I can't speak for others - but I personally have a chronically problem with everyone :p

Both America and Russia have massive problems with inequalities (including India and somewhat China)... In these countries we have like the "wild west". We now see bigger problems in the collective when education, health and the economy are declining.

And some European countries are too laze to stake out their own road, and blindly follows the big ones.

None of which rank even close to interference in local elections, and all of which are perfectly suitable activities for people in their position anyways (except perhaps Poland's but, then again, it's Poland; chances are half the EU couldn't mark it on a map anyways).

For a closer analogue you'd have to look at Latin America and see Chávez and Maduro's influence over the various far-left parties in the area, which *are* resented by the local populace, or Castro's own influence over Venezuela, which gets vitrol practically every day from anyone who's not a hardcore chavista. Meanwhile, Evo's push for sanctions against Chile seldom elicits more than laughter, while Uribe's and now Macri's push for sanctions against Venezuela is actually *thanked* by the population, seeing it as a small contribution towards removing Maduro.

And then you have the extreme of Hong Kong's 2014 protests against China, though that did go a fair bit beyond even what Putin has done, but shows it's a touchy subject for people all over the world.

This. For better or worse - he had a system of order. No matter what we have to say about him, Russia, America (Bush family f. ex.), and China had their own groups that managed to destabilize the whole region for years after WW2, supplying them with weapons and what not. ( Iran, Irak, Afghanistan...)

After 2003 the whole region got destabilized again.

Bush junior actually removed a man his father had reinstated to power. They couldn't control Saddam any longer so they went for him first, and then to Afghanistan. The opium and weapon sale went through the roof after the 2003!

He hasn't assumed office yet. Has to wait for Obama's term to be up you know?

Yet the ecnomy and value of dollar is shooting through the roof while companies are leaving other countries and those countries are experiencing ecnomic crash.

India? China? anyone?

Wonder why all these companies are fleeing back to United States? Could it be something with taxes?

So I have no idea what's going on in here but since the thoughts are there I'll just put this up for discussion.

How does everyone feel about the Trump-Taiwan phone call?

How does everyone feel about Trump planning on pulling out from the TPP? According to the media (teehee), if this were to happen then the US would lose out economically. China will become the new leader, and is 'hoping' Trump will pull out of the TPP.

Hmmm what else... What about Trump's decision to withdraw foreign aid? I think that's really a dumb decision considering the US can't replicate Pine Gap.

Anyway, that's all. I won't be discussing with anyone here, as I'm just putting down the bait for conversation.

China is under communism. Communism equals to fascism, is something akin to a dictatorship and it can for no reason, attack anything that they decide it can "threaten" their absolute grasp on the power grid.

Taiwan has many nationalists, or if you prefer, people who beg to differ from totalitarian communism and that party's central power, iron-fist practice. How strange... Last time i checked my history, communism actively HUNTED and savagely PERSECUTED different opinion politics and people who expressed them! Today, of course, that we are more civilized, the pressure is less physical and more... DIPLOMATIC!

China says it "needs one complete unified China" and "Taiwan clearly belonging completely to china". Remember good old Tibet as well, son? Know that Dalai Lama is persona non grata for china? Know that China needs to rule on Taiwan and Tibet areas and hate with passion any place becoming self-sustained or even slightly independent?

Trump is a nationalist. The president of Taiwan is also a nationalist. There wasn't any good reason that they wouldn't, couldn't or shouldn't, communicate, correct? Or maybe, "democracy" now decides and DICTATES, who calls whom, when exactly and what they can or should talk about; or ever worse, what not? Besides, they weren't plotting something of sorts, they weren't "conspiring" against China's political agenda, they weren't jeopardizing china's interests, so WTF just happened...

Technically, Trump isn't the president just yet. Until the time comes to swear his oath, he ISN'T technically in power, he has no authority yet internationally and everyone claiming he (can) cause a diplomatic issue, is either lying, or propagating, which sadly, is what China currently does.

Trump's phone call was okay. Unfortunately, i can't claim the same, about the marbles of communists... Either reds are getting more and more insane by the day, or they resort to angry and powerful press displays because they feel (or probably even are, in select few extremely rare cases) threatened, just like old fella Kim or something!

For the record, Trump actively seeks to restore good relationships with Russia, went against Hilary's warmongering stunts against China in public speeches and even proposed a meeting for Kim! Strangely, though, press always sweeps under the rag any good intentions the guy has, or even better, actively pursues. ANYTHING, to prove that Trump is the devil himself and that pigs can fly!

The TPP is suspect because rather than these countries diplomatically engaging with eachother and having separate trade agreements and trade policies with each, a country signs this treaty and trades with all of them by legal obligation. This treaty has one size-fits all regulations that make internal tweaking of things like tariffs nigh impossible when it comes to trade with other signatory countries. To add to that it is very all-encompassing, and will bind signatory countries to its terms for hundreds of different commodities. If it was for some commodities, like trade of electronics or manufacturing parts or cars, it wouldn't be as serious. But since it binds countries on so many commodities, it may prevent adjustment measures for the change in value or demand of those commodities difficult.

TL;DR, it is too damn centralized. It wants to control trade of a wide range commodities with a fixed rate for all countries involved (and all the countries can vary greatly in terms of economic strength). In addition it can bind countries to follow unfavorable trade terms if the any of the commodities included in it experiences a huge change in value or supply or demand. So I'm still against it.

Foreign aid will really depend on what country it is, how much aid it receives and how efficiently it is utilized.

Will al-Assad and Russia allow an international investigation on the site about this? Or will they claim it can't be done because it wouldn't be fully independent? (see the dismissal of MH17 investigations, pretty much claiming that e.g. the Dutch investigators are lying). I presume Putin would accept investigations only if it was Russia and/or al-Assad alone doing the investigation.

Reading more recent news, now Russia is apparently not claiming anymore that there hasn't been chemical weapons involved, but that they were in the hands of the rebels, and they happened to explode during the bombings by Syria. So the story changes. Ok then, where did the rebels get them? From USA? Or they made them themselves out of thin air?

I see Russia as kind of a "forced democracy", maybe similar to current Turkey. Meaning, being part of the opposition is made harder, the media is mostly under the strict control of the current rulers (so that it is harder for the opposition to be heard by the public), the courts are anything but independent etc.

Also it is interesting how easily the opposition leaders seem to get shot in "love triangles", or suddenly get quite unexplained serious health problems where their system unexpectedly collapses etc... Being an opposition leader or a strong critic of Putin seems to be quite risky to your health in Russia (and sometimes even abroad), or the very least you can get yourself to court for fabricated charges.

Anyway, most countries get the leaders they deserve, so it is up to Russians themselves to either get their shit together, or live in the withering Putinlandia. Heck, sometimes you don't even need true democracy to do (economically) well, see China, or even Saudi-Arabia.

Dream on. Your revolution will have to wait... Forever! Comrade. Also, you seem to either forget, not know at all, or lost count somehow, of Russians assassinated by Turks and in other countries' grounds. Especially those ambassadors, son. Your partiality stinks from miles and miles away!

Also, everyone forgets that this might be a staged act. Democrats were after Trump and his supporters for being friendly to Russians before, or having contacts before getting a seat of power in the political scene; accusing him and even threatening to bring the lot before court, even! By giving to the bloodthirsty democrat butchers and human-right-fascists, exactly that which Killary was hellbent on unleashing, Trump plays EVERYONE for a fool and going for the laughs, while everyone is fantasizing of him being an idiot or something (which is false by far)! Look, even his popularity has skyrocketed, overnight!

Leftist minds... Ah, the wasted potential.