2018 was the year of the jerk and as if to prove it, the United States of America inaugurated the one of the loudest jerks of all time, Donald Trump. To underline what kind of jerk Donald Trump really is he went to Europe and told them that their problem was immigration. That immigration was ruining their culture. This man has married two immigrant wives and so we all knew which kind of immigration he really meant: Muslims.
Trump doesn’t just target Muslims. He also enacted a policy of ripping families apart at the US border. Some countries in Latin America have become so violent that people there risk their lives to travel through Mexico to get to the US border and ask for help. They bring their children with them because the whole point of this migration is to save their children. Trump, the so-called “pro-life” candidate, charges these asylum seekers with violating the law and then forcibly separates the parents from their children. Not surprisingly this stricter border policy benefits the private prison industry which bankrolled his election and which has been building capacity for 6 months in preparation for this order.
President Trump wasn’t just a jerk, an Islamophobe, and a racist, he was also a puppet to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Just as Trump was making a tour of Europe and telling them that they needed to be more pure, and while children were being jailed for the crime of being born poor and with the wrong latitude and longitude, Special Counsel Robert Mueller announced the indictment of 12 Russians for hacking the American election in order to produce a win for Donald Trump. This was done at Trump’s behest, with him publicly calling for someone to hack his rival Hillary Clinton’s campaign. With all of this going on, Trump left Europe after acting like a big jerk and flew off to have one-on-one meetings with Putin.
It was under that cloud that Russia hosted the World Cup. And it was a wonderful Public Relations stunt for former KGB head and now dictator of Russia, Vladimir Putin.
France won, Croatia came in second, Belgium took third, England got to have football go home again, and Germany, the holders of the 2014 World Cup, got knocked out in the group stages.
Germany were the big losers in this tournament. They lost their opening match to Mexico 1-0 because of a swift Mexican counter attack. The German side, normally so very efficient, took 26 shots in that match and didn’t score a single goal. They beat Sweden 2-1 in the next round and only needed a second win against one of the lowest ranking teams in FIFA to advance to the next round. Once again, they took 28 shots, didn’t score a single goal, and lost 2-0 thanks to a swift South Korean counter attack.
The counter attack was the theme of this tournament. When Spain and Germany won in 2010 and 2014 respectively, the theme was possession. Keep the ball as both a means of attack and defense. And as inevitably happens in football the pendulum swung the other way and possession teams were punished by teams kicking long balls to fast forwards who made defenders look like they were running on banana peels.
England played this long ball game to great effect, kicking the ball into the corners with nearly every possession. Raheem Sterling would then sprint out to retrieve the ball and kick a cross in for Harry Kane. If England were forced to have the ball for more than three passes, they invariably fell over looking for a foul. When they won the foul, which they frequently did, they would kick in a cross for one of the two Harrys: Kane or Magwire.
The English way of playing was so very English that it sparked a two week peace on the sceptered isle. In the build-up to the tournament Britain was arguing over whether they want to be part of Europe or not – like Trump’s America Britain are also suffering an anti-immigration crisis. But with Harry Magwire’s giant noggin nodding in goals and Harry Kane winning penalty kicks the English fans put aside their differences and sang in unison about “football coming home”. The song didn’t mean that they thought they were winning the whole tournament (they insisted) but rather the song was about the heartbreak of not winning. Well, they didn’t win. As soon as they faced a decent side in Croatia, they collapsed. Which wasn’t a surprise to anyone who has watched these players in the Premier League, they are mostly Spurs and United players and as such unaccustomed to winning. I guess that’s how football came home.
This will also be remembered as the World Cup in which VAR was introduced, Video Assisted Refereeing. VAR was the all-seeing eye, the officials in their ivory control tower, resplendent in their FIFA officials’ official garb, looking down on the game, scrying for foul play, seeing some, not seeing others. It didn’t catch Neymar being stepped on but it did catch Harry Kane bundling over on every corner.
VAR was widely hailed (when it got a call the way the fans wanted) and also widely decried (when it missed a call that the fans wanted or got a call wrong). The point of VAR wasn’t to get the calls right, the point of VAR was to ensure that officials injected maximum drama into the proceedings. It worked. People chatted on Twitter (a place for jerks, where Trump is the king) endlessly about VAR basically over the same two ideas: I hate VAR, I don’t mind VAR. If this is what VAR will bring to football, I say Viva VAR!
In the final, France faced Croatia and really I could have just written this entire thing about the final match because it had pretty much everything. France had played this tournament on the counter attack and in the final they doubled down on that strategy, bunkering in and kicking long balls to Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann, and 19 year old phenom Kylian Mbappe. Unlike England, there was a twist on this counter attack. Instead of whipping in useless crosses to Giroud, they … tried to score. And they did score! Four goals in the final, though none really on the counter attack.
France scored the first goal when the referee was duped into a free kick outside the box. It was very English of Griezmann to go down so easily before any contact was even made. He took the free kick and Croatia’s forward Mario Mandzukic became the first ever player to score an own goal in a World Cup final. The collective football world thought that the match was going to stay 1-0 for the remaining 70 minutes but not this World Cup. Not the most exciting World Cup ever.
Croatia fought back as they had done all tournament. Croatia have the world’s best midfielder, the four time Champions League winner, Luca Modric. He’s a tiny player with a laser sharp mind. He is always three steps ahead of his opponent, not just knowing where to play the ball but already anticipating where he should be after the pass to best keep the ball. With him in the midfield, they dazzled England, and here in the final played keep ball and probed for an opening. After what seemed like a thousand passes that opening finally came and Perisic took the ball down in the box, switched feet and fired in a wonderful strike to equalize.
