Under the command of Generaloberst Erich von Manstein, Hitler’s armies prepared for what would be the final assault on the great fortress city of Sevastopol, belief in their destiny as humanity’s superior race meant ultimate victory was their due. What neither he, nor Hitler knew, was that this would be the Nazis last great victorious battle… — “The two outstanding characteristics of the German mind since the (First World) war have been, first, a sense of national grievance, and second, a declining faith among all classes in liberal capitalism. National Socialism fused the two in the conception of Germany as a “coolie” nation, exploited like any colony…

Under the command of Generaloberst Erich von Manstein, Hitler’s armies prepared for what would be the final assault on the great fortress city of Sevastopol, belief in their destiny as humanity’s superior race meant ultimate victory was their due. What neither he, nor Hitler knew, was that this would be the Nazis last great victorious battle… — “At some point we reached the suburbs of a city and the further we went, the greater the destruction. I have never seen such chaos in my life. No stone was left un-turned. Sevastopol was completely destroyed, only smoking ruins, almost apocalyptic. I was horrified. …

Under the command of Generaloberst Erich von Manstein, Hitler’s armies prepared for what would be the final assault on the great fortress city of Sevastopol, whilst Hitler himself held court at the Berghof in an ebullient mood, convinced his conquest of the Soviet Union was all but done… — “We stand in this phase of the struggle, which is of exceptional importance for the war and for the Eastern campaign. The whole world looks at the troops of Stalingrad and besides, the quick and victorious conclusion of the battle with the reaching of the Volga also means a conclusion…

von Manstein’s tactical genius in suppressing the Soviet counter-offensives & then taking the Kerch peninsula against the odds was breathtaking…but Sevastopol still lay ahead. — “The Winter battle in Russia is approaching its end,” he said mistakenly. “Through the unequalled courage and self-sacrificing devotion of soldiers to the Eastern front, a defensive success of the greatest scale has been achieved for German arms. The enemy has suffered the severest losses in men and matériel. …

The rise & decline in the relative power of nations can lead to war, but it can also be averted with the careful application of strategic power & diplomacy by rivals. As birth rates & populations fall across the developed world, will leaders strike while they still can, or will they recede in the face of deterrents? — “…in matters of state, he who has the power often has the right and he who is weak can only with difficulty keep from doing wrong in the opinion of the majority of the world.”

Rapidly aging populations & decreasing numbers of potential military combatants creates complex security concerns that can affect global power shifts. How can nations combat this, or is the urge to react militarily overwhelming? — “…perhaps, we should recalibrate our expectation of the relationship between aging and national security. …

The value of truth & facts are being diminished by subjective value judgements based not on data, but on opinion, and this is weakening liberal democracies everywhere. Combined with demographic crises, disruptive narratives are being used to peddle false freedoms that serve only to undermine the very thing they say they are protecting. — “In a sense, (demography) is life — its beginning and its ending. Population must be understood alongside other causal factors such as technological innovation, economic progress and changing beliefs and ideologies, but population does explain a great deal.”

All across the West supply chains are breaking down, in large part for a lack of truck drivers, & yet there is a ready solution at hand. Why not turn the issue of immigration from one defined by negativity into a vote winning strategy, & in the process reverse declining demographic trends, renovate supply chains & improve the economy, & that’s just for starters? — “Demographics offers a clue to the geopolitical world of the future — and how Washington should prepare for it. To maintain the United States’ edge, American leaders must take steps to slow or reverse the negative demographic trends now eating away at the foundations of U.S. power.”

Governments ignore demographic trends at their peril. Very few factors exert such strong influences on great power competition like changes in the size, capabilities & make-up of a nations population. Right-wing nationalist narratives are leveraging psychological factors including conservative predispositions to maximise their arguments for short-term gain over long-term stability. — “…//…many political scientists and psychologists have argued against the notion that (an) individuals issue positions passively track their liberal–conservative ‘’team’’ preference. Instead, these researchers suggest that individuals are psychologically prepared (by their genes, childhood experiences, personality characteristics, positions in society, etc.) to adopt some policy positions more easily than others.”