24 minutes ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Essentially trade and political agreements, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization or the Belt and Road initiative. Also diplomacy, for instance Saudi Arabia recently signed historic diplomacy deals with Iran and Syria, brokered by China and Russia.
Also, an important addition to what I said earlier about the Quincy agreement: Saudi Arabia has announced a plan to accept payment for oil in Chinese yuan instead of US dollars.

Ok, I thought you were referring to the BRICS organisation itself. Right, some BRICS countries cooperate, but it's not directly related to the BRICS organisation itself. And BRICS countries may not be "friends". Ex. India is part of a strategic alliance with the U.S., which is clearly targeting China.

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Yes.

 

2 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Yes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/04/19/whats-perfectly-round-made-of-metal-and-keeping-russia-from-replacing-the-2000-tanks-its-lost-in-ukraine/?sh=6f63685f23f2

 

Good luck making ball bearings in Russia.

On 2/17/2024 at 1:20 PM, uttradit said:

Must have been depressed. Basically suicide.

Apparently after he got poisoned he said if he gets killed he wants his supporters to rise up. Sounds very much like martyrism to me. Either way, senseless waste of his life. 

45 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/04/19/whats-perfectly-round-made-of-metal-and-keeping-russia-from-replacing-the-2000-tanks-its-lost-in-ukraine/?sh=6f63685f23f2

 

Good luck making ball bearings in Russia.

 

One of many Russian failures. Western technology is supported by a vast underlying industrial pyramid that Russia lacks because Putin's economy supports oligarchs and weapons over people.

 

The old USSR also lacked high precision ball bearings, which were key to Western superior ballistic missile accuracy. 

 

And the beat goes on.  As Putin threatens to nuke western satellites, Western technology advances to circumvent GPS by putting large atomic-beam clocks in a one inch cube ideal for even the smallest missiles and drones. [reference] 

 

A successful Russian future requires ousting Putin and handing power to the good Russian people, what Navalny was fighting for in his own way.

11 hours ago, still kicking said:

You mean the wannaby actor and ex-president and now shoe salesman?

You know I thought the gold sneakers was a made up story poking fun at him Christ he was in Philadelphia hawking gold sneakers at (shoe-con?)     It's beyond belief.

3 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Apparently after he got poisoned he said if he gets killed he wants his supporters to rise up. Sounds very much like martyrism to me. Either way, senseless waste of his life. 

Much better to let the fascists have there way without a ripple of opposition or trouble.

7 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Yes, I believe it is an excellent development as I am a firm believer in protectionism, which is why I also support Trump.

You support two Fascists   congratulations.

12 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Pretty much throughout the 2Oth century. For some indispensable background information, I recommend reading Zbigniew Brzezinski's The Grand Chessboard and Anthony Sutton's Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution.


 

You've got a thing about McDonald's, just like the red cap bloke you admire...................🥴

On 2/16/2024 at 8:50 AM, uttradit said:

Guy was a fool. Everybody would have said stay away. Gave his life for nothing.

Like Jesus Christ?

On 2/17/2024 at 9:11 PM, candide said:

Anyone else has identified the MAGA instructions received about this issue? 😅

 

They cannot directly support Putin eliminating his main opponent, so they use indirect arguments: Navalny is stupid, he should have stayed outside Russia, he's corrupt, etc...

Obviously, instructions have been well received! 😀

17 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

The BRICS now hold a total of 32 percent of the world's GDP, compared to 30 percent held by the G7 countries.

How do they stack up on a per capita basis?

Okay, the plan has been unveiled:

 

Weaken America so a multipolar world emerges, with Russia being one of the "poles".

 

How to weaken America? Support Trump. 

 

 

13 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Apparently after he got poisoned he said if he gets killed he wants his supporters to rise up. Sounds very much like martyrism to me. Either way, senseless waste of his life. 