But VAR was there to rescue France and the rest of us from the tedium of just watching football. After France begged the official to look at the replays he went over to a television, saw that the goal scorer for Croatia, Perisic, had the ball headed onto his hand and called a handball. Injustice was done. Griezmann scored from the penalty spot and did his Fortnite dance.
France scored a third. Paul Pogba shot once with his right foot and then collected the rebound and shot with his left foot. Croatia was kind enough to play without a keeper and Pogba’s shot sailed into the net. And then France added a 4th – this time it was the French Pele, Kylian Mbappe – he got himself a bit of space outside the box, shot, and scored. His goal won’t be the iconic moment for me. That was him chasing down a pass and literally running around his defender to get off a shot. That’s the kind of speed Mbappe has, rounding you speed.
Perhaps the only bright star in all of this is that France’s win is a win for multiculturalism and immigration. Brexit may mean Brexit but while England is deporting their West Indian immigrants fifteen of the World Cup winning French players have African roots. Mbappe won the young player of the tournament award and while he was born in France his father is from Cameroon and mother is Algerian. Dembele, Umtiti, Mendy, Mandanda, Fekir, Pogba, Kante, Matuidi, Kimpembe, and Nzonzi all have parents from Africa who settled in France. Many of these players are also notably Muslim, Paul Pogba and N’Golo Kante are two most notable examples.
France is like much of Europe and America and is embroiled in a wave of anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim sentiment. People from poor, exploited, countries are coming to these richer European and American countries in search of a better life. They are coming and they are contributing to our societies. They are making our societies richer and better. My cynical nature says that this World Cup won’t change that but I would love to be proven wrong. The “immigration problem” isn’t a problem of migration. It’s a problem of resources. People living in rich countries don’t want to share their wealth. They love sharing in the victory on the backs of migrants but don’t want to share the spoils.
Next up, World Cup 2022 in Qatar, followed by World Cup 2026 in the USA. At least the World Cup isn’t going to be used as a PR tool by dictators after this one.
Loved it. One of your best write-ups IMHO.
Speaking of jerks, I noticed this Jamaican food truck in NYC recently serving up jerk chicken and pork:
https://www.jamrockjerkny.com/
I haven’t tried it yet but I was super excited to see it as they already had a line of about 30 people already. Do you have a jerk recipe?
If you’re pepper averse, bredrin, stay away. If you’re making your own (you can google the recipe) use less of the seasoning than recommended, if you are averse the fiery foods.
On the last time before this time that France won the world cup, Jamaica’s Reggae Boyz qualified. They were better than Panama, and were some credit to Concacaf.
Thoroughly enjoyable world cup, and final. Didnt like the pen call… so much doubt there. If while airborne Perisic has the ability to deliberately Kung Fu chop a football, he should be doing Hollywood stunts for a living. And Griezmann was going down before the Croatian player obligingly made contact.
Croatia played well up to the point that they brought the game level, then I thought they lost their composure. The corner form which the handball was given resulted from a wild punt upfield by Subasic. They turned the ball over, some French pressure, then boom, corner.
Thereafter, except for a spell early in the second half, I dont think they troubled France. Even after Lloris’ brainf*rt, you never thought they had it in them to mount a successful charge.
Breakout player for me (unsung variety… leaving out Mbappe etc) Meunier of Belgium, the best RB in the tournament. Best goals were Messi’s v Nigeria, Pavard’s technically excellent volley, Xhaka’s history-laden rocket, and Belgium wonderful sucker punch against Japan, executed with the precision of an orchestra by Courtois, de Bruyne, Meunier, Lukaku and Chadli. Everyone made an optimal move at precisely the right moment.
Great world cup. Shame that the awful Vlad can take bragging rights. Not for being a gent though. He ensured that he stayed dry, while the Croatian and French presidents were soaked to the bone.
One of my favorite sites is Food Wishes, which does video recipes. Check out the jerk recipes here:
https://foodwishes.blogspot.com/search?q=jerk
The first recipe you’ll see is from 2007 when he suggests using a pre-mix spice (he also explains the origins of ‘jerk’ in that recipe), but if you scroll down, there’s a 2014 one for wings that includes directions for making your own jerk spice rub. I have no idea how ‘authentic’ it is.
I first ate jerk chicken at a Jamaican restaurant in Toronto, and I’ve been hooked ever since.
Sorry, that was meant as a reply to NYC Gunner!
Thanks! If one tastes food with their eyes first, that jerk chicken wing recipe looks delicious. I’m going to have to try that one.
I’m hungry
On the contrary, I am on a never ending quest to find the most fiery cuisine possible. To this day I am yet to find anything spicier than Sri Lankan food, followed by Sichuan. I have had a couple of decent jerk chickens in NY but none that has even remotely tested my limits. I have a good feeling about this place though.
I haven’t tried Sri Lankan food, but almost 2 decades in UK and nothing comes near Nigerian food in hotness. Try the jollof rice- Nigerian Jollof rice – for starters. If that doesn’t faze you, then you can ask for suya or the soups. Good luck
This recipe looks pretty cool.
https://www.saveur.com/west-african-jollof-rice#page-2
Sadly my daughter won’t eat spicy foods.
I don’t have a jerk recipe. Sorry!
Spot-on with your Trumpeting !
May have posted too early today though.
Might have added treason had you waited post-Trump/Putin Summit.
