Earlier quoted context omitted.
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There must be some rule on the internet where if some geopolitical thing happens anywhere in the world at least one person will blame Russia.
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South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
341–350 of 739 posts
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#342Earlier quoted context omitted.
You edited your low-effort take into another still unargumented low-effort take... I see that you are not new here so you probably know what to expect for your comment, HN doesn't look kindly of flamebait. I am hijacking your comment in the hope that you and others will read the link I post here from a military historian whose articles end up regularly on the front page of HN. It adresses the question of US foreign a…
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Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#343Earlier quoted context omitted.
It’s a hedge for ifwhen things get difficult over Taiwan. The USA without cheap Chinese manufacturing is basically dead in the water. It is approximately unfathomable how much of the comfortable and cheap way of life enjoyed in the US is directly dependent on trade with China and mindbendingly cheap Chinese manufacturing labor. The ~most valuable company in the country is 100% beholden to Chinese manufacturing to mak…
Not gonna happen in recent years, I suppose. PRC also needs US-designed and/or Taiwan-manufactured advanced chips. The possibility of war will ever decrease as long as more and more people wake up to the consequences.
I don't see why the need for advanced chips would prevent China from using its military on Taiwan.
If anything, the US-led blockade of advanced chips to China will make it more likely for China to use force. If China can't get their hands on the most advanced TSMC chips, then why would they let the US do so and get too far ahead in AI? Both can't have them then.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#344Earlier quoted context omitted.
Orwell being so right about governments using the constant threat of a virtual enemy has got to be one of the all time top on the money predictions ever. Who is that virtual enemy for the US?
Eight replies to my post and no one has mentioned China yet. Has China been accepted as a "real" enemy? To me, China is the main virtual enemy that politicians trout out to create fear and distraction.
I agree, although it is a "real" enemy in the sense that their ascension is a threat to US hegemony or the idea of the USA as the preeminent world superpower.
I don't see it as rational, but there is definitely an argument that the USA ought to remain positioned as number one, having the ability to dictate global politics. I don't think we deserve it, but it's certainly 'better' for us in the sense that it gives us an advantage and thus might improve our quality of life (cheaper imports, blah blah blah). I view that argument as entitled and promoting the status quo.
The Chinese people have worked hard. Actually, people all over the world work hard, although the Chinese have gone past industrialization and have a massive and capable population. The idea that they wouldn't have more power and would need to somehow remain under the US's thumb, where we get to say how they treat Taiwan or what currency they can trade in with other countries, just seems absurd. People come up with bullshit reasons for why the US ought to retain some control over their politics or how the rest of the world engages with the Chinese (and we don't just get to do that anyway), e.g., the Chinese are mean to the Uyghurs, as if anyone ever gave a fuck about the Uyghurs or whoever twenty years ago.
In all that sense, China is certainly a real threat. But the level of entitlement behind that argument is so blatant that I can't take it seriously.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#345This article reeks to high hell of the regime propaganda writing we see about domestic politics: "Yoon — whose approval rating has dipped in recent months — has struggled to push his agenda against an opposition-controlled parliament since taking office in 2022. Yoon’s conservative People Power Party had been locked in an impasse with the liberal opposition Democratic Party over next year’s budget bill. He has also b…
Your post reeks to high hell of the fact-free partisan contrarianism that has plagued US politics
On the one hand, a sitting president has conducted a coup d'etat condemned by his own party, on flimsy grounds and apparently with limited public support.
On the other hand, he's not left wing so it's clear that the only possible problem with his military coup is that journalists are insufficiently favourably disposed to it.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#346South Korea is dying. It has the lowest birth rate in the world: ~0.78 children per woman. If you want to know what that means, take 100 people (50 men, 50 women). In 3 generations there are... 6 people. That's population collapse. Every developed nation is barreling towards this fate. It's what end stage capitalism and 5 chaebols-in-a-trenchcoat as a government looks like. The only thing preventing population collap…
It's not because of misogyny; women in North Korea have far fewer rights but still have much more kids. As did South Korean women 50 years ago when the culture was even more misogynistic.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#347Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Martial law is the imposition of punishments without due process No it's not. > being under the equivalent of house arrest is not a punishment Where were you? I was in New York City and travelled to Tennesse and California and London and Frankfurt in 2020. I went running every other day.
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> you'd know I was talking about Australia
Buddy, you've been all over the place from SCOTUS to Cape Byron.
I know plenty of Australians. With the amount of noise you guys were making online you'd think you'd know you had the freedom of speech.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#348The article points out that even some in his own party have denounced the move. I’m no expert but I find it hard to believe there’s much pro-PRK sympathy in Seoul among a major political party. Considering this is making western news, it seems the president has over-played his hand. Hopefully this passes quickly.
As a casual non-Korean reader, this does appear to be a way for the current leadership to shut down corruption investigations against him, and to end democratic opposition to his policies.
Democratic opposition can seem stifling. However the solution is to negotiate.
The leader here is taking an authoritarian dictatorship path so a solution, unfortunately, it appears to my eyes.
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#349Earlier quoted context omitted.
You edited your low-effort take into another still unargumented low-effort take... I see that you are not new here so you probably know what to expect for your comment, HN doesn't look kindly of flamebait. I am hijacking your comment in the hope that you and others will read the link I post here from a military historian whose articles end up regularly on the front page of HN. It adresses the question of US foreign a…
(Not gp) I’d like to read it, but I don’t understand how to even start to make sense of large texts like this. Does one just read and believe, or how does it look like? It speaks many insights and facts, but where does it get these? How does one even write such text without being e.g. a highly ranked official working directly in the field for many years? Authors profile https://acoup.blog/author/aimedtact/ doesn’t in…
I don't really understand your concerns. Just starting to read it a bit you will see that is not making any crazy points that would need solid sources. It seems to start from "international relations 101"
The link you gave is not the author profile just lists all the article from the author which will be almost all of his articles since it his website. As I stated, he is a historian (by profession, the kind that gives classes, write books and engages with the historian academic community) and one of HN's darlings. Not sure why you would got out of your way to say that it does not inspire confidence.
You can find the author here for example : https://bsky.app/profile/bretdevereaux.bsky.social
Re: South Korean president declares martial law, parliament votes to lift it
#350Transparent coup d'etat attempt rumored to happen for months. The only option when the mouse is cornered. Approval rating in the <10% range, Japan whispering in his ear and pulling the puppet strings, crazy selfish wife abusing state resources, it is almost comically predictable if not for how serious it is. North Korea is always the convenient excuse... only hope Westerners don't get fooled by the rhetoric. Guy digg…
> only hope Westerners don't get fooled by the rhetoric This AP article is written very unsympathetically towards him
I don't think the AP is the sector of the West the OP is worried might turn sympathetic towards him if he makes the right noises and does outreach to the right people.