Yes, and his supporters getting arrested now for laying down flowers 

4 hours ago, heybruce said:

How do they stack up on a per capita basis?

 

Still significantly lower than G7 countries, but increasing fast nonetheless.

 

https://www.statista.com/chart/30641/gdp-per-capita-in-brics-and-g7-countries/

 

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/RUS/russia/gdp-per-capita

 

Another important metric is the debt level:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-national-debt

 

To me, however, the most significant change brought about by BRICS is on a geopolitical and diplomatic level.

4 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

Okay, the plan has been unveiled:

 

Weaken America so a multipolar world emerges, with Russia being one of the "poles".

 

How to weaken America? Support Trump. 

 

 

 

The military-industrial complex and high-level stakeholders will be weakened, certainly not the average person who has zero benefit in their tax dollars being spent on forever wars, nor in an open, unregulated market.

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Still significantly lower than G7 countries, but increasing fast nonetheless.

 

https://www.statista.com/chart/30641/gdp-per-capita-in-brics-and-g7-countries/

 

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/RUS/russia/gdp-per-capita

 

Another important metric is the debt level:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-national-debt

 

To me, however, the most significant change brought about by BRICS is on a geopolitical and diplomatic level.

That is a much more intelligent response than I expected.  Thank you.

 

I agree the BRICS nations, plus their proposed additions, have potential,  However it is too soon to tell where this potential can go.  It remains to be seen if they are an organization with serious intent or a distraction with the goal to draw attention towards...,,many places, It depends on the current global environment. 

 

In short, interesting but remains to be seen if it's real

1 hour ago, rattlesnake said:

 

The military-industrial complex and high-level stakeholders will be weakened, certainly not the average person who has zero benefit in their tax dollars being spent on forever wars, nor in an open, unregulated market.

Ok, the "military-industrial complex" is a much loved scapegoat, but the time has come to ask, "What.....?"

 

I'm a reasonably well educated retired USAF officer with some training and an interest in this topic.  Could you explain what you mean by "military industrial complex"? 

 

Please use terms that a backwoods mill-town redneck with three STEM degrees and an interesting spectrum of life experiences could understand.

2 hours ago, heybruce said:

Ok, the "military-industrial complex" is a much loved scapegoat, but the time has come to ask, "What.....?"

 

I'm a reasonably well educated retired USAF officer with some training and an interest in this topic.  Could you explain what you mean by "military industrial complex"? 

 

Please use terms that a backwoods mill-town redneck with three STEM degrees and an interesting spectrum of life experiences could understand.

 

The US government, as part of its defence activities, purchases equipment (uniforms, weapons, vehicles…) from private firms. These contracts are very lucrative as the US defence budget amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. These private defence contractors, which are very close to the government through very influential lobbies, de facto have an incentive to influence foreign policy and encourage military interventions for financial gain. This is what is colloquially referred to as the military-industrial complex, the business of war for private financial profit, never in the interest of the nation.

19 hours ago, charleskerins said:

Much better to let the fascists have there way without a ripple of opposition or trouble.

I never said that! He should've stayed away from Russia and led his fight from someplace else because he surely won't be doing anything from his grave.  So all the hard work he's put in and his life went to waste because his death achieved literally nothing. 

8 hours ago, still kicking said:

Yes, and his supporters getting arrested now for laying down flowers 

Speaks volumes about Putin. That guy needs to go ASAP! 

On 2/18/2024 at 1:32 PM, Danderman123 said:

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2023/04/19/whats-perfectly-round-made-of-metal-and-keeping-russia-from-replacing-the-2000-tanks-its-lost-in-ukraine/?sh=6f63685f23f2

 

Good luck making ball bearings in Russia.

Interesting topic.  I had a shop teacher told us about how during WWII the Allies figured out the Germans had only one factory making bearings, and soon put it out of business.

