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Chris Trejbal's avatar

" but rather a foreign policy built on an appreciation of the world as it actually is—not as Western liberals wish it to be."

And how is foreign policy doing on that side of the globe? I'm wondering if we should separate "ideals" and "deals" from one another.

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Bernard D's avatar

It looks like President Trump is a votary of Real Politik. Henry Kissinger wrote a great book on that, titled Diplomacy.

Real Politik is good when it serves its practitioner’s country. It’s bad if it hurts the country’s interests.

In other words it’s amoral.

But if skillfully handled it can be richly rewarded without firing a single shot.

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Kevin McCabe's avatar

I actually support this radical foreign policy shift. Trump has redefined our red line for foreign partners from freedom and democracy to simply respecting the sovereignty of their neighbors. This seems like a much more manageable and achievable foreign policy goal that will promote what is really most important: stability.

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Is It Aliens?'s avatar

Do these discussions get posted on the pod channel? If not, I’m not going to see them and might forget to come back to Substack.

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Frank Lee's avatar

Trump is absolutely making America great again, but he is also making the world better again. Too bad that countries like Canada and Australia are still stuck on stupid being duped by their professional management class masters.

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Judy Cline's avatar

Back in 1775, the Tories were in bed with Great Britain and failed to see why American Patriots sought support from wealthy France and the Netherlands. Our national heroes, Benjamin Franklin and Layfayette were our envoys. So now the Democrats are complaining that the MAGA Republicans are accepting help from the wealthy Arabs in Quatar. Trump and Rubio are our envoys. Deals are being made like before in our history. Allies exist for a reason, but none of our present or former allies were unselfish. All had political motives, just as we did and still do when we interfere and aid countries abroad. The problem today seems to be: why are we switching from having an Israeli foothold in the Middle East to having a military base in Quatar? And how does that new ally affect our support of Israel? Is our national security at risk or are we trying a more effective way toward peace between Arabs and Israelis? Trump’s deals depend on knowing exactly what each party wants and how they will compromise to avoid war as an outcome. Peace always depends on such deals.

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Akiva's avatar

actually I have been playing around with an essay from this word "Eating Chili at the End of Time". The "chili" is from the greek for "thousand so it is quite literally the equivalent of millenarian. This is why I didn't say "chiliastic millenarianism" due to the redundancy.

I also didn't use millenarianism because I have never understood why the correct spelling is one "n" instead of two....

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William's avatar

Trump is doing the right things and God Bless America. William E Leis 🙏🇺🇸🐎WEL.

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Kimberly S.'s avatar

It would be wonderful for paying subscribers to have access to this talk after it has aired. I want to watch this, but I can’t make it. Friday at 1pm is tough for people who work or have previous engagements scheduled during that time.

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Russell Board's avatar

“The gleaming marvels of Riyadh and Abu Dhabi were not created by the so-called ‘nation-builders,’ ‘neocons,’ or ‘liberal nonprofits.’ Instead, the birth of a modern Middle East has been brought about by the people of the region themselves.” Is this true? Or were these gleaming marvels created by foreign workers laboring in slave-like conditions?

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Larrd's avatar

Maybe by Martians? Or LGBTQ folks?

If we invade we can find out for sure!

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Tanya Owen's avatar

Is the FP trying to find out who is/are behind the the anti-Israel-pro-Palestinians 'protests'?

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bernie davis's avatar

Trump does trump

Chaos broken promises and fear....as long as he can keep all the balls juggling in the air he is winning

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Frank Lee's avatar

shadup dope

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DC Goodman's avatar

George Bush failed as a businessman and, like his old man, turned to politics and he failed there. He fooled me with 911 and used it turn convert a nation of free people to common drones that serve the whims of his fellow elites.

Trump is a better man, a better leader and a real businessman. I wish we had more like him instead of the ilk we usually have to choose between.

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Class Enemy's avatar

Trump makes a huge mistake in his speech, typical of somebody who has no interest or understanding of human rights or democracy. Middle Eastern countries, if they have money from oil, may have glittery landscapes, but they are not modern countries. They are medieval autocracies, some of them (like Qatar) with a huge soft spot for religious death cults.

By the same criterion of glittery skylines, one might think that China or Russia are also modern countries. They’re not, and that’s behind the upheavals they have endured in the last century, and there’s much more to come until they would get to be real

modern countries, such as Japan, S Korea or Taiwan have become.

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Frank Lee's avatar

You failed to get the main point. These countries are not the US. And besides, the US has people that think like you so it is not all roses.

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Class Enemy's avatar

If I don’t like what Trump said, obviously I didn’t get the point., unlike a well-behaved true believer,

On the other hand, you, who got the point so well, you must believe that medieval autocracies like Qatar or Saudi Arabia are modern countries. Very smart.

But I’m sure Trump envies his new friend MBS. Ah, to rule a modern country where you can freely chop to bits your slightest critics! The US is so backward.

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Larrd's avatar

Who should we bomb first, do you think?

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Class Enemy's avatar

We should get rid of the lard.

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Larrd's avatar

You should report me to the authorities, I guess. While you are there, you can also tell them which country we should bomb first until they turn into a liberal democracy.

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Class Enemy's avatar

So what you understood from my post is that somehow I want to bomb some countries to turn them into liberal democracies. I suppose it’s useless to point that you’re delirious. The question is, do you have any thought and expressions beyond what’s in the Little Trumpist True Believer handbook?

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Larrd's avatar

From what I can tell you don’t want to deal. You don’t want to trade. You do want to project our superior culture until they change. I do not know how you plan on making that happen without bombs or starvation.

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Jeff Keener's avatar

Trump is still taking steps in the right direction. No other U.S. president in the modern era could do this.

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Class Enemy's avatar

You’d better read Eli Lake’s article. What Trump does is mostly just wall paper. Accept the Syrian jihadi and see what you get. Make more friends that chop their opponents to pieces, see how reliable they are as allies of America. Nobody wants idiotic country building, but a purely transactional foreign policy ends in failure, because it destroys natural alliances based on principles and promotes deals that unravel when the partners find a better deal elsewhere.

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Jeff Keener's avatar

Perhaps, but the status quo is obviously, failing.

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Larrd's avatar

Transactional foreign policy will likely create natural alliances. Top down hegemonic foreign policy creates Gaza, the Balkans, the Hutus and the Tutsis and etc.

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Colin Kersey's avatar

Trump is remaking the world order. And making peace and prosperity achievable for all.

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Mkmurph@mkmlaw.com's avatar

Batya gets to the heart of heart of Trump and it’s a place that escapes every one of the international affairs experts, historians of note, and top-shelf politicians these days. “Russia, Russia, Russia”, Hell! Batya found Donald J Trump: the peaceful man, the hugely successful business man, the beloved father and grandfather, and yet, still, one of the toughest people this side of the grave. It showed today, in two Middle-Eastern capitals he showed the world that a peaceful, economically supportive USA is not only the very best hope for the USA but it’s the very best hope for a peaceful and economically productive world and where other world leaders, looking for peace and success for their peoples also are even now drawn by him like moths to last light of day on a comfortable country porch in summer.

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Michael Hughes's avatar

So well stated .

Today he is talking to the troops in Qatar.

We do maintain a key base and he cares about those who keep us safe.

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Jeff Keener's avatar

Amen!

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