talkpolitics | Entries tagged with usa

As global tensions intensify, the geopolitical landscape is shifting dramatically. While China asserts itself with growing confidence, and global powers compete for influence, Trump is taking an active diplomatic approach toward Putin, aiming to broker an end to the war in Ukraine. Though talks have reportedly led to a proposed 30-day ceasefire and reduced strikes in the Black Sea, the broader implications suggest something more complex: a reordering of global power reminiscent of post-war summits like Yalta:

Trump's approach reflects a worldview in which powerful nations divide spheres of influence and avoid interfering in each other's regions. This realpolitik mindset raises concerns about the future of Ukraine and, by extension, Europe. If Ukraine's fate is decided without its input, it signals a troubling shift: Europe's autonomy and security could be negotiated away behind closed doors.

( Read more... )

airiefairie

On March 25, Rumeysa Öztürk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, was heading to iftar when six masked Homeland Security agents in unmarked vehicles grabbed her off the street. They took her phone, handcuffed her, and transported her 2,300 kilometers away to a detention center in Louisiana—without charges, without a lawyer, and without an explanation for days:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt5asWzmaNA

Her so-called crime? Writing an article for the university newspaper criticizing Tufts' weak response to Israel’s war on Gaza. That’s it. She wasn’t armed, she wasn’t involved in criminal activity - she just used her right to free speech. But in the America we’re watching unfold, that’s enough to make you a target.

Officials justified her detention by claiming she was engaged in “activities supporting Hamas.” What activities? They didn’t say. They didn’t have to. Because in authoritarian regimes, an accusation is enough. No evidence is required, no explanation is given, and no apologies are made.

( Read more... )

fridi

Now that Trump has been on the right track to surrendering a century's worth of US global power in a matter of weeks, there are other sharks that are sure to step in.

Case in point: When the US cut various USAID programs, they left a lot of local organizations in place that lack funding and technical expertise. China is starting to provide the missing funding and replace the departing Americans in key positions. This plus the belt and road program and other initiatives listed below gives China multiple opportunities.

During the Cold War the US surrounded the USSR with alliances around the globe. I think that China is now doing this against the US with Trump's help. China is getting a lock on global raw materials, through soft power, as opposed to Trump's clumsy "give us yours or else" approach.

U.S. Soft Power Is Spiraling in Asia, With China Filling the Void

China builds space alliances in Africa as Trump cuts foreign aid

It may take a few years. After the tariff threats from Trump towards Columbia, I bet Columbia is working rapidly to expand its coffee trade with China too:

Colombia Coffee Exports Rise in 2024, Driven by China Sales

The examples are all across the board. Trouble for the US is, as nice as "America first" may sound as a slogan, this whole thing is going to bite America in the ass big time in the long run. Global influence in every sense of the phrase is never inexpensive to obtain and maintain, but it is going to be hugely expensive to get it back once nations and trade lines up behind China and others who look at the US as a nation in decline/retreat.

The downside of all this? Folks who believe that America providing policing and security duties for the world was bad are in for a shock once China picks up that mantle.

luzribeiro

The one thing Trump is so terrible for, is that he doesn't shy away from showing America's true face. It's the face that has been masterfully concealed all along but ha always been there, behind the facade. What's different now is that the guy at the helm just doesn't care about saving face, so he shows it as it is.

I'm sorry Ukraine, you were always going to be used as a pawn and cannon fodder in this game of geopolitics, and that's exactly what's happening:

Trump Opens Ukraine Peace Talks—Without Ukraine
"The position of Kyiv’s Western allies had long been that nothing about Ukraine be decided without Ukraine. Evidently, Trump envisions a very different framework for peace talks."

Let's face it, the war was between the US and Russia, with satellite states like the EU in tow. Zelensky has and had no authority in Ukraine, we all know Ukraine is under the US by every single instruction so let's stop pretending like something new just happened.

asthfghl

Before we all start looking at red/blue maps for days, here is map showing the legality of owning a kangaroo.

luzribeiro

There's something deeply perverse about a guy who has never (not even for a second!) worked a hard, low-paying job taking pictures of himself in a fast-food chain restaurant where people bust their asses working for minimum wage. (The same person is from the party that stubbornly votes against raising the minimum wage every time!)