 

8 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

The US government, as part of its defence activities, purchases equipment (uniforms, weapons, vehicles…) from private firms. These contracts are very lucrative as the US defence budget amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. These private defence contractors, which are very close to the government through very influential lobbies, de facto have an incentive to influence foreign policy and encourage military interventions for financial gain. This is what is colloquially referred to as the military-industrial complex, the business of war for private financial profit, never in the interest of the nation.

Aerospace & Defence is far from very lucrative compared to other industries.
 

Here are some of the major industries in the US sorted by their average net profit margin:
 

Industry	Average Net Profit Margin
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges	28.2%
Banks - Regional	27.6%
Asset Management	24.3%
Credit Services	22.5%
Drug Manufacturers - General	18.6%
Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery	6.9%
Agricultural Inputs	6.5%
Auto Manufacturers	7.2%
Chemicals	5.4%
Aerospace & Defense	4.6%

 

 

Profit margin by industry, gross and net profit margins

 

Edited February 20, 20242 yr by LosLobo

On 2/17/2024 at 6:25 AM, rabas said:

 

Somber truth:  Completely unrelated to the fact that Putin is terrified of going out like Gaddafi at the hands of his own people.

Somber truth: The invasion of Ukraine is pretty much the same as the illegal invasion of Iraq, a 'war of aggression'.

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Industry	Average Net Profit Margin
Financial Data & Stock Exchanges	28.2%
Banks - Regional	27.6%
Asset Management	24.3%
Credit Services	22.5%
Drug Manufacturers - General	18.6%
Farm & Heavy Construction Machinery	6.9%
Agricultural Inputs	6.5%
Auto Manufacturers	7.2%
Chemicals	5.4%
Aerospace & Defense	4.6%

 

Notice how the top 4 are in the business of dealing with money, and do not actually produce any tangible items, aside from money itself. 

 

4 minutes ago, bendejo said:

 

Notice how the top 4 are in the business of dealing with money, and do not actually produce any tangible items, aside from money itself. 

 

Correct, they are necessary service providers and not manufacturers, but your point is not clear.
 

Is your point that they are overpriced?

13 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

Still significantly lower than G7 countries, but increasing fast nonetheless.

 

https://www.statista.com/chart/30641/gdp-per-capita-in-brics-and-g7-countries/

 

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/RUS/russia/gdp-per-capita

 

Another important metric is the debt level:

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-by-national-debt

 

To me, however, the most significant change brought about by BRICS is on a geopolitical and diplomatic level.

I had a look at the Russia gdp/capita charts. It's interesting to note that the strong GDP/capita growth stopped after 2013. Actually it was lower in 2022 than in 2013.

9 hours ago, rattlesnake said:

 

The US government, as part of its defence activities, purchases equipment (uniforms, weapons, vehicles…) from private firms. These contracts are very lucrative as the US defence budget amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars. These private defence contractors, which are very close to the government through very influential lobbies, de facto have an incentive to influence foreign policy and encourage military interventions for financial gain. This is what is colloquially referred to as the military-industrial complex, the business of war for private financial profit, never in the interest of the nation.

What evidence do you have that defense contractors are encouraging military interventions?

 

I know the "military-industrial complex" makes a great boogeyman for conspiracy theorists and anti-US propaganda, but seriously, what evidence do you have?

37 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

Somber truth: The invasion of Ukraine is pretty much the same as the illegal invasion of Iraq, a 'war of aggression'.

 

False and further off topic.

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a true War of Conquest with the stated and now codified aim of territorial conquest and ownership. Such wars are rare since the World War 2 era. The Iraq war was not a war of territorial conquest. The only war of conquest involving Iraq may have been its invasion of Kuwait in an attempt to control and destabilize oil prices. 

 

Stop running guard for despot Putin. 

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wants to designate Russia a state sponsor of terrorism after the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/02/18/lindsey-graham-navalny-russia-putin-00142068

 

 

On 2/17/2024 at 1:36 AM, quake said:

 

Julian Assange,  is not dead.

yet