Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
@pacstandardtw.bsky.social
An American perspective at the western frontier of liberal democracy, framed and focused through the lens of life in Taiwan. #LiberalHawk #NeoIdealist
#TaiwanIsACountry
#TaiwanIsACountry
Can't believe we're going to try this yet again. Not that we shouldn't, it's pretty clear that the regime is completely illegitimate and the regular order of self-determined governance was hijacked there. But the US track record for this type of project is absolutely abysmal—did we learn new tricks?
María Corina Machado announces she will take on the role of Vice President, revealing that the U.S. and other nations are already preparing for a transition in Venezuela:
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
December 13, 2025 at 5:49 AM
Can't believe we're going to try this yet again. Not that we shouldn't, it's pretty clear that the regime is completely illegitimate and the regular order of self-determined governance was hijacked there. But the US track record for this type of project is absolutely abysmal—did we learn new tricks?
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
María Corina Machado announces she will take on the role of Vice President, revealing that the U.S. and other nations are already preparing for a transition in Venezuela:
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
December 13, 2025 at 4:58 AM
María Corina Machado announces she will take on the role of Vice President, revealing that the U.S. and other nations are already preparing for a transition in Venezuela:
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
"I will assume the responsibility of being Venezuela’s Vice President.
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Well, there's a photo I never expected to see in my life. Noam Chomsky palling around with Steve Bannon.
December 12, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Well, there's a photo I never expected to see in my life. Noam Chomsky palling around with Steve Bannon.
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Havent seen this here, but the person whose question led to Takaichi's famous answer has massive business interests in the PRC
japan-forward.com/taiwan-quest...
japan-forward.com/taiwan-quest...
Taiwan Question: The Man Behind the Confrontation—and His China Connections | JAPAN Forward
Katsuya Okada ignited the Diet's Taiwan clash, raising urgent questions about who he is and how his family's vast China interests shape his politics.
japan-forward.com
December 13, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Havent seen this here, but the person whose question led to Takaichi's famous answer has massive business interests in the PRC
japan-forward.com/taiwan-quest...
japan-forward.com/taiwan-quest...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
I spoke to TaiwanPlus about why Taiwan's income inequality is high, its impact on society & politics & the need to raise minimum wage faster—because of the risk that disenfranchisement among a segment of voters can lead to distrust with government & weaken Taiwan's defense.
youtu.be/zadDKg2KUlY?...
youtu.be/zadDKg2KUlY?...
Analysis: Taiwan’s Top 10% Earn Nearly 50% of Income, Hold 60% of Wealth｜TaiwanPlus News
YouTube video by TaiwanPlus News
youtu.be
December 13, 2025 at 3:32 AM
I spoke to TaiwanPlus about why Taiwan's income inequality is high, its impact on society & politics & the need to raise minimum wage faster—because of the risk that disenfranchisement among a segment of voters can lead to distrust with government & weaken Taiwan's defense.
youtu.be/zadDKg2KUlY?...
youtu.be/zadDKg2KUlY?...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
"The president may be trying to build a glidepath back to summitry with Kim Jong-un" www.politico.com/newsletters/...
Why Trump isn’t talking about North Korea
The National Security Strategy released last week didn’t include a single mention of the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-Un. That’s a big change from President Donald Trump’s first-term strategy.
www.politico.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:43 PM
"The president may be trying to build a glidepath back to summitry with Kim Jong-un" www.politico.com/newsletters/...
“Donald Trump thinks it’s still 2019, and he can sit down again with Kim Jong-un and reach a deal” said JOEL WIT, the State Department’s coordinator of the 1994 U.S.-North Korea agreement aimed to freeze Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program."
Why Trump isn’t talking about North Korea
The National Security Strategy released last week didn’t include a single mention of the North Korean regime of Kim Jong-Un. That’s a big change from President Donald Trump’s first-term strategy.
www.politico.com
December 12, 2025 at 11:48 PM
“Donald Trump thinks it’s still 2019, and he can sit down again with Kim Jong-un and reach a deal” said JOEL WIT, the State Department’s coordinator of the 1994 U.S.-North Korea agreement aimed to freeze Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program."
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
“.. The commutation of Mr. Gentile’s sentence undid years of work by prosecutors in Brooklyn to expose a scheme that defrauded thousands of investors, many of whom were older Americans living on fixed incomes.”
@kenvogel.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/n...
@kenvogel.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/n...
December 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
“.. The commutation of Mr. Gentile’s sentence undid years of work by prosecutors in Brooklyn to expose a scheme that defrauded thousands of investors, many of whom were older Americans living on fixed incomes.”
@kenvogel.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/n...
@kenvogel.bsky.social @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/12/n...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Dave Whamond, Toronto Star
December 12, 2025 at 6:15 PM
Dave Whamond, Toronto Star
This passage marks a perfect encapsulation of why socialism has a bad reputation in America:
"Progressives who abhor racism may applaud this move. But as a socialist, I can’t easily take the side of a billion-dollar corporation over that of an ordinary worker."
🥴😏
"Progressives who abhor racism may applaud this move. But as a socialist, I can’t easily take the side of a billion-dollar corporation over that of an ordinary worker."
🥴😏
Why the Cinnabon Story Doesn’t Make Me Happy
The left should be promoting working-class solidarity, not delighting in seeing workers summarily dismissed.
www.theatlantic.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:06 PM
This passage marks a perfect encapsulation of why socialism has a bad reputation in America:
"Progressives who abhor racism may applaud this move. But as a socialist, I can’t easily take the side of a billion-dollar corporation over that of an ordinary worker."
