I can't think of a situation that involves any foreign nation where we are better off than we were under the previous administration.
Concerning trade and trade deals, we have no new ones, are losing our influence in Asia and are in the midst of a trade war with China. How that might turn out is anyone's guess but the odds aren't looking favorable.
We have allowed the North Koreans to play our egomaniac who was pretty clearly outmaneuvered by theirs. We got nothing, they got some prestige.
Japan and South Korea are having issues which while not directly involving us show how unimportant we have become.
India and Pakistan are generally ignoring us as the dispute over Kashmir continues.
The middle east is perhaps the brightest spot since we did some damage to ISIS but they continue, the Taliban is ready to retake Afghanistan and Iran is preparing to restart nuclear weapon development. We have alienated a lot of middle eastern states by our action related to Jerusalem and the West Bank with no offsetting gain. Our initiative there seems to be an economic one and it isn't being received well.
Russia is doing whatever it wants in the region, in the Ukraine and is likely to attempt to influence our elections. They mainly want to destroy our institutions.
Our European allies, if we can still call them that, refused our invitation to jointly protect oil shipments in the straights of Hormuz. They really don't have much use for us although they do support NATO.
Here in the Americas we have the issues with Central America and Immigration and our biggest failure to date in Venezuela. Maybe this will all fall into place somehow.
We were close to a new NAFTA, not much different than the old NAFTA but it hasn't been ratified yet.
Perhaps everything will be a great success soon. We know someone will claim it is via tweet.
Showing posts with label foreign policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foreign policy. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Monday, July 8, 2019
Selfish Policies
One of the problems with selfish people is they think everyone else is also selfish.
Most of our foreign policy now seems based on trying to get what we want via economic measures, sanctions, tariffs and trade agreements. It isn't working.
Countries do of course concern themselves with economic well being but they also have other considerations that influence them.
Issues related to national pride, religion, and long term goals are often the primary drivers.
To think we can bluster and bribe other nations is simply simplistic and ineffective.
Its not even clear what the goals actually are.
We have renewed nuclear activity in Iran, a deficit that is our of control ,increased costs to American consumer for many products and a loss in export for our agricultural sector.
Not what I think we should be trying to do.
Most of our foreign policy now seems based on trying to get what we want via economic measures, sanctions, tariffs and trade agreements. It isn't working.
Countries do of course concern themselves with economic well being but they also have other considerations that influence them.
Issues related to national pride, religion, and long term goals are often the primary drivers.
To think we can bluster and bribe other nations is simply simplistic and ineffective.
Its not even clear what the goals actually are.
We have renewed nuclear activity in Iran, a deficit that is our of control ,increased costs to American consumer for many products and a loss in export for our agricultural sector.
Not what I think we should be trying to do.
Saturday, June 15, 2019
Foreign Relations?
Well after a couple of years of this administration, have we seen improvement in any of our foreign initiatives?
According to the dontard he has accomplished great things, but lets think about it.
We are embroiled in what looks to be an escalating trade war with China that shows almost no signs of improvement. It is clearly in the interests of both parties to resolve it, but progress seems non-existent and while China is losing some market, we are paying the tariffs, losing our ability to export commodities there and it will cost us jobs. Not a great accomplishment yet.
North Korea was ballyhooed but it seems like nothing has really changed. They are still developing Nuclear Weapons and we are still imposing sanctions.
Iran was going to be forced to give up supporting terrorists and be forced to the negotiating table after we withdrew from a deal they were complying with. They aren't negotiating and might be attacking cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia has continued its aggressive behavior and continues to consolidate its gains in the Ukraine. No progress at all.
We decided to try to effect regime change in Venezuela but so far it hasn't worked and has led to an expansion of Russian and Cuban influence in the area.
We had started to see a bit of a thaw with Cuba, but that seems to be over now.
We have managed to evict ISIS from its strongholds on the land but the organization is not destroyed.
Syria, with Russian support seems to have no chance at regime change.
Israel, at least the hardliners there may be receptive to our action of moving the Embassy to disputed Jerusalem, but that obviously strengthens the terrorist recruiting ability.
Many of our allies now think we are unreliable and while some of them have increased defense spending, it hasn't led to a reduction in ours.
