Geopolitical Analysis: A Bird's-Eye View of the Global Situation

At any rate, the analyst makes an interesting point. A key MAGA policy is putting an end to the Obama legacy wars. So MAGA aligns with one key aim of the BRICS+ - peace in favour of development.


And this is entirely understood by the European arm of the WEF gang in the E.U., see the immediate reaction after Trump election win.



How much the Trump win is an obstacle to projected plan for the near future? If they were in a desperate mode before to attain full control of the planet prior to the wave, they must be panicking I think and they may know that 4 more years with Trump as president will greatly minimise their chance of achieving this goal. So is the article above showing the first sign of this panic in European elite who realise that maybe the American GI won’t be coming to save their hide if they start their plan to bring total chaos in Europe. Remember what the C’s told us many years ago that eventually, everyone will speak English in the E.U.
I’m very happy for Trump is win but have serious doubt that they will let him live to the inauguration. STS do not accept defeat easily and may have realised the perilous situation that Trump win brought to their plan. Was it why the C’s told us last session that we have certifiable, insane persons in position of power? They probably knew that Trump would win and saw these insane persons reaction and what they are ready to do to hold on to power and it show as well, how important the US under a democrat government is for achieving the globalist goal of global control. Time will tell and in this case, we won’t have long to wait, just a couple of months.
If it was important to pray for Trump is safety before the election, it is as important if not more than before now, I think.
 
In opposition to the other Russian analyst I cited (didn't catch his name) Dmitry Trenin thinks that Pentagon plans will remain basically unchanged under Trump. Both Trump and JD Vance has made statements suggesting that Team America World Police will be put to rest. But for Trenin, No MAGA/BRICS+ alignment, in economic or in military terms.

What’s more, Trump’s victory is a major blow to the left-liberal agenda of the globalist forces of the political West as a whole. Right-wing nationalist forces in Europe – whether in government (Hungary) or opposition (France, Germany) – have gained a powerful ally. This is certainly not the end of liberal globalism, but at least a temporary forced rollback. As for the notorious deep state, having failed to prevent Trump’s election victory, it will now have to try strangle him in its embrace. The US is entering a period of political uncertainty, but at the same time the undeniable nature of Trump’s triumph dramatically reduces the likelihood of street riots and mass violence.

It’s also a fact that the transfer of the White House and at least one chamber of Congress (the Senate) to Republican control will mean a hardening of Washington’s foreign policy towards US allies. The trend of shifting the burden of military and financial expenditures in support of ‘free world interests’ from the US to its associates dates back to Trump’s first four-year term and has not been interrupted under Joe Biden. Despite Atlanticist fears, NATO is unlikely to be abolished, but the bloc will cost Western Europeans significantly more. Asian allies will also be asked to invest more in the confrontation with China, which also began under Trump-45 and will intensify under 47. In the Middle East, on the other hand, the US will be more active and open in its support for Israel, no longer cloaking this support with selective criticism.

The countries that the US sees as a source of threat to its position as the global hegemon will be subject to pressure from the Trump administration. This applies first and foremost to China and Iran. Beijing will face increased opposition from Washington to China’s economic and especially technological development, as well as to the strengthening of the American system of military and political alliances. Washington will more actively force its European allies – against their interests and wishes – to join the campaign of economic pressure on China. Iran will also come under increased hostility, both directly and through increased support for Israel.

Trump is known for his statements about the threat of World War III and his willingness to end the war in Ukraine ‘in 24 hours’. Recognizing the danger of the current indirect conflict between the West and Russia escalating into a direct clash is a positive element of Trump’s campaign rhetoric. The Biden-Harris administration’s policy of escalating the fighting led to the threat of nuclear war. As for the willingness to end the war, it should be understood, firstly, that it will not be possible to do so ‘in 24 hours’ and, secondly, that ‘ending the war’ does not mean ‘stopping the fighting’ but solving the problems that led to it.

