Breaking (the internet):

CCP President Xi’s use of the term, “Thucydides Trap” during his opening comments to POTUS has everyone wondering …

WHAT THE …. ?

Xi’s remark on the Thucydides trap is a classic piece of Chinese diplomatic signaling; polite on the surface, however, very sharp and pointed underneath. It’s a reminder to our president (and the world) that Beijing (Xi) sees itself as the rising power in a structural rivalry with a (supposedly) established hegemon (the U.S.), and that any failure to accommodate China’s ascent risks major conflict which the United States cannot afford (and there is practically zero support from the American people currently for more war and Xi knows it).

Examining it another way, President Xi stated it intentionally to show China as Sparta (rising, dynamic, rightful heir to greater influence) and the U.S. as Athens (established but fearful and in decline). To some students of warfare, this may be an imperfect analogy, but the fact he used this phrase must be clearly and thoroughly examined.

Xi is signaling that the U.S. should step back gracefully, especially on Taiwan (and never lose site of what Xi has already said about Taiwan; One (1) China, and he’s not backing down), checking trade & tech restrictions, and increasingly regional dominance, rather than the U.S. attempting to further impede China’s “rejuvenation” efforts.

Essentially, it was a veiled warning:

Push too hard (ie., on Taiwan or decoupling), and structural tensions could lead to an extremely dangerous place.

Lastly, I believe Xi’s use of this ancient theory on warfare is explicitly tied to Taiwan tensions. At the same time, it’s cooperative language as well. Typical use of smart diplomatic double speak the Chinese are masters at.

Xi addressing a new paradigm, a brighter future for humanity because he knows the world is watching and listening and studying.

This is standard CCP diplomacy that keeps the door open for deals while putting the onus on the U.S. to avoid escalation.

Bottom line, and like it or not, he let Trump know you’re in my house now and we set the rules here.

FYI only, Thucydides wrote about the Peloponnesian War. The War (431–404 BC) was a devastating 27-year conflict between Athens and Sparta. It was driven by Sparta’s fears of growing Athenian (ie., U.S.) imperialism, the war ended with the total defeat of Athens, fundamentally altering the ancient Greek world and ending its “Golden Age.”

The Peloponnesian war lasted more than two decades. I’d say we’re somewhere in the late third quarter and time favors the watchmakers and not the watch-watchers.

We need to keep in mind that President Donald J. Trump isn’t the only one who understands nor read the art of the deal.

#FREETINA

Tina Peters is finally scheduled to come home, and that matters more than most people in this country will ever fully understand.

Tina sat in a cell while the very system that should have answered her questions turned its machinery against her instead. She lost time that no court order and no commutation can ever give back. She endured what would break most people, and she did it without surrendering her conviction that Americans deserve to know their elections are honest. I have served alongside warriors my entire adult life, and I will tell you plainly that the measure of a person is not what they do when things are easy. It is what they hold onto when everything is being taken from them.

Tina held on.

To everyone who prayed for her, who refused to go quiet, who kept her name alive when the powerful hoped you would forget: you fought with honor.

Tina, you are coming home to a Nation that never stopped believing in you, and to a God who carried you through every single day of this.

Soon the nation will welcome you home.

America the Beautiful 🙏🏼🇺🇸

Don’t write checks with your tongues that your conduct cannot cash.

Good Sunday morning.

💯and a newly skilled workforce applying human ingenuity, AI and robotics can help kick start this initiative.

This team is a good start.

Now we need indictments!

Breaking: Russia & China at WAR!?

If “America First” is ever going to be a reality, we better pay close attention to what the other members of the global Nuclear Club are doing.

Below are the top three critical issues (my opinion) that Xi and Putin discussed or agreed upon during their recent summit in Beijing. Keep in mind, these two leaders have met nearly forty (40) times so they have a deep personal relationship as well as that which each nation shares.

1.  ENERGY/ECONOMICS: They signed off on massive energy and economic deals. Given the situation in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, their meeting had a very heavy focus on advancing major energy cooperation, including the “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline and a long-term oil & gas agreement. Russia, with its vast natural resources in fossil fuels and rare earth elements aims to boost supplies to China amid global tensions. It is reported there were over fifty (50) separate bilateral trade and economic deals signed off on.

2.  DEEPEN ALREADY EXISTING STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS: Xi and Putin committed to reinforcing their own personal relationship but also acknowledged their respective nation’s historic ties as well as a shared border further deepening their strategic partnership. Recognizing their 30 years of close ties, both leaders reinforced their comprehensive strategic partnership. This includes signing a joint declaration on advancing bilateral relations to a “higher standard” and broader cooperation in trade, tech, and other fields.

3.  AN EMERGING MULTIPOLAR WORLD: The third, and of great interest for America (and to me), especially as we examine the many threats and challenges facing us after more than two decades of war, massive and unstoppable debt, and internal political challenges further dividing our republic is the idea of a “Multipolar World.”

A Multipolar World is a global order in which several major powers or power centers (such as the US, China, Russia, EU, & India) share significant influence, competing and cooperating without any single nation dominating.
This contrasts with a unipolar (one superpower) or bipolar (two superpowers) system.

They each emphasized a shared vision of a multipolar international order (countering U.S.-led alliances), plus held discussions on regional hotspots like Ukraine and the Middle East (Iran). Their aim is to project stability and alignment on international affairs. 

The meeting is described as a “substance-heavy” meeting with many concrete deliverables expected.

Coming on the heels of the Trump-Xi summit has an appearance (to me) of a well choreographed effort to place the United States in a less than advantageous geo-strategic position.

The devil is in the details of the Xi-Putin Summit. As more light is shined on all their various meeting outcomes emerge (ie., joint statements and signed deals) we should expect to gain a sense of direction these nations will head as we enter the 2nd quarter of the 21st Century.

Interesting times ahead for sure. Again, our situation is vastly different than it was post World War II. in fact, it is vastly different than at the end of the Cold War circa 1990. Time for every American leader to find ways to come together otherwise we will find ourselves in a place of obedience instead of enlightenment.

Pray for our troops, our first responders, and as Memorial Day approaches, never forget the many sacrifices made for so many by so few.