Canada and Mexico still haven't agreed to a new trade agreement and while they are likely to, it is very similar to the one we had.
Most of the world looks at us as unpredictable and unreliable, which might be the plan. If its a good strategy is a matter of opinion.
These are the major areas, but the list could continue, our reductions in foreign aid, but I'm just not seeing any great accomplishments.
Not really seeing what I would call accomplishments at all.
According to the dontard he has accomplished great things, but lets think about it.
We are embroiled in what looks to be an escalating trade war with China that shows almost no signs of improvement. It is clearly in the interests of both parties to resolve it, but progress seems non-existent and while China is losing some market, we are paying the tariffs, losing our ability to export commodities there and it will cost us jobs. Not a great accomplishment yet.
North Korea was ballyhooed but it seems like nothing has really changed. They are still developing Nuclear Weapons and we are still imposing sanctions.
Iran was going to be forced to give up supporting terrorists and be forced to the negotiating table after we withdrew from a deal they were complying with. They aren't negotiating and might be attacking cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Russia has continued its aggressive behavior and continues to consolidate its gains in the Ukraine. No progress at all.
We decided to try to effect regime change in Venezuela but so far it hasn't worked and has led to an expansion of Russian and Cuban influence in the area.
We had started to see a bit of a thaw with Cuba, but that seems to be over now.
We have managed to evict ISIS from its strongholds on the land but the organization is not destroyed.
Syria, with Russian support seems to have no chance at regime change.
Israel, at least the hardliners there may be receptive to our action of moving the Embassy to disputed Jerusalem, but that obviously strengthens the terrorist recruiting ability.
Many of our allies now think we are unreliable and while some of them have increased defense spending, it hasn't led to a reduction in ours.
Canada and Mexico still haven't agreed to a new trade agreement and while they are likely to, it is very similar to the one we had.
Most of the world looks at us as unpredictable and unreliable, which might be the plan. If its a good strategy is a matter of opinion.
These are the major areas, but the list could continue, our reductions in foreign aid, but I'm just not seeing any great accomplishments.
Not really seeing what I would call accomplishments at all.
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Foreign Policy?
According to the administration Iran is planning some sort of trouble and we have dispatched a carrier.
In a somewhat sad commentary of our current faith in our government, there is a "show me" attitude since the WMD fiasco in Iraq.
Its also likely that our simpleton in the White House who bought in to all the FOX news criticisms over the years about how the prior administrations simply had to flex some muscle to get the world to comply with us.
It doesn't work, at least not in any meaningful sense.
Our foreign policy is pretty much a mess, with our allies concerned about our reliability and trustworthiness and our enemies manipulating our dontard.
One of the successes he touts is that he has inspired our allies to spend more money on their defense, and they have, but so have we.
If the benefit was supposed to be that we would spend less, it isn't happening.
Everyone spending more turns into an arms race.
Isis was being pushed out of territory when he took over and that continued. They aren't destroyed and may be more dangerous than ever. Certainly the middle east isn't friendlier and we managed to let Russia and Iran exert more and more influence.
North Korea played us and he let them.
Sanctions, tariffs and sending in a carrier are not much in the way of foreign policy. Its all he seems to have though.
In a somewhat sad commentary of our current faith in our government, there is a "show me" attitude since the WMD fiasco in Iraq.
Its also likely that our simpleton in the White House who bought in to all the FOX news criticisms over the years about how the prior administrations simply had to flex some muscle to get the world to comply with us.
It doesn't work, at least not in any meaningful sense.
Our foreign policy is pretty much a mess, with our allies concerned about our reliability and trustworthiness and our enemies manipulating our dontard.
One of the successes he touts is that he has inspired our allies to spend more money on their defense, and they have, but so have we.
If the benefit was supposed to be that we would spend less, it isn't happening.
Everyone spending more turns into an arms race.
Isis was being pushed out of territory when he took over and that continued. They aren't destroyed and may be more dangerous than ever. Certainly the middle east isn't friendlier and we managed to let Russia and Iran exert more and more influence.
North Korea played us and he let them.
Sanctions, tariffs and sending in a carrier are not much in the way of foreign policy. Its all he seems to have though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)