Talking about a cessation of hostilities along the existing line of contact is unlikely to be taken seriously in Moscow. Such a scenario would be nothing more than a pause, after which the conflict would flare up with renewed vigour and probably greater intensity. The nature of the future Ukrainian regime, its military and military-economic potential, and Kiev’s military-political status are of paramount importance to Russia. In addition, new territorial realities have to be taken into account.

It will be difficult to expect the new Trump administration to agree to substantive dialogue on these issues, let alone to take Moscow’s core interests into account. If it is willing, the dialogue will begin, but even then agreement is far from guaranteed. A separate issue is what can be regarded as satisfactory guarantees in conditions where both sides do not trust each other at all. The two Minsk Agreements (in 2014 and 2015) have been violated, and the third attempt – initialed in Istanbul in 2022 – was thwarted, so a fourth is unlikely.

The only guarantee Russia can rely on is a guarantee to itself. The good news for now is that Trump says he wants to cut military aid to Ukraine. Despite the likely partial offsetting of this with extra Western European support for Kiev, if it happens, it will bring peace closer.
 
Keeping up with the Trump overload, time for another great, even if speculative at this point, bird's eye possibilities overview.

Skipping the domestic part, it can be read in the original article. After the US, it covers Europe, Russia and China. South America, Africa and a big part of Asia are unfortunately not covered, although Niemi analised China-India rapprochement, including in a wider context, on November 4.

Assessing preliminary consequences of US presidential elections

November 10, 2024 | Seppo Niemi

Some notes in great power politics, “Trumpquake”

As a well-known independent geopolitical analyst, Pepe Escobar, has stated: “Fasten your seatbelts: whatever happens, Trumpquake is bound to be a bumpy ride”.

With a massive victory in the US presidential election, Donald Trump can now claim a powerful mandate to implement his agenda, both foreign and domestic. Some analysts have focused the key foreign policy issue in the following way: “a grand bargain with Putin and hard pivot to China”.

The global implications of a confident and unchained Trump 2.0 will depend very much on what foreign policy path he charts and who he decides to appoint to key positions. With that in mind, there may be three possible paths a Trump administration might take on the world stage.

America First, with compromises. Having trumpeted his credentials as a peacemaker, it is possible Trump returns the US to a position of isolationism and exceptionalism, essentially being a friend and enemy to no one. That could mean either withdrawing completely from NATO or making US security assistance so conditional on transatlantic allies that Europe is essentially captive to his whims.

Robust Pivot to Asia. A confrontational approach to China, coupled with his frustration with America’s European allies, whom he believes are freeriding on US defense spending, may lead him to pivot to Asia instead. An endless trade war may require a bargain with China. If Trump does abandon America’s NATO allies, it remains to be seen how even its closest Asian partners would regard his commitment to their security or his ability to manage crises in the region.

Peace through strength. A third option would be for Trump to channel former US President Ronald Reagan, seeking to restore and maintain global US primacy. America would lead, but do so pragmatically – and with allies whose interests aligned with its own.

Regional overview

With Donald Trump returning to the White House in January 2025, Washington’s approach to the Ukraine conflict may undergo significant changes. Here it is important to look at statements by future Vice President J.D. Vance. He clearly said that they need to protect their own borders, not the Ukrainian ones. Kiev has been pushed to the back burner. This does not mean that they will simply leave it hanging. The US has a rather strong political elite, including military circles, which certainly wants everything to continue. Yet even the military wants the money to be headed their way, above all, and not to the Ukrainian.

Additionally, new differences of opinion are possible in the US’ relations with the EU and NATO allies. Europe ups defense spending but still relies on the US. A new report highlights significant gaps in Europe’s defenses, amid growing concerns about the impact of a second Trump presidency on the NATO security alliance and transatlantic defense.

Germany’s governing “traffic light” coalition, comprised of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and Alliance 90/The Greens, has dissolved. On January 15, 2025 Chancellor Olaf Scholz will call a vote of confidence in the Bundestag. A no-confidence vote could lead to early parliamentary elections in March 2025. The causes of the coalition’s collapse lie in its very composition. However, as the Ukraine conflict dragged on, Germany became more involved by increasing aid to Kiev and all of this was accompanied by growing economic problems domestically.

