The Omaha Bugle Offers Its First Annual Predictions About Various International Issues

Never reluctant to let actual facts or expert opinions get in the way of their own views of the world, Adam and Jeff offer their predictions for the next year about a variety of international issues.  Even though neither Adam nor Jeff have ever been to Ukraine  nor eaten in a Ukrainian restaurant,  they both believe that the war against Russia will continue to be a stalemate with comparatively few changes in the battlefield lines.  Russia currently occupies the eastern band of Ukraine as a "buffer" against "Ukrainian attacks" even though Russia boasts three times the the population of Ukraine and has a land mass that is 28 times larger than that of Ukraine.  Jeff believes that Putin's fate is tied to his success in Ukraine and that Putin is obsessed with rebuilding the old Soviet Union--which can only be a good thing given the joy that the original blood-soaked version of the Soviet Union brought to the world.  He thinks that  Putin might seek to divert domestic attention by attacking a less formidable adversary such as Kazakstan or even Minneapolis.  But attempts to conquer new territories typically drain a country's coffers so it can be too expensive to take over and control other countries--which is basically what caused the original Soviet Union to fail.   As far as China and Taiwan are concerned, Adam and Jeff believe that the next year will see more provocations by China but probably no real attempt to invade the island nation because China is not very sure about its ability to project naval power.  Jeff does commend China for managing to alienate every country with which it shares a border--which shows a degree of consistency that is not often found in the modern world.  China may also find itself increasingly constrained by a rising India which could displace China as the leading economic power in Asia in the next generation.