USA Foreign Policy

[onejayhawk]

Six months into his term, it has become clear that President Trump will not be just another face on the portrait wall. While his domestic agenda has had limited impact, the same cannot be said of foreign policy. The Trump administration will leave a stamp of a very different color.

You can start with the State Department. Whole sections of the building are mostly empty, yet there are new cubicles going up. Much of the career staff is being maneuvered aside as Secretary of State Tillerson brings in his own people.
http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/07/31/how-the-trump-administration-broke-the-state-department/

East Asia
For the last generation, at least, US foreign policy has treated China with great care. They enjoy Most Favored Nation trade status in spite of some very high profile incidents. Trump has been vocally critical of the trade agreements. One quote:

We can't continue to allow China to rape our country. And that's what they're doing. It's the greatest theft in the history of the world.
​

He is also leaning on Beijing to direct more of their influence toward North Korea. Though he has affirmed the traditional "One China" policy, the PRC is not well reassured. Numerous statements have been issued that the policy is "Non-negotiable".

North Korea is one of the current hot topics. Nuclear and missile tests have been accompanied by the sort of threats that are typical of North Korea. Trump has responded with threats and sanctions.

Trade is a major Trump talking point. Trump formally withdrew from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement negotiated under Obama.

West Asia
Specifics are more scarce here, but Trump has pulled back from the Obama administrations close ties with Iran. That said, he certified that Iran is in compliance with the nuclear treaty. He appears to be seeking closer relations with Saudi Arabia and Israel to combat Iranian influence.

Russia
If you know what is going on with Russia, let us all in. One one hand the verbiage is heated, but on the other Trump and Putin seem to have personally hit it off.

Americas
Trump has followed through on his campaign promise to crack down on illegal border crossings. The Wall is still a dream but everyone acknowledges that it is much more difficult to sneak across.

Trump has expressed interest in reviewing and revising the NAFTA agreements

Trump is openly critical of Obama policy toward Cuba.

Europe
The big thing seems to be the repudiation of the Paris Accords on climate change.

J

 

[Perfection]

I would really like it if Trump didn't instigate a nuclear war. I would consider instigating a nuclear war to be a very bad thing.

 

[Kyriakos]

Mussolini also wasn't just another face on the wall for Italy.

 

[metalhead]

All you need to know about Trump's foreign policy is that his cabinet members keep telling everyone to pay no attention to the things he says, does, and tweets.

 

[JollyRoger]

Until he cracks down on the Third Lady for her immigration violations, then it is hard to take him seriously on the matter.

 

[Takhisis]

For the last generation, at least, US foreign policy has treated China with great care.

You seem to disapprove of governments acting carefully.

 

[Cutlass]

Trump has abandoned US national security. Whatever nations hostile to the US want, they get. The US will be in far weaker and less safe position in the world when Trump is done. The odds of dying by violence in the world have just gone up, and Trump is the cause of that. The US place in the world will never regain where it was when Obama left office. It will permanently be weaker and lesser than that.

 

[onejayhawk]

Mussolini also wasn't just another face on the wall for Italy.

Trump is pretty anti-fascist, so Mussolini doesn't compare well. Churchill maybe.

You seem to disapprove of governments acting carefully.

No. Just noting a change in posture. Trump's administration has been aggressive, even confrontational with China.

J

 

[Berzerker]

Trump supports using eminent domain to profit business, thats somewhat fascistic

 

[JollyRoger]

I think Trump is still aggressively using Chinese labor for some of his products.

 

[Ajidica]

Trump is pretty anti-fascist, so Mussolini doesn't compare well. Churchill maybe.

I know you intended to Churchill comparison to paint His Trumpiness in good light, but Churchill also thought Gandhi was more of a threat than Hitler, was uncomfortably into using poison gas against Muslim hill tribes along the North West Frontier, and in the 1945 General Election said that voting Labour would see "the Gestapo kicking your door in within the year". The Gestapo comment would be tasteless today, let alone in the days after the Secord World War about people who played an instrumental role is fighting Fascism. Churchill was an excellent propagandist who never really grasped the concept of democracy.

No. Just noting a change in posture. Trump's administration has been aggressive, even confrontational with China.

