I have to agree with Eric in a way....
Due to our modern world being more connected than ever. We members of the public are given and have access to more information than we can individually process.
The global dynamics in play today are pretty much the same as they have always been. The difference is that we hear about stuff we would have never known about in the past. The information we and our governments receive is just as flawed as it has always been. The misinformation that we are experiencing has been happening as it always has. The only difference is that the speed of information has increased big time, as well as the level of information that the public is exposed to.
Now that being said. We need to remember that the leadership of any nation is responsible for looking after the interests of their nation first. I tend to chuckle and then become stunned by the commentary I see flying around that points to the actions of a nation looking after its own interests as being evil. People in the west demonise Putin without acknowledging that he is just doing his job for his nation unapologetic-ally.
Are their nation state adversaries that represent a danger to sovereign nations in the west? Yes of course. However we have to understand that the world being as it is now. Those dangers are also different. The economies of almost every developed nation are so intertwined that the collapse of one can mess up others. We have seen this happen before in the not to distant past.
I do not see the current and normal adversarial activity as being anything like what we had in the past. We do not live in a all or nothing, west vs east world anymore. We are living in a world that in that aspect is much safer than before. While the trigger of world war does and always will exist. We are not on the hair trigger.
You must remember these are the musings of a madman so take as you will from this.
We do however face some existential threats as we always have. The treats have changed and evolved as they always do.
1. We are not the masters of the natural world so that world still possesses the ability to mess us up big time.
2. we still face the potential of getting smacked by the crazy person or group of crazy people.
3. We are currently under a major threat from within. Not specifically from the manipulators in our society. Their like have always been there. The threat we face is from human stupidity and laziness. Lazy because many members of society do not feel the need to apply critical thinking to the world. They are content to be told what to think. (This is not confined to the left of our society)
There are more threats. Yet the last one I quoted is the one that concern's me the most. Primarily because is is preventable and in a spiral.
The forces of manipulation are pretty much consistent with our historical experience. Nations, Politicians, special interests and such have always sought to influence the populace in the game.
The critical difference is that the flow of information (Both real and fabricated) is so much faster. So much more detailed also.
So after my setting the stage. I look at much of what happens around the globe with a more critical eye. I remind myself that nations and their leadership will act in the best interests of their nations first. I remind myself that this means that much of the information I see and find is subject to manipulation. So I take time to think about stuff.
While Russia and China do represent an adversarial position to the west as they always have. I must keep in mind that their actions are usually only in their self interest as opposed to a "Doctor Evil" scheme to destroy the west.
For the "Doctor Evil" thing all you have to do is look at the VERY ACTIVE manipulators in our society (From All Sides).
OK Essay over......