A most level-headed US political writer, TPM’s Josh Marshall posited:
“In the future, when we know more details, we will have a difficult time explaining how any serious people continued to think there could be an innocent explanation.”
The plot thickens.
jw1
Apparently, even Fox News hosts are criticizing Trump about his denials of Russian meddling. Pretty embarrassing, not to mention astonishing, for the President of the United States to take Russia’s word over the FBI’s. He’s all about American interests, so long as it doesn’t get in the way of his personal power, which is, in reality, his only interest.
No one could have known that ‘Idiocracy’ was a documentary.
Daily horrors, all thanks to a cult of gullible stupidity.
Somewhere Orwell snickers.
jw1
Honestly, I don’t think he’s about American interests at all.
As you say, whenever it’s a choice between what’s best for America and what’s best for him, there’s only going to be one winner.
Oh yeah, what about Benghazi and the missing E- mails?
BUTTER EMAILS
🙂
I actually thought Trump didn’t do too badly today.
He was pretty articulate for someone having Putin’s di#k down his throat balls deep.
she’s not the president of the united states.
Ok sure, but she’s got to be impeached soon.
Sorry man, I thought by now everyone on here knew where I stand on the political spectrum but for those who still don’t that was a joke .
Not a big Clinton fan but talk about a witch hunt.
This piece is wonderful! thanks! Please grant unto me the permission to air my views as they may seem too “religious” or “political”.
Dude.. speak your mind.
Well done as always! This was a fantastic world cup, and it’s so fitting that a team with foreign roots like France should win it all. Also, a note of thanks to you again for this blog. I just re-read all of the comments about racism from Saturday’s thread and was enthralled (not to mention sidetracked from work!) Arsenal may be what binds us, but I suspect many of us return for a community that grapples honestly, and respectfully with the issues of our times, too.
I was going to post my thoughts on racism but reconsider after realizing how much smarter everyone else was.
As a white guy I adhere to Chris Rock guidelines for white people’s usage of the N word.
Great Great Article, especially second half.. unravelling and placing football in socio-political nexus. No need for name-calling though remember respect everyone, even if some don’t. Great work…
What name-calling? If i see a turnip and I say “that’s a turnip” is that name-calling?
Hahahah ok but try and attack policies not people.
Make criticisms political not personal..Whatever…..Your writing will win awards..
Policies? What policies? The only policies at play are racism and xenophobia. How NOT to make it personal?
Mate, I do see where you are coming from
That kind of politeness only goes so far.
Here’s a relevant extract from a FilmCritHulk piece in The Observer.
‘Unsurprisingly, it ties right into the hot-button topic of civility and decorum. A number of Trump officials are shaking their heads about people confronting them in the streets or refusing them service in restaurants. Marco Rubio was mad someone used “the F word” in government. And yet they do not realize that all these people are mad at them because they were perfectly O.K. with tearing brown kids away from their families and putting them in cages. What can someone do against such monstrous hypocrisy? The kind of hypocrisy that runs so deep that it basically weaponizes civility itself? For it simply turns around the notion by saying, “It is impolite to be mad at us for locking kids in cages. Please let’s have a polite discussion where we probably won’t change our minds, but it will just make this all seem like valid discussion we should be having.” Which turns it all into another way of keeping the control and power.’
(The Observer)
Mate, good point well made
Nice one! And courageous to stand up to Trump’s bullying. Counterattack vs. possession looked like the main theme of this World Cup, but I think the real problem is penetration. Germany and Spain enjoyed plenty of possession but struggled badly to create clear-cut chances. Spain in 2010 and Germany in 2014 could find a way to crack a defense while the 2018 German and Spanish teams seemed to pass the ball just for the sake of passing.
in 2010, spain didn’t try. they didn’t have a reliable center forward (fernando torres) so the applied the false 9 strategy. it was easy for them as most of their center mids did it at club level. once they took the lead, they put on torres to stretch defenses late (he was still fast).
in 2014, germany had an in-form thomas muller and mario gotze, not to mention the ever-clinical miroslav klose (the top scorer in world cup history) when they needed a goal.
They had David Villa in his prime in 2010. He was their top striker, where did you get this false 9 narrative from ?
you know, you’re absolutely right. i completely forgot about david villa. i don’t clearly recall, now that you remind me of him. i do remember fabregas playing as a false 9 at some point. maybe it was a european championship, 2012. i don’t remember. i just remember torres wasn’t playing well and spain were short of center forward options.
TDS. Trump Derangement Syndrome. I’m not a fan of the guy but seriously – is everything he’s said or done wrong or bad? If you answer honestly you’d have to say, no. People need to worry less about things outside of their control and more about what they can control. Relax. Meditate. Smoke some weed. Politics divides. Sports should unite. Let’s keep politics and sports separate and be brothers.
Well, I think sports divides, too. Ask Tottenham supporters what they think of Arsenal! Tribalism is built into the sport.
One of the reasons I like this blog so much is that being “brothers” (I’m sure there are sisters here, too!) includes disagreeing on topics collegially (for the most part), and articulating positions on topics that affect our lives beyond sport. What draws me here is the pleasure of interacting with differently minded people who nonetheless share a hobby. That commonality allows for disagreement to occur without (again, for the most part) disparagement or crude insults about a variety of issues.
That’s what makes this community pretty unique.
If you disagree with me, I’m all ears!
This. Disagreement is a virtue here. People like you actually want to hear other points of view. They’re not threatening. They are enlightening. And it’s ok to be wrong or even change one’s views based on what others have to say. It would be nice to bring that mindset back to the rest of the world.
