President Putin Gifting President Xi Jinping the YotaPhone 2. (Source: RT screen grab)
Robert Kagan, Foreign Policy: Backing Into World War III
America must check the assertive, rising powers of Russia and China before it's too late. Accepting spheres of influence is a recipe for disaster.
Think of two significant trend lines in the world today. One is the increasing ambition and activism of the two great revisionist powers, Russia and China. The other is the declining confidence, capacity, and will of the democratic world, and especially of the United States, to maintain the dominant position it has held in the international system since 1945. As those two lines move closer, as the declining will and capacity of the United States and its allies to maintain the present world order meet the increasing desire and capacity of the revisionist powers to change it, we will reach the moment at which the existing order collapses and the world descends into a phase of brutal anarchy, as it has three times in the past two centuries. The cost of that descent, in lives and treasure, in lost freedoms and lost hope, will be staggering.
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WNU Editor: A long read .... and a point of view that I am in disagreement with. Robert Kagan may feel comfortable with the idea of the U.S. "playing empire" in maintaining the global order of the past few decades .... but I am not. 16 years ago the U.S. had a balanced budget and was involved in no wars .... today .... the U.S. runs multi-trillion dollar debts and is involved in so many wars and conflicts that even I have lost count on how many there are. China has stayed away from wars, and with the exception of Syria, Ukraine, and Georgia .... Russia has limited its involvement. Not surprising .... even though both countries are facing enormous problems .... there is a confidence in their societies that they are on the right path .... but I cannot say the same about the West. And while I do not know if President Trump can change the role that the U.S. plays globally .... there are after-all many who are happy with the status quo .... I do hope that he does make an effort to drawback from many of the world's conflicts and supposed U.S. spheres of influence because when you look at the big picture .... I fail to see what is the benefit to the American people to be involved in "playing" this global role .
3 comments:
Kagan's a neocon, close to Trump, and doesn't realize the world has moved on after Bush II and the Global Economic Collapse.
While pursuing failed wars, the World has changed and moved on, and the US has failed to notice. Both President Bannon, the Alt Right, the Forced Birthers and the NeoCon's are all still stuck in their variations of 1984's Red Dawn fantasies, just with "different" enemies.
Ahh...Robert Kagan, Victoria Nuland's husband. Wish they were both gone. The neocons are hated by many on the right. McCain, Graham, Frum, Crystal, Nuland, Kagan, etc. are the war pushers that are now out of favor. They were Trumps opposition from within the party during the election. Several saying they would vote for Hillary. There are many who moved to the right this election because Trump seemed the more dovish and 'average person' focused of the two candidates. Many of the same people who voted for Obama the first time because he was the more dovish (turned out false) voted Trump this time. Seems no matter what we do the foreign policy doesn't change. Jay, I wouldn't lump all the right voters as war mongers. The left supported Libya and Syria. Even the left leaning European countries wanted a piece of Libya. The left lost because they forgot the average blue collar workers that use to be their bread and butter. They moved away from unions during the first Clinton presidency and have become another corporate party. The right is actually in a position where they are starting to reach out to these unions and workers in a more constructive way than the democrats. I'm hoping again for a change to the positive. However every election ultimately leaves me disappointed as the average person is disregarded and the wars continue. I'm still in a wait and see position with Trump.
Andy!
you go, ok? been there and so not my turn ...
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