We might be seeing something akin to the wave of decolonization following WWII.
Ukraine has sapped the financial, military, and social strength of most Western countries. Even the US is running low on artillery shells and rockets to send to Ukraine, with the EU countries faring even worse. Add to that the general economic malaise brought upon by sanctions against Russia, and people (especially in France) rioting as a common occurrence, the colonial subject countries are sensing weakness in their masters and opportunities for themselves.
It started with "enemy" states like Iran growing bolder by selling drones to Russia and China creating alternative payment systems, to stronger vassals like the Gulf States agreeing to sell oil in Yuan and aligning away from the US. None of this was conceivable even 5 years ago, and any country which tried would have been bombed into oblivion like Libya.
Now it appears like even the weaker colonial subjects, the ones with less to lose, are trying their hand at escaping the orbit of their colonial masters. I hope it plays out well for them, but I doubt the West, even weakened as it is, will let them get away with it lightly.
Western MI complexes are built for profit, not sustained combat. Even during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan there were munitions shortages, and that wasn't against a conventional military.
Because the US military, like everything else in the US, is a massive grift with no thought given to long-term consequences. As a result, the actual industrial output of the MIC is miniscule compared to its budget. I don't have a direct source but saw it here elsewhere before, but Russia makes something like a million artillery shells a year, and the US makes 65,000.
Edit: I researched the numbers out of curiosity, and the ratio is less lopsided. The US currently makes around 168k shells a year and Russia made 750k shells in 2021. Given how much smaller Russia's economy is though... Oof.
That’s the efficiency of PrivatizationTM baby. What do you mean it can’t actually compete with planned economies and that’s why in conflicts that actually stress countries they start mobilizing the economy? That’s crazy tankie rambling, the invisible hand can’t be beat!!!
We might be seeing something akin to the wave of decolonization following WWII.
Ukraine has sapped the financial, military, and social strength of most Western countries. Even the US is running low on artillery shells and rockets to send to Ukraine, with the EU countries faring even worse. Add to that the general economic malaise brought upon by sanctions against Russia, and people (especially in France) rioting as a common occurrence, the colonial subject countries are sensing weakness in their masters and opportunities for themselves.
It started with "enemy" states like Iran growing bolder by selling drones to Russia and China creating alternative payment systems, to stronger vassals like the Gulf States agreeing to sell oil in Yuan and aligning away from the US. None of this was conceivable even 5 years ago, and any country which tried would have been bombed into oblivion like Libya.
Now it appears like even the weaker colonial subjects, the ones with less to lose, are trying their hand at escaping the orbit of their colonial masters. I hope it plays out well for them, but I doubt the West, even weakened as it is, will let them get away with it lightly.
how the fuck are we low on ANYTHING when we spend $700 billion each fucking year on the pentagon?
$52,000 trash cans probably don't help.
Western MI complexes are built for profit, not sustained combat. Even during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan there were munitions shortages, and that wasn't against a conventional military.
Because the US military, like everything else in the US, is a massive grift with no thought given to long-term consequences. As a result, the actual industrial output of the MIC is miniscule compared to its budget. I don't have a direct source but saw it here elsewhere before, but Russia makes something like a million artillery shells a year, and the US makes 65,000.
Edit: I researched the numbers out of curiosity, and the ratio is less lopsided. The US currently makes around 168k shells a year and Russia made 750k shells in 2021. Given how much smaller Russia's economy is though... Oof.
That’s the efficiency of PrivatizationTM baby. What do you mean it can’t actually compete with planned economies and that’s why in conflicts that actually stress countries they start mobilizing the economy? That’s crazy tankie rambling, the invisible hand can’t be beat!!!
Corruption
Most eficient system ever.
Every time some wayward youth pulls the trigger on a javelin missile system, it's ~$180,000.
All of it goes to like 6 planes and 2 ships and the army just wastes like a billion bullets firing them into hillsides