Quote (dro94 @ Sep 16 2020 01:28pm)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54116606

The UK signed a pretty good trade deal with Japan last week, the first major trade deal so far. The first of many?

Around a 0.07% increase in GDP in comparison to current trade arrangements, which although seems small amounts £1.75bn and could increase in future.

However, the trade deals with the EU, US and China are still far more important and all these gains could be reversed easily if we don't get other deals over the line quickly.

Quote (thesnipa @ Sep 16 2020 07:32pm)

Last time Europeans made a deal with the Japanese it didn't go so well, so i'm against it.

Quote (thesnipa @ Sep 16 2020 02:32pm)

Last time Europeans made a deal with the Japanese it didn't go so well, so i'm against it.

Quote (dro94 @ Sep 16 2020 03:40pm)

You mean the EU trade deal signed with Japan in 2019?

Quote (dro94 @ Aug 16 2020 05:44am)

A lot of it is propaganda, their military budget is roughly 13% of the US'. Even in comparison to the Soviet Union, which was a far bigger economic and military power than Russia currently is, military spending is low:

https://imgur.com/mjBfFYO.jpg

Russia's poor economy necessitates smaller spending on its military, and despite it spending a far higher % of its GDP on military than Western nations, countries like France, UK and Germany spend close to the same amount as Russia.

Russia used to be a superpower and now they try to showcase bravado to fool the world into thinking they are a genuine superpower. The threat of the 21st century is China and that is where the West's focus should be (and it is).

Quote (Santara @ Sep 17 2020 01:53pm)

To be fair, the Soviet Union was something like 15 republics, Russia being just 1. Not an apples to apples comparison. You'd have to add in Ukraine, the Baltic states, the various 'stans, etc.

Quote (Santara @ 17 Sep 2020 14:53)

To be fair, the Soviet Union was something like 15 republics, Russia being just 1. Not an apples to apples comparison. You'd have to add in Ukraine, the Baltic states, the various 'stans, etc.

Quote (Black XistenZ @ Sep 17 2020 11:31pm)

Russia made up about half of the Soviet Union's population and over half of its GDP. Even if we doubled Russia's current military expenditures, they'd still fall below $150bn, while the Soviet Union stood at $250bn in 1988, before their economic downfall picked up pace.