Author Archives: Yves Smith

War Hawks’ Drive to Expand NATO into Asia May Destroy Western Military Alliance

Individuals can fail upwards, but organizations? NATO not been up to the task of propping up Ukraine, but the US wants to aim it at China.

Links 8/5/2023

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. v. Google Alleges First Amendment Violations via YouTube Censorship as a State Actor

Oh frabjous day! RFK, Jr. has lobbed a very big bomb at the heart of the censorship apparatus.

More on the Collapse of Operational Capabilities in the West: How Did We Get Here

Some thoughts on the rapid decline in operational capabilities, or why tons of people, particularly those in charge, are no good at their jobs

Fascism is the Western Answer to Class Struggle

Rob Urie makes a reasoned, data-backed case that the tools used in supposed democracies to enforce class standing merit the label of fascism

Russia Is Finally Correcting False Perceptions of BRICS

Russia is dialing down expectations for big BRICS developments at a late August summit.

NC Under Attack from Ukraine After Posting on Gonzalo Lira Being Tortured and Extorted While in Prison

Quelle surprise! Some people in Ukraine do not like NC!

Links 8/3/2023

Energy Destinies – Part 8: Pathways

Satyajit Das concludes his series on the future of energy by looking at curbing demand, aka radical conseration.

French Invasion of Niger Could Turn into All-Out Franco-African War

An assessment of the stakes for France in trying to reverse the military coup in Niger by force.

As the Ukraine War Drags On, It’s Time to Reassess the Impacts of Sanctions

The bundle of sanctions was initially designed and imposed in haste, with little basis to assess historic performance.

Science Versus Scientism in Real Life: Where Do We Go from Here?

An engaging discussion of science-adjacent scintism, including Theranos. glysophate, Golden Rice, and rewilding.

Government Health Financing for All, Not Insurance

Why health insurance schemes, both private insurance and society-wide programs, are more costly than and inferor to government funding.

The Bizarre and Widely Disparaged Fitch Downgrade of US Government Debt to AA+

The financial press and Mr. Market shrugged off the Fitch downgrade of US government debt from AAA to AA+. Why?