Indeed. The only viable strategy for democratic nations right now is to work around the US. Withhold intelligence, reconfigure trade agreements among themselves, shutting the US out whenever possible, exclude the Trump regime from discussions, negotiations and diplomatic endeavours. It won't be easy... but it may not have to be carried on for too long: once the Trumpites are kicked out, relations can resume. — Vera Mont

This actually is the reality. How you kick out the MAGA lunatics will be the question, because as you can see the Trump recession is already here, even if Trump is waivering with the tariff-destruction. WIll it happen through elections, demonstrations, a revolution or civil war. Because with Trump those last horrible scenarios aren't just imagination for Hollywood-movies, but theoretically totally possible outcomes.

Perhaps the way here is just to keep the door open for the US to join it's allies once this mental breakdown called the Trump administration is over. Perhaps how France under DeGaulle went away from the alliance in the 1960's to join later back would give us an example of how to deal with the Trumpian tantrum.

Unfortunately I think it won't go so diplomatically. Once Trump really understands what is happening, it's not only Denmark that will be badmouthed to the MAGA crowd. And naturally Russia as the enemy of the US will try it's best to make the rift even bigger.

This is the most irritating fact with these "experts", when they leave totally away the naked imperialist ambitions out, because that is the basic reason just why these countries insisted in joining NATO. The narrative of the US just going and picking on Russia is biased and simply wrong.

In fact the real criticism against NATO shouldn't have been the typical anti-Americanism, but the fact that the US had seem to lost the reasoning just why NATO was so successful, because European countries genuinely loved it. Comparing to CENTO and SEATO, nothing of the kind of synergy happened between members states in those historical treaty organizations. Above all, the success in creating a team from independent nations is the true accomplishment in NATO.

As we have this incredible situation where the US president is in love with Putin and has become the enabler of Russian aggression and is ruining the position of the United States, we clearly see what the result is. Once the US leaves, then the need for a new security system is evident.

Now some argue that Russia isn't a threat to Europe because it hasn't been able to defeat Ukraine. Well, earlier the same people were saying was that Russia couldn't fight itself out of a brown paper bag when it didn't achieve success in the first Chechen war. And now with the American president supporting Russia, Russia is really an existential threat to Europe. With the actions that Trump has now taken, I wouldn't be surprised if Trump would start limit European weapon deliveries to Ukraine.

And we see the outcome here: Europeans will make an effort to defense. Even if it's not declared by everybody, the French idea of strategic autonomy has finally won. People are in denial if they think that the Trump administration can be trusted to fall in line if a NATO member feels threatened and calls for article 5. Only few years earlier this was a pipe dream, but thanks to Trump, it isn't.

Just as by invading Ukraine in 2022, Putin put Finland and Sweden to join NATO, now in 2025 Trump's actions have put the European NATO members plus Canada to think about a world without the US seriously. The question is, that once Europe does get it's act together, why would then afterwards listen to the whims and the rants of the US president later.

Trump being totally ignorant of Article 5 having already been implemented. And they did come to fight in Afghanistan. Eagerly, actually, to show the support for the US. In fact, when Biden bugged out of Afghanistan, there were far more NATO troops in Afghanistan than US forces.



Perhaps Trump is hinting that he will "walk away from NATO as they don't pay" as nobody is paying the 5% of GDP, including the US. Or actually I think a Baltic country is already paying so much and Poland will likely spend on defense soon as much. But of course reality or the facts don't matter. It's a figleaf like the absurd Fentanol-line was for the Canadian tariffs.

I think that Trump will do what Elon and Vladimir Putin will want: He will walk away from NATO because "they don't pay".

Never have I seen a nation dismantling itself as now. And even if the tariffs are ended, the instability and the uncertainty will create the Trump recession. And in the end there will be the Constitutional crisis.

I think the outcome is that the US can possibly even have it's own second revolution... or civil war. This guy isn't Ceaser. He really is more like Nero. An entertainment guy also.

Yep. Those are the attitudes of the present. And I'm sure that Claude Malhuret and the Canadian politicians aren't going to be alone with their truthful and realistic views on Trump.

I haven't come across any examples of Trump criticizing Putin. Anyone? — jorndoe

Never.

I'm not claiming that it is our fault exclusively, I'm only claiming that it isn't Russia's fault exclusively... — ChatteringMonkey

I've always accepted that NATO enlargement has been one genuine reason. I've myself pointed out that in their military doctrine they stated NATO enlargement as their biggest threat. However

The fact is that NATO membership has to be accepted by all member states. Just look at how difficult it was for Sweden to get in to NATO. Several member states even now are against Ukraine being a partner. This is something extremely important to understand, just as that prior to 2014, there had been all the "reset" attempts even after the Russo-Georgian war.

Above all, the large military exercises on the Ukrainian border were enough for Germany to promise that Ukraine wouldn't be a NATO member. So if this would have been just about NATO membership, a show of force would have done it. But did Putin fine with this? Of course not! Because it wasn't just about NATO membership.

No, he went to demand NATO that Russia would have to have a veto on any new members. And btw. have to withdraw from the new member states. NATO couldn't go against it's own charter. And this shows that Putin didn't have in mind just stopping NATO enlargement. In fact, when Russia demanded this veto, that was the time when Finland understood that NATO membership couldn't anymore be just an option. Putin really wanted to take Ukraine back, because he assumed that Ukraine was as ripe for an easy picking as it had been in 2014 and the US and NATO wouldn't do much, as they had just given Afghanistan to the Taleban (with both Trump and Biden being culprits for the Afghan catastrophe).

it is the relation, the dynamic between to two, that got us to where we are. — ChatteringMonkey

Please, do not forget my country and Poland and Sweden and Lithuania and... the goddam 30 countries or so involved in this!

This isn't just the US and Russia. Or EU and Russia. The whole NATO enlargement isn't just an action done by the US. The US and the West didn't think much about NATO enlargement. It was the little new member applicants themselves. They were themselves the ones pushing the US here. You have to stop looking at this from the old Cold War lense of there being just two Superpowers. You won't get the real picture if you just brush off other states here as being the stooges of either the US or Russia. That's not how the game goes. For starters, Ukraine itself is here an actor.

Just look at the war in Afghanistan. There the US was totally obsessed with Al Qaeda and later the Taleban and didn't care a shit about Pakistan. Well, Pakistan did care a lot about Afghanistan and the Taleban. And they played both the US and the Taleban and finally got their victory with the US leaving the place. This happens to the US when it doesn't give a fuck about anybody else.

The point of Thucydides trap is that it's not about how we view ourselves, but about how the rival percieves us. Sparta felt threathened by rising power Athens building a defensive wall... we expanded the EU and NATO, a defensive alliance. — ChatteringMonkey

When you whole society is basically a military, then all you see will be threats.

