Harkness – MacGillivray Stories

The world seems to be ‘waking up’ now, honestly from 2020 up to today in 2022. Many of us feel hard done today with the blow of three global crises –COVID, economic, and climate crises–, in addition to the possible knockout blow of a future world war. This war is between the ruling and rising global powers, the US and China, due to the so-called  ‘Thucydides’ Trap’.⁴⁹ (I wrote the previous sentence sometime at the end of 2021. Looking back, it now seems ‘prophetic’ considering the present ‘alliance’ of Russia and China, and the criminal Russia vs. Ukraine invasion (24 February-14 April [ongoing]). 

Past and Present

But as we usually say, we can only view the past in relation to the present. The past illuminates the present and the present illuminates the past. We also tend to forget today that our ‘problems’ perhaps pale in comparison with the hardships that previous generations had to endure, not to mention future generations.

I hope these recollections helped you realize that many aspects of our lives we haven’t previously given much thought to become more clear on closer examination. Together, let us look at old photos, interpret documents, examine transcripts of conversations, read and interpret letters, and so on.

Generations and Developments

Commentators often say that the ‘Boomer Generation’, the ‘Generation Jones,’ and the ‘Generation X’ are all ‘spoiled’ generations — those born between 1946 and the early 1980s. Perhaps there is some truth in this. Those people born after the early 1980s have had to endure crises and unemployment, while my parents and grandparents both had to endure world wars and economic crises.

Just as one views the life of one’s family in the past in relation to old and new technologies, it is also appropriate to view this life in relation to past and current political developments. As mentioned, the generations born (in the UK) in the first three decades after the end of the Second World War have been fortunate in that they have on the whole avoided major wars and economic crises. However, what does the future hold?

Russia vs. Ukraine

Of course, when one imagines a future scenario, one will never get it exactly right. But the criminal Russian invasion of Ukraine took many by surprise – although it had ‘been a-long-time-coming’⁵⁰. The presidents of Russia and China shook hands at the 2022 Olympics in China was seemed to signify that they are being driven together regarding their expansive interests in Taiwan and the Ukraine, respectively⁵¹. This seems to be a case of ‘strange bedfellows’⁵².

Culturally speaking, and historically speaking, Russia is a European nation. Thus, Russia is the big ‘bad boy’ of Europe. It is then assisted by other ‘bad little boys’, such as Serbia, Belarus, Hungary, and the rebel regions⁵³. Any teacher knows that you have to deal with the ‘bad boy’ in the class, not to mention the bad boy’s little friends. Otherwise, the bad boys will take over the class resulting in anarchy.

Bedfellows

Regarding ‘strange bedfellows’, the lying Russian pimp has bedded the cheap Chinese whore⁵⁴, Xi. Taking into consideration the fact that Russia is a highly racist and homophobic nation, the bedding of a cheap Asian whore will never be a good policy in the long run⁵⁵. That is, the Russian ‘man-in-the-street’ regards the Chinese as racially inferior. 

Regarding the ‘shaking of hands’ at the 2022 Olympics, you would have to be blind to not realise the importance of this shaking of hands.  The European Union is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Germany depends on Russian oil and gas imports and trade with China. So in reality the Germans are invading the Ukraine by proxy⁵⁶ and also the possible future invasion of Taiwan.

UK and US

The UK and the U.S., on the other hand, are not so dependent on oil and gas imports from Russia. If the Russian and Chinese aggressive imperial ambitions go according to plan, this will result in the strengthening of Russia and China; this may then lead to a possible further incursion by Russia into Europe. To stretch the point, you might say that the European Union are financing their own future destruction.

Britain’s exit from the European Union was no ‘accident’. During the present Russian invasion of the Ukraine, it seems that the UK and the U.S. have adopted the tactics of Siamese fighting fish. A scene in the James Bond film from “Russia with Love” shows three Siamese fighting fish in an aquarium. The villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld likened the modus operandi of his criminal organisation, Spectre, to one of the fish that observes as the other two fight to the death, then killed the weakened victor⁵⁷.

End Goal

In other words, the military might of the U.S. and NATO could quickly turn around the war in the Ukraine. But obviously the thought here is ‘What’s in it for us – and what is the end goal?” So, it’s better to let the ‘little fish’ play into our hands, while we retain the ‘moral high ground’.

To cut to the chase once again, we seem to be heading (as of 2022) to a new type of global Mercantilism. Blockades are securing crucial resources and trade wars. In addition, Britain employed their strategies during the first stage of industrialization which prohibited other nations accessing new technology.⁵⁸ This phenomenon has emerged today in the American ban on Chinese technology⁵⁹.  

Analysis

Of course, I do not profess myself to be a professional global political analyst – so these observations are just those of an educated layman; but even the ‘layman’ can read the news. Various intelligence agencies had predicted the invasion of Ukraine⁶⁰.

Let’s face it, in the short term perspective, this is hardly rocket science. The intelligence agencies had said they hoped their prognosis was wrong (which it wasn’t). Similarly, I hope my ‘amateur’ observations are also wrong. Unfortunately, this seems unlikely. In other words, we are facing an Armageddon of one kind or another in the future.

Sources

⁴⁹ ‘Thucydides’ Trap’ is a concept popularized by American political scientist Graham T. Allison. It describes an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power threatens to displace an existing great power. It is primarily used to describe a potential future conflict between the United States and the China. The idea of ‘Thucydides Trap’ points back to the writings of the ancient Athenian historian Thucydides who claimed that the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta had been inevitable because the dominant power Sparta feared the growth of the rising power Athens. 

⁵⁰ “Long Time Gone,” Crosby, Stills and Nash.
⁵² The phrase politics makes strange bedfellows is adapted from “Misery acquaints man with strange bedfellows,” which appears in William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest. Shakespeare’s line describes a man taking shelter beside a sleeping sea monster. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/politics-makes-strange-bedfellows Read 11 April 2022.

⁵⁴ The word ‘whore’ is used metaphorically here and no disrespect is intended towards ‘working women’. In fact, I’m fairly sure that the majority of ‘whores’ will score higher than President Xi and President P*tin as regards being ‘admirable human beings’. Perhaps the future will show that Xi and P*tin will compete with each other in order to get into the ‘The Top Ten Evil’. For those readers who like betting, I would put my money on P*tin getting into the ‘Top Ten’ first, after all, the Russians have a tradition to live up to, as Ivan the Terrible and Joseph Stalin are already in the Top Ten. https://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/pickover/good.html Read 12 April 2022.

⁵⁵  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racism_in_Russia Read 12 April 2022.
⁵⁶ The EU buys so much Russian energy that it has paid Russia nearly $19 billion since the start of the Ukraine war. https://qz.com/2145198/how-much-oil-does-europe-import-from-russia/ Read 11 April 2022.
⁵⁷ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siamese_fighting_fish Read: 11 April 2022.
⁵⁸ In the period 1760 to 1830 the Industrial Revolution was largely confined to Britain. Aware of their head start, the British forbade the export of machinery, skilled workers, and manufacturing techniques. https://www.britannica.com/event/Industrial-Revolution/The-first-Industrial-Revolution Read 11 April 2022.
⁵⁹ https://www.bbc.com/news/business-60164747 Read: 11 April 2022.
⁶⁰  https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61044063 Read 12 April 2022.