Comrade Vladimir Trump May Have Led America into a Great Quagmire

On January 14, 2026, the day after the theocratic regime massacred protesters on a large scale, in my piece 言哈梅內伊的歸宿:GBU-57, I predicted that Khamenei would be killed by a bomb.

On March 2, in My Prophecy Fulfilled: The Fall Of Khamenei & The Future of the Iranian Regime, I was the first person in the world to point out that a moderation of the current Iranian regime is America’s most desired outcome. A few days later, similar reports about American intentions began to appear.

I also pointed out that the prospect of Iran refusing to yield would be a nightmare for America and the world. Iran’s selection of Khamenei’s son as the new leader signals Iran’s determination to fight to the end. Iran has also begun mining the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices have surged sharply, diesel in Australia is close to running out, and industries dependent on it — such as livestock — face ruin.

Trump may have led America and the world into a pit so large and deep that the Afghan quagmire will look trivial by comparison.

Imagine the following scenario.

You and your wife are shopping at a mall when a woman accidentally steps on your wife’s foot. The woman smiles apologetically and rushes to say sorry, but your wife loses control, erupts in a torrent of abuse, grabs the woman by the hair and starts punching her. At that moment, you’d be horrified and pull your wife back:

“Are you crazy? What are you doing?!"

You’ve separated them and are apologising to the woman, when her husband charges out of a nearby shop and punches your wife to the ground, straddles her and beats her bloody. Would you stand by and say to your wife: “Serves you right for acting crazy"?

Of course not. In that moment, your frustration at your wife’s behaviour vanishes — because it was only a surface-level emotion — and what awakens is the deep love of years of marriage. You’d throw yourself at that man like a madman.

One of the handful of genuinely perceptive Chinese political commentators, Lao Zhou Hengmei, recently made a programme in which he used the fact that 95% or even 99% of Chinese people support the CCP to infer that the vast majority of Iranians support the theocratic regime. I think that since the Iranian government has managed the economy far worse than the CCP and treated its people far more brutally, the proportion of Iranians who support the regime should be smaller than the proportion of Chinese who support the CCP — but saying it’s around half seems reasonable.

Among the opposition, many people are angry simply because of runaway inflation, but don’t necessarily oppose the Islamic fundamentalist system at a fundamental level. Once America reduces their homeland to rubble — especially as civilian casualties mount rapidly (Iran will follow Hamas’s playbook and hide weapons in residential areas), and friends and family are killed — the anti-government sentiment of these people may quickly be replaced by national pride and solidarity, rallying them around the government. The tiny minority who truly despise the regime and would rather see their country razed to the ground than live under theocratic rule will no longer dare to speak up.

There are many historical examples of foreign invasion causing anti-government citizens to swing behind their government:

  • In the early 19th century, Russia’s serf system left the peasantry in misery, full of grievances against Tsar Alexander I, with uprisings occurring regularly. When Napoleon invaded Russia, the serfs who had previously hated the government did not see the French as liberators — instead they spontaneously formed guerrilla units and cooperated with government forces in a scorched-earth campaign.
  • In 1982, Argentina was under the military junta of General Galtieri — the economy had collapsed, inflation was extreme, and the people were tired of dictatorship, with protests constant. To deflect domestic tensions, the junta decided to seize the British Falkland Islands. When Britain dispatched a task force to fight back, the very crowds that had been protesting the government flooded the squares, chanting in support of the nation.
  • In 1980, the Iranian Islamic Revolution had just concluded, the country was in extreme turmoil, and many people opposed the newly established theocracy. Saddam saw this as an opportunity to attack — but Iraq’s invasion actually consolidated Khomeini’s regime, with many secular Iranians and military officers who had been lukewarm about theocratic rule rallying behind the government.

In my previous article I said Iran’s theocratic regime is as stubbornly foolish as aliens. Once the majority of Iranians unite in solidarity behind their government, even if America bombs Iran into rubble, they will only fight more resolutely.

