Trump left Beijing with a headline. Putin arrived days later and left with something much bigger: leverage. Meanwhile, the money trail tells a story Washington probably doesn’t want to hear.
The one thing Putin desperately wanted from XI, a new pipeline for oil shipping to China, he didn’t get. China was NOT interested in being held hostage to a single seller like Germany was with the Nord pipeline from Russia who shut it off when they invaded Ukraine.
Great post Fred! The world has been waiting for this! We want orange to back down & wise up, also all his cronies covering up for him, re, Epstein files. Expose the useless !#%@&^*! & free America again, which, in turn, frees the rest of the world from magats! I really do feel sad for what Americans have been forced to cover up, but, will never understand why, the people who can truly do something...do nothing!
Exactly, that's the way I feel about that whole scene too Fred. I think Americans are mentally, emotionally, spiritually exhausted which of course, affects them physically as well. We are getting it all second hand, so, I feel their pain as well, especially with family & friends there that I worry about. Someone over there needs to end this tyranny!
The whole world is decoupling from the US. We are tired of being bullied.
Trust takes years to build… and not much time to burn.
The one thing Putin desperately wanted from XI, a new pipeline for oil shipping to China, he didn’t get. China was NOT interested in being held hostage to a single seller like Germany was with the Nord pipeline from Russia who shut it off when they invaded Ukraine.
Good point. China likes options.
One supplier can become one problem pretty fast...
and they’ve watched Europe learn that lesson the hard way.
China is too smart for that.
Follows the “ protocols the elders of zion”, but the dominant countries of the world 🤞know what is happening: the international fall of an empire.
Big power shifts definitely feel like they’re underway.
History shows empires evolve, weaken, or adapt...
the real question is what replaces them, and whether the transition stays peaceful.
Great piece. Bearing in mind the number of agreements apparently signed, I wonder what Putin has to offer China other than oil and gas
Energy is the obvious one… but I suspect reliability matters too.
Russia gives China discounted resources, military cooperation, Arctic access, and a neighbour that helps keep U.S. attention divided.
The global Maga movement gained access to Oval Office last year.
Project 2025 is hovering around 50% complete…. NATO’s runway is getting shorter….
There’s definitely a growing strain of hard-right populism showing up in a lot of countries.
The bigger question is whether institutions are strong enough to absorb the pressure without breaking.
Great post Fred! The world has been waiting for this! We want orange to back down & wise up, also all his cronies covering up for him, re, Epstein files. Expose the useless !#%@&^*! & free America again, which, in turn, frees the rest of the world from magats! I really do feel sad for what Americans have been forced to cover up, but, will never understand why, the people who can truly do something...do nothing!
I think a lot of people around the world are exhausted, Patsy.
What worries me most is how much trust has been burned...
and trust is a hard thing to rebuild once people start pulling away.
Exactly, that's the way I feel about that whole scene too Fred. I think Americans are mentally, emotionally, spiritually exhausted which of course, affects them physically as well. We are getting it all second hand, so, I feel their pain as well, especially with family & friends there that I worry about. Someone over there needs to end this tyranny!