Aggressive and confrontational is not a particularly productive stance to adopt with a nuclear armed country whose hostility toward the US has been limited to "being a bit of a turd regarding some miserable islands".


Regardless, US policy toward Asia/Best Korea has been one of the few competent areas in our selfish and short-sighted excuse for a "foreign policy". And the Short Fingered Vulgarian is throwing that all away, egged on by cryptofascists like Gorka while Tillerson attempts to be the adult in the room despite His Trumpiness not caring enough to properly staff the State Department.

 

[Takhisis]

No. Just noting a change in posture. Trump's administration has been aggressive, even confrontational with China.

Your post seems to largely express approval of Señor Trump's administration, including his policy of practically all-around aggression (which isn't just foreign policy, actually).

Trump supports using eminent domain to profit business, thats somewhat fascistic

He does employ fascism in its purely political sense, so using fascist economics is just the logical continuation of that.

Churchill also thought Gandhi was more of a threat than Hitler

Once he wrote something about the inferiority of the Indian race and the need for it to be exterminated, or at least culled.

 

[VicRatlhead5199]

So, Donny Tiny-hands still has supporters?

Anybody find his announcement about Venezuela a bit disturbing?

Our involvement in the Middle East has almost always been about oil. We've hidden behind support for the Zionist movement, "supporting democracy," saving people from brutal regimes, combating terrorism, etc but its really all about oil.

Now Venezuela is in a bit of upheaval and there are shortages so Trump threatens military action? There are plenty of places we don't go to "help" people in need. Some even more desperate than Venezuela. What's different? Oil reserves.

Trump's got some over the top bluster which may cause problems with DPRK but his foreign policy isn't new. The other day Lindsey Graham said military action was on the table in DPRK and that "nobody would die over here." Democrats aren't much better when it comes to war either.

Best things he did or may do is kill TPP and possibly pull out of Afghanistan. Other than that he's mostly reduced US global influence, specifically in the EU. Face it, most of the world thinks we're nuts for voting him in.

On a side note, a prediction. Give him long enough and his pro-corporatism will eventually lead to a deal similar to the TPP. They'll name it something different and make stuff up to placate the GoP base but it will essentially be nearly identical. Laugh and call me crazy all you want but it's bound to happen. People like to blame Clinton for NAFTA but it was drafted by GHWB and would have passed in his second term with or without Slick Willy. "Free trade" and "free market" go hand in hand. GoP donors, corporate lobbyists, etc will get to him.

 

[onejayhawk]

I know you intended to Churchill comparison to paint His Trumpiness in good light, but Churchill also thought Gandhi was more of a threat than Hitler, was uncomfortably into using poison gas against Muslim hill tribes along the North West Frontier, and in the 1945 General Election said that voting Labour would see "the Gestapo kicking your door in within the year". The Gestapo comment would be tasteless today, let alone in the days after the Secord World War about people who played an instrumental role is fighting Fascism. Churchill was an excellent propagandist who never really grasped the concept of democracy.

I Totally agree that Churchill was not a nice guy. He was a mess as PM during peacetime. It's one of the reasons I like the comparison.

Aggressive and confrontational is not a particularly productive stance to adopt with a nuclear armed country whose hostility toward the US has been limited to "being a bit of a turd regarding some miserable islands".

Disagree. Witness detente. Speaking plain, blunt truth is very useful in diplomacy, especially as a new tactic.

Regardless, US policy toward Asia/Best Korea has been one of the few competent areas in our selfish and short-sighted excuse for a "foreign policy". And the Short Fingered Vulgarian is throwing that all away, egged on by cryptofascists like Gorka while Tillerson attempts to be the adult in the room despite His Trumpiness not caring enough to properly staff the State Department.

In 1994 Bill Clinton claimed the recently signed treaty would prevent North Korea from ever gaining nuclear weapons. I find it difficult to reconcile that with "competent". Sorry.

There is a whole article on the staffing of the State Department. Did you miss it?

J

 

[onejayhawk]

So, Donny Tiny-hands still has supporters?

He does, hence this thread.

Anybody find his announcement about Venezuela a bit disturbing?

Among other things.

Our involvement in the Middle East has almost always been about oil. We've hidden behind support for the Zionist movement, "supporting democracy," saving people from brutal regimes, combating terrorism, etc but its really all about oil.