Still I would say that the example of a rising power is more China and the US, because China becoming an economic colossus caused the US to see it as a threat. Before it was Japan, which actually was an ally.

What you forget is that Russia isn't a normal country, it has imperial aspirations and will be because of them a real security threat to it's neighbors. In fact, an existential threat when you are next to Russia and have been part of the Soviet Union. Russia is not like UK that after losing the Empire after some brief colonial wars, then created a Commonwealth and is fine with losing it's imperial status and just holds on to the position of being an international banker. The British can laugh about losing their empire. Above all, the UK isn't calling Ireland and artificial country and demanding that all of the British Isles ought to be in the UK.

That's the goddam difference with Russia, what those with the "NATO-enlargement-made-Russia-to-do-it" obsession will not admit. Nope. ONLY thing is NATO enlargement and the US and actually Russia is hence the victim here.

To understand this one has to remember that for Putin the collapse of Russia was the greatest tragedy that had happened in world history. This isn't just some one off remark. Putin has repeated this:

"It was a disintegration of historical Russia under the name of the Soviet Union," Putin said of the 1991 breakup, in comments aired on Sunday as part of a documentary film called "Russia. New History", the RIA state news agency reported.

"We turned into a completely different country. And what had been built up over 1,000 years was largely lost," said Putin, saying 25 million Russian people in newly independent countries suddenly found themselves cut off from Russia, part of what he called "a major humanitarian tragedy".

Yes, Putin milks Russian fears of Europeans trying to invade Russia, because there was Napoleon and Hitler. Well, Napoleon or Hitler isn't running Europe. But that doesn't matter.

Threat of NATO gives a credible reason for the Russian reconquista of the former Empire and many in their anti-western self-criticism think that NATO enlargement is the only real reason. Yet Putin's Russia wouldn't have been a benign country that would have left the former Soviet states alone if there wouldn't have been a NATO. Only NATO has kept the tiny nations of NATO independent. Moldova is a prime example that for Russian imperialism, you don't need NATO. So without NATO, the Baltic States would already have been under the control of Putin for a long time.

Also the hawkish Bolton was among such analysts as much as part of Trump’s advisors in his first mandate: — neomac

Thanks for the references!

But do notice the difference here. One thing is to ask, especially behind closed doors, about something like this (as Bolton states). Another thing is to declare it openly, like Trump. Actually John Bolton explains it well:

And there are other possibilities that occurred to me: commonwealth status, like Puerto Rico. Joint condominium with Denmark. Independence but with a Compact of Free Association with the United States like Palau, Micronesia, and the Marshall Islands.

There are a lot of possibilities. But they never got anywhere, because Trump talked about everything publicly, and the whole thing blew up.

When actually many Greenlanders do want independence, and it's just 50 000 people, what Bolton here is actually saying something that Danes could perhaps accept without losing face.

Yet Trump wants to annex more territory into the US. His agenda is to increase the territory of the US to cover all of the North of the American continent with the large island next to it. And this is the proposed with a sublte manner of asking a man if his wife can be raped.

Trump seems to be reasoning along these lines: — neomac

OK, I do understand where you are going. And I'm just trying to say that this is absolutely loony.

Autocratic regimes of Russia and China aren't more prosperous than us. We do like our democracy and our justice state. We are willing to fight for it. The "populists" we have do abide with laws and parliamentarism and actually support Ukraine.

But let's go over these points you made:

* If Russia can make territorial claims over Ukraine and China can do the same with Taiwan, then the U.S. could claim territories like Greenland, Panama, or even Canada. — neomac

Yeah, but notice what has happened when Russia made those territorial gains and didn't achieve it's goals of conquering Ukraine in three weeks. Russia is an existential threat to Europe. As von der Leyen said: "A clear and present danger". And that's why Europe is uniting in a historic arms race to put nearly everything and the kitchen sink into defense. That's why countries like Canada, Norway, UK are joining up with EU states as the threat is obvious. This is basically the only way that you can get the 27 nations of the EU plus few that are only in NATO to unite. And once they have built up their defense, why would they then listen to anything that the bully US will say?

And do notice that China hasn't at least yet started military action against Taiwan.

Now, why the fuck would you want the same type of reaction against yourself? Really, nobody has answered here what is the reasoning behind alienating your allies and bowing down in front of your enemies? The only one's agenda that this serves is Russia, as it wants to destroy the power of the US.

As been said, Italy is a larger economy than Russia. Russia is approaching one million dead and wounded in this war and has lost huge quantities of equipment. Why is this country put then on a pedestal?

It's just absolutely crazy that when you use Occam's razors, you do end up with the whims of an old vindictive narcissist as the answer.

* * *
And anyway, if scolding and badmouthing Zelensky, demanding a huge minerals deal without giving any security guarantees, cutting all aid and intel is bad... Perhaps it could be even worse:



Yet perhaps a grain of salt should be used here. The US has a habit of trying to influence things in Ukraine, but it doesn't control them. This is where some swalloy the Russian propaganda too easily: the Ukrainian revolutions, which there have been many, haven't been some astro-turf events machinated by the US. They have been popular revolutions, where usually the US have tried to influence the events. And so will here too happen. Ukrainian resolve to defend their country isn't made up of just one man. And the other Ukrainian politicians mentioned here likely won't be puppets either.

Why did we let these guys put their military bases on our land? Time to do self-criticism. — javi2541997

Great Powers can have totally different policies in totally different regions and with different countries. This is why many have this problem especially with the US as it's actions in it's backyard, in Central America and then in Western Europe or with Israel has been quite different. And this is totally similar with Russia and China. Russia can be outright hostile and murderous in it's "Near abroad" like Ukraine and Georgia, yet it's likely very cordial and friendly to India or Brazil. And this is why many traditional leftists who have been against the US have been irritated of my views, if I have mentioned something positive of the previous actions of the US.

Unlike the Warsaw Pact, NATO was a voluntary defense treaty, not an instrument of subjugation. The Warsaw Pact did achieve it's mission in 1956 in Hungary and especially in 1968 in Czechoslovakia, which was most successful Soviet military operation since Operation Bagration in 1944. It genuinely were the former Warsaw pact states in Eastern Europe that wanted themselves NATO protection. They were the most active in this. And in the case of Sweden and Finland, there is no other reason than Putin himself. Hence the pro-Russian commentators never talk about Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

Above all, European countries really loved the system of keeping the Russians out, the US in and Germany lame.

What Americans true hubris is that these new "realpolitik" players that see Europe as weak as the EU is made up of 27 states and the largest of them, Germany, is a militarily tiny, is to see the continent as a liberal pushover. Because outside threat can make Europeans to come together, just like the Greek states came together with a unified threat of the Persian empire. For Europe, Putin is really a threat. If Trump goes to bed with Putin and does Putin's bidding, how would that logically change the situation? What is the threat now?

