The press in Britain is aware of the "race" between the west and the east, and that one of the players in the east took over first place in the export competition in 2009.First place has gone back and forth between the west and east over the past years.
But the British press is not calling it sporty competition, they are calling it "war":
The global economy now badly needs an over-arching "trade round" – a worldwide deal to boost international commerce, while keeping protectionism in check. After all, it was the rash of tariffs and quotas imposed in the aftermath of the 1929 Wall Street crash that put the "Great" in the "Great Depression". While economically disastrous, provoked the mutual loathing and extremism that sparked the Second World War.(We Are At Risk Of A Trade War, Telegraph, emphasis added). If that is not enough to perk your ears up, note that the politicians spoken of do not realize that now is not then in terms of what world civilization faces.
Even such obvious lessons from history are lost on today's politicians. As the realities of recession bite and unemployment rises, our so-called leaders reach for the protectionist comfort blanket, telling voters that shutting out the world "saves jobs".
Over the last year, the US – the global "free-trade champion" – has imposed 46 separate protectionist measures on goods and services crossing its borders. The EU, disgracefully, has implemented 90. The likes of China and India have retaliated, introducing 51 and 29 new anti-trade measures respectively. Little wonder that world trade volumes remain 13pc [13%] below their pre-sub-prime peak.
Trade is only the tip of the iceberg, the shadow of time governs the earth, because we also have a global energy crisis, a global climate crisis, and a global overpopulation crisis to add to the mix.
The propaganda of the U.S. inflating "the war on terror" as the top selling brand takes away from dealing with the complete picture of the problem.
The politicians the British press was talking about had better get their heads out of their arse otherwise this will turn into blood sport of the kind where the earth is "at war" with humanity while humanity is "at war" with itself.
It is time for some cosmic adults to evolve out of this primal ooze.
The venerable John McCain is on the Today Show (a little petulant this morning as well) continuing to sell the War on Terror in Afghanistan as I write. Certainly no sign of any cosmic consciousness there. I'm betting we've got quite away to go yet before any such consciousness manifests itself on any broad scale.
ReplyDeletedisaffected,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but think that the McCain family has a vested interest in war, since they have attended the war colleges.
Trade is only the tip of the iceberg, the shadow of time governs the earth, because we also have a global energy crisis, a global climate crisis, and a global overpopulation crisis to add to the mix.
ReplyDeleteIt's also particularly revealing that a significant portion of the US electorate and their representatives reject the energy and climate issues as crises at all, while overpopulation isn't even primarily a US problem, with India and China driving the train there.
Personally, I'm of the opinion that not only will the first two issues never be adequately addressed, but further, we'll very soon reach a tipping point where short term incentives will reverse. As current oil-based energy supplies start to dwindle, prices will begin to rise, first slowly (albeit erratically, with large price spikes as we have already seen), then increasingly quickly. At that point, "rational" consumers, faced with higher prices and the death of their lifestyles, will be encouraged to push consumption forward and live for the moment while it lasts.
Climate change, likewise. Faced with inevitable global changes locked in by previous carbon emissions, remaining third world populations will be encouraged to industrialize and modernize as much as possible while they still can, while in first world capitalist economies such as our own, once the handwriting's on the wall (and I think we've already seen some evidence of this), climate change will be "sold" as just another profit making opportunity for the entrepreneurial among us.
I mean really, can you just imagine the board members of some major transnationals salivating at the idea of profiting from mass population relocations and rebuilding efforts, not to mention the "security" efforts sure to be involved when world leaders realize that current populations are in no way sustainable in the face of such radical change? Should be quite a party we've got ahead of us in the 21st century, too bad I won't - absent reincartion at least - be around to see it all.
disaffected,
ReplyDeleteThe post "The Illusion of Environmental Security" points out some sources that show how some of it is already happening and some of it could take millions of lives at any time.
I am thankful, man is not really in control. Believe what you want... There is a Higher Authority and He is in control of our planet. If that were not true... We should just eat, drink and be merry... Man is so destructive and greedy...
ReplyDeleteJaneyre,
ReplyDeleteReligious and philosophical views are as welcome as scientific ones.
There are a lot of things in control of our planet, and it seems you are correct that "man" is not one of them, depending on the definition of control.
Seems like man has control over a certain degree of destruction and ill will, however, if we look under the book cover we see time and the Sun being in positions of having a last word, or close to last.
That is a higher authority in the sense of requiring a certain direction.
You seem to refer to an even higher authority than that. If you are in with that higher power pray for us because those destructive and greedy ones you speak of are preying on us.
I think it was best said by Pogo in his comic strip:
ReplyDelete"We have met the enemy and he is us."
Unless mankind is willing to raise its consciousness, nothing good can come of our future.
We must, as Disaffected pointed out, raise the positive side of our cosmic consciousness on a global (and possibly universal) scale to be kind to everyone and everything because after all, we are all made of the same energy.
Destroying the landscape and destroying each other ain't gonna cut it.
If we really need to be destructive to something, lets tear down the war machines.
LindaRu
;~)
LindaRu,
ReplyDeleteTrue dat. We in the U.S. spend more on WMD and armies to use them than the rest of the nations combined.