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Two geopolitical thunderclaps on Wednesday will transform transatlantic relations.
- Donald Trump’s call with Vladimir Putin brought the Russian leader in from the cold as they hatched plans to end the war in Ukraine and agreed to swap presidential visits.
- US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, meanwhile, went to Brussels and told European allies to “take ownership of conventional security on the continent.”
The watershed highlights Trump’s “America First” ideology and his tendency to see every issue or alliance as a dollars and cents value proposition. It also underscores his freedom from establishment advisors steeped in the foreign policy mythology of the West, who he thinks thwarted his first term.
Although Hegseth recommitted to NATO, something fundamental has changed.
America’s interventions won two world wars that started in Europe and afterwards guaranteed the continent’s freedom in the face of the Soviet threat. But Trump said on the campaign trail he might not defend alliance members who haven’t invested enough in defense. He thus revived a […]
This is great news. It is the actualization of Trump taking apart the empire. You see, the dirty little secret that the elites in the US don’t want to discuss is that one of the major reasons that the Western European countries have been able to have such a generous welfare state is that the American taxpayer has been subsidizing their defense costs for decades. When the cold war ended we were hoping for the “peace dividend”, that short lived notion that had to be killed while in the cradle by the neo-cons in the Democratic party. After all, you don’t want the citizens to get used to the fruits of peace. The beauty of the telephone call between Putin and Trump is that it highlights the real lie of the war, which is that it was instigated by the greedy neo-cons who want to expand NATO, and continue a new version of the cold war. This war would not have been possible without the on-going support of the US. The message to Europe that they take care of their conventional defense needs is a healthy one. You will continue to see the stress in their societies as the political elites will need to incorporate the economic changes required to support their defense posture. Naturally, the social welfare benefits the citizens are used to will have to be cut. This change will benefit the American worker, if the savings are passed on. This is far from guaranteed.
It can’t be said enough times, “Trump (No.2) is absolutely the worst president this country has ever had and a danger not only to our allies, but to the nation as a whole. (He’s against climate change amelioration) and everything must revolve around him, his ego, and how much is in it for him! And then there’s Hegseth who doesn’t know diddly squat speaking to a knowledgeable group? His job is with the Pentagon, unfortunately, and he has no business having any comments on Ukraine—-the US has no troops there, no personnel and so why should he even speak up. Oh, this country looks so inept and dictatorial now. Can you imagine that No.2 would have a conversation with Putin and it doesn’t include Zelenskyy? How dare he!!! Oh, to have Biden and his excellent administration back again so things can get done properly!!!!