The reshaping of policy toward China is also possible, for instance, intensifying pressure on Beijing and initiating new trade wars. The prospects of dialogue with North Korea remain unclear.

As a rather pro-Israeli politician, Trump may increase support for the Jewish state while trying to facilitate the settlement of the Middle Eastern conflict. The process of normalization in that region, however, will be complex due to Trump’s anti-Iranian stance observed during his first presidential term.

Europe and the EU

A shocking proof of massive manipulation by European mainstream (legacy) media regarding the public opinion formation in various European countries. The difference between average American voting citizen and European citizen is extremely striking.

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This is indeed 100% the result of mass brainwashing by the legacy media in Europe. The EU Commission knows that and that’s why they’re attacking Elon and his X-social media.

GERMAN GOVERNMENT COLLAPSED BECAUSE OF UKRAINE!

Scholz is now ruling Germany with a minority in the parliament. Germany ran out of money to support Ukraine and is legally prevented to make more debt, that caused a clash within the government and it collapsed. There is a “debt break” law, that prevents the German government to take on debt beyond an allowed sum, which Germany exhaust already.

So, Scholz demanded from the finance minister to suspend the law and allow the take on more debt to pay for and send to Ukraine. The plan was to just make more debt for Ukraine. But the finance minister refused to do that. Scholz fired the finance minister Lindner for not obeying his wish. The party of the finance minister FDP, in reaction retracted from the ruling government

Looks like Scholz wants to push through the Ukraine funding no matter what. The opposition demands new elections quickly but Scholz wants to govern with the support of the opposition for now. It is a clown show. For now, the elections are rumored to come in March 2025. The “collective west” collapses on the back of Ukraine. The US with Trump may step back from this nonsense.

Trump’s allies in Europe hope the president-elect will quickly end the war in Ukraine — and boost their standing on the EU stage. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán vowed to pop several bottles of Champagne if his friend, Donald Trump, won the US presidential election.

The conservative populist has long insisted that he and a growing number of his European allies would ultimately find themselves on the winning side of history with agendas that are hostile to immigration and Ukraine and committed to traditional Christian family values.

In addition to Orbán, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer are both ideologically close to Trump — although Meloni does not share Orbán’s pro-Russian stance. The Dutch ruling coalition is backed by Geert Wilders, an anti-Islam, anti-immigrant, populist politician. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico is locked in a rule-of-law dispute with Brussels, like Orbán, and shares the Hungarian’s pro-Russian leanings. That cadre of potential wreckers is likely to be joined next year by Andrej Babiš, who is expected to return to power in the Czech Republic in elections next year.

Macron and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski argued on Wednesday that Trump’s return to the White House should push Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security. A few days before the vote, the Polish prime minister wrote on X that the era of “geopolitical outsourcing” was coming to an end.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes that US President-elect Donald Trump will cease funding military efforts in Ukraine, which could assist in peacefully resolving the conflict in that country. Discussing the Ukraine crisis, he reaffirmed that Hungary supports resolving it entirely through peaceful means and maintains that the primary barrier to progress is the “lack of interaction.” Budapest has repeatedly emphasized the need to keep communication channels with Moscow open, urging its EU counterparts to do the same.

November 10, The European Union will have to change its approach to the conflict in Ukraine as a result of Donald Trump’s victory at the presidential election in the US, Hungary’s Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said. “Europe stands on the threshold of sweeping changes,” the minister said. “The presidential election in the US changed the situation. It is obvious that the European strategy in respect of Ukraine, which has clearly failed, cannot be continued,” Szijjarto noted.

Elon Musk’s X platform was already proving a tough test for the European Union’s efforts to police social media. Donald Trump’s reelection just raised the stakes, giving the tech tycoon some powerful backing that could fuel US-EU tensions. Musk is a “super genius,” Trump said in his victory speech in the early hours of Wednesday morning. “We have to protect our geniuses.”

That genius could be heading for a European Union fine, the first under its Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to clamp down on illegal and toxic content online. X got EU charges in July for breaching those rules over verified users, advertising transparency and giving researchers access to data.