With Trump, it has changed. Just look at how the relationship has changed with Canada. It's really worth wile reading, and then reading again what Justin Trudeau, the exiting Canadian prime minister said:

Trudeau accused the US president of planning "a total collapse of the Canadian economy because that will make it easier to annex us".

"That is never going to happen. We will never be the 51st state," he told reporters on Tuesday.

"This is a time to hit back hard and to demonstrate that a fight with Canada will have no winners."

You think that is just "trade war rhetoric"? No, that above accusation you basically hurl at your enemy. Not a competitor, not an adversary, but to an enemy that threatens you. Only an enemy would have this kind of objective. And the way things are going, I think that in the future European politicians will start to sound like their Canadian counterparts.

That Trump has gone to the side of Russia, that JD Vance tells us that Russia isn't a threat to us, but some culture war issue "freedom of speach" is and Trump hints at possibly using force to get Greenland from Denmark have all crossed a line. Because the NATO members aren't Warsaw Pact members, so this has real consequences.

I understand why you Finns are worried; now Trump is fond of a threat to your nation. But let's not forget that he is also very friendly with Muhammad (the dictator of Morocco). What would happen if that mad lad decided to attack Ceuta and Melilla? Will Trump support him? Will Trump threaten Sanchez and Spain as he did with Zelensky and Ukraine? — javi2541997

This is our weak spot and this is why we seem to be so weak to Americans. Because even if I know Ceuta and Melilla, I'm sure that many Finns wouldn't know that these cities are in Africa. And there would be plenty of intellectuals that start talking about Spanish colonialism and the atrocities done in the Rif war.

We've already talked about the totally different security situation that European countries find themselves. I think the whims of the King of Morocco isn't your biggest threat, what if Morocco would collapse to have a civil war like Algeria or Syria? What if on the other side of the city limits (and the border zone) of Ceuta and Melilla you can see the flags of Islamic state of the Maghreb? Those people could declare of the divine mission to retake the lost lands of the Moors back.

The error here is to think that Finns would be indifferent if this happens. If the Finnish leadership tells us clearly just how the perilous the situation is for Spain, then there could be the response. It is simply a case of our leaders understanding that we are in the same boat and we cannot turn a blind eye to others security problems. That makes all security arrangement we have weak.

In the next decades, Europe has to think more about itself! — javi2541997

I would disagree.

The time is now. Or actually after last Friday week ago. And they are already thinking. Thanks to Trump, the World has changed already. The change is here and now.

Oh I saw it. The issue that this country saw the real threat of war in 2022. Now the rest of Europe has woken, those that simply didn't see it before.

Then in 2022 and before it actually wasn't Trump, even if he bragged about changing European attitudes towards defense spending and getting them finally to increase defense spending. Then it was Putin back then, first with the annexation of Crimea and then his assault and planned three week war against Ukraine. The era of Finlandization and the Post-war era for my country ended in February 2022. Then the people here demanded to apply for NATO membership and the politicians quickly responded with also dragging Sweden into NATO, which happened later after a long haggling with Turkey.

But now it was really, really Trump. The Trump-Putin axis has really sent shock waves around Europe and Canada. The US is playing the Kremlin's tunes. We understand just how the threat of large scale war is lurking quite near.

And if we are find out that Trump is really agent Krasnov or not, that doesn't matter so much anymore as the truth is as he is an asset for Russia and is literally pushing the agenda of Putin, things are now changing.

I think that the last weeks have now been a similar historical change as the United States, because you lose trust only once. And that just happened now. Americans, even the Trump administration, can try walk it back, it cannot be done. The US is now simply an unreliable ally. This can be seen from just how hollow it now sounds when Secretary of Defense Hegseth praises the British from his personal experience in Afghanistan. The utter destruction of the credibility of the US has already been done and the silence of Republicans has told us Europeans, that you cannot trust the Americans, even if there are plenty Americans who see the importance of the Atlantic and do want there to be the alliance that has given us peace and prosperity.

The chain breaks from the weakest link, and it doesn't matter how strong the other parts of the chain are.

Europe, the EU, after the fall of the Iron curtain. — ChatteringMonkey

Well, I like to call it the confederacy that desperately wants to be an union. Member states aren't anything like the states in the United States or somewhere else. These are sovereign nations states with distinctive unique cultures, languages and history. They naturally have different objectives and agendas as they are situated politically and geographically in different situations. If the English could lure the Welsh and the Scots to all unify under being "British", there is no program of making a German, an Italian, a Greek and a Swede to be similarly "European" as being British.

The only way is... actually this way. Unlike Trump says that it was him who forced the Europeans to "pay up", it was Putin's attack on Ukraine that woke us up. And then the next thing was Trump hopping in bed with Putin.

So a Trump-Putin pact that is against Europe. Yeah, that's gets us to do something together.

Yes, Trump is hell-bent on destroying the US government, department by department, agency by agency. He doesn't give a flying fig about international relations or long-term stability: he wants revenge on his opponents, real and imagined, harm to everyone who has ever been 'disrespectful' to him and the last big money-grab before closing time. — Vera Mont

It is absolutely crazy, but it's understandable when people are so full of hubris that they think that their government is just a service that costs too much and could better done without. And these anarco-libertarians who seem to think they are the heroes in an Ayn Rand novel and their government is their enemy, go smashing everything is just creative destruction and the means to get cuts implemented because the actual legislative course wouldn't work... because liberal democracy and liberal democracies don't work.

Ignorance and hubris becomes a really potent intoxicating shot in foreign policy, where these idiots can really assume that similar smashing will get results, because the pinko-liberals in "gay Europe" won't do anything and hence the war in Ukraine can be stopped by Ukraine admitting to the terms from Kremlin, because Ukraine doesn't mean much to them. And everything is just a deal, a transaction. After all, JD Vance never has been to Ukraine and thinks Russia isn't a threat to Europe, but culture war issues are. So, that tells something about the ignorance and blindness to Europe, just his remarks about possible peacekeepers.

End result is that the US won't have allies, or at least allies that truly trust it. The US won't be looked as bringing stability and definitely not as being the leader of the West. Canadians have now understood this. They have understood that this isn't at all about American jobs and fair trade... which usually was usually the reason for trade wars. Trump really wants the US to have the total Northern hemisphere of the Continent (excluding Mexico) and Greenland on the side. The US is the bully and while Trump is in power, you have to be equally straightforward as diplomacy would be a sign of weakness.