All of this in the name of a Halloween costume party, only... for an election campaign.
Why? Because Kamala Harris had orked at that chain 40 years ago.

I mean... I mean, all of this is done so that the Orange stain on America's pants could also count himself among the "hard working folks".

( Read more... )

mahnmut

Geopolitics analysis has been pointing out for a decade that the United States would withdraw from leading the world.

Biden has accelerated this transition. His legacy is being written in current wars and conflicts that the United States is all but ignoring.

The US is more hands-off than usual in the Middle East. It fears making things worse

Or it could well be the other way round. Maybe the rest of he world withdrew from the outdated notion that it was good to be led by the USA. ;-)

But seriously. Whether it's Trump or Biden next in office, the trend has been set. The US seems to have grown tired of messing around with everybody. It's costly. In all respects imaginable.

Also, if you want a different point of view (or you might call it the standard Putinite talking-point if you like), it seems after the US ~~got its ass kicked by a few thousand goat herders in Afghanistan and had to retreat and withdraw in shame~~... I mean... failed in building up a real functional self-sustaining government, it realized that it cannot win wars and instead must instigate others to fight the wars that it wants. A good old Putinite would now recite to you how America wants to punish Iran for not caving to western exploitation and found a useful idiot in Israel, how Israel is just goading on Iran at the moment waiting for the bigger war to start, just like it is using Ukraine to goad on Russia, who also needs to be punished for not caving in to western exploitation.

You decide which standpoint to adhere to. All I know is, when the wars go nuclear the US military has an advantage, and the US as a whole has the advantage of being far away from the battlefield. As usual.

fridi

Biden admits border is not secure amid funding fight

Since nobody seems to know exactly what is in this "immigration deal" really, and all the characterizations are heresy, I find it disingenuous of supporters of the Senate "deal" to withhold key details from the public. Perhaps they think they can calm the waters by being secretive but all they have done is cause more alarmism and polarization.

Till then it is reckless to assume it's "a good deal" or the "best deal" possible. And here are the possible elements that are certain to kill a potential "deal".

1) Amnesty for those who have illegally entered the US of their own volition. Been there, done that, solved nothing and gives another incentive for crashing the border.

2) A failure to substantially toughen requirements for granting asylum, and failure to provide border agents the power to expel those with dubious claims.

3) A failure to restrict parole to a case by case basis, as required in the the law.

4) Failure to provide expedited removal for the vast majority of illegals caught.

5) Any further requirements by Democrats to expand immigration - not the time or relevancy to immediate border security.

Now the House Republicans are strongly pressing for full adoption of HR2. That isn't realistic, but what is certain is that even the House Ukraine supporting Republicans cannot and will not allow for the absence of substantial changes in the areas cited above.

luzribeiro

A Black Man Was Elected Mayor in Rural Alabama, but the White Town Leaders Won’t Let Him Serve

If the facts are accurate about this town of 275 residents, there is no excuse to wait until 2025 for an election. There must be a way for the federal government to step in now.

President Biden is always talking about how much he is interested in the rights of African Americans. So he should put his money where his mouth is: order the Department of Justice to intervene NOW!

The whites (who are only 15% of that tiny town) apparently do not want to be governed by African Americans. That is their right. So they should move. This whole farce should be given tons of publicity in the media. Those whites who are blocking the inauguration of the new mayor would be laughed out of town.

luzribeiro

I was watching a news article on this and found it interesting. This party is neither Democrat nor Republican but they do have the ability to affect the 2024 election. This really depends on whether they choose a Democrat or Republican as the leader of their party.