🥴😏
"Progressives who abhor racism may applaud this move. But as a socialist, I can’t easily take the side of a billion-dollar corporation over that of an ordinary worker."
🥴😏
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
This headline should have been 'The KMT's War on Taiwan's Governance'. This analysis looks at the case of the NCC before turning to consider Chen Yu-jen's twin bills to instutionalize corrupt slush funds at the central and local government levels. Serious stuff.
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: The war on Taiwan’s governance - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
www.taipeitimes.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:12 PM
This headline should have been 'The KMT's War on Taiwan's Governance'. This analysis looks at the case of the NCC before turning to consider Chen Yu-jen's twin bills to instutionalize corrupt slush funds at the central and local government levels. Serious stuff.
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
"All twelve regional bank presidents are up for renewal in February, and Hassett and Bessent have hinted a purge may be coming. The pretext would be a new, bogus, long-term residency requirement that Bessent proposed...This would be the way Trump co-opts the Fed." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
The Sleeper Issue That Could Destroy the Economy
Trump may have stopped threatening Jerome Powell—but he’s still got designs to control the Fed.
open.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:13 PM
"All twelve regional bank presidents are up for renewal in February, and Hassett and Bessent have hinted a purge may be coming. The pretext would be a new, bogus, long-term residency requirement that Bessent proposed...This would be the way Trump co-opts the Fed." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
#HongKong: With short notice, 2 years after his sham trial began, the verdict in Jimmy Lai’s trial is set for Monday, 15/12. Given his age, prison conditions, and deteriorating health, every day he stays in jail risks his life. It’s time for democracies, especially 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇸, to act for his release.
December 12, 2025 at 9:45 AM
#HongKong: With short notice, 2 years after his sham trial began, the verdict in Jimmy Lai’s trial is set for Monday, 15/12. Given his age, prison conditions, and deteriorating health, every day he stays in jail risks his life. It’s time for democracies, especially 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇸, to act for his release.
One of the realest threads I've read in a bit rh👇
My appreciation for the film Dr. Strangelove has grown over the years. Its subtitle, I now feel, has a lasting brilliance that never loses its relevance — "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."
December 12, 2025 at 9:11 AM
One of the realest threads I've read in a bit rh👇
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
My appreciation for the film Dr. Strangelove has grown over the years. Its subtitle, I now feel, has a lasting brilliance that never loses its relevance — "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."
December 11, 2025 at 8:04 AM
My appreciation for the film Dr. Strangelove has grown over the years. Its subtitle, I now feel, has a lasting brilliance that never loses its relevance — "How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is the highest-ranked political newcomer to the Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Women, one of a few breakthroughs amid a year otherwise marked by sudden ousters and stalled progress toward parity.
Women’s Political Power Faced A Fractured Year In 2025
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is the highest-ranked political newcomer on this year's Forbes Most Powerful Women list, a bright spot in a year otherwise marked by sudden ousters, stalled prog...
www.forbes.com
December 11, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is the highest-ranked political newcomer to the Forbes list of the World’s Most Powerful Women, one of a few breakthroughs amid a year otherwise marked by sudden ousters and stalled progress toward parity.
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Thursday I wrote on the proposal to resurrect the old special funds idea for national and local officials
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Notes from Central Taiwan: The war on Taiwan’s governance - Taipei Times
Bringing Taiwan to the World and the World to Taiwan
www.taipeitimes.com
December 11, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Thursday I wrote on the proposal to resurrect the old special funds idea for national and local officials
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/ar...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
“It’s an industrial policy for an economic security coalition and it’s a game changer because there is no grouping today where we can get together to talk about the AI economy and how we compete with China in AI" www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Trump enlists 5 allies to counter China on rare earths and tech
A new coalition unites Singapore, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Israel.
www.politico.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:05 AM
“It’s an industrial policy for an economic security coalition and it’s a game changer because there is no grouping today where we can get together to talk about the AI economy and how we compete with China in AI" www.politico.com/news/2025/12...
Cake or death
December 12, 2025 at 7:53 AM
Cake or death
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Bloomberg: "The result could be the biggest rethink of EU policy toward Beijing in at least a decade."
I've been to Europe four times since October for government or government-related meetings, and all anyone wanted to discuss was trade.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
I've been to Europe four times since October for government or government-related meetings, and all anyone wanted to discuss was trade.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
China Forces Reckoning in Europe as Trade Boom Turns Existential
China’s exports are putting it on a collision course with Europe.
www.bloomberg.com
December 12, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Bloomberg: "The result could be the biggest rethink of EU policy toward Beijing in at least a decade."
I've been to Europe four times since October for government or government-related meetings, and all anyone wanted to discuss was trade.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
I've been to Europe four times since October for government or government-related meetings, and all anyone wanted to discuss was trade.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Look ma, from Japan Times to Global Times!
December 12, 2025 at 5:06 AM
Look ma, from Japan Times to Global Times!
Are people still getting COVID vaccines or are we over it?
December 12, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Are people still getting COVID vaccines or are we over it?
Reposted by Pacific Standard 🚜🌻☂️
Michael de Adder
December 12, 2025 at 2:14 AM
Michael de Adder
These people are so fucking lost that even their attempts at PR cope are a nonsensical clusterfuck...
Trump can balance China and Japan alliance despite row, White House says www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12...
Trump can balance China and Japan alliance despite row, White House says
The U.S. and Japanese defense chiefs also spoke over the phone, expressing “grave concern” over Beijing’s recent military actions.
www.japantimes.co.jp
December 12, 2025 at 7:11 AM
These people are so fucking lost that even their attempts at PR cope are a nonsensical clusterfuck...