No disrespect but that outlook only works for people who are in a position of relative privilege.
Tell the black citizens getting gunned down with almost impunity in America by a police force who’s corruption is seemingly above reproach to relax and meditate.
Tell the families fleeing violence and oppression that Trump separated and put in cages to just smoke some weed and not worry about their trauma or the trauma of their children, or whether they’ll ever even see their kids again.
You’re approach might work for you and that’s completely fine…..but that’s not an approach that suits, or is even possible, for everyone.
Dude, I’m a black man originally from Detroit. You’re going to lecture me about race and privilege? I don’t live there anymore but my family voted for the man. I wish people would chill and stop attacking the man 24/7, it’s pretty tedious.
I don’t want to be insensitive here.
I know the vast majority of black people in America didn’t vote for Trump. I just mean that a lot of the time online when people advise others to not talk about politics, it suggests that they’re in a position where they can afford to not worry too much about the issues people are discussing.
I was trying not to come off as disrespectful but if I failed I apologize.
Reading back on my original comment I WAS actually disrespectful in how I made my point so I do apologize for that.
I still don’t think the jist of my original point was unfair. Some people can afford to steer conversations away from political issues and some people can’t.
And it’s not like we’re ALWAYS talking politics here. It’s a rare enough occurence and I learn a lot from reading other people’s opinions on issues and events, so I guess that’s why I get twitchy when it seems like someone wants to stop all political discussion here.
I’m selfish 🙂
Being Arsenal fans we know damn well what it feels like to face a bus that counters. How is this countered though? Even quick switches of play doesn’t always work. Can we intentionally give them corners so they have to come out?
I think Tim commented in a previous post that watching Germany in this world cup was hauntingly reminiscent of Arsenal this past season. Sterile possession. Teams are just too good defensively when they sit back and pack the box. Space is nearly impossible to find. Even for highly skilled teams like Spain, Germany and Brazil. It just eventually results in turnovers and counterattacks. Goals happen with fast, vertical possession that catch defenders running back at their own goal. I think that’s where Emery is heading.
I don’t think so.
Modric, Griezman, KDB and Hazard have shown that they can work wonders in tight spaces.
Especially Modric, he is like a magician. I am also really impressed by the way Croatia were able to neutralize Kante.
“The “immigration problem” isn’t a problem of migration. It’s a problem of resources.”
At least the Jerk bothers to try and do something. The Nice Guy pretends it is not an issue.
“People living in rich countries don’t want to share their wealth.”
What about being jobless in a rich and expensive country.
Look I am not condoning the Jerk. What I am saying is that to beat the Jerk, perhaps what is needed is actual human empathy with some of the folks who are really struggling.
the problem with trump’s approach is that he has zero experience as a policy maker but he thinks he knows more about it than anyone. it’s the same with knowing more about war fighting than the generals and more about global warming than the scientists who have spent their respective careers studying these things. the one thing any truly smart person will tell you is that they don’t know everything. good luck getting him to say that.
he’s got people on the mexican border with decades of experience vetting asylum seekers, but he passes a zero-tolerance policy, micromanaging from the comfort of his ivory tower in the white house. it completely marginalizes the true experts because this guy thinks he knows everything and doesn’t listen to anybody except the good idea fairy in his twisted imagination.
allies of the west are traditionally empowered to take strong positions on moral grounds because the u.s. has, historically, had their back. with this president in office, he’s polarizing and unpredictable. it has a destabilizing affect on the rest of the world but he’s too inexperienced to see that and too bull-headed to listen to those who know. there is no empathy with this narcissist. the only thing he cares about is himself and if you think he cares about anyone except himself and the people he likes, you’re a misguided soul.
Britain makes up for its forgettable football with the BBC, one of the best media institutions in the world. Sure football hosts Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer were essentially cheerleaders during the world cup, but they sit on the less offensive side of patriotism. Lineker, in particular is superb. And a very entertaining follow on Twitter.
Continuing on the BBC, its political journalists are much better at asking tough/hostile questions than their American counterparts. The US Sunday shows, which are supposed to have the best TV journalists, are essentially exercises in quote farming to drive the national conversation.
So yesterday, watching events in Helsinki, I wondered who was going ask DT a truly tough question. Step forward American journalist Jon lemire of AP. I gasped at the pointed, well-crafted hostile/tough questions that he directed at Trump and Putin. If you’re a journalism student or a journo, that was as good as it gets.
The first question to Trump was whether he believed Putin or his own intelligence chiefs on Russian interference. There was only one answer to that question. That Trump flubbed should worry all Americans, however they vote. Vlad has something far worse than a golden shower tape.
The other question was even better, and caused Trump to totally self-combust…. “would you now with the whole world watching tell President Putin, would you denounce what happened in 2016 and would you warn him to never do it again?” And he followed that by asking Putin if he had compromising info on Trump and his family. Wow. take a bow, Lemire. Yesterday was an extraordinary day for the American presidency, and a good day for American journalism.
Fully agree, Lemire showed what we have been sorely missing – since way before Trump came along – in the form of pointed, grounded questioning of authority figures.
Great write-up Tim, and thanks for providing a World Cup hangout for the last few weeks. For me it’s been overshadowed by personal events but I will remember it as the first World Cup when my kids were old enough to follow what was going on, and I will remember waking up each morning to watch the highlights with them and fill out the wall chart.
