Malazan Empire: Tapper - Viewing Profile - Malazan Empire

With regard to anything after 2028: how much change can this Democratic Party really bring? All I see and read is Schumer and Jeffries sticking to politics as usual, with only token resistance. If all they try to do is dial the clock back to 2020, they’ll lose anything they might gain in the 2026 mid terms and 2028 elections.

Edit: I know there is a blue wave in lower political circles (school boards etc) as well. I think those are driven by idealistic people who see the need for change. That is something that I cannot truly see on a national level, from my news sources, at the least. What’s the Democrat plan? What is the hope, what is the expectation?

Azath Vitr (D, on 21 January 2026 - 04:53 PM, said:

I honestly don’t know how you see a Russia/China/US alliance appearing. If anything, the US pivot away from NATO is to put the emphasis on China over Russia as the US’ main enemy. I also don’t see the bromance of Putin and Trump survive past either of them. Trump is nearing 80 and Putin will hold on for as long as he can, but who knows until when, and who comes after him and how long that power consolidation takes?

As for MAGA, let’s see how long it lasts. I highly doubt more than 3 years, even though the damage will take decades to undo. MAGA will (eventually) eat itself.

I also don’t see how the split in influence spheres you see would work. My wife is Polish. Every single Polish person I talk to hates the Russians with a passion. Every Fin says the same. Even the Russia sympathisers in Hungary and elsewhere don’t want direct Russian rule, and there is nothing Russia has to offer that would keep a country in Russia’s orbit for long. Victor Orban can do what he does in Hungary because the EU was, despite everything, up until 2025 a net investor in Hungary and is loathe to truly slap his hand because it wants its members to cooperate. He won’t have such leeway or such funding with Russia. Russia meanwhile, whatever they conquer, their oligarchy sucks dry; it’s not used to accelerate their economy. So,

Finally, most anti-EU sentiment in the EU is because people feel the EU is expensive and makes life complicated and bureaucratic. That does not mean they want more Russian/US influence, or are open to it.

Let’s be realistic. The EU is never going to be wholly conquered by Russia. Nor are 450 million Europeans going to answer to Russia (population 150 million or so?). But there are regions that are at risk and Russia’s hybrid warfare is dangerous.

Now, *If* Russia can run fast enough through the Baltic states, there is a significant risk that the US will not come to their aid and I don’t think the rest of Europe will go and plan amphibious landings or cut through Kaliningrad overland. Poland, Finland or Rumania though? Pretty safe. Orban is many things, but I really don’t think he will try and send the Hungarian military to Russia’s help.

Tiste Simeon, on 19 January 2026 - 10:56 PM, said:

Listen, we all know BK is a Republican, and we should take into account that his media consumption is likely coloured as such. He does not have the benefit of being on the other side of the Atlantic like Maark, Tiste, Mac and myself, nor has the media diet of Amph or QT.

I mean, I open Substack and I am bombed by badly written left wing blogs that are just as much into conspiracy theories on the same level as pizza gate - that too is a subscriber based industry that thrives on ever more outlandish claims (DJT snuff movies).

No wonder BK picks up the alternative fact PoV on the EU sending a symbolic mission to Greenland being Macron trying to break NATO.
We need more of QTs 200% tariff posts, less pile ons, or the part of the world we live in will be still split between two irreconcilable sides of 40% of the population each with 20% in the middle who vote the other way when change doesn’t come the way they like it.

I think we’re all so frustrated by what is happening and how fast it is going, how quickly reason goes out of the window and, certainly in my case, how spineless the political opposition/ the EU is in response.

that we are losing sight of this being a discussion board, where someone like BK used to be welcome to bring his interpretation of events.

Anyway, BK, it’s not that Macron or anyone in the EU is trying to blow up NATO. The entirety of the continent relies on NATO being effective and it being around has been a major reason in the EU never taking its own security organisation very seriously as NATO already did a great job of it - and included integration of the US.
For example, the role of the EU militaries was to hold of the until the US could land its equipment and major divisions in the continent - so many Atlantic countries stopped investing in anything but a token Navy - only keeping around what they had and to assist the US elsewhere (as in the Gulf War). If NATO blows up, the EU will have to rebuild from scratch. The EU is not going to garrison Greenland much - rather, a symbolic presence, just like the US sending observers to a conflict, or the Canadian consulate for Greenland, is a “do you really want to do this?” sign to show Trump this is not just Denmark, but everyone who is anything in Europe, including the UK.

Well, I must say, when I was 2-6 or something, I would have settled for 4th. This round was a sh** show, though. Next time, if I ever draft first again, point me to this post if I try to draft a second QB before the sixth round.