Your excellent posts reflect on the past while making us see a present and future reality that generally has forgotten what can be learned or achieved based on our history, culture, and humanity. 🙏🏼 Ahmed
Great article, leaves me laughing at Donald J. for being so wrong on Reagan, but also wondering how his present-day admirers don’t get it. Failure to learn from history, etc.
Also wondering why no one is calling out the Trumpster on his attempt to shake down NATO by not coming to the defence of countries failing to achieve 2% defence spending: all the “front line” states (I prefer to style them “Article 5 trip wires”) who would be the first to be invaded — the Baltic states and Poland — now are well above that 2% threshold,and so Donald J. presumably would be beholden to defending them (unless of course he’s a naked liar). The one *exception* alas is Canada, whose northern border across the Arctic Ocean we share with Russia. Eat that Justin.
Thinking of the Huawei situation where trump leveraged international law to have Canada arrest Meng Wenzhou. We paid with the two Michael’s. Still makes my blood boil.
You’ve articulated my thoughts exactly with this article. I believe trump sees the US as an extension of himself so if elected, the Great Narcissist will make America as selfish as he is himself. I foresee him bullying other nations to bend to his will with threats to withhold or force a favour, like he did with Zelensky and Ukraine. I’m also afraid that many countries won’t be able to say no, because the US often has the upper hand. And he loves to make people beg. I can only hope other western countries can band together to tip the power differential such that trump is at a disadvantage. I’m not sure, though.
Not a Trump supporter. The organized crime syndicates include those national and international institutions that have “kept order” by dominating the less powerful.
Yes this is a jewel of an article. But, I fear, you are whistling in the dark. No one listens that disagrees. No one listens that thinks they have the simple answer to all. Those people are only listening to that which supports their crazy far right views. There is no true thought or debate. I have a friend who listens to Fox News all day everyday and I don’t let her talk politics to me but when she does all of that propaganda comes pouring out like it has some divine truth.
Your article is great and would make anyone with an ounce of open mindedness look at the truth.
Blame Trump for what? The corrupt UN, EU, NATO? Endless wars to support the industrial war complex? Censorship that protects the corruption that is the FBI, CIA, and your justice systemThe world is laughing at America and it isn’t because of Trump.
Also, on the world "laughing at" the United States, you have the reality exactly backwards: Minus Trump, the world is generally positive toward the United States. Make him president and American standing plunges. That's not me projecting my feelings onto "the world." It's what every good public opinion survey shows. For example: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/06/22/international-public-opinion-of-the-u-s-remains-positive/
Are you a Trump supporter? His supporters have an unfortunate tendency to ignore what is right in front of them and look only at things they want to. (And they tend to deflect Trump's faults onto others -- like being angry about alleged corruption while supporting the most corrupt man to ever run for office in American history.) There are real problems among those you identified but they have nothing to do with my short and clear column. My column is about the international systems of security and trade alliances the United States created after the Second World War and which has been the foundation of the post-war international order ever since. Trump doesn't understand any of it and his alternative would destroy that system and replace it with a competition among the powerful to dominate the less-powerful -- a little like a New York run by competing Mafia families. If you want to avoid war and injustice, you should be terrified of that. And pushing us closer to that world is what I blame Trump for.
Tom Friedman in the New York Times today: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/20/opinion/ukraine-trump-republicans.html
This is a jewel of an article.
Your excellent posts reflect on the past while making us see a present and future reality that generally has forgotten what can be learned or achieved based on our history, culture, and humanity. 🙏🏼 Ahmed
Very kind, Ahmed. Thank you. Dan
Great article, leaves me laughing at Donald J. for being so wrong on Reagan, but also wondering how his present-day admirers don’t get it. Failure to learn from history, etc.
Also wondering why no one is calling out the Trumpster on his attempt to shake down NATO by not coming to the defence of countries failing to achieve 2% defence spending: all the “front line” states (I prefer to style them “Article 5 trip wires”) who would be the first to be invaded — the Baltic states and Poland — now are well above that 2% threshold,and so Donald J. presumably would be beholden to defending them (unless of course he’s a naked liar). The one *exception* alas is Canada, whose northern border across the Arctic Ocean we share with Russia. Eat that Justin.
Yeah, I wonder how many Americans even realized their once-and-maybe-future president was bragging that would "encourage" Russia to invade Canada.
Thinking of the Huawei situation where trump leveraged international law to have Canada arrest Meng Wenzhou. We paid with the two Michael’s. Still makes my blood boil.
You’ve articulated my thoughts exactly with this article. I believe trump sees the US as an extension of himself so if elected, the Great Narcissist will make America as selfish as he is himself. I foresee him bullying other nations to bend to his will with threats to withhold or force a favour, like he did with Zelensky and Ukraine. I’m also afraid that many countries won’t be able to say no, because the US often has the upper hand. And he loves to make people beg. I can only hope other western countries can band together to tip the power differential such that trump is at a disadvantage. I’m not sure, though.
Not a Trump supporter. The organized crime syndicates include those national and international institutions that have “kept order” by dominating the less powerful.
Yes this is a jewel of an article. But, I fear, you are whistling in the dark. No one listens that disagrees. No one listens that thinks they have the simple answer to all. Those people are only listening to that which supports their crazy far right views. There is no true thought or debate. I have a friend who listens to Fox News all day everyday and I don’t let her talk politics to me but when she does all of that propaganda comes pouring out like it has some divine truth.
Your article is great and would make anyone with an ounce of open mindedness look at the truth.
Thanks, Jim. Sadly, I share your lack of faith in rational discussion at this point. I mostly write here as a form of therapy.
That’s beautiful. I am prejudiced in favor of rational and thinking people. I just shared some of your therapy.
Blame Trump for what? The corrupt UN, EU, NATO? Endless wars to support the industrial war complex? Censorship that protects the corruption that is the FBI, CIA, and your justice systemThe world is laughing at America and it isn’t because of Trump.
Incidentally, "your justice system"? I'm Canadian.
Also, on the world "laughing at" the United States, you have the reality exactly backwards: Minus Trump, the world is generally positive toward the United States. Make him president and American standing plunges. That's not me projecting my feelings onto "the world." It's what every good public opinion survey shows. For example: https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2022/06/22/international-public-opinion-of-the-u-s-remains-positive/
Are you a Trump supporter? His supporters have an unfortunate tendency to ignore what is right in front of them and look only at things they want to. (And they tend to deflect Trump's faults onto others -- like being angry about alleged corruption while supporting the most corrupt man to ever run for office in American history.) There are real problems among those you identified but they have nothing to do with my short and clear column. My column is about the international systems of security and trade alliances the United States created after the Second World War and which has been the foundation of the post-war international order ever since. Trump doesn't understand any of it and his alternative would destroy that system and replace it with a competition among the powerful to dominate the less-powerful -- a little like a New York run by competing Mafia families. If you want to avoid war and injustice, you should be terrified of that. And pushing us closer to that world is what I blame Trump for.
That was such a refreshing read, why do I feel better?
How strong was Trump’s connection to organized crime?