Yesterday was just staggering. Not just the Trump / Putin presser which was jaw-dropping but the reaction to it back in the US, with open accusations of treason and comparisons with Chamberlain’s speech in Munich. I have never, even during the cold war, seen or heard Russia declared so clearly to be the enemy. Some kind of line was just crossed.
And meanwhile I am still trying to come to terms with what looks more and more like an open, unabashed cross-border neofascist movement, with links between Putin, Trump, Arron Banks (Brexit), various RW European groups, Cambridge Analytica, Tommy Robinson, Daniel Pipes & co and the NR freaking A… I mean the scale of it is breathtaking, and with Trump in office it’s all there right in the open.
And also meanwhile there’s Mueller, the arrest of Maria Butina, the Skripal investigation… and a political fight between the establishment and the left over who empowered these people and who can stand up to them.
It’s all kicking off lads!
Putin KGB chief?? That’s something I’ve never heard before. He was a major in the KGB and then left to become Deputy Mayor in St Petersburg. In fact, the Russian ‘Intelligence Community’ could get him into office only because they could convince the Western affiliated/controlled powers (the Soviet traitors?) who put the alcoholic Eltsin in charge, that Putin is not a threat to them, but would bring some order to the chaos.
That Putin proved otherwise came as a surprise. It’s not sinister. Putin led Russia back from the brink of disaster and from under the control of the West.
As for calling him dictator. Really man. Why? I’d like a proper explanation for why anyone the US doesn’t like becomes a dictator. Russia hold elections. Are they the same as your elections? No. Neither are India’s, or Switzerland’s, or Britain’s. And do you honestly believe Putin is not popular in Russia?
Is he now controlling Trump? I don’t know. It’s possible. But really, it depends on what the actual proof is. Talk of pee tapes and FB ads don’t do it for me. Nor does talk of business ties make it proof or sinister. US does business with everybody. But yes, that is open to being a possible issue. Would be more convincing than anything else.
When did the US ‘IC’ become heroes again? They lied about Iraq, they’ve lied in the past about Iran, they partake in the drug trade, they lied about torture, they created and train and work with IS (through allies like S.Arabia, and previously Turkey, who also are now led by a ‘dictator’ rather than a President), they ‘meddle’ in democracies the world over.
Having an enemy keeps the war machine well funded, and keeps the IC relevant and able to get more power. They aren’t without an interest here. It’s not about some ‘Deep State’ conspiracy. It’s just how these things work.
As for Trump and all these evils. Please use the focus this is getting to take a look at yourselves as a nation and get better. All this, it’s someone else’s fault, with Russia the boogeyman, is dangerous for the World, and completely unhelpful to the structures within the US. Why is there even an effing private prison industry? Why? It’s so obviously a system that will be abused. Why do the police get to shoot people so easily? I’d be more afraid of travelling to the US than Russia. Why do your minorities get worse treatment even in the justice system? It’s not enough to say Trump is racist, let’s get rid of him. These things go beyond him. Honestly, I wish the best for the people of the US. Trump is the result of your society, you created him, regardless of whomever else you try to put the blame on. Fix the issues and Trump and his like will fade away.
Shard–
Really have, like , one minute right now– to address your perspectives.
Your facts are not too bad. But to address them as if all things US are B&W is quite convenient in long-screed-mode.
jw1
USA may not be the heroes, but Putin is definitely not one either. Despite a stellar world cup, his ratings are down, lower than since he annexed Crimea, and this despite him controlling more or less the entire country and its people like a dictator. Heck, he didn’t even let the major opposition leader contest the previous election. The only reason they vote for him is because there is literally no one else.
Those are some blinkered glasses you’re using, Shard.
Yes, because not saying Putin bad Hurr durr is blinkered.
No one is calling the IC heroes, or saying that theyre right or well intentioned ALL of the time.
They’ve demonstrated that Russia led an electronic break-in of the American presidential elections in 2016,. And they’re saying that Putin directed it, because it was so high levels and sensitive. What’s more, in Mueller’s indictment, he supplied metadata proof. We had earlier been given documentary proof about the chain of correspondence involving Guccifer II, Julian Assange and Donald Trump Junior. There’s a ton of proof out there. If you want to argue on the facts, have at it. If on the other hand you want to lead with your preconceived feelings, ignore the facts, and remind us X was worse, just continue. Been watching this movie for the last 3 years of Arsene’s reign.
On the well-documented and now undisputed Trump Tower meeting between the Trump team and the Russian outreach team trying to exchange Hillary dirt for policy changes, there is now irrefutable proof that the president lied about key details. And we all saw, in Helsinki yesterday he reverted to “but her emails” when brilliantly put on the spot by Lemire yesterday.
So there’s plenty of proof. Putin wanted Trump (a fact that he admitted to yesterday), he worked to make sure he got Trump, and he got Trump. The question is why.
But hey, don’t let current facts and historical whataboutism intrude on dogma 🙂 I don’t have a dog in this fight. I call it as I see it. Americans should be concerned. Very concerned. Trump is under some sort of Putin hold. His behaviour is not normal.
Oh, is it boogeyman? A boogeyman is someone who inspired Michael Jackson, no? A bogeyman, on the other hand… 😉
I’ll be clear. I’ve not been following the Hillary ‘scandal’ or the Trump ‘scandal’. Frankly, I don’t have the time to separate facts from narrative and it’s not an area of interest for me. I’ve seen people claiming (on the basis of actual reports about people dying in mysterious circumstances) that this is connected to Hillary, and I’ve seen people make all sorts of claims about Trump. Whatever.