Now Venezuela is in a bit of upheaval and there are shortages so Trump threatens military action? There are plenty of places we don't go to "help" people in need. Some even more desperate than Venezuela. What's different? Oil reserves.

Trump's got some over the top bluster which may cause problems with DPRK but his foreign policy isn't new. The other day Lindsey Graham said military action was on the table in DPRK and that "nobody would die over here." Democrats aren't much better when it comes to war either.

Best things he did or may do is kill TPP and possibly pull out of Afghanistan. Other than that he's mostly reduced US global influence, specifically in the EU. Face it, most of the world thinks we're nuts for voting him in.

On a side note, a prediction. Give him long enough and his pro-corporatism will eventually lead to a deal similar to the TPP. They'll name it something different and make stuff up to placate the GoP base but it will essentially be nearly identical. Laugh and call me crazy all you want but it's bound to happen. People like to blame Clinton for NAFTA but it was drafted by GHWB and would have passed in his second term with or without Slick Willy. "Free trade" and "free market" go hand in hand. GoP donors, corporate lobbyists, etc will get to him.

Now you are drifting. It is absolutely true that oil has always been a large, even central part of Mid-Eastern policy, but less so lately. Fracking has provided options.

I find it interesting that the pro-corporatist and fascist labels get slung at the same time. It is impossible to be both.

J

 

[Takhisis]

Now Venezuela is in a bit of upheaval and there are shortages so Trump threatens military action? There are plenty of places we don't go to "help" people in need. Some even more desperate than Venezuela. What's different? Oil reserves.

Which is exactly why neither side really wants to poke the other. Venezuela supplies enough oil to keep prices cheap. And they know they can't face the US. A war of words seems the most likely outcome by far.

In 1994 Bill Clinton … I find it difficult to reconcile that with "competent". Sorry.

It's amazing how you can reduce any statement regarding the politics of the USA to Bill Clinton's presidency.

 

[VicRatlhead5199]

Hah, I never said facist. He talks/talked like a facist but his actions are very pro-corporatist. I judge by actions.

 

[onejayhawk]

Which is exactly why neither side really wants to poke the other. Venezuela supplies enough oil to keep prices cheap.

That is a popular knee jerk reaction, but the wrong one. Venezuela has trouble selling its oil because it is viscous and abrasive, so very few refiners can handle it. USA has a more friendly source of similar crude in Canada. The push is money, specifically debt service. Things were tight before the political fecal storm. Now they are looking at default as a real and present danger.

Hah, I never said facist. He talks/talked like a facist but his actions are very pro-corporatist. I judge by actions.

He talks like the opposite of a fascist--less regulation, more government responding to business. Your characterization as corporatist is a good one. Takhisis, Ajidica, Berzerker and Kriakos have found ways to work fascist references in. You're right. They're all wrong.

J

 

[Takhisis]

Corporatism is a defining characteristic of fascism, Mr. hawk. Donald Trump's government has several traits characteristic of fascism even if it's not a full-on fascist government.

That is a popular knee jerk reaction, but the wrong one. Venezuela has trouble selling its oil because it is viscous and abrasive, so very few refiners can handle it. USA has a more friendly source of similar crude in Canada. The push is money, specifically debt service. Things were tight before the political fecal storm. Now they are looking at default as a real and present danger.

Well, if Venezuela defaults on its loans things might change a bit, but less than you might think. They and the Castros have a well-functioning diplomatic service which might just see them strike an alliance with Iran or Best Korea. But don't worry, sooner or later the Venezuelan government will fall on its own.

 

[Cutlass]

Just the opposite. Regulation of corporations is a defining characteristic of fascism. Corporatism is fascism's natural enemy. Oil and water.

J

Wrong again. Corporatism and crony capitalism are necessary parts of fascism. The Republicans in general, and Trump in particular, have at least a proto-fascist economic platform. The Koch brothers want that to go full on fascist.

http://www.rense.com/general37/char.htm

Fourteen Defining
Characteristics Of Fascism
By Dr. Lawrence Britt
Source Free Inquiry.co
5-28-3


Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread
domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

From Liberty Forum

Republicans in general and Trump in particular are well down the road to fascism in all respects.