this post was submitted on 04 Aug 2025
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[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 17 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (1 children)

Do you think they are planning to actually intervene to deplete the world availability of fancy weapons long term?

They are clearly using this lever right now and that's not nothing. I think they're not going play nice with rare earths until they think the US has thoroughly given up on the idea of any kind of violent confrontation with them. That could be a long way off.

I think it's also worth looking up Tungsten, which China controls the majority of the world supply. Essential in weapons. They're not playing nicely with this resource either.

If this was announced 3 years ago haven't the West made any preparations for it?

No the west has fuck all capacity for manufacturing and is ideologically opposed to national industry. No private companies want to step in to try and supply this shit because China can turn on the tap of supply and instantly kill any foreign business by being cheaper. That risk is too high for investors who do not want to compete with Chinese dominant industry, particularly state-owned. You'll see this complained about in the media somewhat but they call it Chinese "subsidised" industry instead of nationalised. They do this because the idea of nationalised infrastructure is actually extremely popular across most of Europe where the principle argument against it is that it is "inefficient". They talk about it in the media using sly language to avoid tipping the proles off that actually nationally owned industry is vastly superior. It would hugely harm the tentative grip on power neoliberal ideology has across Europe.

you'd think there would be more substantial contingency planning.

The machine is ideologically incapable of considering anything other than neoliberal methods. It is has lost its ability to adapt and if it doesn't get it back the empire is genuinely doomed.

The thing is that there ARE smart liberals who warned of many of these things. Kissinger was among them. But the smart liberals who would guide the empire correctly are all shoved out because the only solutions oppose neoliberal methods. The ideology has ossified and pushes out anyone saying anything needs to be done differently.

[–] hellinkilla@hexbear.net 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

thanks for the comments very interesting!

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 2 points 3 weeks ago

It's very interesting how an organisation can get itself into a situation where it can't change itself and acts against its own interests. The end of empires are probably all somewhat like this.

They could save it of course, a civil war among liberals in which a sect that understands the need for change beats the other.

We should also not underestimate the liberals in the world that are not adhering to neoliberalism. Russia is not afraid of state industry and has aspirations to become the leading capitalist nation. Eventually anti-imperialism will cease to be the primary contradiction and the situation that causes our mutual interests to align will end.