Just listen to this Canadian politician. This is where the relationship has gone to thanks to Trump:


That is really what one can call a breakup in close ties between two nations. Likely Canadians start to think of Americans like the Mexicans do, as the "Gringos". Yes, times can change and Trump does go away at some time, but this is something that people won't forget, even if things would go back to normal. The trust is gone. And the MAGA-people can come back, even if the next administration would try to heal the relationship.

Hence this is the end of the American Superpower. From now on, the US is just a great power among others and bully and a threat to the neighborhood.

Who? :yikes: The US??? :snicker:

The sole Superpower wasn't a "rising power" after WW2. It was the other Superpower and then after Soviet collapse it was the only Superpower.

And now the US is by it's own action deliberately destroying it's Superpower status. Something that never has happened in history, actually. Russia, China and Iran can truly laugh at this as Trump is doing the utmost destroy the position that the US has.

Or who are you meaning?

Thucydides Trap has been used to talk about China.

Not a country like Russia, that has the economy a bit smaller than either Italy or Canada and has blown through it's Soviet era weaponry and only can sustain the war with a war economy.

It's just bullying is all it is. He has the idea that playing nice concedes too much. That's how all ruthless people rule. I just think it will be more effective than you do. — Hanover

How is that effective to you? Perhaps for your enemies like Russia and China, it's great. Putin can breathe now more easily.

I think Trump is simply shattering the Superpower status of the United States. And then he starts the most stupid trade war, which will hurt you. Perhaps Americans are indifferent to that or think it's a great thing. I don't.

Why so indifferent about it?

You just described how you proved my point.

I guess thanks for that. — boethius

Oh you don't have to thank me. I will agree with you when you say something that is true or correct.

It's actually quite important to understand just how Russia fights these wars. Yet perhaps the biggest thing is that we assume that Russia is just a large European state like, well, Germany or Poland.

It's not.

It is really an Empire. It has countries and regions that aren't Russian or European and these minorities aren't migrants (as in the UK or Germany), but basically people that are in a rather same situation as we where as a Grand Dutchy of Russia. Perhaps it would be similar to think of France being connected to Algeria without there being any Mediterranean. After all, France didn't think of Algeria as a colony, but as a part of France with many French living in the country (the Pied-Noirs). Well, Algeria isn't Christian and isn't European and the cultural assimilation is different. Chechnya wasn't either, even if the country was on the European side of the Caucasus mountains. And Central Asia, as name implies, is really different also.

I think this, and it's geography that doesn't give it refuge, makes Russia so fearful especially about democracy and liberalism at it to feel more safer, if it can push it's borders further. And here it sees as the best defense attack. And this creates the self fulfilling prophecy that it's weaker neighbors fear it ...with genuine reason.

Well, now fortunately Europe seems to be waking up. Of course that means that the threat of large scale war has become closer, yet I do think that Europe will find enough deterrence for the peace to prevail here or even in the Baltics.

A Finnish-Russian war, that I predict may indeed happen, would not be Russia attacking Finland but some messy situation and a series of strange events and false flags / alleged false flags (that could be caused by literally anyone, such as cutting undersea infrastructure). — boethius

You are just describing how Russia attacks other countries. False flags are just the Russian traditional method. Or the attackers described as being "volunteers" or "local freedom fighters" and in the end, the Russian army being a "peace-keeping force".

And this isn't really my prediction but only extrapolating a bit on the analysis of Professor Glenn Diesen, who quite confidently asserts Finns are being prepared to fight an inevitable war with Russia. — boethius

Lol. Glenn Diesen, of course. The person who is frequently on Russia television.

But anyway: Si vis pacem, parabellum. The real way you can have peace.

The logical upgrade available is some sort of war between Finland and Russia as Finland is in NATO. — boethius

No, the logical upgrade is the Europe get's it shit together and does take it's security seriously and creates that deterrence, which is needed. All thanks to perhaps agent Krasnov?

And help Ukraine.

For, it is assumed that any sort of fighting whatsoever between Russia and any element of NATO would immediately result in a full blown war, but this is just a thing "people say" and assert as if it's a law of nature when obviously it is not. — boethius

I agree with this, actually.

The fact is that actually two nuclear weapons armed countries can fight each other quite openly without it ending up in a nuclear exchange. This goes to the stupid and actually dangerous idea that we cannot talk about nuclear escalation being contained in a military exchange. The accepted lithurgy is that a war between two nuclear powers would lead to humans wiping themselves off the Earth, which isn't even possible even if all nukes would be used and they all would work.

The really dangerous thing is the idea of "escalation to de-escalation", because it does have a kernel of truth in it. If a small 10KT tactical nuke would be used in the middle of nowhere against a military target, the media frenzy and the collective panic would lead people desperately calling for immediate cease-fire. And that's the idea behind escalation to de-escalate.

In fact, if Russia would want really to get Ukraine to peace talks, it could just do a nuclear test under ground in Novaja Zemlya. NATO, even before Trump, wouldn't have attacked anything if Russia would have made a test in it's own backyard. But in the case, the nuclear rattling would be far more credible than just talking about nukes as now the Russians have done. But since Trump is giving everything to Putin already, no need for anything like that.

There is a whole spectrum of both fighting and tensions between Russia and elements of NATO that can be explored without that leading to a full war, much less a war in which Russia seeks to conquer large parts, or even any part, of the EU. — boethius

And we've seen that spectrum in Moldavia and Georgia ....and Ukraine, prior to the conventional attack.

Yet the fact is that many NATO countries might openly want to believe this crap, because it would be better for them. So perhaps the Nazis in the Baltic States are really oppressing their Russian minorities and having Russian "peace-keepers" there is a great idea. It's just an internal problem like what we saw in Spain in Katalonia etc. Nothing to do with NATO and article 5.

Openly siding with the Kremlin lies is useful for many.

What's going to happen is that a peace treaty will be signed and Trump will take credit for it. — Hanover

Enabling Putin to fight his war against Ukraine by putting Ukraine in a tougher spot does actually quite the opposite. There is no reason for Putin to end this war now. Putin can see that he can have everything. Putin is on the road to get his objectives: Having Novorossiya, having a puppet Ukraine (or at least an Ukraine that has Finlandization), having the Atlantic alliance broken and have the US pushed down to be just a Great Power, not a Superpower anymore. All totally possible.

But live in your bubble where Trump is playing his 4D-chess, and enjoy the trade war he has started.

No one (who matters; aka. decides what the propaganda is rather than their job being to believe it) actually believes that Russia will actually attack the EU. Ukraine was a particular case in terms of culture, strategic military implications, and resources.

Another war maybe fought in Finland, but that will just be to sacrifice Finns to keep up the pretence of this amazing confrontation (and so sell more arms). — boethius

So in the same answer you don't believe Russia attacking the EU yet then you believe maybe Russia would attack the EU.

These delirious opinions should be given respect they deserve: Not worth commenting further.