It could actually take votes from either party. We could laugh this off, but Ross Perot received almost 19% of the popular vote in 1992. If they chose someone like Liz Cheney or Chris Sununu it could take votes away from Republicans. However, if they chose a strong Democrat it could take votes away from Democrats. Bottom line is that they don't want to see another Trump vs Biden match:

https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/3992472-a-no-labels-presidential-candidate-cant-win-but-could-determine-who-does/

fridi

China continues be seen as a legitimate broker of peace*, while the US is seen as an obstacle to peace in many respects. Obviously China has ulterior motives and self-interests, but so does the US - and they are not an honest broker in any situation whatsoever.

Each are trying to satisfy their own interests, at the expense of others. The leaked documents on Mexico show that the US is hostile/negative to the Mexican president because he has decided to engage in public spending at the cost of US business interests. Israel and Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Venezuela. Cuba. Iraq. Go down the list.

The US has waning credibility, while China continues to accrue soft power. Like it or not, it's happening. You can't blame China for seizing on this opportunity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5D6_gDMVwQ

* Of course Xi Jinping's idea of peace in Ukraine is a unilateral ceasefire and freezing the war in place, which is a win for Moscow. We're not surprised at all, are we?

luzribeiro

Biden, Harris officially announce their 2024 re-election campaign

We're a step closer to having the rematch most Americans don't want. It seems both major parties are out of touch with most Americans or either don't give an owl's hoot what most Americans think, want or wish for.

The latest poll on running again or having the rematch. Questions 19 and 21

26% of Americans want Biden to run again, 53% don't. Democrats 47% do, 28% don't

32% of Americans want Trump to run again, 54% don't, Republicans 56% do, 29% don't

https://docs.cdn.yougov.com/6jir2a8rbh/econTabReport.pdf

Not sure which part of don't want either of these two to run again don't both major parties understand?

mahnmut

Shooting Incidents at K-12 Schools (Jan 1970-Jun 2022)

Shooting Incidents are based on publicly available data on incidents from the beginning of 1970 through June of 2022 following the definition of each and every instance a gun is brandished, is fired, or a bullet hits school property for any reason, regardless of the number of victims, time of day, or day of week.

fridi

"The validity of the public debt of the United States...shall not be questioned." --Fourteenth Amendment

The obvious question here is why didn't they do this the last two years when they had control of congress and the White House? Dems just passed a spending bill a few weeks ago without increasing the debt ceiling to allow debt to pay for it. Normally you could just spend the revenue coming in to pay for it, but Dems passed a couple trillion in new spending this FY, so they already spent the record revenue coming in. They also knew about the debt ceiling for even longer than that since they voted to suspend it last year, and were around when it was raised a decade ago. What did they do last year besides increase the debt to 10 trillion over the previous ceiling?

This would of course be disastrous. The US is already paying 500bn a year just to service the existing debt. Removing the limit altogether would remove one ability to limit excessive spending, which would further increase the debt leading to further wasted interest payment and more fiscal crises, and slow the economy. Thoughts?

Democrats push to eliminate the debt ceiling, allow unlimited government borrowing

oportet

It's almost time. Well, almost almost time - but definitely not too early to begin to become tired of talking about it already. Let's meet our contestants.

Joe Biden (+220) - Inflation, recession, war, accelerating cognitive decline, questionable business ventures with his son, inappropriate showers with his daughter - things like this would sink most candidates. This isn't most candidates though. This is Scranton Joe. He is resilient, and also your early favorite to repeat.

Donald Trump (+330) - Can he run as a winner after losing? Can he run as a guy who gets things done when there isn't a wall? Can he run as anti-establishmemt after surrounding himself with establishment last time around? Yes. Sad.

Ron DeSantis (+370) - The fiery Republican Plan B. If there is a breaking point where people using the word 'woke' incessantly become more annoying than the actual 'woke' - he'll probably get us there quicker. There is a rumor Trump is considering Tiny D for a nickname, and that is reason enough to keep watching.

