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Step 1: use soft power to deteriorate diplomatic relationship of two neighboring countries.
Step 2: tell country A to join your military coalition against country B. War ensues.
Step 3: send investment in the form of weapons.
Step 4: get returns on investment as full control over the country.
I guess it's only slightly more mask-off than imposing austerity policies as a condition for IMF loans 
To those in the know. Most people probably have no idea what the IMF actually does.
it's like a HOI4 exploit strategy, like shadow puppeting...
the way he says it—rare earths—I know he means rare earth metals but it sounds like he’s doing gacha for planets
“sir, this Earth, it’s a Limited Preorder Seasonal Event Alter. XSSR 5* Misprint Polychrome Australium. top of the line. from the oldest vault.”
“What is this, a gilded turd? I wanted the one with the big mountains. the biggest mountains. nobody’s seen mountains bigger. come back when you have mountains. and trees. big trees.”
He's pining for the fjords
He's like me when I'm doing a full house build in Balatro
God this sucks for Ukraine. I've had this thought for a while but the absolute best case scenario at this point is that as much as possible gets annexed and Russia just straight up refuses to acknowledge the debts the old government racked up right?
American corporations just fully own them at this point it seems like.
Probably
The other alternative is somehow retaining independence, but with everything owned by western venture capital/investment firms
most indebted and fucked over nation ever speedrun any%
“Strip mine your country for us, otherwise we let the ruskies do it!”
If you're just going to give your country away, why fight against Russia? Because the USA was a higher bidder?
Zelensky is probably most worried about what happens to Zelensky if the Russians win right now. I doubt patriotism or love for his fellow Ukrainians is super high on his list of motivations.
Dude is completely cooked, best case for him is he goes to exile in the US. Russians are going to merc him as soon as they get the chance and the goodwill from the Ukrainian people will fade soon enough.
Just do what every failed dictator did around WWII, form a "government in exile" in London.
That trade war with China is forcing them to call in debts in it’s barely begun
I don't really see how this is different in any way to the savage privatization program that has already been at full force since shortly after the beginning of the SMO. privatization.gov.ua and all that.
It's not, it's just easier for libs to notice
Can't decide if this is better or worse
Edit: I have decided this is worse
This was going to be the result whether or not Trump screamed it from the rooftops for his own political vanity.
I believe naked imperialism will be easier to fight than the competent imperialism that previously hid itself.
I've been thinking about this lately.
Trump being so open about imperialism will make it easier to convince people that the US war machine is about profits, but it also makes it easier to convince them that imperialism is necessary to maintain their economic privilege. It's easier for people to be against something bad when they don't think they're getting any benefit from it.
I don't think those minerals will benefit anyone but the ruling class, but your average American could be easily convinced they will.
Yea, although there are still people who think this is just unique to Trump and the democrats/Biden were the good guys using diplomacy rather than force and blackmail
I've thought about this explicitness being easier to identify too.
However, you make a good point that libs will just act like it's a specifically Trumpian evil. I also remember that no one pays attention to anything and if they do hear about something then they just generally dismiss it in some form or another, so I don't know if previously unaware people will be any differently disposed at all.
This was already the reality on paper, the only difference is Trump is saying it out loud.
Blackrock and other US corporate giants basically own Ukraine at this point. Zelensky himself has talked about how Ukraine "takes credit" and the Banderite state literally runs its own official site to auction off state assets to western vultures.
That said, this is as good as it gets (IMO). The leader of the ""free world"" is going mask-off as a naked imperialist, but the mineral wealth lies safely in the hands of Russia and the global majority (as it is concentrated in eastern former Ukraine) and therefore will not enrich the west.
dialectics?
It would be funny if this is what made Zelenskyy finally get couped- openly talking about selling off the country piecemeal, talking about what they have to give away when previously this was all for democracy and whatever
Reality TV Actor/Steak Salesman vs A Comedy Actor in a grift off. Truly the Epic Rap Battles of History timeline
Intercontinental shakedown
Have fun refining them without China in the loop lmao
So how are the EU libs spinning this shining example of Ukraine's sovereignty?
Orange capitalism bad, previous blue capitalism good
So then it is in everyone favor is the good 'ol azov boys just surrender then isn't it? Only that isn't gonna happen.
Oh now we care about this shit? FOH