But I do know that ‘talking to Russia is WRONG!! Wrong I tellz ya’ narrative started well before Trump became President. Linking Trump to them began simply because Trump refused to take an adversarial stance. (Which is why Putin would prefer him. That’s obvious) They sought to portray that as suspicious well before any of these ‘proofs’ or evidence. To me, that makes it suspect. And their track record makes them an unreliable witness.
But let’s say Russia did ‘meddle’. Do you think it invalidates the results of the election? Why? What did Russia do? (This is a serious question btw) What level of meddling, or overreach should constitute the entire election being discounted is a whole other discussion really (I’m thinking specifically of India here) but I’d like to know.
And you know, Americans can be concerned. Do it. Dig deeper. Find out. Impeach Trump. Lovely. To me, it seems very much like the way they go about delegitimizing other govts, the colour revolutions etc. But fine, have at it. That’s their business and they should take care of it.
And I’m not engaging in whataboutism.. Ironically, it’s a bit like the argument on privilege and race we had. The way racist bullies pretend to be victimized whenever someone stands up to them and their actions? That’s basically US’ reaction in international circles.
Haha. Thanks for that. I did always have a doubt about bogey vs boogey..But it didn’t show up as a spelling mistake so I let it through. Good editorial job there 🙂
PS> I did also write a post on why geopolitically, I don’t see Trump playing Russia’s game for them. Maybe Putin has a hold on Trump. It would be an interesting role reversal, or maybe a repetition of history with the breakup of the Soviet Union (Russian empire if you like) and the US empire. But I don’t see the effects of that in the international arena (so far anyway?)
The reason I say what I say is because the response of the US always seems to be ‘we are attacked and we must fight back – for protection, morality, democracy. humanity- and it’s dangerous as well as a piece of carp. (That one was to slip by the proofreading filters 🙂 )
The US has never stopped talking to Russia. So, Trump didn’t invent dialogue with Moscow. Even at the worst points of their relations they continued talking… bilaterally and multilaterally. So don’t give me that.
Trump is linked with Russia not because he “refused to take an adversarial stance”, but because they tried to tilt an election in his favour. Even Fox and Friends this morning admitted that that was the case. When you are occupying ground vacated by Doocey and Kilmeade, you’re in a bad place 🙂
hey you talk about the US as if everyone is on board with a questionable policy all the time. The US may have been bad actors in various places, particularly at the height of the cold war. But it’s possible for that and Putin’s bad actorism to both be true.
Russia (Putin does not own Russia) is a bad actor only domestically. Their position on Ukraine is correct. The US engineered a coup there, and installed a new govt in violation of their constitutional norms (The required quorum wasn’t there) The Russian position in Syria is also correct. To the extent that they actually don’t directly engage with ILLEGAL US, Israel or French strikes (and troops) They only fight the terrorists. This is also sensible. (Remember when ISIS was such a big fear everywhere. Russia stopped them. Disappointingly so for the US and Israel. Odd as that may seem to you)
And on the press coverage, I specifically said this narrative started well before Trump became President. He was still only a candidate. I’m not sure if he was already the Republican candidate. It was in the Guardian. That Trump said he would talk to Putin, and this must count as something terrible because Putin = evil blah blah. And exactly, it’s not that Trump invented this or was an outlandish position. Which is exactly why it caught my eye then.
“Putin = evil blah blah”
Yeah, Putin’s not that bad he only murders his direct political rivals both on his soil and away.
And in this very summit where he had his hand up Trump’s ass, he dismissed the civilian killings in Syria saying that essentially “you gotta break a few eggs”.
Your whataboutery is tiresome. The US is a bad actor. Yes, let’s deal with that on its own terms. We are still a democracy here in the USA and we should be voting these criminals out of office.
Russia is a bad actor and a dictatorship which is actively killing civilians in Crimea and Syria, often using WMDs. I don’t know who you are or where you’re from but something got fucked up in your world view if you can make excuses for Putin.
Well done Shard , or should I say Cozy Bear, perhaps?
Really quickly because I’m short on time.
Trump isn’t carrying out Putin’s agenda because of the Iran deal and trade wars?
What you forget is that Trump has to serve three masters.
Domestically, it’s the billionaire donors whom he has obliged with the tax cuts.
And his base he has to satisfy with the tariffs and immigration policies.
But internationally, it’s mostly what Putin only could’ve dreamed any US President might do.
Sure there might be undesirable collateral effects to his every action like some of his base suffering from trade tariffs, or Russian companies taking a small financial hit by having to cut their ties with Iran due to their international exposure and possible sanction,
but on the whole, Putin will take those small hiccups as trade off in Trump weakening NATO and the US /European ties. I mean FFS he called European allies foes.
All this strengthens Putin’s position abroad and especially at home , something you seem to be so excited about so often.
Why wouldn’t the Russian population approve of their democratically ( cough, cough) elected leader who’s seemingly in total control of the supposedly most powerful man in the world?
As for your perceived fears of traveling to the US as opposed to Russia.
Weird, has there been some incidents involving Indian tourist I’m not aware of?
Please do tell.
You may want to alert the millions of Indian immigrants in the US and thousands coming every year to the dangers they might be in, although they do constitute the highest educated segment of immigrants from anywhere so I suppose they probably know what they are getting into.
Am I the only one on here finding it weird that you constantly $hit on this country yet have never anything negative to say about Russia?
I mean my list of things that ail this country is probably longer than yours but I can also look at Russia and Putin in a cold light of day , somethings you seem incapable of.
“Putin’s made Russia into global superpower again”
That’s you from a thread or two ago.