Wtf, no Iceland? At least I heard Icelandic leader being quite on the side of Ukraine. Even if they don't have an army and are a tiny nation.

Leaders matter to the extent they aggregate, represent, and guide collective interests coming from ordinary people, powerful economic and media lobbies, geopolitical experts, political entourage and advisors. — neomac

I would agree to this when it comes to Putin, Netanyahu, Bush etc. But Trump really is an exception here. Let me put it this way:

Was there a drive in the US for the territorial expansion of the US as Trump has put it? If you haven't noticed, this has truly angered the Canadians to feel that this isn't just a trade issue at stake here. Really, before Trump I didn't notice this thinking that the Northern Hemisphere ought to be belonging and annexed by the US anywhere inside the US. If someone (correctly in some events) called the US policy neo-imperialist, this is actually quite old-school imperialism. The fact is, nobody, no political movement was asking for territorial expansion that Trump has declared his objective. This really is Trump's own designs that he's taken on.



This makes Trump totally different. Trump has to be understood as a person, who thinks he has these great ideas. He's not acting as a representative of a political movement, he's more acting like a king. Kings obviously look after their nation, but can come up with ideas themselves what would be best for the country. The total disregard of the separation of powers tell that this isn't a man who see's that he has a certain limited role as the elected leader of the executive branch, who then should share power with the legislative and the judicial branch. He clearly want's to dominate the two other branches. OK, so he's an autocrat, at least a wanna-be. But there's more to this.

I think professor Timothy Snyder explains best the view I have about Trump. Snyder correctly explains what the Trump plan for Ukraine is: "It's not a peace plan yet, but a warmongering process" as "literally everything that Washington has done under Trump, has made it easier for Russia to carry out the war". Snyder observes that Russia itself isn't talking about a peace process and it hasn't given away on any of it's objectives, It's just that the US stance has come aligned with it. Making concessions to Russia just enables them far more. And Snyder also notes how Trump views the issue at a personal level, Trump and Putin personally. Similarly Snyder noticed in the scolding of Zelenskyi that Trump told that "he and Putin have gone through tough times together".

Worth watching this interview:


I agree that with Snyder's observation that this has made the US far weaker and improved the position of both China and Russia.

Don't have Disney+

In fact, if one has to say the absolutely best movie about urban insurgency is The Battle of Algiers (1966). Really a truly amazing war movie about urban insurgency and terrorism. You would be also interested to compare the French action in Algiers and Algeria to the British actions in Northern Ireland. You see, the French did lose Algeria, the British didn't lose North Ireland. And notice the similarities and the differences in the counter-insurgency methods.

Here's the trailer of this great war movie:

I think a real genuine problem is that European leaders have a hard time to see how erratic Trump is and how the Trump administration will follow every erratic decision he will make.

They still assume to be talking to an administration, that is logical. That Trump might say this or that, but later clearer heads will prevail.

Listening to the responses of Canadian politicians, I think they are really finally awaking what kind of president Trump is. This man is ignorant and stupid, he genuinely wants Canada to be the 51st state of the US. He is incapable of thinking why this wouldn't be such a great idea. Canadians have also noticed that behind the trade wars there actually isn't much reasoning. When Canadians do understand this, then they respond to Trump as one should respond to someone like Trump. The UK doesn't notice, that they too have a "special relationship" with a Commonwealth partner called Canada. And the "special partnership" is nearly non-existent. The only country that has a "special partnership" with the US is Israel. Europeans still assume some kind of sanity behind the madness or some continuation in the policy of the US.

For example, Trump has repeated his desire for Greenland. And this is a message that the Danes simply don't get as they think and believe that the US is an ally and anything else simply would be impossible:

Just look at the response of ordinary Danes (or the few Greenlanders) when asked about it. They are simply puzzled:https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3qjBWIf9gkc

And compare this when the Foreign Minister Lars Rasmunssen is asked about the question about Greenland (at the 6:00 mark in the following video). He is simply bewildered and gives a non-answer:



So perhaps just wait and hope that Trump will have to focus somewhere else. If Ukrainians would think similarly, it would be very dangerous.

Because the warning signs that Trump genuinely doesn't give a rat's ass about Ukraine and will want peace quickly even if it's Ukraine surrendering to Russia doesn't sink in. Ukrainians might understand this, but Europeans simply cannot fathom this kind of behavior, hence they are shocked when Trump continues with his outrageous ideas.

What should be understood, that Europe and Ukraine do have the cards here. If the US walks away, it then walks away. Then they should rapidly send weapons and ammo as it would be 2022. It is possible, the defeatism spread by Kremlin is propaganda.

:up:

What's up with that? — jorndoe

The Trump administration is ending everything that would put him in the questionable light in any way...

As you know, Jan 6th was a peaceful protest and Trump won the 2020 elections. :smile:

Do you even read what I write?

So I'll repeat:

But as the Mueller report didn't find direct cooperation, then the whimsical idea that you promote has surfaced. Just like the Jan 6th attack on Congress didn't lead to an autocoup by the former President, it had to be a peaceful demonstration and Trump won those elections. Similar dubious logic. (Which already was backed then discussed on this forum)

Hence:

The Committee report found that the Russian government had engaged in an "extensive campaign" to sabotage the election in favor of Donald Trump, which included assistance from some of Trump's own advisers.

You just keep wearing that MAGA-hat with your fellow Canadians. Just keep telling them how great it would be for them to become the 51st State of the United States under Trump.

Well, then let's refer to the Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election:

The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee submitted the first part of its five-volume report in July 2019 in which it concluded that the January 2017 Intelligence Community assessment alleging Russian interference was "coherent and well-constructed". The first volume also concluded that the assessment was "proper", learning from analysts that there was "no politically motivated pressure to reach specific conclusions". The final and fifth volume, which was the result of three years of investigations, was released on August 18, 2020, ending one of the United States "highest-profile congressional inquiries." The Committee report found that the Russian government had engaged in an "extensive campaign" to sabotage the election in favor of Donald Trump, which included assistance from some of Trump's own advisers.

But oh! In your echo chamber they have "unproven" this. Oh yes...

Yes, Trump is going again for a "reset". Like uh, George W Bush, Obama...
So forget the war and "the dictator of Ukraine" and NATO, Russia has so much to offer Trump!

So will Lavrov get the famous reset button for Trump to push with Trump?

And is there any gold left after they have been there? :joke:

No seriously, have you noticed that gold has been quite persistent...




Wrong again. This is similar lie like the peaceful protest of Jan 6th.