The UK

No doubt, the “especially close relations” between the US and the UK will be under heavy stress during Trump 2.0 administration. Some insulting Trump comments by Foreign Secretary of the UK, David Lammy, have further aggravated the situation.

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Ukraine

Ukraine puts the tail between its legs and prepares to do what Trump says. Ukraine prepares for its new Trump era. The Parliament of Ukraine, the Rada, is calling on Donald Trump to help end the war in order to hold parliamentary elections. In a nutshell, Ukrainian MPs beg him to intervene in Ukraine’s internal affairs.

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COL. Douglas Macgregor: Ukraine: A Collapse In Slow Motion.

Judge Napolitano, November 6, 2024

All the brave narratives, propagated by the western MSM have fading away; the “stalemate” narrative has collapsed, much like the Ukraine is winning narrative, the sanctions narrative, the Nord Stream narrative etc. – We are now permitted to recognize that we are losing the war without being smeared by the media for repeating “Kremlin talking points”.

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Its Over For Ukraine | 3 Scenarios For The War Ending in 2025 With Trump Re-Election

Weeb Union, November 6, 2024

No Prospect Of Hope For Kiev Regime

South Front, November 7, 2024

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Trump, Musk’s Secret Plan To End Ukraine Conflict🕊 Russia Accelerates⚔️ Military Summary 2024.11.09

Harvest Time🔥Unacceptable Proposal❌Russians Slice Through Kurakhove⚔️Military Summary For 2024.11.09

China

In the first comment, China hopes for peaceful and mutually beneficial coexistence with the US, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a briefing, commenting on the US presidential election.

“China hopes for peaceful and stable coexistence with the US on the basis of mutual benefits and respect,” the spokeswoman said. She also noted that the current presidential election is a US domestic political issue, and indicated that China “respects any choice of the American people.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, November 7, extended congratulations to Donald Trump on his election as president of the United States. Xi urged the two countries to find the right way to get along in the new era, so as to benefit both countries and the wider world.

History teaches that China and the United States gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, said Xi, noting that a stable, sound and sustainable China-U.S. relationship serves the two countries’ shared interests and meets the aspiration of the international community. He expressed the hope that the two sides will uphold the principles of mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation, strengthen dialogue and communication, properly manage differences and expand mutually beneficial cooperation.

On the same day, Chinese Vice President Han Zheng extended congratulations to J.D. Vance on his election as vice president of the United States.

Global Times, November 7, states

Where are China and the US headed? The Chinese side’s answer to this question, including its attitude toward China-US relations, has been consistent. Although the situations of both countries and their relationship have undergone significant changes, China’s commitment to the goal of a stable, healthy and sustainable China-US relationship remains unchanged; its principle in handling the relationship based on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation remains unchanged; its position of firmly safeguarding the country’s sovereignty, security and development interests remains unchanged; and its efforts to carry forward the traditional friendship between the Chinese and American people remain unchanged. The four “unchanged” aspects reflect both strategic clarity and a sense of responsibility.

The China-US relationship is the most important bilateral relationship in the world. How China and the US interact will determine the future and destiny of humanity. We hope that the US side will meet the Chinese side halfway to find the right way for two different civilizations, systems, and paths to coexist peacefully and develop together on this planet, promoting stability in China-US relations and striving for improvement and progress on this basis.


Russia

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that it is not appropriate to discuss Trump’s future policy toward Russia, as the positions of presidential candidates during the campaign do not always align with their policies once they take office. Currently, US-Russia relations are at a historical low but the Russian side is open to dialogue, he said. “It is almost impossible to worsen the Russia-US ties further, as relations are at their historically lowest point. What happens next will depend on the next US leadership,” said Peskov.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has not ruled out the possibility of Russian President Vladimir Putin holding talks with US President-elect Donald Trump ahead of his swearing-in ceremony. “It is not out of the question,” the spokesman told reporters when asked about the matter. “He did say he would call Putin before the inauguration. These are his words; we have nothing else to add for now,” he added. The United States Presidential Inauguration will be held on January 20, 2025.

