myrmidex

Nuclear or batteries come with their own kind of logistical problems.

Edit: It might sound that I’m being a contrarian, but I’m with you. Europe has dug itself in a deep hole, and I’m not sure how it will manage its way out without depending on dictatorships.

So American LNG imports? Doesn’t sound too attractive an option nowadays, although a great bargaining chip in the tariff deals.

Well put! :)

There might indeed be ways around the filter, e.g. a stable, non-exploitative society but they would never reach space. The filter might indeed not even exist, space could indeed still be young but I’m not very convinced. If space were young, and if it were to expand as it currently does, civilizations would have fewer opportunities as there would be fewer visible stars to explore. As time grows, chances get smaller still.

Let’s say humans do cling on. I believe they will face challenges that are too steep to make long-term survival probable. Not only the heavily pollution and the unlivable climate, but the depletion of basic minerals will probably prove too great an obstacle. That band of humans must have held on and maintained all current technology, and have sufficient power sources, to be able to do some deep underground mining, as all easy-to-reach minerals have already gone. Without technology or those minerals, I’m not sure how we’ll be growing food or cleaning the air to breathe.

Increasing the reach of their power by risking internal cohesion. Brexiteers railing against Poles did not wake up the EU, apparently.

I believe we’re seeing a universal law in action: any technologically advanced civilization will end up destroying itself. Whether it’s the warming due to extracted fossil fuels, or a nuclear war, or AI, …, there is, and must be, a seed of destruction in every advanced civilization. I purposefully say ‘must be’ because of the Fermi paradox, which should indicate to us all how any sci-fi future is forever beyond our grasp.

I haven’t heard of Greenwald since the Snowden files. What happened to him?

Even the Made In America stickers come from China lol

Ah yes, that left-wing government with a banker president. I guess everything is regarded as left by Trump.

Next to diplomacy, punching power can very well come in an economic form, e.g. still multiple tens of billions of euros flow to Russia to purchase fossil fuels.

The parties I talk about are not a fan of NATO, let that be clear. NATO has multiple authoritarian regimes under its wings, not only Trump but also Erdogan and Orban. Meloni’s Italy is not too far off either, so I suppose that makes it hard for leftist parties to get behind it.

Leftist parties in my small country in Western Europe are mainly advocating for more diplomacy.

They’re generally on board with the idea that NATO expanded too much eastwards, undoing a promise made after the fall of the USSR. So they seem to view Russian attacks on Georgia, Crimea and now the rest of Ukraine as a logical consequence. With enough diplomatic maneuvering, they believe the situation can be resolved in a peaceful manner.

They’re spewing enough words. It’s action which Europe needs.