countries I have in mind are most of the EU, east Asian and south American multiparty democracies, our neighbors Canada and Mexico.
As I see it, these countries share with the US more than with other countries, like African, central Asian or south Asian countries, where liberal democracy and its practice only exists on paper. Up to now, we shared common values like the rule of law, free markets, freedom of the press, political liberalism, atlanticism for our security, our trust in science, institutions and facts… The US was an ally, an indispensable one you might add, even a benign one in some circles.
Now this ally has turned to a bully in an incredibly short period of time: in less than a week trump has started bullying Denmark so they sell Greenland to the US, threatened about taking the Panama channel back, also threatened most of America’s trade partners with tariffs if they don’t do what he wants, pausing aid to Ukraine, in effect condemning that country to be absorbed by Russia within the next 2 years, he even wants an American flag on Mars… what for?
I don’t see why he thinks our trade partners wont also raise their tariffs to our stuff if we do so. What I also don’t understand is why he blames the victim (Ukraine) and cozies up to putin. Not even Reagan would have done something like that.
Autocrats in the world are sure having a good time watching our disunity work to their favor.
I wonder what’s going to replace the post WW2 and post cold war order, now that liberal democracy is being so successfully attacked from the maga right and people trust more what they read on their ecochamber than what centrist, established media report (I’m not saying that the Washington Post, NPR or the LA Times are neutral, but are more neutral that fox ‘news’ or 'news’max).
Pretty sure he’ll “negotiate” and likely push through a peace treaty where the new border is the combat line (in Ukraine, Russia loses nothing), and Ukraine is forced into neutrality (such a pretty word for always walking a metaphorical tightrope, have R interfere with your election/election results, not daring to voice your own opinions in the UN or otherwise on the global arena… and of course no trade deals with the EU).
And he’ll tout it as a massive victory and compromise, when actually R got everything they really wanted. If Ukraine doesn’t go along, then they become “stubborn, hateful warmongers” or the like.
Trump and general Keith Kellogg are seem to be saying all the right things in terms of long term piece. I suspect Putin will get the land and Ukraine gets NATO membership.
Ukraine giving up sovereignty is not up the to US. Putler needs to fuck right out of Ukraine. Then peace, then NATO
Fingers crossed, that would make me very happy. Land loss hurts way less than decades of finlandization.
Would have to be a -very- quick process, every day of negotiations would be a massive danger to them, and based on how it went with Finland and Sweden I’m sceptical of that too. And of course US commitments to defend EU Nato members, based on political whims.
It’s not just “land loss” all those people, their homes and families and lives need to move, or be anexed into fascist russia? No trump would need to tell putin to go back to pre 2012 borders and fuck right off.
You’re talking to a Finn whose grandparents on both sides lost their homes to stalinist USSR. A sapling of a plant they brought with them grows in my yard. I’ve visited the locations and met the new inhabitants (normal people). Trust me, I know land loss sucks. War also sucks, and much as I hate realpolitik… sometimes there’s realpolitik. Of course in the end it’s up to the Ukrainians how long and for what they are willing to fight, with access to whatever aid (hopefully more) they have.
The Finns didn’t have the backing of the international community who are largely not at war. I am truly sorry for what your grandparents went through, war is horrible. But if russia is appeased, they will re arm and do it again.