Because I don’t know the current mindset of the Iranian people, I can’t be certain whether they will rally behind the government or whether the government will fight to the end. But judging by Iran’s choice to elect the son of the slain leader and its mining of the Strait of Hormuz, it is at least a non-trivial possibility — wouldn’t you agree?

Comrade Vladimir Trump has already become Putin’s greatest saviour. He is also the CCP’s greatest saviour. And now, he may become the greatest saviour of Iran’s theocratic regime.

This is why I don’t call Comrade Trump’s camp MAGA — I call them MEGA: Make Enemies Great Again.

Israel shares a land border with Gaza. Tanks can penetrate the heart of Gaza within hours, and drones have hovered over it year-round. Even so, the Israeli military not only bombed Gaza repeatedly for months, but also swept through it with ground forces like a comb, time and again, before finally largely subduing Hamas.

Iran’s territory is 4,500 times the size of Gaza, and its population is 41 times larger. Iranians don’t need to be as alien-like in their stubbornness as the regime’s leadership — they only need to be as stubborn as Hamas, and America would have to mobilise for total war, launching a ground invasion with hundreds of thousands or even millions of troops to fully subdue the Iranian people. The national debt would increase by $10 trillion within a year. America currently pays more in debt interest than it spends on defence; at that point, interest payments would be 1.5 times what they are now, defence spending 1.5 times what it is now, and fiscal bankruptcy would be nearly inevitable. Once America is bogged down in an Iranian quagmire — with its arsenal depleted and its treasury empty — the CCP launching a military unification campaign and occupying Taiwan becomes a certainty.

The U.S. military has now found itself in a difficult dilemma:

  • If they limit their airstrikes to Iranian military facilities, they will be fundamentally unable to eliminate the missiles and drones being launched at the Gulf States, as these are hidden deep within underground “Great Walls." Iran can rapidly produce short-range missiles—and drones in particular—allowing them to sustain attacks on the Gulf States and the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely. In the end, it is the United States that will be forced to surrender, as the U.S. and its allies cannot withstand skyrocketing oil prices.
  • To truly “hurt" Iran, the U.S. would have to target its infrastructure—such as oil fields, pipelines, ports, and power plants—but doing so would only accelerate the process of unifying the Iranian people around their government.

Either way, the United States loses.

Why didn’t previous American presidents strike Iran? Because they were all civilised people who wore shoes. They didn’t act unilaterally — they relied on think tanks and experts, who would invariably tell the President that all-out war could strengthen the theocratic regime, that the war could drag on indefinitely, that the Strait of Hormuz could be closed, causing catastrophic damage to the global economy.

But in today’s America, only one person makes decisions — Comrade Trump. Before the war began, General Cain, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff whom he himself appointed, told him that the United States had no viable military option against Iran. The National Intelligence Council conducted a special study and then told him that it would be very difficult to achieve regime change. But he didn’t listen to any of it, because he doesn’t think rationally – his vanity and desire for revenge drive his actions..

Since Comrade Vladimir Trump took office:

  • He has been played by Putin like a toy in the palm of his hand, while Russia steadily tightens its grip in Ukraine;
  • He is now planning to lift sanctions on Russian oil and gas, using energy scarcity as a pretext;
  • Because China has a stranglehold on America’s rare earth supply chain, he has made concession after concession to the CCP, permitting the sale of critical AI chips to China;
  • America’s former European allies are rushing to visit Beijing — the CCP has become the darling of Canada and Europe alike.
  • Now he may be pushing lots of Iranians toward the regime.

MEGA — Make Enemies Great Again. Perfectly apt, isn’t it?

