Discouraging stuff. Seeds sown in pettiness by one generation will be reaped by destruction in the next.
A key to America's prosperity is that we have not shared a border with an adversary for over 200 years. This madness is not just pissing off a (literally) close ally, it's making a foundation for future unresolved conflicts.
This administration does not understand history, and takes peace for granted.
> Trump has an incredible track record of deal making, his entire career is built off rubbing shoulders and negotiating and making deals.
Certainly he makes a lot more deals than me. He also ends up with bankrupt companies and defaulting on payments a lot more often than me.
I've lived through a County bankruptcy [1], and I would rather not deal with a federal bankruptcy because someone wanted to make a deal, without worrying about the long term consequences.
Doing big impactful things is hard, of course he’s failed here and there. On balance, it’s made him a billionaire.
His successes minus his failures still far and away surpass your abilities in this area (deal making). Any argument that rests on “Donald Trump is not doing a good job at negotiating here” is suspect by default
> - Do we want China or Russia or America to most shape the global order? Those are the choices
As things stand now it won't be Russia, they've gotten themselves into a mess in Ukraine that's significantly draining their economic and military resources.
Between China and the US, China is not the one currently burning bridges around the globe. US hegemony relied on mostly positive relations and power projection (both soft and hard). Scrapping our soft power and trading it for a bigger stick that's also being threatened with dismantling is unlikely to help the US retain its hegemony. Not to mention the military is an expensive stick and the cuts to revenue will result in even bigger deficits if it's maintained at its current level.
Over 200 years is a bit overstating. The Pig war of 1859 [1] is less than 200 years ago (and sure, relatively minor). The Mexican American War of 1846-1848 [2] was much more significant and also less than 200 years ago.
But since those times, lots of peace and goodwill with our neighbors, which is condusive to prosperity.
> A key to America's prosperity is that we have not shared a border with an adversary for over 200 years.
That's simply not true, as the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, the various border conflicts with Mexican forces and factions during the Mexican revolution, etc.
Also, the conflicts with Britain (which includes Canada) through mid-19th Century (particular flashpoints including the Pig War. Aroostock War, and Trent Affair.)
I am stretching a bit with 200 years, and my point also brushes away a lot of tribal conflicts that came about from Manifest Destiny and the Civil War itself.
But the key point here is that some US leaders clearly understood it as a principle pretty early on even if they struggled to enact it at first.
Unconfirmed reports have Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom considering dropping the United States from the five eyes, and inviting the EU in its place.
The putative reason is that they are concerned about the shared information being used by Mr Trump in a manner harmful to the other countries.
In addition, Mr Trump has proposed that the five eyes expel Canada, because of their current economic disagreements. That doesn't sit well with anyone (:-))
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[ 2.9 ms ] story [ 57.6 ms ] threadA key to America's prosperity is that we have not shared a border with an adversary for over 200 years. This madness is not just pissing off a (literally) close ally, it's making a foundation for future unresolved conflicts.
This administration does not understand history, and takes peace for granted.
Global stability, peace, preserving what's left of America's affable reputation...
these things certainly are important to me, but maybe not to them.
Certainly he makes a lot more deals than me. He also ends up with bankrupt companies and defaulting on payments a lot more often than me.
I've lived through a County bankruptcy [1], and I would rather not deal with a federal bankruptcy because someone wanted to make a deal, without worrying about the long term consequences.
[1] https://www.ocregister.com/2019/12/06/heres-how-orange-count...
His successes minus his failures still far and away surpass your abilities in this area (deal making). Any argument that rests on “Donald Trump is not doing a good job at negotiating here” is suspect by default
As things stand now it won't be Russia, they've gotten themselves into a mess in Ukraine that's significantly draining their economic and military resources.
Between China and the US, China is not the one currently burning bridges around the globe. US hegemony relied on mostly positive relations and power projection (both soft and hard). Scrapping our soft power and trading it for a bigger stick that's also being threatened with dismantling is unlikely to help the US retain its hegemony. Not to mention the military is an expensive stick and the cuts to revenue will result in even bigger deficits if it's maintained at its current level.
Regardless, it would be indefensible as a negotiating tactic. We're not cavemen.
But since those times, lots of peace and goodwill with our neighbors, which is condusive to prosperity.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859)
[2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican%E2%80%93American_War
That's simply not true, as the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, the various border conflicts with Mexican forces and factions during the Mexican revolution, etc.
Also, the conflicts with Britain (which includes Canada) through mid-19th Century (particular flashpoints including the Pig War. Aroostock War, and Trent Affair.)
But the key point here is that some US leaders clearly understood it as a principle pretty early on even if they struggled to enact it at first.
The putative reason is that they are concerned about the shared information being used by Mr Trump in a manner harmful to the other countries.
In addition, Mr Trump has proposed that the five eyes expel Canada, because of their current economic disagreements. That doesn't sit well with anyone (:-))
It wouldn't be quite as good as annexing all of Canada, but I think that includes something like 90% of all Canadians.