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I'm not a defense expert, so I will comment from the perspective of an interested bystander. Thanks for tagging me, interesting article. While this piece is an impressive survey of the Western perception of the PLA, it doesn't take a consistent view of the PLA's actual state of readiness...

The article actually did a good job presenting its case for why deflation is happening, but I will summarize it here: -The Wholesale Price Index has been falling, meaning the price that producers receive when selling their products to wholesalers has been declining -Consumers see prices fall...

Tell me, how did China end up manufacturing these items in the first place? Agreed, the working conditions in Indonesia and Vietnam are likely to be just as bad as those in China. The difference, as I pointed out, is the scale. And as you have already observed, China is no longer the...

I haven't really read the thread far back enough to understand what this argument is all about, but taking your post at face value: 1) Can the US survive without China? Yes. Our MNCs will simply relocate their manufacturing operations to other low-cost countries, or bring manufacturing back...

This is a problem that has frustrated me since I started traveling to Japan in the 1990s. It's a mistake to think that Japan has always been this rigid, or that it will always be this rigid. This work culture is relatively new, as Japan displayed far more dynamism and openness to new...

Fair point, that was careless of me to be imprecise. What I should have said is that a 12% revision in absolute size given the length of time covered, and the change in growth rates shown, doesn't match up. But as I said, I am less concerned (as are most observers) with what these calculations...

GDP calculation methodologies change frequently, so I am not necessarily concerned that India revised its figures. However, the confusion (suspicion) comes from the fact that the new, higher growth rates are not supported by other metrics (e.g. industrial production measures), and the fact that...

Hey Ravi, it feels like it's been a while. If I could give away my positive ratings, I would--I probably don't deserve them. Substance is much more important than style, and lack of positive ratings or titles doesn't dissuade me from avidly following certain users' posts; some of my favorite...

Country? I am a New England man, born and bred.

Yes, it's mine. I decided to move the vast majority of my posting there, because it's just not a good fit for PDF, as demonstrated by the fact that "my" threads here (e.g. the Emerging Markets thread, the European Project thread, the Chinese anti-corruption thread, etc.) ground to a total halt...

She was young and stupid, and paid the ultimate price for her bad decisions. I don't "celebrate" her death, but that will not stop propagandists like RFS_BR from digging in the bottom of the barrel to prove his twisted view of the world. Consider that her death is being used by leftists to...

Good catch, @Thəorətic Muslim. Indeed, why go through the pain and suffering of a full-blown share tender when you can engage in greenmail? In Alwaleed's case, it seems to be simple influence-buying, although I would have to look into when and how Alaweed acquired his stake to know for sure...

Unfortunately, the reasoning is mere sophistry to cover for a classical left-vs-right view of the world. "My grievance is greater than your grievance" (left) vs. "remember who we are, and why we are here" (right). In the American context, this revolves around the liberty/equality axis, and it...

Yes, the parallels are obvious: groups that represent a minority of the population resorting to violence and terrorism, funded by kidnappings, the drug trade, and theft, seeking to impose their extremist ideology in place of an existing mainstream government. You're right, I regret coming out...

Yes, if I had been participating in the debate, that's exactly the line I would have taken. Medellin, FARC, the Taliban, perhaps even Kurdistan (de facto)--there are many precedents for ISIS, so it's fairly straightforward to argue that ISIS has fulfilled the prerequisites for the establishment...

Sorry for the off-topic post, but I can't post in the Senior section. @Horus @jhungary @Peter C @scorpionx @AgNoStiC MuSliM @Nihonjin1051 @AUSTERLITZ @Oscar Regarding the following thread: PDF Debate : Can ISIS establish a state in Iraq & Syria? I thought this article would be a helpful...

Fascinating thread, and I'm sure to read it when I have time. Unfortunately, I'm in the middle of the annual book-keeping/audit/tax rush for my businesses and personal returns, so my ability to contribute will be severely restricted for the time being. Thanks for bringing this thread to my...

I find this ultra-detailed description of the Nazi war machine to be fascinating, and was hoping you would similarly describe the Allied side for comparison (i.e. why these weapons, combined with German tactics and doctrine, played a decisive role vs. the inferior weapons/doctrine of the...

@Nihonjin1051 It has always puzzled me why America's allies (other than Japan and SK, for obvious reasons) have not made more efforts to cooperate with each other independent of the US, and instead always seem to cooperate through the US. Japan-Israel, Canada-Australia, Germany-Japan...

I agree that there is great potential in this model, but no country has ever developed to advanced status using this model. If India can accomplish it, great, but I must remain skeptical until it happens. Everyone else used the manufacturing model. Can you please show me your numbers? I...