Thread by @Gormogons

GP China, 6 weeks ago: "There are no limits to our friendship with Russia."

China, today: "Holy shit, Vlad! You told us you'd walk into Ukraine as heroes + control the country inside a week! Instead, NATO + Europe are united against you + us + Germany + Japan are rearming!"

GP President Winnie Xi Pooh of China is still likely to hold power and get a third term but I'd bet his hold on *absolute* power in China is slipping.

GorT: I think GP has conflated his plus signs in this part: "Instead, NATO + Europe are united against you + us + Germany + Japan are rearming!"

GP Xi's economy's stalling, his pandemic response has failed, his country's locked down, his Taiwan ambitions are on hold at best, and the world has united against his only real ally of import.

Xi's vision for China seems at least in the near term to have failed.

GP Not to mention China's real historical antagonist, Japan, is awakening to the dangers in its region and is likely to arm up and start to exert influence in its "sphere of influence" once more.

GP This is close to a worst case scenario for Xi and China. No one in Chinese leadership can be happy. It's a massive failure for China.

GP "and Germany and Japan" is a second clause. Think of it more like this, in as close to mathematical linguistics as my feeble mind can get:

"Instead, [(NATO + Europe) are united against (you + us)] + [(Germany + Japan) are rearming]!"

Better, nerd?

GorT: Better than the interpretation: "NATO and Europe are united against you and us and Germany and Japan are rearming"

Right, English-nerd? And yes, all sentences should be expressed as mathematical expressions. #Nerd