FFS, Russia’s GDP is less than that of Italy’s , a country with half the population and some 60 times smaller land mass.
Russia is a gas station masquerading for a successful economy.
Take away their nukes and their military presence and than see what’s left of their supper powers.
That’s actually a good point about multiple masters. (I mean it) Something that applies to everyone actually. Even all these evil dictators. Some of them serve the US so aren’t evil though.
In terms of international relations we all guess a bit. You think it’s in Europe’s interests to have NATO there? Sure, I see the logic of that. But honestly, there’s also another point of view that that invites trouble with Russia, who otherwise, would mutually benefit each others’ economies.
I never said Russia is an economic superpower. That’s you trying to change the meaning of what I said again. But they are actually only on their way to becoming a superpower. The only real superpower is STILL the US.
Which is why I ‘Sh!t on target’ on them. And I am more familiar with the US. I like the US more. And I see the hypocrisy more clearly. Also, the danger to the world is currently, as it has been the past few years, is from the US. Russia and China’s (the latter is an economic superpower) joint rise is good for the world only because it balances the absolute power of the US. Not because they are awesome and so good. But the US is a dangerous enemy and a dangerous ally too. So far, Russia has proven to be a reliable ally. Which, combined with their military ‘victory’ in Syria, and their improving economy (and partnership with China) makes them a viable counter to American hegemony in seemingly a growing number of nations. The US’ sphere is gradually declining. No one wants this to be too sudden or violent. Except, the ones that want to not accept the end/reducing of empire.
It’s not what I think about NATO but rather what Putin thinks about it and what Trump is doing to it.
If you can’t admit that by undermining it Trump is doing Putin’s work for him then we might as well stop talking about fact based policy and go back to contemplating whether or not we feel Arsene Wenger has another Arsenal PL title in him.
Oh and my fear of going to the US is small, but is there, and it has nothing to do with me being Indian. Any country where the police shoot first (and shoot to kill) and ask questions later, is a bit scary, no?
But I think it’s mostly to do with the number of guns around. It wouldn’t dissuade me from going, but I can’t say I feel completely safe when I think about it. (I had no such fears travelling across Europe . Even Eastern Europe)
I was going to move onto the football, but.. If Trump really is controlled by Russia, the Iran deal would not have been cancelled and China would not have trade wars. (Plus there are still sanctions on Russia and the US has been recently threatening its ‘allies’ including India to not buy defense equipment from them)
The way I see it, the US only works for its self interest. You know why the world order is breaking up under Trump? Because they are going to lose control to China under the current system.
The reach out to Russia is from those that would try to drive a wedge between Russia and China. Those two are not historical allies, but have been brought together by events now. A combined Russia and China is a complete threat to US domination.
Hurting Europe is not to favour Russia, but to prevent Europe from siding with Russia (and by extension China – something even Germany is not too keen on at this point)
You think the US under Trump is carrying out Russia’s geopolitical game. It’s not, except to the extent that it is no longer doubling down on previous policies which is becoming increasingly clear are bound to eventually fail (or lead to a war that the US cannot win, and really will have no winners)
I learned a new word today..Scrying. Thanks Tim.
I loved this World Cup. It was surprisingly surprising. Germany, Spain (who did shoot themselves in the foot, aided and abetted by Real Madrid), even Argentina though that wasn’t entirely unexpected. Neymar turned Brazil into a figure of fun, rather than a fun team. Must have hurt his reputation a lot. Maybe he will push for a move to Real Madrid now that Mbappe stole the show.
In the final, Pogba’s cross field pass to Mbappe in the build up to his (Pogba’s) goal was a standout moment of quality. He’s so much better in a France shirt than he has been in ManU colours. I didn’t know he and Kante were Muslim (it doesn’t really matter) But I think you’re right about immigrants enriching the culture. I saw a video a few weeks ago of Pogba answering a reporter in the reporter’s native language (Spanish) even when asked in English. I don’t really like Pogba but it made me appreciate his intelligence. And though I didn’t think of it then, his enhanced culture. He’s French, African, has lived in Italy and England, and speaks Spanish. He’s a citizen of the world, while being a credit to (and World Cup winner for) France.
Also happy for Giroud to win the World Cup. That’s what his transfer away from Arsenal was about. Glad he got to achieve it.
Onto the real football now. We’ll have a lot of club friendlies coming up in the next few weeks and it will be interesting to watch. The PL is flush with new (and really good) coaches. Italy has its new icon and Monchi’s Roma. Real are retooling it seems (pun intended) and Bayern and Dortmund have new coaches. Excited about the new season.
If there is a problem in your house do you resolve it or run to your neighbors house.
If not then you shouldnt cry so much about the immigration issue. War torn countries, developing countries and under developed countries need to check within themselves and have to find a solution for the problem.
Remember immigration is not solution to the problems going around in Syria. If no one act on the real problem soon it might extend to nearby countries. Thus this chapter of immigration will keep on running forever.
Well, if your neighbour is the one who sets fire to your house…
Then you go to beat your neighbor, not to stay at your neighbors place.
Really? That’s the terrorists’ logic. Most others, recognise that fighting over something with neighbours is harmful for all. They would prefer to live in harmony under one roof rather than destroy the neighbourhood, and lose more than already lost, over who gets to live there.
It presumes your neighbours are civilised people though, who share human empathy and good sense, even if the head of the family doesn’t. If that isn’t the case, then you are correct.
