While the competition between the United States and China is constant and will intensify, the risks of military war undulate. Think of them as trending higher with ups and downs around the uptrend. The two great powers were closest to the brink of war and their estimated risks of going over the brink were highest in March, which was when I last visited Beijing. That was after there was the 20th National Congress and big changes in leadership. The realizations by both sides that they were at the brink and the looking over the brink into the abyss scared the leaders on both sides so, starting in June, there were a number of interactions designed to pull back from the brink, including beginning working toward a good APEC meeting between President Biden and President Xi, which will lead to some modest increased cooperation.

While this stepping back from the brink is a great step away from the worst type of war, it is not an end of war. Rather, there is a shifting to a different type of war. The goal of both sides in this new type of war is to win without getting into a bloody, military war. The Chinese version of this type of war is well described in The Art of War, written around the 5th century BCE by Sun Tzu. It is mandatory reading for anyone who cares to understand Chinese thinking about war. This approach was echoed by Deng Xiaoping when he led China. It is to “hide your strength, bide your time” (tao guang yang hui)—i.e., get yourself into a superior position by quietly building up your strengths so as to not appear threatening to the opposition until you are strong enough to show them so they will submit. This type of war is fought by using deception, by having the other side expend resources while saving one’s own, and by using the opponent’s own circumstances to weaken them and take advantage of their weakness. This type of war is much more like chess or Go than a fistfight. The Chinese have much more practice and skill in playing this type of game because they have more history that they have derived more continuous learning from. Meanwhile, the United States is doing itself a lot of harm. Of course China has its own set of problems and internal conflicts. This will be a war that will test the relative capabilities of each side’s leaders, systems, and people. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/risks-us-china-military-war-have-declined-new-type-has-ray-dalio-dck8e

Don’t cross the CIA … yap Chuck said it.

Saved by @download_it_bot

Sam Parker 🇺🇲 - "Tehran Times leaks a confidential recording that reveals the director of ADL's concerns about public opinion in United States, especially among Generation Z, aka Zoomers. Expect a smear campaign against Gen Z." Jonathan Greenblatt-ADL Director
"Tehran Times leaks a confidential recording that reveals the director of ADL's concerns about public opinion in United States, especially among Generation Z, aka Zoomers. Expect a smear campaign against Gen Z." Jonathan Greenblatt-ADL Director https://t.co/1kdaYbqVG4

Don't Erase the Line! 😬

COVID VACCINE NOT REQUIRED! kek they are desperate. @EnjoyTheD

Those smokestacks aren't even attached to the Vatican!

Well this is interesting.

https://vxtwitter.com/kanakoroiper/status/1725426481092772337

"Israel appears to have heavily banked on being able to use its various social control technologies—which mostly consists of its various NGOs and global ‘anti-hate groups’ like the ADL—to dictate the narrative around this genocide.

"But they failed miserably."
https://substack.com/home/post/p-138949771#:~:text=Israel%20appears%20to,they%20failed%20miserably.

Meanwhile, on Taiwan

The two anti-independence parties are formally joining forces: Taiwan’s opposition parties have agreed to run a joint campaign in January’s election, raising the chances that a more China-friendly government takes power in Taipei. The Kuomintang and Taiwan People’s Party announced plans to run a united campaign following a meeting Wednesday that centered around how to […]

https://voxday.net/2023/11/17/meanwhile-on-taiwan/

The organization also responded to Burton’s threat writing on X, “American moms weep as a childhood favorite, Reading Rainbow, calls for physical attacks against us because we are protecting the innocence of our children.”
They added, “Levar Burton, why have you sunk so low? Threatening physical violence against women?”

https://boundingintocomics.com/2023/11/17/star-trek-actor-levar-burton-threatens-to-physically-assault-members-of-moms-for-liberty-who-dont-want-small-children-reading-sexually-explicit-material-in-school-libraries/

“Little by little, one travels far”

What could go wrong 🤨🧐

"The FCC voted today on a plan that gives the Federal government full control over the Internet"

https://thehighwire.com/news/the-fcc-just-voted-to-take-control-of-the-internet/