The Special Counsel investigation uncovered extensive criminal activity

- The investigation produced 37 indictments; seven guilty pleas or convictions; and compelling evidence that the president obstructed justice on multiple occasions. Mueller also uncovered and referred 14 criminal matters to other components of the Department of Justice.
- Trump associates repeatedly lied to investigators about their contacts with Russians, and President Trump refused to answer questions about his efforts to impede federal proceedings and influence the testimony of witnesses.
- A statement signed by over 1,000 former federal prosecutors concluded that if any other American engaged in the same efforts to impede federal proceedings the way Trump did, they would likely be indicted for multiple charges of obstruction of justice.

Russia engaged in extensive attacks on the U.S. election system in 2016

Russian interference in the 2016 election was “sweeping and systemic.”
Major attack avenues included a social media “information warfare” campaign that “favored” candidate Trump and the hacking of Clinton campaign-related databases and release of stolen materials through Russian-created entities and Wikileaks.
Russia also targeted databases in many states related to administering elections gaining access to information for millions of registered voters.

See here

But as the Mueller report didn't find direct cooperation, then the whimsical idea that you promote has surfaced. Just like the Jan 6th attack on Congress didn't lead to an autocoup by the former President, it had to be a peaceful demonstration and Trump won those elections. Similar dubious logic. (Which already was backed then discussed on this forum)

And now we see the effect of this.

And here's Trump's greatest gift to Americans: the Trump recession! Came in quite quickly.

(Forbes, March 4th 2025) A slew of economic data is signaling that a recession is around the corner. The impending economic contraction, and possibly a recession, is primarily being caused by President Donald Trump’s tariffs imposed on Canada, China, and Mexico and the wave of retaliation which has now followed. Moreover, the chaotic layoff of federal workers will likely lead to a rise in unemployment and tightening of spending by those losing their jobs. Additionally, deportations of undocumented immigrants, as well as the fear thereof, is causing significant uncertainty in several important economic sectors such as construction, farming, hospitality, poultry, and small businesses.

On Monday, a closely watched model of gross domestic product level, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s GDPNow, estimated significant decline of 2.8% in annualized growth for this quarter. This is a sharp contrast from a 2.3% increase last week. Unlike the quarterly GDP figure, which is a lagging indicator, GDPNow is the Federal Reserve’s running estimate of real GDP growth based on available economic data for the current measured quarter.

The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the first quarter of 2025 is -2.8 percent on March 3, down from -1.5 percent on February 28.

This kind of information the Trump administration doesn't want to be leaked out. Unfortunately for Trump, the local Federal Reserve Banks are not part of the government. There also is a real possibility of a stock market crash, if they aren't ready to support the market. Gold, anyone? Especially if there is a crash, also gold prices might go down for a while.

Exactly.

I would prefer Europe to get its act together without getting lured into a cataclysmic war with Russia, thank you very much. — Tzeentch

You need a strong military and the will to fight the aggressor to have real deterrence. Appeasement will bring that cataclysmic war with Russia. Only strong deterrence does literally what it means: deters Russia. Weakness and appeasement will only raise the interest of Putin.

Russia invaded Ukraine because it saw the country as weak. All the intelligence people (that Putin later fired) gave that impression that it would be as easy as annexing Crimea. That Ukrainian military wouldn't put up a fight, that a Russian proxy leader could be installed quickly to rest of Ukraine as Novorossiya would be carved up was the idea. It would be as successful as the dash for Crimea. Or like Operation Danube, from history.

There will be peace in Ukraine, and Europe won't be going to war with Russia, no matter how hard some disgruntled intellectuals might find it to swallow their words. — Tzeentch

Europe doesn't have to go to war with Russia. Europe can assist Ukraine. If they only would believe in themselves. Europe holds the cards here as Ukraine does. Not Trump. But Putin can simply continue the war too. He isn't been pressured at all.

If you're eager for more blood, go volunteer for the Ukrainian Foreign Legion while you still can. — Tzeentch

I know some of them. They are highly respected in our military and with our reserves as they bring valuable insight on the actual fighting capabilities of the Russian forces.

They know their political lives will be cut short if they have to make a 180 on Ukraine. — Tzeentch

Well, working for Putin will cause that, because people at least in the Nordics, Baltics and Eastern Europe do see Putin as a threat. It's called democracy, you know.

There is, of course, no guarantee that anyone will take my sage advice. Perhaps the opposition will fold up, dig a hole, and bury itself in it. Perhaps Donald Trump will bring about full-fledged fascism. Bad things can and do happen to good people. — BC

I bet 1 euro that it won't happen like that. The opposition to Elon Musk and Trump will rise. Perhaps Trump will then want to use the insurrection act, which will just draw more opposition like flowers and honey attracts bees. It will just give more vitalism to the cause. This is something that won't be limited to just angry town hall meetings.

The Trump recession is already here, it has started. His most stupid trade war will just reinforce the downturn. Trade wars before had some reasoning behind them, with Trump they don't. And Canada being said to be the 51st state isn't a laughing matter here, just like taking Greenland isn't either. It just shows the hubris of these ignorant Trump followers.

As I've said even before this all started, Elon Musk will be the most hated person in the US and around the World. And after him, it's going to be Trump. Yet this is absolutely devastating for Tesla. Tesla as a company is already getting the response for Elon's crazy actions. After all, who the fuck will buy a Tesla now as it's a political statement that you are for Elon?





And it's going to be worse. A lot worse.

The Trump cult will fight for it's revolution and live in it's alternate reality, where the economic and political damage that Trump (and Musk) have caused will likely be portrayed as the doings of the "Deep State", which is there to get Trump. And some will believe that idiotic line.

So don't think you won't be heard.

That’s why it’s all so funny when people like Trudeau turn all Trumpian in response and starts to tax his own citizens. — NOS4A2

Canada isn't going with 25% tariffs on everything, so the response isn't Trumpian. I find the 100% tariffs on Tesla quite apt to the situation. And of course, it can be something else:

Ontario Premier Doug Ford says he's willing to cut off power supply to the US if President Donald Trump continues with tariffs against Canada.

Ford announced his retaliatory plans shortly after Trump implemented a 25% tariff against Canadian imported goods and a 10% tariff on Canadian energy.

He said he would implement his own 25% surcharge on Canadian electricity exports to three US states: Michigan, New York and Minnesota.

If the US tariffs are escalated, he said, he would consider completely cutting those states off from Canadian power.

And on the other nonsense you write, it just reinforces my views that NATO is going to be dead, or at least Trump cannot be counted on. Perhaps the most optimist scenario is that the US goes for a while out during the Trumpian fit, just as De Gaulle took France a bit out from the pact for a while.

But likely the damage has been done.

Exactly. Just look at his official picture. It's just like his mugshot, actually. Not a happy man. Not now, coming back to the Presidency.



