Good article on "Trump speak"....on the day honoring one of Americas greatest speakers
- Thread starter Boomboom521
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The article is a good read and offers some questions I've always had about how Trump strategically views America's role internationally, however I believe it also makes several assumptions about his stream of consciousness that we simply cannot draw conclusions from at this point because he has not yet implemented his Foreign policy objectives.
He certainly bears watching but you can't draw any deductions about either what he's saying or thinking right now about strategic US objectives. We simply do not have enough data to know precisely what his policies will look like?
I heard something a short while ago just prior to the end of the campaign that I think pretty well sums up how Trump is viewed depending on which side of the political spectrum you hear him from.
The Left hears him literally yet doesn't quite understand what he means by that figuratively, while the Right hears what he may say figuratively however they do easily understand what he means literally.
To understand Trump in my opinion is to understand how you interpret what he says depending on if you're hearing him from the Left or on the Right of whatever he is saying.
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To understand Trump's mind a bit, you have to read the Art of the Deal. Essentially in negotiations, start with an outrageous position and then negotiate downward. You'll get more than you ever expected that way.
Take China, for example. We all know they manipulate their currency. Our trade imbalance is astronomical. Our companies are relocating there to get labor cost savings. China is building islands in the South China Sea to "own" that strategic area. So Trump comes in and opens up the One China Policy as perhaps not being in our best interest. This scares and ticks off the Chinese. Now China is a bit worried. What will this crazy guy Trump do? I actually like that. They are unsure. When we negotiate, that gives us an enormous advantage.
Same with NATO. We have members not doing their part. Not paying their dues. Not supporting the U.S. in strategic situations. So Trump says, maybe NATO is obsolete. That scares all of Europe. I like that. To save NATO, maybe Europe will finally step up to the plate. Finally support the U.S.
I will wait to see Trump's actual actions rather than his words. His words are the opening bid as part of The Deal.
I understand his boardroom style has been successful. But on a global stage where nuclear arms, instead of money, can be a part of the process....it might not be the most rational strategy. Time will tell, but rolling the dice isn't something I personally feel comfortable with as I look at Russia, China, North Korea and the madness that leads them.
I'd worry more about them boomer than Trump. I do believe he wants us in the driver's seat, dictating rather than following as we've seen all too well these past 8 years is not a prescription for achieving our strategic objectives.
I agree with Pax in that Trump is resetting the playing field, the rules of engagement, the terms of what the game will be, and how the rules will be enforced.
I believe he's trying to make sure we at least determine even how the game is played, if he can't even outright guarantee our chances to win it.
I'm cool with that.
China and Russia are not going to start a nuclear war. That's simply ridiculous. North Korea may, because they are crazy. Clinton made a huge blunder with the North Koreans. But there is only one country the North Korean's listen to and that is China.
Trump is scaring the Chinese. Maybe it is part of a ploy to get their help with North Korea.
Unpredictability is actually a good think in international diplomacy, imo. The Soviet Union thought Reagan was crazy. Unpredictable. I think their uncertainly helped the U.S. especially when Reagan walked away from negotiation with the Soviets at Reykjavik.
Watch his actions, actual actions rather than words. Words in Trump's world are opening antes.
You have no idea what China or Russia are capable of doing. In addition, nuclear war doesn't have to be initiated in order for nuclear arms to be used. Terrorism can be the mechanism used to detonate a nuclear weapon on American soil, initiated by a foreign state....without spot on intelligence, we would not retaliate. Trump is already letting the world know how much faith he puts into our IC. Russia is ego driven, China its money. He messes with either, and it could be a problem. It's scary how easy you guys think geopolitics are. It's scary how easy you think running this nation is as well. Right, right, right....the right is always right.
The danger we faced boomer was from the American President either making boasts he was unable or unwilling to back up (Red line in Syria) or turning our back on our allies like Israel or Ukraine, or Turkey or South Korea, or Taiwan as neighbors hostile to them either threatened them or invaded them (Ukraine)
Our adversaries have always responded to American strength, but more importantly American resolve to use our impressive strength when our vital interests or our Allie's are threatened.
We live in a dangerous World now because American strength and resolve have been severely damaged by the outgoing Administration. I'll be happy to see both restored under the Trump administration which in my opinion will make us much safer than we stand today.
More tough talk? That's what we need? Teddy Rosevelt once said.....
Do you really think that any nation doesn't still understand American strength? We have 800+ military installations abroad.
They don't understand it when we don't back up our use of it. They do understand it if we demonstrate our resolve to follow through with threats to use it if our warnings against using it are not honored.
Do you really think they'll just leave us alone? Do you understand we're fighting what amounts to a world war with no nations? Only an idea, and one that is spreading and hell bent on our destruction?
I agree we are fighting a war of no nations. I don't understand why tough talk rhetoric between established nations is needed to win the war on terror. I also reject that Islamic fundamentalism and Islamic nations are one in the same....maybe naively, but if it's simply us v. them till the finish.....shouldn't more nations founded on Judeo-Christian ideals be aligned with us in ending the war once and for all?
And I also have a hard time believing that terrorism stops with "tougher talk", and if we are for ground wars.....it's going to be one that spans the rest of my life for certain.
It will be. This will go on until either they are all killed and the idea exterminated or we fall and they win. It will take a genocide by the very countries harboring and tacitly promoting the idea. They will end up provoking nation on nation fighting until real sides are drawn. That's what they want. Hell, they've already won their objective. Their whole idea needs extinguished and erased. Millions are going to die, it doesn't stop. Muslim nations own this problem, but aren't fully committed yet. They will be, on one side or the other. We can't win it alone. That is, unless we just accept the new reality of their existence and the losses we take as a result. I just believe at some point, enough will be enough and something major will happen.
I hear you, and believe me when I say you know more than I do about it considering your history and current work. But you said it....it a war against an idea. The idea is what needs to be extinguished. Maybe that can be done more through empathy, collaboration, and the offering of opportunity than through death?
You need to study their (not mainstream Islam) idea more. The answer to your question is no. They want death and destruction, ours, or theirs, it doesn't matter, they want to usher in the end of days. They are committed to it. They have an endless supply of willing followers.
I will. I took a terrorism counterterrorism course in grad school, taught by a former FBI agent.....so I'm not exactly well schooled. I was struck by how suicide bombers are revered like rock stars. Financial rewards paid to bombers families. One aspect of the course focused on how madrasah education ingrained hatred for western life, and distorted the teachings of the Quran.
Yes. We went through a brief history of terrorism. A strong focus on the Klan if I remember correctly