I appreciate the various early comments here making the point that Trump did not inherit an outstanding US foreign policy reputation. I couldn't agree more, and added that important acknowledgement to the fourth paragraph. (I occasionally make a tweak in the initial hours after posting an article, which is one reason why I encourage subscribers to click the title in their emails and read the articles here at StarkRealities.net or on the Substack app)
Thank you for the discourse and for being my fellow "Stark Realists"!
Good article, and quite true. In Canada, we now know we cannot rely on agreements made with the United States government. This has been a significant change for us. In the 1920's, Canadians and Americans could freely move and live in either country. Our family history had folks in California and Ontario and Michigan and Alberta. We were all in the same boat. In World Wars One and Two, were were hard-core allies. Something like 5000 Canadian kids joined up with USA, and fought in Vietnam. The original NAFTA trade deal was wildly beneficial for both nations.
But what Trump and his people have done, has destroyed a very long tradition of active partnership and trust. His imperial ambitions appear to be absurdly threatening to existing allies, and the news we read from America seems almost insane. We read about major Law Firms "bending the knee". Such reports seem grotesque and deeply un-American. In Canada, when we "bend the knee", it is to steady up a scope-sighted hunting rifle, to get a clean, accurate kill shot.
Trump's threats against Canada, have provoked profound revulsion and anger among many people here. And for what gain? What does this person hope to achieve by this curious and unwise behaviour? What we suspect will happen, is an inceasing level of both costs and risks for America and the American people. This man, and his war-seeking supporters, will bring harm and tragedy to USA, and North America, which need not have happened, and could easily been avoided.
Over 80 years of the "Same Old Shit". This is not unique to Trump, even though his actions are particularly hamfisted and spectacularly inept. This behavior transcends administrations and political parties. Re: VIETNAM
Thanks for the excellent review of America’s duplicity when it comes to negotiating agreements. As for going forward, I was struck by this sentence: “And don’t think for a moment that Democrats are immune to following unhealthy presidential precedents, whatever their commentary may be when those precedents are set by a Republican.”
Certainly no better example of this was Biden’s complete failure to make any serious effort to reinstate the JCPOA—painstakingly negotiated by his former boss, Obama—during his term in office, as he let stand Trump’s abrogation of the agreement. Same can be said of Obama’s reinstatement of relations with Cuba which Trump tore up during his first term. Biden, again, made no effort to reverse Trump’s reversal of this Obama achievement, one of only two positive foreign policy achievements under Obama, the other being the JCPOA. Apparently Biden was too busy provoking Russia in Ukraine and lending his full backing and support to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Great insights, Chris. I had quite the slow-burning exasperation as I watched the Biden years drag on without any real effort to reverse Trump's JCPOA withdrawal, defying Candidate Biden's declaration that "we urgently need to change course" with Iran, and his assurance that he would rejoin the JCPOA if Iran returned to compliance.
Sorry, gentlemen, but I think the world started waking up to American military screw-ups which damaged its phony reputation as the democratic peace maker, was Vietnam.
I know that it was basically the 2003 Iraq war and the dishonesty surrounding it that began to get me on the path to questioning US / western foreign policy.
I appreciate the various early comments here making the point that Trump did not inherit an outstanding US foreign policy reputation. I couldn't agree more, and added that important acknowledgement to the fourth paragraph. (I occasionally make a tweak in the initial hours after posting an article, which is one reason why I encourage subscribers to click the title in their emails and read the articles here at StarkRealities.net or on the Substack app)
Thank you for the discourse and for being my fellow "Stark Realists"!
Good article, and quite true. In Canada, we now know we cannot rely on agreements made with the United States government. This has been a significant change for us. In the 1920's, Canadians and Americans could freely move and live in either country. Our family history had folks in California and Ontario and Michigan and Alberta. We were all in the same boat. In World Wars One and Two, were were hard-core allies. Something like 5000 Canadian kids joined up with USA, and fought in Vietnam. The original NAFTA trade deal was wildly beneficial for both nations.
But what Trump and his people have done, has destroyed a very long tradition of active partnership and trust. His imperial ambitions appear to be absurdly threatening to existing allies, and the news we read from America seems almost insane. We read about major Law Firms "bending the knee". Such reports seem grotesque and deeply un-American. In Canada, when we "bend the knee", it is to steady up a scope-sighted hunting rifle, to get a clean, accurate kill shot.
Trump's threats against Canada, have provoked profound revulsion and anger among many people here. And for what gain? What does this person hope to achieve by this curious and unwise behaviour? What we suspect will happen, is an inceasing level of both costs and risks for America and the American people. This man, and his war-seeking supporters, will bring harm and tragedy to USA, and North America, which need not have happened, and could easily been avoided.
- RF
The US is getting its ass kicked
Over 80 years of the "Same Old Shit". This is not unique to Trump, even though his actions are particularly hamfisted and spectacularly inept. This behavior transcends administrations and political parties. Re: VIETNAM
Thanks for the excellent review of America’s duplicity when it comes to negotiating agreements. As for going forward, I was struck by this sentence: “And don’t think for a moment that Democrats are immune to following unhealthy presidential precedents, whatever their commentary may be when those precedents are set by a Republican.”
Certainly no better example of this was Biden’s complete failure to make any serious effort to reinstate the JCPOA—painstakingly negotiated by his former boss, Obama—during his term in office, as he let stand Trump’s abrogation of the agreement. Same can be said of Obama’s reinstatement of relations with Cuba which Trump tore up during his first term. Biden, again, made no effort to reverse Trump’s reversal of this Obama achievement, one of only two positive foreign policy achievements under Obama, the other being the JCPOA. Apparently Biden was too busy provoking Russia in Ukraine and lending his full backing and support to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
Great insights, Chris. I had quite the slow-burning exasperation as I watched the Biden years drag on without any real effort to reverse Trump's JCPOA withdrawal, defying Candidate Biden's declaration that "we urgently need to change course" with Iran, and his assurance that he would rejoin the JCPOA if Iran returned to compliance.
Sorry, gentlemen, but I think the world started waking up to American military screw-ups which damaged its phony reputation as the democratic peace maker, was Vietnam.
upvoted simply for the title but the significant destruction of our global reputation probably started a couple of decades ago.
I know that it was basically the 2003 Iraq war and the dishonesty surrounding it that began to get me on the path to questioning US / western foreign policy.
Without a doubt