Comrade Vladimir Trump May Have Led America into a Great Quagmire 有 “ 2 則迴響 ”

  1. 明白人先生,您好。向您投稿下面这篇文章。本文分析美国的土地使用分区法如何导致城市又老,又旧,又破。祝好。—空洋

    美国的城市为什么又老,又旧,又破

    都说美国的城市又老,又旧,又破。满街都是百年老屋。整个整个的街区仿佛是凝固在过去。人们对此议论纷纷,但说到点子上的却很少。本文深挖美国城市老,旧,破的原因。

    是土地使用分区法,傻瓜

    美国的城市规划要遵守土地使用分区法(zoning laws)。这些法规决定了一块区域内可以建设什么,禁止建设什么。比如,大量的地区只能发展住宅,禁止发展商业和工业。而在住宅里呢,又只能发展single family home,也就是独门独户的房屋。这些法规对地块有严格而具体的要求,例如最少需要有的多大的停车位空间,院落的大小,建筑高度,密度等等。

    对上述地区,土地使用分区法常常有以下规定。

    Single-Family Residential Zone (R-1) 独门独户住宅区

    Permitted Uses
    Land in the R-1 Zone shall be used only for the following purposes:
    (a) One single-family dwelling per lot
    (b) Accessory uses customarily incidental to the above

    Density
    Not more than one dwelling unit shall be permitted on any lot.

    Height Limit
    No building shall exceed 30 feet in height.

    Yard Requirements
    (a) Front yard: minimum 20 feet
    (b) Side yard: minimum 5 feet
    (c) Rear yard: minimum 15 feet

    Parking Requirements
    Each dwelling unit shall provide at least two off-street parking spaces.

    总结下来就是:

    每块地只能建一座独门独户的房子:不能建多层,多户的楼房或者连体别墅。

    对院落的要求:前院,侧院,后院的大小限制了房子的占地面积。

    停车空间要求: 同样限制房子的大小。有些地块本来就小,除开停车,几乎没有发挥的空间。 

    高度限制: 限制房子的类型和大小;限制住户的类型,家庭状况,和阶层。

    这样严格的规定导致以下几个问题:

    • 拆迁、再开发受到各种限制。你拆掉一座房子,只能再建独门独户的房子,并且必须满足院落、停车、高度等要求。这就使得开发此地成本高,收益小。开发商不会做赔本的买卖。他们可以到郊区去,放手开发新小区。郊区是中产阶级逃离城市,扎堆过日子的地方。因为是纯中产地区,居民收入稳定, 政府税收稳定,消费稳定。 配套设施成熟。
    • 因为此地房子稀缺,人口密度小,价格贵,意味着只有中产阶级在此居住。工薪阶层只能到更廉价的地区买房子。这样就形成了不同阶层生活在不同地区。 那么,富裕的地区会持续不断的更新。越是寸土寸金的地方,楼越是盖得高,越是有钱赚。而贫穷的区域就会被遗忘。加之居民没钱,不搞更新,脏乱差就会固化。

    房屋年龄

    美国的大城市一般是在19世纪末20世纪初发展成熟的。大部分房屋是1920年-1940年间建造的。二战以后,黑人逐渐搬到城市里,中产阶级搬去了郊区。这时,本来已经存在了半个世纪的老市区逐年贫穷下去。加上近几十年制造业衰落,许多地方到现在已经衰落了大半个世纪了。院子里的白栏杆变成了铁丝网,整齐的草坪堆放着杂物,房顶和外墙破败失修。 配套设施的档次逐渐下降。犯罪率偏高。

    另一方面,许多建筑物是在土地使用分区法颁布之前就存在的。假如一座多层多户的大楼处于一个法律规定必须是独门独户的区域内,那么你可以继续使用这栋楼,但你不能改变或者将其重建为多户的大楼。你只能兴建符合法规的独栋小屋。这对开发商来说就没有吸引力了。所以,这些建筑物既没有保养,又不能拆除,只能破败下去。那么, 这样的地区就会恶性循环。越破败,就越没有人来,也就越没有投资。