People were totally correct that this guy was waiting for four years just increasing his vindictiveness and grudges against everybody. Just look at his rant where he started to give the real reasons why he was so angry to Zelenskyi. On giving reasons why Russians broke cease-fires:

“They broke it with Biden, because Biden, they didn’t respect him. They didn’t respect Obama. They respect me,” Trump continued. “Let me tell you, Putin went through a hell of a lot with me.”

This above is the alarming part. He views as Putin having also to endure the "witch hunt". This idiot truly believes in Putin and thinks Putin is his friend. And then of course Hunter Biden's laptop scandal, which fell apart after Republicans’ star witness admitted that the story had been completely fabricated with help from top Russian officials. Zelenskyi then didn't do what Trump wanted, and Trump got impeached for the first time. So there's one personal reason for the grudge.

Russia having the most practically experienced military in the world and strong alliance partners. — Tzeentch

And having lost a lot of equipment, basically capable of making quite localized attacks. Perhaps several years of a cease-fire + sanctions put off, it would be totally different.

To top it off, we don't even know what will happen to Ukraine when the Americans leave. — Tzeentch

Ukrainians have resources for few months to half a year. That's it. Or Europe would really get it's act together. And they might, even if you don't want them to do that.

Like Ursula von den Leyen is purposing:

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday, March 4, presented a five-part plan to mobilize some €800 billion for Europe's defense – and help provide "immediate" military support for Ukraine after Washington suspended aid. "A new era is upon us," the European Commission president said in a letter presenting the plan to EU leaders, two days before a summit aimed at cementing joint action on support for Ukraine and European security longer term. "Europe faces a clear and present danger on a scale that none of us has seen in our adult lifetime," she wrote, as she outlined options for funding a European defense surge.

"'ReArm Europe' could mobilize close to €800 billion of defense expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe," she told reporters in Brussels as she outlined the contents of her plan.

With €800 billion you can help Ukraine a lot. And start replacing the weaknesses that you have for relying on the untrustworthy ally.

The idea that Russia is so strong and European countries so weak is just this mental barrier that we have in our minds. Because many Europeans don't simply believe in themselves.

another factor is that the non-MAGA'ers tend to be those that respect democracy (+ are less susceptible to conspiracy theories), and Trump did win the election after all. — jorndoe

And now I think it's time for a conspiracy theory, in my view. Europeans have to wake up and understand that they are alone. Or then they have to bow to the Kremlin, because it's Putin who is calling all the shots when it comes to what Trump does in Europe.

What scares me is the effect of a probable and severe US downturn on the world economy generally. Europe already is stagnating, plus it now has the additional burden of compensating for Trump's treachery in Ukraine. Here in Australia things are humming along OK but we're a minnow in world economic terms, and if there's a big worldwide downturn it is bound to affect us. — Wayfarer

What makes this worse is just listen now to Canadians. Listen really to the speech the leaving Trudeau gave.

You see it's one thing if you have a "normal" trade war about or industry or service. Then the usual discourse is that on this area the other one is "cheating" on some specific issue. And that's what trade policy is for. But everything on a 25% tariff? Everything? And it's not only that: another thing is offending people by talking about them becoming a 51st state and then starting a trade war because no other reason than you want foreigners to put their industries into the US. That is extremely offending and condescending. And now Canadians feel it's outright hostile.

And that's really bad, because they won't care about if the economy now goes south, because it's Trump. And Trump's going after their sovereignty. That kicks up Canadians totally differently.

When Trump comes to the European Union and gets us to a trade war, I think the outcome can be that the US really leaves NATO. Because nobody will say to Trump that it is a bad thing I fear. Someone like JD Vance and Musk are too far with the idea that "one has to shake up old liberal Europe".

My son has three cafés which have been doing fine but it's a sector that's highly vulnerable to reductions in spending and he's flat out just staying afloat as it is. He's never really seen a real recession - we managed to avoid one in the GFC - but the possibilities are grim. — Wayfarer

Well, what can we say, it's an experience. Basically a huge transfer of money from some people to others.

When I graduated from school, I could enjoy for a few months enjoying a strong economy, when you could as a young guy right from the Gymnasium (High School equivalent) pick the job you wanted and go there. Then I went to serve my conscription and the economy collapsed in a banking crisis. I assumed first, well, the recession will be over when I come back from the army. Not so, the economic depression lasted for about five years.... and never basically came back. Not like as then, when everybody was hiring.

Then why don't the US citizens who don't want this... do something about it? — Christoffer

What day is this of the Trump administration? This is only week seven.

Democrats are still shell shocked from losing the election. Didn't electrify them much to have first senile Biden as the candidate before Kamala was rushed their without any primary election. Then they still don't have had enough crap as the trade war is only starting (as is the recession, possibly). Then the MAGA crowd is still quite vocal and hostile. The Washington circle is quite lame and just stunned.

There's not yet the enthusiasm and the feeling to oppose Trump. The MAGA crowd however, has all the time had the enthusiasm as Hillary Clinton called them the deplorables. And of course, first people laughed at Trump. This created the group cohesion among the Trump supporters and after Jan 6th, they see them as part of the revolution.

The "counterrevolutionaries" haven't yet emerged, but when things go worse from here, they might. You see, it's not just the savings, the evident policy of "making the poor pay and take their service, while having brazen corruption". It's the total disregard of the separation of powers, when you freeze assets and spending that by law have been already passed by an entity that has no legal position.

This makes it all a constitutional crisis. Something that easily could lead in the worst case to violence as just is just craving to show crush possible open opposition towards him perhaps with the insurrection act.

Oh, I think the picture is taken from some Russian follower of X or something. Actually fittingly.

I just occasionally view X as it's simply a propaganda machine: however you can try to find the sane people's tweets/messages, along comes Elon Musk and the bunch.

There is nothing in Putin’s essay about any imperial ambitions. — NOS4A2

Really?

Putin starts it like this:

During the recent Direct Line, when I was asked about Russian-Ukrainian relations, I said that Russians and Ukrainians were one people – a single whole. These words were not driven by some short-term considerations or prompted by the current political context. It is what I have said on numerous occasions and what I firmly believe.

Try to say this, they are just one people, is quite an offense of another sovereign state. And he doesn't think this only as a shared heritage.

I am confident that true sovereignty of Ukraine is possible only in partnership with Russia.

Possible only in partnership with Russia. Quite clear there.

And then there's a multitude of lies how the Russian people have been robbed of Ukraine and how the independence of Ukraine is this machination from the evil West, hence the artificiality of a sovereign Ukraine.

We can disagree about minor details, background and logics behind certain decisions. One fact is crystal clear: Russia was robbed, indeed.

