>It doesn't seem unthinkable to me that a large part of the globe wants and feels they deserve, a "new world order" where the US takes a less hegemonic role
It doesn't "seem unthinkable" because they've been literally saying that for half a century. That doesn't mean they want to work with the second coming of Christian nationalism. Anyone who's worked in diplomacy in the global South knows it's hard enough for them to work with each other.
I was trying for understatement.
>That doesn't mean they want to work with the second coming of Christian nationalism
No...I suppose not. But if they don't, why be neutral? What if they take the "Christian nationalism" as superficial? What if "want" is immaterial to a reality of working with the existing situation?
>Anyone who's worked in diplomacy in the global South knows it's hard enough for them to work with each other.
You sound knowledgeable. I didn't know that China was part of the global South.
Are you scoffing at the idea that China would work with Russia, or just reacting to the mention of India?
Specifically, is it completely absurd to you to suspect that the fruits of the OPM breach were sent by China to Moscow?
China was ruled out separately; the remaining countries are either opposed to Russia, very small, or reasonably described as "global South". Your other points are similarly vacuous, and your attitude gives me no reason to continue this conversation.
I'm genuinely disappointed not to hear more of your wisdom. I know that being an asshole and being wrong are different things.
China has been allergic to the word "invasion", perhaps because they don't want it thrown at them if they attack Taiwan. But China is not happy with Russia over this.
Current events in Ukraine seem like the perfect experiment to see if taking Taiwan is possible.
If it's really, really useful, I don't see how happy/unhappy would enter into it.
What does "actual ally" mean, according to experts? Was the USSR an actual ally of anyone in WWII? The US sent a zillion dollars worth of Jeeps and spam on the basis of shared interests, not true friendship.
"Alley" is misleading in that it sounds as if the dictator there has any choice except than doing what Putin tells him.
Last I heard, the governments of China and India were conspicuously refusing to condemn the invasion.
It doesn't seem unthinkable to me that a large part of the globe wants and feels they deserve, a "new world order" where the US takes a less hegemonic role and institutional influence is adjusted to reflect the modern world a bit more.