those days return, maybe they don’t — history’s funny like that.

If I were you, though, I’d be less obsessed with past grievances and more worried about the built-in antifragility of the one-party system. That kind of unchecked opacity has a way of imploding when you least expect it.

West has its own downsides and weaknesses and I’m not afraid to admit that. The difference is, I don’t need to pretend they’re virtues.

#15

The one party system has served China well for 4500 out of 5000 years. They will be fine

The world needs a bit of binary culling now. Liberalism for far too long has operated in the shades of grey telling us there is beauty in ultimate individualism but humans are retarded in general and giving them too much freedom without philosophy returns them to their animailistic state.

8 billion people, an entire generation idolising chanel, taylor swift, donald trump and andrew tate. Drug abuse crossing 10% in western countries. The list is endless

Draw the lines, let there be violence. There is nothing left to salvage in this world

#16

Running a government like you are running a frat house lol

#17

This comment is just nuts. You circle jerk around authoritarianism as though it’s a timeless constant, when in fact China’s dynastic history is one long oscillation between centralized order and catastrophic collapse. The idea that a one-party system “served China well for 4,500 years” is not only historically ridiculous ;it’s the kind of myth you repeat when nuance gets in the way of a good narrative.

I’ll grant you this much — excessive individualism without a guiding framework does lead to cultural entropy. But where we differ is in your belief that the answer is submission to brute authority.

You talk about culling and violence like it’s some righteous act of purification :smiley: Sounds like intellectual surrender that’s so appealing for those retarded masses. Just pure intellectual surrender dressed in some childish geopolitical cosplay.

#18

when in fact China’s dynastic history is one long oscillation between centralized order and catastrophic collapse.

Time I am, the destroyer of worlds - Bhagavad Gita. Everything ends, the only measure of success is how long harmony lasts before destruction. Within that framework Chinas centralized system is KING. Any other opinion is simply that, opinion not grounded in reality.

But where we differ is in your belief that the answer is submission to brute authority.

Life is all about balance, before the pendulum stabilizes it needs to swing the other way. Well with all that is happening in Ukraine and Palestine maybe this is all the pendulum has to swing or just a little more or maybe it hasn’t even started its swing.

You talk about culling and violence like it’s some righteous act of purification

There is certainly a thing as righteous violence. The only righteous violence the West has ever waged is the civil war on slavery. Even WW2 was bogus, fascists fighting other fascists convincing themselves they were better than the other. Churchill was as much of scum as Adolf with a death toll almost as high.

You say intellectual surrender. I say brutal pragmatism. These people offer nothing, they just consume, consume, consume and remain stuck in their little worlds of vanity and superficiality. What do they have to offer? Nothing! But the cull is almost happening organically with TFR rates dropping to 1 in so many industrialized countries. Neo-Liberalism for all its damage is now a great tool to shape the future of humanity.

#19

You seem to be living in a world of different data sets and realities but I must inform you that China’s TFR is 1.3, and is ranked 193th in the world - below pretty much all western countries. Why is it so that the Chinese have just decided to stop banging and seems that no incentive is working?

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#20

Mongolia. Britain. Japan. Kindly let us know if you’d like us to comp stomp you.

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