Kamala Harris (+2400) - She's black, she's a woman, and if you're a Democrat that almost seals the deal (what else matters?) - Unfortunately, there is something holding her back. It would be much easier for democrats to find a black woman without her condition. (heythatwasforeshawdowing)

Pete Buttigieg (+3000) - Technically, gay white males still qualify for victimhood, but they're clearly at the bottom. Whatever gay bump he could get would likely be cancelled out by the awful run he's had as transportation secretary. He is the best speaker of all democrats mentioned to this point, don't underestimate a good bullshitter.

Gavin Newsom (+3200) - A straight white male, eeek! There is hope though, I see a path to victory. A fairly significant portion of democrats care (or pretend to care) about the environment. If you're a lefty worried about the existential threat of climate change™ - Newsom is the first democrat listed who doesn't have ties to an administration that's bombed a major underwater oil pipeline. Yay earth!

Nikki Haley (+4000) - Tons of 'experience', powerful backers, zero conviction in anything she says. She's essentially the Hillary of the right, but without a beloved spouse to ride the coattails of. Will she break the glass ceiling? Maybe, but only if the glass ceiling is better than 4th in her own state.

Michelle Obama (+4200) - She's black, she's a woman, and she's smart - as in she is not legitimately stupid, she isn't the absolute dumbest fucking person you've ever encountered in the world of politics, your body does not brace for shame whenever she speaks. If you are a Republican - or not but pulling for that team next season - you'd probably rather not see her in the final.

Mike Pence (+7000) - He's got the energy of Mitt Romney, he's got the dynamic stage presence of Jeb Bush, he's got the dignified statesman act down better than anyone else in the game. He's also got no chance, the team is clearly moving in a different direction.

Early hunches? Who do you like on the list? Who do you hate? Who should be added? What's for breakfast?

fridi

Hey everyone debt and deficits matter again to the GOP.

Celebrate goood times c'mon!

Democrats push to eliminate the debt ceiling, allow unlimited government borrowing

That said, the obvious question here is why didn't they do this the last two years when they had control of Congress and the White House? Dems just passed a spending bill a few weeks ago without increasing the debt ceiling to allow debt to pay for it. Normally you could just spend the revenue coming in to pay for it, but Dems passed a couple trillion in new spending this FY, so they already spent the record revenue coming in. They also knew about the debt ceiling for even longer than that since they voted to suspend it last year, and were around when it was raised a decade ago. What did they do last year besides increase the debt to 10 trillion over the previous ceiling?

This would of course be disastrous. The US is already paying 500bn a year just to service the existing debt. Removing the limit altogether would remove one ability to limit excessive spending, which would further increase the debt, leading to further wasted interest payment and more fiscal crisies, and slow the economy.

fridi

Looks like we are going to see how stiff McCarthy's and the house republicans collective spines are sooner than anticipated.

In the article the WH says flatly that they will not negotiate, that this should just be done no questions asked.

Let us hope McCarthy does not agree.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/13/politics/debt-limit-janet-yellen-letter-to-kevin-mccarthy/index.html

They are dishonest and anti-American enough to blow up the economy just to say they've "owned the libs". This, after decades of tax cuts that blow up the deficit followed by blaming the Democrats.

While we're at it... Why did the Treasury wait until the 11th hour to say something?

luzribeiro

'We Have The Votes': The Senate Will Act This Week To Codify Same-Sex Marriage
With the midterm elections over, Democrats have found enough Republicans ready to join them in advancing basic LGBTQ rights.

This is amazing! I'm so glad they're doing this before the SC nixes it. It's a good idea to codify issues like this, because the court is in the old Kmart parking lot doing donuts right now.

Oh, and by the way:

"Republicans raised concerns that it would stifle religious liberty."

Those "concerns" always remind me of some people who don't like a certain type of vegetable. "I don't like that asparagus one bit. That crap shouldn't be on the shelf." You know, some of us don't like certain things in life but we just suck-it-up. :)

luzribeiro

"Vote for me or the country will be destroyed!" says Biden.

