Trouble

International relations is an age-old method of keeping the peace or playing games intentionally to break the peace. The latter usually has a motive. That motive has several faces, one of which is to save one’s face. This appears to be what Russia is doing regarding Crimea and Ukraine. Keep pushing Russia’s borders outward to engulf more regions to rebuild the USSR. Russia lost enormous face in losing the Cold War. The collapse of the Soviet Union was shuddering to Putin’s soul. And many other Russians, too.

Violence of war is more than usurping region. It is grabbing power and money and leverage. If the stakes are large enough, the violence and expense is worth it to the wager of such tactics. Putin certainly thinks so.

The chess board of life is a continual processing of strategy and time slots in the future. Positioning for future moves is what makes chess such a fluid challenge. Fluidity of thought and manipulation of the opponent provides thrills to the master.

Putin is one of those masters. We are observing his movements. Rest assured that he worked this out in advance. And we do not yet know the long term moves he will play in the future. But he is not finished. Much more can be expected from Putin’s Russia. Best we pay attention and make appropriate chess moves that leap frogs his current plays.

China is another master of the international chess game. They have felt for hundreds of years that they are better than what the word credits them. Taiwan is a crucial and major symbol of this. South Korea as well. Now do we understand China’s support and puppetry with North Korea?

Taiwan is in play. Make no mistake about it. Chess moves by China to militarize the South China Sea by building fake islands, is a means to thwarting area powers from defending Taiwan. Surely they will attack and absorb Taiwan into China. This has been the long game for generations.

Recent buddy roles of China and Russia make clear their intentions of destabilizing global power enough to capture their goals. Politicizing the Olympic Games has been a handy cover. Russia has used this before. China, too. No surprise there.

The gentlemanly approach to international relations by China is a cultural cover, as well. Their steel spine, however, remains in place. Make no mistake about it. China will make its move soon as they and Russia stand together to make a formidable opponent for the rest of the global village.

The global village. That is what it is. That is what we are and where our interests lie. We must gather all nations to stand firm to repel the partnership of these two mighty autocratic nations. That is what we need to do now unless we have changed our minds about democracy.

Have we?

February 25, 2022

 

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