    红线规划

    过去,美国政府和银行曾经在地图上划出高风险的地区,让人们避开黑人或者移民,让银行不给他们贷款。几十年下来,这些区域缺乏投资,是美国城市里最旧最破的地方。虽然红线规划现在不再合法,但它的长期效应仍然存在。

    RICHMOND大学对过去红线规划进行了搜集和分析。本文摘录两个1940年的文件,看看当时的规划者们是如何描述两个纽约的地区。

    第一个地区是布鲁克林中心城区的红线地块。档案是这么说的。

    • INHABITANTS
      • Infiltration of Negro (infiltration是一个带种族歧视的名称,用来形容黑人,犹太人等人群搬来此地的趋势)
      • Foreign-born families: 35%; Italian predominating
      • Negro East: 15% predominating
      • Relief families: Many
      • Occupation: Laborers – merchants small business people
      • Estimated Annual Family Income: 1500-3000

    AREA CHARACTERISTICS

    • Detrimental Influences Heterogeneous properties. Mixed races. “Gowanus Canal" has been a slum type area for many years. 

    第二个地块是中央公园东面的富裕地区,俗称“上东区”。

    CLARIFYING REMARKS

    Main business street: Madison Ave. Part of the choicest residential area of the city. Contains many of the finest and largest private homes. Like the rest of Manhattan, however, the trend is entirely to apartments, and consequently the market for private homes as such is nominal, except for conversion. Practically all rents in the highest brackets. Present zoning 70% residential.

    INHABITANTS

    • Infiltration of: EMPTY
    • Foreign-born families: EMPTY%; None predominating
    • Negro: No%; EMPTY predominating
    • Relief families: No
    • Occupation: White collar – executives, etc. 
    • Estimated Annual Family Income: 10,000-100,000 and over.

    从1940年到现在,八十多年了。就这样,美国城市的不同区块就按照三六九等而分道扬镳了。 今天,房地产经纪人仍然在事实上筛选地区和人群。你开车经过任何地区,总能看得到、感觉得到它们的区别。无论是从人群,房屋状况,院落打理,还是周边购物店档次,你不用查数据就能一目了然。

    谁在主导土地使用分区

    土地使用分区的法律由当地政府制定。制定和修改要经过市政会议,规划委员会,同本地居民和本地商家协商共同完成。本地居民扮演十分重要的角色。他们既是房主,又是选民。本地领导人必须满足他们的意愿。

    中产阶级想保持房子的价值和周边的环境。独门独户就意味着大多数是正经人家。租户,难民等人群会很少。这样就能避免脏乱差和各种社会问题。任何小区的公共事务都需要居民共同拿意见,做决定。如果经济利益、生活方式、消费观差别太大,物业管理的矛盾就会多。涨不涨物业管理费?涨多少?多久换一次房顶?绿化用什么植物?有些植物维护起来很容易,有些成本很高。有些人拖欠物业费,管理起来很操心。因此,很多中产阶级希望周围都是跟他们一样的中产家庭,并且处于相似的人生阶段。

    你周围住的什么人还意味着你的学区是什么家庭的孩子。要知道,学校的经费是由该学区的房地产税支持的。税收基础好,学校就好,师资就好,孩子的大环境就更好。其他的孩子基础好,拖后腿的少,老师教学就可以按照中产阶级的要求。不需要兼顾那些家庭基础不好,语言基础不好的孩子。不用多花纳税人的钱,增加不必要,甚至是砍不掉的项目。 居民如果重视子女教育,就会支持学区的一些项目,并支持与之对应的涨税。一个地区就像一个家庭,三观不合,什么都累。

    一旦该地区开始恶化,一些中产开始搬走,那么剩下的中产阶级就有很大压力。房子价值不断缩水,周边环境不断恶化。租户们多了,不爱惜环境,乱停车,破坏草地,占用公共空间。 外来的车开始出现,窗外传来吵架的声音,有的车被撬开了。于是,更多的人搬走。这个地区就彻底的沉沦了。 