When working on this article, I relied on open-source documents that contain well-known facts rather than on some secret records. The leaders of modern Ukraine and their external ”patrons“ prefer to overlook these facts. They do not miss a chance, however, both inside the country and abroad, to condemn ”the crimes of the Soviet regime,“ listing among them events with which neither the CPSU, nor the USSR, let alone modern Russia, have anything to do. At the same time, the Bolsheviks' efforts to detach from Russia its historical territories are not considered a crime. And we know why: if they brought about the weakening of Russia, our ill-wishes are happy with that.

Hence it's the Bolsheviks and later on former head of Soviet Union that made this unjust thing for mother Russia. Now if you don't see the imperialism in this, you don't see much and are not as bright as I thought you are.

European law has primacy, I’m afraid. — NOS4A2

You think. If you think that the EU members are like Ohio and Wyoming, think again.

* * *

And now you do have the most dumbest trade war. So happy self-mutilation with raising prices that with 25% tariffs are a sure thing.

I'm just waiting when the idiot will start the trade war with the EU. Won't be long, I guess.

Trump is quite likely going to walk away from NATO, so I guess that's all that great winning. After all, when Elon agrees on something, it has to be a great idea.

I’ve just heard an interview with general Sir Richard Sherriff (ex chief of the European arm of NATO). Who has his finger on the pulse. That the Russian army is in a bad way. — Punshhh

And that's why Trump is a gift from heaven to Putin. Even still, Russia can fight with an army that is treated like shit. And when the Ukrainians can basically just defend, they will be OK.

You should not convince me. You should convince Trump. — neomac

One cannot convince Trump. Trump is Trump and will be the disaster he will be. One should convince Americans how much harm Trump is doing to you.

We have now the dumbest trade war in history and the self-mutilation of America has started. At worst, it can really end up in a violent confrontation inside the US. If Trump now, when he has Congress, has to resort to disregard totally the separation of powers, go after judges and fire generals, think what it will be like if Democrats take the House and Senate? You think Trump will somehow come to his senses.

No, if you listen to him, he is living in his alternate reality with 100+ billion aid becoming 350 billion aid.

For Trump, abandonment could be a policy goal or a bargaining chip. — neomac

Look. Trump takes these issues quite personally. Notice his rant about "He and Putin" being thrown into fire with the Russiagate. How was Putin under fire? That is the real Trump. Soft-skinned and vindictive narcissist, who has a lot of hate and revenge to give after all those court cases. When Europeans try to be diplomatic, he sees weakness. But when they dare to talk about the Atlantic Alliance, the rules based order, Trump sees just Biden loving liberals who he resents. That's why Europe and Trump are on a collision course and there's no way out of this.

Really, this isn't about bargaining. Heck, the bullying with tariffs got him Canada and Mexico to put troops on their borders. Well, that worked! They were OK with this kind of Trumpist bargaining. But was Trump satisfied with that? Hell no! Now after one month, he had to have the tariffs. Did he give anything for the tariffs? No, just drop dead and move your factories to the US. Well, trade creates prosperity, but when you put it like that, the response will be like Trudeau and Claudia Sheinbaum have given. And they are popular, because it's very popular to be against a bullying foreigner, that is an asshole. Because that's what Trump looks like outside the US (and inside for some).

I think we make a real failure of thinking that somehow Trump has logic and reason behind his actions. He doesn't. People desperately wish there would be and want to see that there is. You see, in his first Administration he didn't actually get much done, which is actually great. Because if the economy is Ok, Americans are happy. They might be happy if the POTUS would be a genuine live Duck named Donald, as long as the economy is OK. As ducks live more than four years, not hassle with Donald Duck.

But now, Trump, the Master-of-the-Universe, will want to do a lot. And he surely is doing a lot.

It will be really, really worse even than now.

As I've said, first the most hated person in the US will be Elon Musk. Then afterwards, the most hated president will be Trump. But before that, there will be those who truly support him.

Trump has no respect of the Constitution or the separation of powers. At worst, it really can come to a violent overthrow of him.

At worst.

Indeed, once the US breaks free from multilateral agreements (that could be vetoed), the costs of policing the world, and spinning the liberal-democratic propaganda, American foreign policies have an “unprecedented” wider spectrum of options (I’ve already talked about this one month ago [1]) also for decreasing their costs. This comes at the price however of accepting greater risks and more fluid alliances, hedged only to the extent the US maintains its military/technological/financial supremacy. — neomac

What are the "unprecented" wider spectrums? This seems even more delusionary than the Brexiteers talking of the wonderful new deals that the UK can do without "being shackled by the EU".

How is does to the maintaining of that military/technological/financial supremacy help to alienate Europe, push them to put up their own military-industrial complex, declare publicly that you are an untrustworthy ally, who might not be there for you and then start what the WSJ called the "Dumbest trade war in History"?

How does it help that? IT DOESN'T! It has totally the opposite effect.

Sorry, but it doesn't make any sense. What is there to "divide" between Russia and China. China's military allies would be traditionally North Korea (even if that is a bit tense) and Myanmar and perhaps Pakistan. And that's it. Russia has basically has North Korea, a comrade in arms, Belarus, that is problematic for Russia ...and Armenia, for which this alliance has been a disaster. And then real or perceived influence in Central Asia. Oh and perhaps Cuba and Venezuela. And that's it.

What are you dividing with these countries? Russians are just laughing at how the US is destroying it's might itself. Russian economy is the size of Italy.

What is the reason to walk away from your most powerful allies?

Only thing is that Trump is either truly agent Trumpov or that the MAGA-crowd hates so much the liberal international order that they will want to attack their allies, destroy everything that the US has been building for 75 years and have these dreams of "a new world order" growing out of it.

Ukraine really is here the key, because it's the key to European defense structure. Vast majority of European countries will unify behind the support of Ukraine. You can already see how this is happening: a coalition of the willing is extensively working together and they don't give a fuck about Hungary or Slovakia.

So back to blocking food from Gaza:

(BBC) Israel has blocked the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza as it demands Hamas agree to a US plan for a ceasefire extension.

The first phase of a truce deal mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the US expired on Saturday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Hamas was refusing to accept a temporary extension proposed by Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff.

A Hamas spokesman said blocking supplies to Gaza was "cheap blackmail" and a "coup" on the ceasefire agreement and urged mediators to intervene.

The ceasefire deal halted 15 months of fighting between Hamas and the Israeli military, allowing the release of 33 Israeli hostages for about 1,900 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

What I don't like is that Merz is inviting this war criminal to Germany, but Germany naturally has the Hitler-complex to fear about, so they cannot tow the line as other Western countries (except the US) can condemn Israel's actions.

* * *

When Trump is halting aid from Ukraine and want's "it's money back", Bibi can thank him for the arms that Israel has gotten:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked US President Donald Trump’s administration for sending munitions he claimed had been held up by the previous administration, saying they would help Israel “finish the job” against Iran and its network of allied insurgent and terrorist groups.