121–130 of 203 posts
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NZ is always the correct answer but is rarely given because it's taken for granted.
If they'd only just admit they didn't invent Pavlova, it would definitely be obvious. But the Kiwis are a stubborn bunch...
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As an American, I hope you can identify strongly as an Australian. Why bother telling yourself you’re something of a European? In any case, I hope countries form ties with Europe. Europe needs be economically stronger than it is. Better for the world, so long as they can slow their tendencies toward government control and censorship.
FYI I don’t think anyone is accepting American critique on government control and censorship right now. Maybe leave it for a decade or two.
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I'm surprised - aren't AU & NZ super close culturally and aligned politically? I would have thought the US, CA, et al would be vying for a distant second.
Australians and New Zelalanders don't need a visa to travel either way. In NZ, I approached the immigration desk with my American partner at the time, they stamped her passport with a visa but said to me I didn't need one.
As an Australian, I have noticed a shift personally in feeling like I identify more with "European" culture, compared to 10 years ago I felt like we were the 51st state and I felt very close with the US. This seems to be shared by others, I remember reading there was a survey that asked Australians who they felt our closest international friend was. The US was the top answer for over a decade, having stolen the crown…
As an Australian, I have noticed a shift personally in feeling like I identify more with "European" culture, compared to 10 years ago I felt like we were the 51st state and I felt very close with the US. This seems to be shared by others, I remember reading there was a survey that asked Australians who they felt our closest international friend was. The US was the top answer for over a decade, having stolen the crown…
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Apart from the "Crocodile Dundee" and "Men at Work" phenomena in the late 80s, there is no real cultural pollination between Australia and the US, as far as I can tell. It's too far away and there are no real reasons for Americans to visit, nor are there enough internationally notable Australian music brands, films, or products that give visibility to the country, which is one price of being a commodity producing nat…
Haven’t Australians just moved to US - Keith Urban, Chris Hemsworth, Russel Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and the list goes on … it’s not the same way as Japanese’s or Korean output, because English as the native language makes the transition seamless and doesn’t stand out. Oh! I forgot JIRA and Atlassian are Australian too :D Now you really can’t deny you haven’t felt the Australian influence in your life. Lol
This and Canada are just kneejerk reactions against the chaos of the Trump administration. While that makes sense, my prediction is that in the short-term it won't amount to much. In the long-term, history books will write about these years as redefining the world order that's existed largely since 1945. As for Canada, nobody really knows what associate membership means. Given that EU freedoms are reciprocal I just d…
We shall see. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine way predates the recent wars in the middle east. It's more like the inability to restrain Russia's aspirations in Ukraine have led to instability in the rest of the world. More generally the failure to sustain a more free and democratic Russia or China is perhaps the source of all the other instabilities which all involve political, military and financial support from th…
Sanctions in general don't work. They don't work against enemies. Arguably they only work against allies (eg apartheid South Africa). Sanctions were never going to work against Russia and Russia has more manpower to throw at the meat grinder than Ukraine does.
And that changing situation has come to Putin with the Iran War. The US has lost. It has been strategically and militarily defeated by a lesser regional power. It's just a matter of time before it accepts this loss.
Because of attacks from Ukraine on Russian energy infrastructure, Russia has changed from a net diesel exporter to banning diesel exports and arguably being a diesel importer. That's a big problem that we're all about to learn. China too has banned the export of refined petroleum products (including diesel) for months now. Diesel prices are about to go way up and the US is now considering a ban on diesel exports. All this "energy nationalism" is going to torch Europe, Asian economies and South America. Just you wait.
By foolishly attacking Iran, Trump has made Russia's position much stronger. So yes, the Ukraine war predates the Iran war but the Iran war has made the Ukraine war much better for Russia. That's the point.
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> Gosh if Kamala was elected, there'd still be a war in Iran, but we'd pretend it's different. Obama bombed Syria and no one cared. Are we really going to pretend the 51st state rhetoric would be the same with any Democrat in the White House? > Do we hate giving the uneducated masses a vote? No, I but I do think they've had some dogshit candidates picked for them , especially recently
No, but lets be real, the problem isn't just Trump. If Kamala wins by an inch, that still means USA is not a place you can trust. Stability is important. Not to mention the total unwillingness of congress to restrain trump. The american left likes to pretend trump is the problem, and if he goes then everything is fine. That is wishful thinking; he is just the symptom.
The American left has been screaming from the rooftops about systemic racism, misogyny and rape culture, capitalism, imperialism, right-wing Christianity, fascism and all of the deeper issues that Trump is a symptom for almost a century, and that Trump is just a symptom of those issues since 2016. Once again, Americans were warned. But because the warning came from people who weren't straight, white, male and Christian, no one bothered to listen.
But he won't be there forever yet Canada will always be the U.S.' Northern neighbor, biggest trading partner and cultural big brother.
Carney is simply looking elsewhere for friends after being insulted by Trump who treats him like a subordinate and not someone of equal standing. He may even be foolish enough to cozy up to China.
As for Australia, I don't understand the vibe here. Trump hasn't mentioned Australia becoming a U.S. territory in any speeches I've heard. Again, maybe it's a general dislike for the man and his roughshod policies.