    所以,中产阶级对土地分区是十分敏感的。他们积极参加市政厅的会议,在各种委员会上做志愿者,在听证会上带头表达意见,组织大伙联合起来,积极接触各种政要。通过影响土地分区法来保持自己的生活环境,维护自己的阶层利益。我们知道,教育程度越高,认知越强的人,越知道这些东西的重要性。中产阶级人群的投票率要远高于蓝领阶层,不熟悉美国的新移民,和经济条件虽好但不熟悉美国文化的中产移民。 越有钱就越知道怎么保护自己。 

    有人会问,房主们为什么拒绝向好改变?发展自己的地块,房子不就升值了吗?没错。这是一个角度,也是现在很多城市修改法规的原因。但是,这种升级有很多弊端。它会增加房地产税,改变周围的环境,甚至让人们不得不搬走。

    大部分人喜爱稳定,舒适,可预测的环境。密度低,绿地大,不住楼房,住一两层的房子是很多人的理想居住环境。升级,往往意味着周围会逐渐改变。高层建筑越来越多。各种人群会很复杂。住在楼房里,总觉得很憋屈,像在酒店里,没有伸缩的空间。孩子和宠物没有玩耍的地方。而独门独户的房子,是有里有外的小天地。天好,可以坐在院子里晒太阳,看花看鸟。人们不太想离开这样熟悉,踏实,承载着几代人回忆的环境。

    老城区的百年老屋并不都是破败的。它们有些一直在中产阶级手中,虽然旧,但旧得有味道。那时的工艺,木材,和质量是现在的建筑物不能比的。再加上很多建筑风格现在已经没有了。有的人就是想住维多利亚式的老房子:一楼三面环抱的长廊,乘凉会客总相宜;二楼转角的圆形空间,是看书的好地方。这样的房子外观可能不起眼,但一踏进大门,仿佛是进入了巴金,曹禺笔下的老宅。那份殷实,那份从容,你在郊区百万美金的豪宅里也找不到。

    鲁迅先生在“从百草园到三位书屋”里,这么回忆他的童年:“其中似乎确凿只有一些野草 ;但那时却是我的乐园。不必说碧绿的菜畦,光滑的石井栏,高大的皂荚树,紫红的桑椹;也不必说鸣蝉在树叶里长吟,肥胖的黄蜂伏在菜花上,轻捷的叫天子(云雀)忽然从草间直窜 向云霄里去了。单是周围的短短的泥墙根一带,就有无限趣味。油蛉在这里低唱, 蟋蟀们在这里弹琴。”就是这个味道。

    别看纽约,芝加哥那些三层楼的石头房子很旧,它们的居住体验不一定差。前门面对马路,后面藏着一个庭院,感觉通透清幽。楼不高,没有压抑感。走几条街,便能到达商业区,搭上地铁。可以说是大城市和小镇两全其美。

    如果此地搞大开发,你的房子的确可以升值,但地产税就会涨。同样的房子,在不同的地区,地产税有数千美金之差。对于中产阶级,是个可观的数字。不仅如此,人多车多,停车更加困难。自己常去的平价超市变成了豪华健身房;五金店变成了日料;林荫道变得光秃秃。平日里打招呼的熟人都搬走了。原来一个简单的公交站牌变成了大型车站。快半夜了还有公交车呼啸而过。这个地方的character就改变了。走个路吧,还要担心飞驰的单车;过个街吧,还要走天桥。 

    人们被迫要搬离觉得是属于自己的地方。“这个地方就应该是这样的”。把稍微远一点的地方说成是很远,在思想上夸大地区之间的差别。这里面另一个看不见的事情是,生活环境不是别人给的,而是房主们通过home owners association, neighborhood association一点一滴的经营出来的。小区栽什么树,用什么款式的砖,都要一个一个审议报价,效果图,等等。住上个十几年,你看到的是你自己的心血,你对它是有感情的。

