Articles

CAR WARS

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  (Based on a series of recent posts on X (Twitter) * * * (November 9, 2024) The Trumpian movement has decided that climate change is a hoax and that the green transition is therefore irrelevant. "Drill, drill, drill" is the mantra of Trump and of his supporters, convinced that electric cars, solar panels and wind towers are simply parts of a Chinese plot and that the US must rely on fossil fuels. This is a tragedy for the whole world because their kind of thinking has already infected a good part of US public opinion and because America is still the most powerful country on the planet. That country's potential for disinformation and the dissemination of falsehoods is strong and backed by the full power of the American governement: the White House, the Senate, the House of Representatives (probably) and the Supreme Court. Political realities and scientific facts do not mix well. At worst, they can form an explosive mix and, at best, have awkward effects and half-bake re

NAISSANCE D'UN NOYAU FORT AU SAHEL

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  L'Alliance des pays sahéliens regroupe, de gauche à droite, le Mali, le Burkina Faso et le Niger. Cette nouvelle entité en cours d'intégration domine tout l'intérieur sahélien des pays de l'Afrique de l'Ouest. Actuellement, la CÉDÉAO (Communauté économique des États de l'Afrique de l'Ouest) peut être divisée en deux secteurs: les trois pays sahéliens, d'une part, et les pays guinéens, d'autre part, ceux-ci constituant une longue bande côtière allant du Sénégal, à l'ouest du Mali, au Nigéria, au sud du Niger. * * * La mise en place d'un espace numérique sans frontières, annoncée récemment par l'agence de presse AES Info, souligne qu'un autre pas a été franchi dans l'intégration progressive des trois pays sahéliens que sont le Mali, le Burkina Faso et le Niger. Déjà regroupées dans une alliance militaire bien établie et un début de confédération politique, les trois entités cheminent aussi dans l'établissement de liens économi

AWAITING THE SECOND COMING

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  In a few weeks, will there be a T-shape Savior floating in a sky painted Republican Red? * * * (Below, are to be found a few publications that were recently posted on X (Twitter), some weeks ahead of the Second Coming of Donald Trump, in January 2025) * * * (November 7, 2024) It is becoming clearer that the consequences of the last American general elections are mix. It is important to note that Trump should have a bigger sway this time, since the Republican party will be controlling most branches of the government: the Executive, the Senate, the House of Representatives (in all probability) and the Supreme Court (heavily stuffed with conservatives judges since the time of Trump 1.0). The probable impact of Trump 2.0 on the fate of the United States may be broadly described in a twofold manner. It should generally prove to be negative economically, while generally prove to be positive politically. On the economic plane, there is a good chance that the popular appeal of what appea

EUROPE AT THE CROSSROADS

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  (Based on recent publications on X / Twitter) * * * (8 novembre, 2024) Au moins, l'Europe peut se féliciter d'avoir remplacé sa grande dépendance au gaz naturel russe par une tout aussi grande dépendance au gaz naturel américain, par ailleurs bien plus dispendieux. Cela aura tout de même permis à l'Europe 1) de rester du bon côté de l'Histoire, c'est-à-dire le côté de l'OTAN et des États-Unis, 2) de se conformer aux voeux des puissances anglophones et 3) de prendre ses distances à l'endroit de la Chine, le nouvel Empire du Mal aux yeux de l'oncle Sam. La bonne Europe se montre fidèle à l'Amérique et nul ne peut l'en blâmer, même si celle-ci, nouvellement tombée sous la férule de Donald Trump, s'apprête à laisser tomber l'Ukraine, aussitôt que ce sera possible pour le nouveau président, sans qu'il se soucie le moins du monde des droits humains, de la démocratie ou de ce genre de choses. Dans ce domaine, les Républicains ne valent

TRUMPIAN AMERICA

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  (Based on recent publications on X / Twitter) * * * (November 8, 2024) It is becoming clearer that the consequences of the last American general elections are multiple. It is important to note that Trump should have a bigger sway this time, since the Republican party will be controlling most branches of the government: the Executive, the Senate, the House of Representatives (in all probability) and the Supreme Court (heavily stuffed with conservatives judges since the time of Trump 1.0). The probable impact of Trump 2.0 on the fate of the United States may be broadly described in a twofold manner. It should generally prove to be negative economically, but generally politically politically. On the economic plane, there is a good chance that the popular appeal of what appear like easy fixes through tax cuts and trade barriers would be irresistible. Those kinds of measures will bring beneficial results in the short-term. The problem is that they may bring terrible consequences in th

SOUTHEAST ASIA AND THE BRICS

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  (Article based on two publications on X / Twitter) (November 4, 2024) The fact that four ASEAN (Association of South-East Asia Nations) countries will join the BRICS association as partners is significant. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are large and populous countries, each with a growing economy. Like the rest of Southeast Asia, they benefit from the proximity of two titans, India and China, the two most populous countries of the world, the first one with a booming economy, the other with an economy that is much larger, being six times the size of India's, and that is also the second biggest in the world. Officially, all those countries see themselves as neutral in the Sino-American political rivalry, but they obviously wish to become part of the growing trading network that is the BRICS grouping of countries as aspiring members. Of course, by doing so, they also became more integrated within the economic sphere of influence of China, the preeminent member of t

LA COURSE À L'ESPACE, D'HIER À AUJOURD'HUI

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  Il y a un demi-siècle, l'Union soviétique a d'abord dominé la conquête de l'espace, avant de se laisser distancer par les États-Unis. (Article basé sur un texte publié sur X (Twitter) le samedi 2 novembre 2024) La compétition spatiale entre la Chine et les États-Unis fait irrésistiblement penser à la course à la Lune des années 60, entre l'Union soviétique et les USA, mais avec des différences majeures. D'abord, cette course visait essentiellement la Lune, alors qu'ici, il y a deux objectifs principaux, la Lune et Mars, soit les deux objets célestes les plus susceptibles d'accueillir un jour des installations humaines, même limitées. Ensuite, il ne s'agit plus simplement d'y mettre le pied à quelques reprises pour prendre des photos et récolter quelques échantillons, puis d'en revenir en laissant peu de traces de son passage. Ici, il est plutôt question de monter une série de missions visant à terme à mettre en place des établissements durables

WW3 AND TRUMP 2.0...

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  Here's a series of publications on X (Twitter) in the last few weeks, as combat continues to rage in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and as tensions keep rising here and there, along the line of contact between the Eurasian powers (BRICS) and the Western powers (G7), all around Eurasia, including in the Indian subcontinent and in East Asia. The presidential election in the United States (and especially the growing prospect of a second Trump mandate) will certainly be important in determining the course of what many observers are already starting to call the Third World War... * * * (September 30, 2024) A direct claim of China on the Andamans and Nicobar archipelagos is a possibility, as stated in this 2016 article in the Indian press. It is also mentioned in the last edition of the American publication The Diplomat. Another possibility is a claim made by Myanmar, an ally of China. That country already own the islands to the north of the two archipelagos. Geographical proximi