November 8, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a significant statement at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi. “The world has entered the long period of turbulence and changes that will eventually result in a multi-polar world order without hegemony of the West” he said. During the discussion, the Russian president spoke about Russia’s role in global development, dialogue with West, crisis in the global sports, Ukrainian reconciliation, relations with China and India. Putin’s statement can be seen as a official declaration for the future of great power relations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s congratulations to Donald Trump on winning this year’s presidential election in the United States can be viewed as official, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said. “Everything that the president says is official, of course,” he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on becoming the US president-elect at the plenary session of the Valdai International Discussion Club on November 7. “I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate him on his victory in the US presidential election. I have already said that we will work with any head of state who is trusted by the American people,” the Russian leader said. So far, the Russian leader has not yet sent a congratulatory letter to the president-elect.

Epilogue

According to Deutsche Bank’s 2024 World Outlook, the year 2024 will see elections in countries covering around half the world’s population. The data is back over 200 years and this is the year with the biggest percentage of elections across the globe. The mains ones to watch are:

  • The Taiwanese election in January 2024
  • Indian elections in April/May
  • European Parliamentary elections in June
  • The US Presidential Election in November
So, with the main events of 2024 now in the rearview mirror we can conclude that this has been a catastrophic year for incumbents at elections. Not just in the US, where Democrats have lost ground relative to four years earlier but incumbents have also lost ground in the UK, France, India, Japan and South Africa as well this year. According to Deutsche Bank, it’s also the first time since the late 1800s that the incumbent party in the White House has lost three consecutive presidential elections.

According to Financial Times statistics, another surprising feature: every governing party facing election in a developed country this year lost vote share, the first time this has ever happened!

One thing is certain, that people everywhere are fed up with leaders, who put globalist agendas above their own citizens and are finally voting for leaders who actually serve them.
 
I don't really understand all of this, but China is doing something funky with their Dollars in Saudi Arabia.


The story around China issuing USD-denominated sovereign bonds in Saudi Arabia is generating an enormous amount of buzz in China, and could potentially be immensely important.

I strongly suspect it's a message to the upcoming Trump administration.Let me explain what seems to be going on.

On the face of it, it's not a major story: China issued $2 billion in USD-denominated sovereign bonds in Saudi Arabia, which means that investors lent USD to the Chinese government that they promised to pay back. That's what a bond is. So far, relatively boring.

The first somewhat interesting aspect of it is that the bonds were oversubscribed by almost 20x (meaning $40+ billion in demand for $2 billion worth of bonds), which is far more demand than usual for USD sovereign bonds. Typically US Treasury auctions see oversubscription rate between 2x to 3x so there obviously seems to be very strong market appeal for China's dollar-denominated debt.

The second interesting aspect is that the interest rate on the bonds was remarkably close to US Treasury rates (just 1-3 basis points higher, i.e. 0.01-0.03%), which means that China is now able to borrow money - in US dollars (!) - at virtually the same rate as the US government itself. That's the case for no other country in the world. As a benchmark, countries with the highest credit ratings (AAA) typically pay at least 10-20 basis points over US Treasuries in the rare instances when they issue USD bonds.

The third interesting aspect is the venue itself for this bond sale: Saudi Arabia. This is unusual since sovereign bonds are typically issued in major financial centers, not in Riyadh. The choice of Saudi Arabia and the fact that the Saudis agreed to this is particularly significant given its historical role in the global dollar system, the so-called 'petrodollar' system which I don't need to explain... By issuing dollar bonds in Saudi Arabia that compete directly with US Treasuries, and getting essentially the same interest rate, China is demonstrating it can operate as an alternative manager of dollar liquidity right in the heart of the petrodollar system. For Saudi Arabia, which holds hundreds of billions in dollar reserves, this creates a new option for investing their dollars: they can invest it with the Chinese government instead of the US government.

Ok, that's all interesting but still not the main reason why Chinese social media is abuzz. The reason why is because they postulate that this is trial round by China to demonstrate to the US that they can effectively use their own currency against them, with potentially dramatic consequences.