    另外,租客也是注册选民,也可以说得上话。在脏乱差的地区,租客比房主还多。他们也不希望城区美化。一美化,租金就会上涨。租金一涨,他们就得搬走,享受不到美化的好处,失去了一个方便的地点。

    所以,人们是什么经济水平,就希望保持与之门当户对的环境。 低于这个标准,生活质量就太差;高于这个标准,负担就会加重,甚至会失去自己中意的环境。贫困阶层不想搬,那叫做抗拒市区美化,防止成本上升,保留区位优势。中产阶级不想搬,这叫做nimby: not in my back yard。

    租金控制

    在纽约芝加哥这样的大城市,政府为了保护穷人实施了很多措施。比方说租金控制rent control,稳定租金rent stabilization等法规。这些法律可以设置租金上限,限制房东涨租金的幅度和频度,给予租房者更多的实惠,让他们不容易被赶走。想象一座1920年的老房子,租金有最高限制,土地使用分区又限制了改建的空间。结果就是开发商根本不碰这样的地方。这些楼房便成了僵尸。

    另一方面,正因为这些房屋有人住,租客几十年不搬家,房子不会完全破败。虽然没钱大拆大建,但还是有小修小补的。于是,这些楼房,这些城市就呈现出又老,又旧,又破,但又可以住的样子。

    这有它的好处。它为普通阶层在较好的地点保留了可负担的房源。毕竟,就算城市更新了,穷人并没有消失。他们只是挪到另一个地方,继续脏乱差。他们可能要住在远郊,交通费用和通勤时间都会更高,并且缺乏城市里的绵密的社区和服务网络。再者,在市区,他们还可能和中产划在同一个学区,多多少少还有点好处。到郊区去以后,有可能全部是低收入家庭的孩子,学校会很差。随之而来的社会问题会更麻烦。

    需要注意的是,这些法律并不是帮助所有的穷人。它帮助的是已经生活在那里的居民,而不是新居民。新居民不能享受几十年前不变的租金。再者,因为土地法律压制了新房建设,导致房源少,租金贵。 对刚起步的人来说,反而困难更大。现在美国的年轻人诟病的一大问题就是买房难。一个重要原因就是各个阶层为了自己的利益,把土地使用法当成武器,客观上抑制的房屋建设。特别缺乏的是start up homes:适合起步家庭的中小型独门独户房屋。

    结语

    美国的城市又老,又旧,又破。 这是美国人民搞的。他们是渐进的,保守的。他们把参与程度和日新月异的速度搞成了是成反比的。参与得越多,变化得越慢。在城市这座舞台上,各阶层、各种族进行着经济地缘博弈。参与度和经济地位有关。积极的总是少数,但他们的影响力却被放大了。大部分普通人根本不关心这些事情。哪怕是在美国长大的人,不知道也不奇怪。如果更多的人有这个意识,事情是可以改观的。有读者会问,笔者呈现出这么一个自私自利的美国社会。可是,这也可以反过来理解。土地规划系统能够持续到今天,其实也是因为大部分人带着善意。不是所有的问题都是处心积虑造成的。而是复杂系统综合作用的结果。 他们可以远比现在毫无底线,麻木不仁。如果是那样,这个系统早就崩塌了。

    近年来,人们要改变现状的呼声越来越高。各大城市都在逐步松绑土地使用法。成功的例子不少。一旦松绑,老厂房就开发成condo,底商逐渐出现,基础设施终于更新。 周围的居民意识到,有更多的路人,有更多双眼睛,可能更安全。有street life,显得生机勃勃。新上任的纽约市长Mamdani推出了解决中低收入住房问题的一系列举措。要让不同收入档次的居民居住在同一个城区。要增加房源,增加人们需要的房屋类型。要更高效的利用现有的交通基础设施。无论是什么政策,最后都是有利有弊的。不同的地方搞不同的实验,让大家看看效果如何,必然会促进人们反思和自由的选择。

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