Thatâs not now buying debt between countries works, and in fact youâre (unintentionally, Iâm sure) repeating a conservative dog whistle here. China is not like a bank lending money to the US who can demand the cash back at any moment. Treasury bonds are traded between countries, have all kinds of restrictions and abstractions layered on them, and are negotiated in to various treaties. China canât âcash outâ in some way that would require the US to print a trillion dollars in actual currency. At the end of the day, itâs all basically balanced and China doesnât want to ask for that âmoneyâ back even if they could. They benefit from loaning it as much or more as the US benefits from borrowing it.
There has been a lot of talk that that this could have been a staged performance. Managed dissent, or somehow allowed. In my opinion this is a ridiculous assumption, itself rooted in Kremlin propaganda â in this case the idea that anything out of the ordinary that happens they must control. It will only benefit them for us to think this is a setup and that they control everything. It is important for them that we not believe that one woman can go against a huge machine, that she can break away from the system and defy it. But she did.
P.S.
Hundreds of seafarers on more than 100 foreign-flagged cargo vessels are stranded in Ukrainian waters in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov âin the middle of the line of fireâ.
The International Chamber of Shipping and unions are calling for the immediate creation of safe âblue corridorsâ to enable the ships and their crews to leave without risk of missile or mine strikes. The UNâs International Maritime Organization, which held an emergency meeting last week to address the situation, estimates that up to 2,000 men could be affected, although some may have been repatriated, it said.
It is also my gut feel that there are a lot more 
than 
nationals with substantial, but well under oligarch-level, assets overseas. Thatâs for certain here in 
(quite certain near where I live). Sanctions or seizures imposed on Chinese assets over $100k, especially property, would have an immediate and severe impact up the middle class and presumably the middle ranks of the CCP.
But [the list of Americans sanctioned in retaliation by Russia] also includes two surprises: former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr Bidenâs son Hunter.
These are only surprises to those unfamiliar with the nature of those who follow von Clownstick (who, unsurprisingly, is not on that list).
ââŚandâŚand a pony, and free ice cream, and free toys, andâŚâ
Oleg Matveychev is apparently as competent and sophisticated a spin doctor to Putin as Sergei Shoigu is a military strategist and logistician to him.
Tractors: Turnip! Buttocks! 
He doesnât realise that by bloviating about Alaska and the Antarctic he is undermining Russiaâs serious demands. Why should Ukraine recognise Russian sovereignty over Crimea, Biden would think, if Putin wants us to give him Alaska as well?
Speaking more generally, this is the quality of work a boss gets when he surrounds himself with arse-licking yes-men.
âŚand right on cueâŚ
To give you an idea, one could target the [Russians] who hold over âŹ10m ($11m) in real estate and financial assets, or about 20,000 people, according to the latest available data.
âŚand the number of people is about 10x in at that levelâŚ
Double or triple the threshold amount and theyâd close in on the behaviour of the worst of the worst. Itâs as if the more assets one has the more likely it is that one is involved in some dodgy transactionsâŚ
Itâs all fucking projection, Russian edition:
Putin has consistently described the democratically elected leaders of Ukraine as neo-Nazis bent on committing genocide against Russian-speakers in the east of the country - a line that the West denounces as baseless war propaganda.
He said Western countries wanted to turn Russia into a âweak dependent country; violate its territorial integrity; to dismember Russia in a way that suits themâ.
If the West thought that Russia would break down or back down, âthey donât know our history or our peopleâ, Putin said on the 21st day of the war.
âBehind the hypocritical talk and todayâs actions of the so-called collective West are hostile geopolitical goals,â he added. âThey just donât want a strong and sovereign Russia.â
In spain we have a saying that paraphrased would be âtell me what you fear, and Iâll know what youâre guilty ofâ.
I feel like there is something to be said about not having your demands met, and so threatening to increase your demands. Has that worked in the past? It kind of feels like Americaâs pro-Russian party might have gotten somewhere with it.
It doesnât hurt to ask for more than you want in a negotiation. Presentation is important, though, and asking in such a sputtering and childish way isnât going to impress anyone except the rubes.
The GOP has its uses for clowns like EmptyG but sends in more competent people like Yertle when itâs time for them to deal in bad faith.
Asking for more than you want at the start is a sensible negotiation tacticâŚasking for way more after they say no, not so much. Like you say, it doesnât even look impressive as grandstanding. It looks like a disappointed toddler.
I dunno Pooters, maybe under a better leader Russia could recover and improve relations with the rest of the world.
