₦airaland Forum

Trump: The problem with Vietnam, we stopped fighting to win. We would’ve won easy. We would’ve won Afghanistan easy. But we got politically correct. We’re not politically correct anymore just so you understand pic.twitter.com/ymJ7hPkIvM

— Acyn (@Acyn) October 5, 2025

Appleyard:
The US pulled a dirty but solidly clever economic sabotage on the EU, a major competitor, and the painful part is that, it got the EU to do it.

In just the first year of the war in Ukraine the lights started to go out across Europe as the consequences of cutting off Russian trade and gas began to kick in. The end of cheap Russian energy imports was disastrous, causing an energy crisis but that quickly spilled over into Europe’s economy as the biggest chemical and metallurgical plants ceased to be economically viable and were shuttered. “De-industrialisation” has become the buzzword today. While Europe's loss of economic competitive edge did not begin with the Russian invasion (the problem has been long and well entrenched,) the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the sanctions aftermath puts the nails on the coffin.

Two years ago, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tasked former Italian Prime Minister and ex-European Central Bank boss Mario Draghi to compile a report on Europe’s competitiveness, which was released September, 2024.

Its conclusions was a bombshell.

Long story short.

Germany, which has been Europe's economic engine room, is now the weakest economy in the G7.

European productivity, which was previously 95% of the US, has seen decline. Today, is less than 80% and keeps falling.

The US and China are now the preferred markets for global financing on tech frontiers that drives future growth; Europe gets only the crumbs.

The downhill spiral list is almost endless. And I don't have all day to kill.

But the reality for Europe, and to an extent, for the US, gets even more pathetic when you realize that, the attempt to 'punish' Russia, out of a myopic and emotionally laden geopolitical view, has not only boomerang on themselves, but has further empowers rival and emerging competitors.


China, whose economy is already growing like a weed on steroid, is now the world's most powerful manufacturing country. Here is a tip.

China's shipbuilding capacity alone is 232 times greater than the US.

The gap between it and Europe has now increased to more than 150 times; thanks to cheap energy that has further boosted that massive capacity. Japan, South Korea complete the list for Asian Pacific markets dominating the shipbuilding sector, leaving Europe and the US trailing miles behind.

If you're a keen geopolitical observer, you will understand how significant and strategic this advantage is. This capacity advantage was what the US brought into WW 2. The ability to mass manufacture ships faster than nazi U-boats could destroy them. Today, the pendulum have swung

China now has that capacity.

We all know what that means in a war time.

To sum up the disaster for Europe, Russia whom they seek to punish is now the manufacturer powerhouse in Europe, beating even Germany. Investment is now pouring into all these facilities as both Russian and China prepare for a possible global war.

No doubt, the sanctions have cost Russia a lot of money, and probably cause it to see long-term stagnation, but it is currently flourishing and one of the fastest growing major economies in the world. Things are going so well that a new war middle class has emerged in Russia who are enjoying a period of unprecedented prosperity.

As for Europe, the reverse is the case.

There is no substitute for 'cheap' in the global world of energy and manufacturing.

But European stupidity did not take this to heart.

WriterrNg:
⚡Netanyahu to Euronews:

We need to "deradicalize" Gaza, as was done in Germany after World War II or in Japan.

Gbadebo19:
Inflation in Finland. Appleyard abi na Akpu-yard, what's your source.

WriterrNg:
⚡Angela Merkel says Poland and the Baltic states are responsible for the war in Ukraine.

Their refusal to support the Minsk agreements led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Russia and the EU, and then to a full-scale war

Merkel says she wanted a new format to speak directly with Putin as the European Union, but 'the Baltic states and Poland were against it'.

WriterrNg:
⚡Netanyahu to Euronews:

Imagine that after 9/11 people would say, "Okay, now let’s give Bin Laden and al-Qaeda a state. Not only will we give them a state — it’ll be one mile from New York."

That’s what these European leaders are suggesting after the October 7th massacre — giving the Palestinians a state just a few miles from Tel Aviv.

Rilwayne001:
You want to deradicalize them and yet kill their children and women and displace the most vulnerable of them all?

What you’re doing is fueling radicalism rather than reducing it

WriterrNg:
⚡Netanyahu to Euronews:

Imagine that after 9/11 people would say, "Okay, now let’s give Bin Laden and al-Qaeda a state. Not only will we give them a state — it’ll be one mile from New York."

That’s what these European leaders are suggesting after the October 7th massacre — giving the Palestinians a state just a few miles from Tel Aviv.

WriterrNg:
⚡Angela Merkel says Poland and the Baltic states are responsible for the war in Ukraine.

Their refusal to support the Minsk agreements led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Russia and the EU, and then to a full-scale war

Merkel says she wanted a new format to speak directly with Putin as the European Union, but 'the Baltic states and Poland were against it'.

WriterrNg:
⚡Angela Merkel says Poland and the Baltic states are responsible for the war in Ukraine.

Their refusal to support the Minsk agreements led to the severance of diplomatic ties between Russia and the EU, and then to a full-scale war

Merkel says she wanted a new format to speak directly with Putin as the European Union, but 'the Baltic states and Poland were against it'.

WriterrNg:
⚡Netanyahu to Euronews:

Imagine that after 9/11 people would say, "Okay, now let’s give B1n L***n and a1Q**** a state. Not only will we give them a state — it’ll be one mile from New York."

That’s what these European leaders are suggesting after the — giving the Palestinians a state just a few miles from Tel Aviv.

Scorpio99:
Reuters reports that up to 5,000 Cubans are fighting in Ukraine on the side of Russia. Citing an internal U.S. State Department cable, the agency writes that Cuba is the second-largest source of foreign troops in the Russian army after North Korea. According to various estimates, between 1,000 and 5,000 Cubans are fighting against Ukraine.

First North Korea, now Cuba. But it is Russia that is fighting the whole world......

Scorpio99:
INSIGHT: With 229% inflation, Venezuela has turned to USDT as its de facto currency, with merchants pegging prices to Binance P2P dollar rates.


🤣🤣Lol, why USDT, they should have turned to Russian rubbish, abi na Robble dem dey call am.

WriterrNg:
⚡New French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu resigns just a day after Macron appointed a new cabinet of ministers.

Lecornu's tenure, lasting less than a month, was the shortest in the history of France's Fifth Republic

This comes amid a prolonged political crisis, with France seeing its fifth prime minister in two years amid mass protests over economic and social policies.

Rilwayne001:
You want to deradicalize them and yet kill their children and women and displace the most vulnerable of them all?

What you’re doing is fueling radicalism rather than reducing it

WriterrNg:
So you get sense like this?

Unbelievable!

usmanpogo:
Why is no one talking about ICE recent MO ? Is this the western standard people said we should look up to ?
I saw some of the videos online, it was worst than the Nigerian security forces MO, where is the rules of engagement ?
Why is no politician in Europe calling out the Americans ?
How far Obedience40 and Gbadebo19 ?
Wetin dey really sup, E bawa ton Imole si