The US will take Canada and Greenland, continue to undermine Central and S. America, and head into increased global warming alone.

So full on MAGA, I’m not seeing it. But I’m not in America.
I can give arguments for why that isn’t going to happen, but it might do all the same and you sound convinced anyway. Or maybe you are just saying these things, so you don’t get singled out and pushed up against the wall when it happens.

So full on MAGA, — Punshhh

Not me. I think I'm just tuned into abiding elements of American culture.

Yes, I realise that, your just telling the way you see it playing out. I hope you’re wrong.
I won’t be coming to visit any time soon, now that they are saying they require all your social media account details when filling out the U.K. citizen visa waver form.

What is truth? — frank

True and false are properties of statements.
If you're looking for truth, then you go for the true ones.

I'd imagine they'd prefer to look toward Germany and maybe BRICS countries for regional community. — frank

Europeans prefer Germany and BRICS?
That's doubtful (to put it mildly).
How have you come to that conclusion?

The Clown has much weight to throw around, yet something rings true here:

Trump Broke America — Canada, Japan & EU Are Building the Future Without It | George Will
^{— George Will Insights · Dec 16, 2025 · 20m:34s}

Japanese and other interests are broader, but the talk could easily get longer than 20 minutes.

An odd observation is that American voters appear to have chosen this path deliberately and obliviously; it doesn't help them in the longer term, especially those who are not well-off.

An odd observation is that American voters appear to have chosen this path deliberately and obliviously; it doesn't help them in the longer term, especially those who are not well-off. — jorndoe

Many Americans don't understand that their present prosperity exists because of the vast alliance networks the US has been able to create, which has made the country into a Superpower. And many believe the total opposite, which Trump promotes, that the alliance structure is a burden to them. Which is nuts, but anyway, when people are ignorant, they can believe anything.

The US is an oddity in that most countries in its position would demand tribute.

?

You don't notice that the real tribute is the dollar being the reserve currency and your government having this "perpetual" credit of taking on enormous amounts of debt? That is the tribute system that has made you so wealthy and capable of spending so much on the military!

But notice the important aspect of this: this arrangement has been fruitful and reasonable for the allies of the US and they have been OK with this.

Other Great Powers countries, like Russia/Soviet Union, don't have and never had such alliances like the US has. Russia has now basically North Korea and a lukewarm yet difficult China. And China? Basically Pakistan, because of India. (Which shows just how warm the relations are between BRIC-countries.)

Bullying just goes so far, you know. And this is one of those issues that people don't get: sovereign European countries chose voluntarily to be in the US lead security structure. Once the Soviet empire collapsed, those former "allies" rushed away from Russia. And for a reason, as it should be obvious to everybody!

And what Trump and other American politicians never will say that it's the US itself that has wanted Europe to be dependent on the US. Because there's always "Strategic Autonomy", which you should note when European leaders talk. It's something that the US has been against.

Hence you can look at it from this angle: Why are European countries really trying to get to that 5% defense expenditure so eagerly? Because the US has transformed to be a very untrustworthy ally. That 5% defense expenditure will establish deterrence if the pro-Kremlin stooge in White House wants to shatter the Atlantic alliance.

But then comes the real question: without the US being the defender of Western institutions and the primary member and leader in it's alliances, why would dollar be the reserve currency anymore? Remember that we didn't get Bancor, we got the Bretton Woods system and after the default by Nixon, the petro-dollar system was too based on defense pact with Saudi-Arabia also. Not based on economics. There's absolutely no other real reason for other countries somehow deciding that the US dollar should be a reserve currency. The logical solution would have a basket of currencies, where the US dollar is the biggest currency (but not the sole currency).

Why are European countries really trying to get to that 5% defense expenditure so eagerly? Because the US has transformed to be a very untrustworthy ally. — ssu

One of these days you're going to finally get that this a concern for you, not Americans.

There's absolutely no other real reason for other countries somehow deciding that the US dollar should be a reserve currency. The logical solution would have a basket of currencies, where the US dollar is the biggest currency (but not the sole currency). — ssu

There's nothing stopping the world from doing this. The trick will be to do it without causing a run on the dollar. :grin: