Nuclear Chicken

 

A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity. -Jimmy Carter, 39th US President, Nobel laureate (b. 1 Oct 1924)

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Criminals reportedly approached a BBC reporter via encrypted chat, offering a cut of the ransom in exchange for system access. The gang aimed to use those credentials to deploy ransomware and extort the broadcaster.

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Tilly:

https://www.instagram.com/tillynorwood/?hl=en

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The administration's hunger for the spotlight has driven them to have conferences where an email would do.

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South Africa’s ambassador to France (and former police minister) has been found dead at the foot of the Hyatt Regency hotel in Paris.

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Nuclear Chicken

Vladimir Putin has spent months probing the flanks of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with drone overflights, incursions by MiG-31 fighter jets, and various cyber operations—testing NATO’s defenses and its resolve.

First came a wave of Russian drones into Poland on September 9th. Then a trio of Russian MiG-31 fighter jets entered Estonian airspace on September 19th, traversing it for 12 minutes. Days later a wave of mysterious drones shut down Denmark’s main airport and appeared over Oslo.

Just after Bulgarian authorities blamed Moscow for jamming the EU chief von der Leyen’s jet navigation, Germany’s top general revealed he’s had two similar experiences (once during a flight over the Baltic, then again during a visit to Lithuania).

The EU only ever expresses “concern”, no matter how outrageous the events. On this occasion, however, von der Leyen dialled her words up a little, declaring “Putin has not changed, and he will not change. He is a predator. He can only be kept in check through strong deterrence."

This is more--or, perhaps, less--than predatory behavior. This is a form of the old crazy game of "Chicken," where two undiagnosed adolescents drive cars at each other until one loses their nerve and swerves away at the last moment. On a world stage, this behavior has only a few aims and consequences. One is the gradual inuring of the victim to his danger. As time goes by, people become used to the cry of "wolf," resulting in accidental confrontation. The other is the eventual technical or human error resulting in accidental confrontation.

This, of course, does not consider the pure deranged joy of watching burning people and buildings, collapsing civilizations, and malignant, worldwide misery and chaos. 

The modern world has allowed the magnification of the individual with his contributions and imbalances; this downside risk is not limited to trailer parks and basements.