How?

First of all, think it through, imagine if China scales this up and instead of issuing $2 billion worth of bonds, they start issuing 10s or 100s of billions worth of it.

What this means for the US is that China would effectively be competing with the US Treasury in the global dollar market. Instead of countries like Saudi Arabia automatically recycling their dollars into US Treasury bonds, they could put them into Chinese dollar bonds that pay the same rate.

This would create a parallel dollar system where China, not the US, controls part of the flow of dollars. The US would still print the dollars, but China would increasingly manage where they go. Imagine that...

Another critical aspect is that every dollar that goes into Chinese bonds instead of US Treasuries is one less dollar helping to finance US government spending. At a time when the US is running massive deficits and needs to constantly sell Treasury bonds to fund itself, having China emerge as a competing dollar bond issuer that can match Treasury rates could pose immense financing problems for the US government. It could effectively end the US's so-called “exorbitant privilege”.

But wait, you might ask yourself, what's the point of China having so many dollars? Don't they transfer the problem to themselves: they too need to find a place to invest all these dollars, don't they?You'd be right, the last thing China needs is more US dollars: in 2023 it ran a US dollar trade surplus of $823.2 billion, and for 2024, it's expected to be $940 billion. China is already absolutely awash with dollars.

But that's where the beauty of the Belt & Road Initiative comes in. Out of the 193 countries in the world, 152 of these countries are part of the BRI. And a very common characteristic many of these countries have is: they owe debt in USD, to the US government or other Western lenders.This is where China's strategy could become truly clever. China could use its US dollars to help Belt & Road countries pay off their dollar debts to Western lenders. But here's the key: in exchange for helping these countries clear their dollar debts, China could arrange to be repaid in yuan, or in strategic resources, or through other bilateral arrangements.

This would create a triple win for China: they get rid of their excess dollars, they help their partner countries escape dollar dependency, and they deepen these countries' economic integration with China instead of the US.For BRI countries, this is attractive because they can escape the trap of dollar-denominated debt (and the threat of US financial sanctions) and get likely better conditions with China, which will help their development.In effect this would China placing itself as an intermediary at the heart of the dollar system, where the dollars still eventually make their way back to the US - just through a path that builds Chinese rather than American influence and progressively undermines the US's ability to finance itself (with all the consequences this has on inflation, etc.).At this stage you probably tell yourself "come on, there's no way China can do that, the US government surely has tools at its disposal to prevent this stuff". And the answer, surprisingly, is that there is actually little the U.S. can do that doesn't undermine them in some shape or form.

The most obvious response would be to threaten sanctions against countries - like Saudi Arabia - or institutions that buy Chinese dollar bonds. But this would further demonstrate that dollar assets aren't actually safe from US political interference, further encouraging countries to diversify, compounding the problem. The dollar's strength partly comes from network effects - everyone uses it because everyone else uses it - but as we've seen with Russia sanctions create a coordinating moment for countries to move away together, weakening these network effects. Another option would be for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to make US Treasuries more attractive. But this would be self-defeating: it would increase the US government's own borrowing costs at a time when they're already struggling with massive deficits, potentially triggering a recession. And China, getting similar rates as the US, could simply match any rate increase.

The US could also go for the "nuclear option" of restricting China's ability to clear dollar transactions but this would effectively immediately fragment the global financial system, undermining the dollar's role as the global reserve currency - exactly what the US wants to avoid. And with China being the most important trading partner of the immense majority of the world's countries, nothing is less sure that the U.S. would win at this game...

In short this seems to be like some sort of Tai Chi 'four ounces moving a thousand pounds' (四兩撥千斤) move by China, using minimal force to redirect the dollar's strength in a way that benefits China.Like I wrote at the beginning however, at this stage this is most likely just a message by China to the upcoming Trump administration: "we can do this so maybe think very carefully about all the nasty things you have in mind for us..." The beauty of this move is how strategically elegant it is: it costs China almost nothing to demonstrate, but forces Washington to contemplate some very uncomfortable possibilities.
 

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