CV and mad panic behaviour

[capcom]

Covid will eventually move out of the public eye, and just become a part of the viral background hum, like all the others. Nobody knows how long it will take, but we'll get there.

We'll soon see the fatalities cross 5 million ... like hell it will.

[cookie2]

I share your concern over the effect of Covid on the political level. But I'm less concerned about the Government trying to use Covid as a means of manipulating the populace as in 1984 where the 3 large states would shift allegiances so they could keep their populations on a permanent war footing.

My concern is that the anti-Lockdown, anti-Masker & anti-Vaxxer campaigns will be used by the far right to gain ground: Political ambitions and anti-lockdown protests: How neo-Nazis seek to spread influence , The Age.

I tend not to be so concerned about the far right as I believe that we, and I mean the West, has an ingrained repulsion to it, memories of relatively recent experiences. A good example of this would be France where despite a very strong push Le Pen just cannot get the required traction.  I believe some people here flirt with some of their rhetoric but overall the true far right would be a long way from ever gaining serious power. Of course we always need to guard against wolves in sheep's clothing.

[ElwoodBlues1]

We are seeing the US now less willing to be involved in such struggles and its main concerns focussing on China and the Pacific. How that may affect us remains to unfold.

Biden screwed up Afghanistan by pulling all the troops out knowing the Afghan Army were hopeless and the Taliban would just walk in without firing a shot and take over.
5 weeks ago he said it was unlikely the Taliban would make any attempt to sieze control.
The Chinese must be thinking it could be time to make a move too..

[Mav]

Remember, Trump took the US down the isolationist, America-First path well before Covid. But Covid will no doubt strain resources and lead to a more selfish world view. The US really should have been taking advantage of Covid to rebuild strained alliances by donating medical supplies and vaccines but it has failed to do so.

Afghanistan was a snafu. Bush decided he was going to go to war against 2 Middle Eastern countries and then stick around for nation-building. What the hell was he thinking? The speedy collapse of the Afghan Government shows he merely built a house of cards. You would have thought he would have learnt from the folly of the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan (or the history of failed attempts at occupation). 

[Mav]

Cookie, the US almost had a successful coup by the far right. Yes, the US is more right-wing than Australia, but we tend to follow in their footsteps.

[Professer E]

Wonder how Richmond are going to wriggle out of this one Caro.  Prestia out on the piss during lock down... Not a good look.

[LP]

Biden screwed up Afghanistan by pulling all the troops out knowing the Afghan Army were hopeless and the Taliban would just walk in without firing a shot and take over.
5 weeks ago he said it was unlikely the Taliban would make any attempt to sieze control.
The Chinese must be thinking it could be time to make a move too..

Didn't Obama start the withdrawal of troups, I thought the deal struck by Trump was that the withdrawal of troups would be completed this year provided the Taliban honours it's commitment to prevent the operation of Al-Qaeda with Taliban controlled regions.

What is happening now might change massively in coming years.

[Mav]

Wonder how Richmond are going to wriggle out of this one Caro.  Prestia out on the piss during lock down... Not a good look.

Professer E, this isn't a footy site. Oh, wait a minute ...  :-[ 

[ElwoodBlues1]

Didn't Obama start the withdrawal of troups, I thought the deal struck by Trump was that the withdrawal of troups would be completed this year provided the Taliban honours it's commitment to prevent the operation of Al-Qaeda with Taliban controlled regions.

What is happening now might change massively in coming years.

I wouldnt be doing any deals with the Taliban ever....they have just released all the ISIS prisoners that were being held in Afghanistan and it will be another war in the making. CoVid is a nice cover for these militants to operate in with the world having its hands full with a pandemic  and the USA pre-occupied with China.
https://theconversation.com/how-joe-bide...rld-166160

[LP]

I wouldnt be doing any deals with the Taliban ever....they have just released all the ISIS prisoners that were being held in Afghanistan and it will be another war in the making. CoVid is a nice cover for these militants to operate in with the world having its hands full with a pandemic  and the USA pre-occupied with China.

But the Taliban deal was done wasn't it?

I feel sections of the current media are trying to repaint history, Obama and Biden did not do that deal.

I agree it was stupid, Al-Qaeda is just a label, like referring to a mass murderer as a crusader!