Immigration is not a ‘solution’ to the larger issue of their homes being set on fire. In that you are correct. It is a solution to people starving, dying on the streets though. You may think it’s better to turn a blind eye to that. Let them deal with their own problems you say. Except the reason for ‘charity’ isn’t really selflessness. It’s awareness that helping others helps your own society and safety.
AC Milan very strongly putting out the message that Gazidis is favourite to come to them.
Would be very surprised if this happens. Not only did Gazidis just take over and enjoys putting his mug everywhere, AC Milan are in a bit of a tough spot. FFP has bitten, and they are even worse off in a weaker league than Arsenal are in the PL.
If Gazidis is entertaining this, he’ll be running away from responsibility.
It could only be for enrichment.
He has everything (in London) he’s been asking for– for a decade.
Literally, how foolish– or masochistic would he need to be to entertain this.
jw1
Great post and comments. A reminder of why this World Cup was a bit of tonic to aid in the digestion of so much other…unpleasantness.
I sense a palpable sense of angst to which I say, relax Tim. Some of my best friends are white people. Just not the Donald J Trump kind. Your kind. So continue to be kind and write well.
Really looking forward to the coming season. 8-0 to start against the mighty Boreham Wood! Sure the beginning of great things, no?
All right Tim. I’ll shut up.
Shard– finally found a few minutes.
Seems this thread’s been quite the frying pan-into-the fire –while I was away.
Regardless. I had something in mind earlier this morning. Not as granular as what I’ve read upthread, nor nearly as contemporary. Though I don’t wish to appear to be piling on here.
Has to do with your
Where I’m personally juxtaposed to your perspective– are the myriad stigmas you look to hang about the shoulders of all of us living in the US? Criminality, culpability, dereliction, dishonor, disgrace, indiscretion, infamy, iniquity, racism. I want to place them to the side. Un-tilt the discussion– for just a minute as it were.
Where I take issue? Is the hand-waving-away of our politics with:
‘Fix the issues and Trump and his like will fade away.’
Shirley, you jest. The 45+ years I’ve spent– politically active as a liberal-to-progressive, socially conscious individual– fairly well qualifies me to smirk and SMDH.
Our brightest, charismatic leaders were:
Assassinated in the ’60s.
Non-existent in the ’80s
Impeached in the ’90s.
Delegitimized in ’00s.
There was a bloodless coup in stealing the 2000 presidency.
Now another stolen presidency in 2016.
With, I might add, direct interference by the country conservatives once held as our hated enemy for almost 75 years. (Even Trump’s Intel Chief has acknowledged this as fact.)
So pardon me.
If I don’t ascribe to the browbeating you find repetitively convenient.
Myself and many like-minded have spent their lives working to ‘fix the issues’.
Almost impossible to enact meaningful change playing by the rules– when the opponent has no compunction in breaking them.
When you rattle off your laundry-list of events and injustices you feel all US citizens should be personally ashamed of?
You aren’t talking to me. I don’t have ownership.
Might think about retiring that rant.
jw1
PS– Did want to dispel your fears of visiting my hometown of Houston TX.
Only seven (7) police-related shootings total in 2017– in a city of over 4.5M.
And though living in Texas for decades? I don’t own a gun, cattle, a cowboy hat, or an oil well. 😉
Shard, I have reservations about mixing politics into a football Blog, and you are showing why I hold that view.
Everyone who attended university knows that a debate on any subject needs to be matched with strong arguments that have reliable proof or at least cogent premises.
An argument to make a point (political or otherwise) must be good enough and with believable as well as strong evidence to back up the conclusion arrived at by the party making it
On the distaff, an argument that is not cogent because it relies on ‘facts’ that are not true, or are speciously used, and has premises that are disputed is inherently false.
All arguments worth their salt must be balanced and allow the other party to advance their disagreement without causing unnecessary umbrage by dismissing it as puerile, and frankly politics, for example, is inevitably based on the personal agenda of both parties, based on their own experiences usually and this cannot avoid being entirely subjective.
In your case, Shard, you admit, in one comment, that you do not know the ins and outs of American domestic politics, and say it is not of interest to you, but you provocatively have a great deal to say about it, and somehow extend that to overseas politics with no redeeming balance. Hmmm — that is neither an argument nor an invitation to debate.
The phrase “You see the mote in your brother’s eye, and yet you do not notice the log in your own” seems appropriate. Just saying.
Stick to football on a football Blog would be my advice to you.
Wenger has recently admitted that he stayed for too long as Arsenal coach. a prisoner of his own drive to achieve perfection (OK, my interpretation of what he said) and I suspect if he could have his time over again he would take a different course of action.
It is possible that Gazidis took note of that, and altho this AC Milan rumour may be nothing, perhaps he could be right that making a move would be the best thing for his career —- and may well be part of the new broom that has swept thru Arsenal recently, and which has changed so much — to the benefit of the club as well as for him personally.
If he chooses to go, I would wish him well — people must be allowed to choose where and for whom they work — it’s called freedom! 🤔
**’Has to do with your… ‘
Please strike.
Not sure what got pasted from where.
jw1
Considering his past actions/inaction, would people be happy to see Gazidas go, or do people think he’s someone we should be fighting to keep at the club?
I’d be super happy to see the back of this weirdo.
Was America a Christian country in the days of Abraham Lincoln ? Why would countries like Kuwait and Qatar impose their religion on immigrants and get mad when other countries try to do same? If there are Islamic countries, why can’t we have Christian countries (not Vatican city)? Is trump trying to build ties with Putin or trying to pretend about it when they already had their plans together even before he became president?
Please I need some education!