Biden warns GOP could set nation on ‘path to chaos’ as democratic system faces strain

Normally, you'd just call this the usual desperate scaremongering and I'd agree with you, but on a second review, he might have a point (or two) on this account.

I know the MAGAs have the memory of a goldfish, but most of us still remember 2 short years ago when these guys did actually actively try to throw democracy out of the window altogether because they didn't like the result of the election.

What else would you call the mentality of "if my side didn't win, it was rigged and we should overthrow the government!" if not anti-democracy? So sorry their butthurt feelings don't overrule US democracy, but he does have a point here.

The deeper issue is, Republicans can't win on issues. That's why they don't have any positions outside of fear mongering themselves, culture wars, election disinformation and voter disenfranchisement. The last time they tried to argue an issue was healthcare and that was years ago and they couldn't even come up with a credible plan to push. They learned their lesson - they don't need to have a position on issues and they don't need to govern because their base doesn't care about those things.

When was the last time you heard a Republican have a substantive position on any issue that didn't involve mentioning Democrats, the "left", the "woke mob", LGBTQ+ people, criminals, bureaucrats, BLM, the "deep state", Hillary, Pelosi, Hunter, AOC or immigrants?

luzribeiro

The US has blown up the Nord Stream 1 & 2 gas pipelines which supply huge amounts of natural gas to Europe from Russia, according to Poland's former defense minister:

NATO Says Sabotage Behind Destruction Of Natural Gas Pipelines

If true, this constitutes a massive escalation by the United States in hostilities against Russia, the world's largest nuclear power.

I can't think of any faster way to bring about a nuclear war, than to attack key infrastructure of a major nuclear power.

Just consider this, though. Sikorski isn't a fan of the US; "The Polish-American alliance is worthless. It is even harmful because it creates a false sense of security for Poland".

Consider this too, then:
Biden: No Nord Stream 2 pipeline if Russia invades

Oh, and did anyone consider Russia did this in order to blame the US? It's exactly the type of thing Putin would do. He's been blaming Ukraine for the war since day one and we all know it's Putin's war. I mean, 'black or false flag' ops aren't exactly a new idea, are they?

Plenty of food for thought...

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April 2025

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Summary

asthfghl - The new Yalta +3 comments
airiefairie - The Turd Reich in action +23 comments
fridi - Just on topic: China filling the vacuum
luzribeiro - Cards on the table +1 comment
asthfghl - Friday nonsense. The map that really matters
luzribeiro - The problem is not (only) Trump. The problem is that half of America will vote for him +2 comments
mahnmut - Isn't this what everyone wanted anyway? +8 comments
fridi - The US border security issue +1 comment
luzribeiro - Only in Alabama +2 comments
luzribeiro - No Labels party? +1 comment
fridi - Who's selling themselves better as Mr Peacemaker +5 comments
luzribeiro - This ought to be fun +3 comments
mahnmut - Friday offtopic: A map of US school shootings (no comment) +1 comment
fridi - Debt ceiling again +4 comments
oportet - Most Important Election Ever: Early Edition +4 comments
fridi - Not sure how this is a good idea +3 comments
fridi - Not this debt ceiling shite again +1 comment
luzribeiro - Hope there will be enough votes in the house. +1 comment
luzribeiro - He's got a point though +6 comments
luzribeiro - Did the US just sabotage Europe? +4 comments

Talk politics.

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods.

Entries tagged with usa

The new Yalta

The Turd Reich in action

Just on topic: China filling the vacuum

Cards on the table

Friday nonsense. The map that really matters

The problem is not (only) Trump. The problem is that half of America will vote for him

Isn't this what everyone wanted anyway?

The US border security issue

Only in Alabama

No Labels party?

Who's selling themselves better as Mr Peacemaker

This ought to be fun

Friday offtopic: A map of US school shootings (no comment)

Debt ceiling again

Most Important Election Ever: Early Edition

Not sure how this is a good idea

Not this debt ceiling shite again

Hope there will be enough votes in the house.

He's got a point though

Did the US just sabotage Europe?

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April 2025

Summary