Simon Shuster, Time: Angela Merkel Stopped Relying on President Trump Only After Failing to Reason With Him
The Germans did what they could. Starting well before Inauguration Day, they tried to get on friendly terms with President Donald Trump, at least friendly enough not to squander a bond that took more than half a century for their nations to build. The effort was commendable, in part because of the patience it required of German Chancellor Angela Merkel. But it didn’t do much good in the end.
Trump wouldn’t budge. The contempt he expressed for Merkel, Germany and the European Union has mostly traveled with him from the campaign to the White House, and his learning curve in the Oval Office has not been steep enough to convince him of the importance of U.S.-German ties. On Sunday, after a few days of summits with Trump and other Western leaders, Merkel effectively threw up her hands and gave up on him. “The times when we could fully rely on others are a bit finished,” she told a crowd of her supporters in Munich. “That’s what I experienced in the last few days.”
Read more ....
WNU Editor: One can see in the above Al Jazeera video the divide between European commentators and analysts on how they see this U.S. - German spat .... and how the Americans see it. The European analysts in the above video do understand the role that internal German politics are now playing in this debate and why German Chancellor decided that now is the best time to make this anti-Trump speech ... while the American commentator is just focused on blaming President Trump. Who is right? As someone whose background is European (albeit eastern European) .... the people who live in Europe and who have to deal with Germany know that many in the German government have been pushing for years policies that would distance Europe away from NATO and the U.S.. This blog has posted numerous stories just in the past year on the push in the EU for an EU army .... a policy that President Trump himself has condemned would undermine NATO .... Fears for Nato as Brussels takes first step to an EU army: New body will control military training missions that do not involve force (Daily Mail). As to who has been pushing for this EU Army .... no surprise .... Germany Is Quietly Building a European Army Under Its Command (Foreign Policy). And in the area of trade .... the EU has exercised some of the most restrictive trade policies in the world that goes back years .... EU trade barriers come under fire at WTO (Reuters) .... and the country that has benefited the most from this has been .... guess again .... Germany. And who has been pointing out consistently this trade imbalance that favors Germany .... the person that German Chancellor Merkel is attacking (i.e. Donald Trump). Will anyone in the Western press repeat what I have just said .... nope .... the focus is all on Trump without any analysis or focus on what the Germans are really doing. But in Europe .... a different analysis and commentary .... and in the next day or two expect a lot of commentary from countries who do not appreciate being told and lectured on what to do and think by German Chancellor Merkel.
More News On Western Media Reaction To German Chancellor Merkel's Remarks Condemning President Trump
Thanks to Trump, Germany says it can’t rely on the United States. What does that mean? -- Henry Farrel, Al Jazeera
After Trump’s disastrous vacation, Angela Merkel warns: The world has no leader -- Heather Digby Parton, Salon
New posterboy for ‘more Europe’ — Donald Trump -- Matthew Karnitschnig, Politico
The Guardian view on Mrs Merkel’s speech: ominous common sense -- Guardian editorial
Angela Merkel is right: the US and the UK cannot be relied upon. They have let the people of Europe down badly -- Top Peck, The Independent
Europe can't rely on Trump. But can it fix itself? -- Charles Riley, CNN
Trump's Trip Was a Catastrophe for U.S.-Europe Relations -- David Frum, The Atlantic
Is Trump Pushing Merkel to Create A German Superpower? -- Jacob Heilbrunn, National Interest
ReplyDeleteYour comments above are why I so enjoy your blog.
Roger
http://the-mound-of-sound.blogspot.ca/2017/05/putin-couldnt-have-better-ally.html?m=1
ReplyDelete"Since 1945, the supreme strategic goal in Europe of the USSR and then Russia was the severing of the US-German alliance. Trump delivered," Frum said."
"Think of him, as the end of the world we, or maybe anyone, including Vladimir Putin, knew it. To me, that means one thing, even though most of you won’t agree: I think we owe Donald Trump a small bow of thanks and a genuine debt of gratitude. He’s teaching us something invaluable, something we probably wouldn’t have grasped without him. He’s teaching us just how deeply disturbed our American world actually is, or he wouldn’t be where he is."
http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/176288/tomgram%3A_engelhardt%2C_thank_you%2C_donald/
LMFAO,
DeleteThe Trump Crest that litters all of Cheeto Benito's properties was stolen from a British family, and the families latin motto, integritas, ( integrity) was replaced with Trump.
It even has tiny hands too,
LMFAO
Germany has been a net liability to America for at least the last 20 years. Furthermore Russia today is not the Soviet Union of today or even the Russia of 1990. Furthermore America of today is not the America of 1945 or the America of 1990.
ReplyDeleteDJT and his team are trying to negotiate an end to Cold War 2. This is a war that certain misguided individuals chose to exacerbate and went out of their way to do so. This is a war we do not/did not need, cannot afford, and lack the resources to prosecute effectively.
If the Germans, the French or whomever choose to carry on with such uneeded foolishness, by all means do so but please LEAVE US OUT OF IT. We will negotiate our own peace with Russia. Then our people will be able to look forward to a possibility of peace and economic growth. As for Europeans who wish to be stupid, not so much.
Now if there were someone in the US government that Vladimir Putin did view as an "ally" such a person would be an extreme asset to the American people and the "west." Such people should be promoted and encouraged. These can help us Cold War 2. Again, if Germany, France, and others want to carry this on by all means DO SO but LEAVE US OUT OF IT. Americans want sonething better for themselves, their families, and their posterity. Most Americans would like to have posterity.
LMFAO
Deletehttps://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/posterity
First let me tell you that you are not European. Russia will never be part of any Europa.
ReplyDeleteSecond, most of the Europeans would like to have Merkel as president of their country.
Ha ha, no way. I am Swedish and most ethnic swedes hates Merkel because he has destroyed both Germany and Sweden with her crazy policies. Without her it would not have been any Brexit.
DeleteLMFAO,
Deletehttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Sweden
http://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Sweden/United-States/Economy
What you really mean to say, given how well you guys have been doing, on all metric's, ( GDP growth, Health, Education, Crime, Livability, CCM, wages), compared say, to the US, over the same time period,
What you really mean to say, is the EU's and the Swedish Government's policies, ( Merkel's just the German Chancellor, she's not the President of the EU, a democratic organization, or the Prime Minister of Sweden, a democratic country), have made Sweden "less white".
Only the Somali can be considered black. The arabs are caucasions same as us. There is only three main races. Difference in slight skin tone don't mean anything.
DeleteLMFAO,
Deletehttps://www.amazon.ca/Irish-Became-White-Noel-Ignatiev/dp/0415963095
"White" is not a race, like say Caucasian , it's construct of exclusion.
Jebus, 'Murkin's are stupid,
ReplyDeleteImpeachment requires a SuperMajority in both the House to just get started, and in the Senate to actually happen.
A SuperMajority is a fancy political term for a number larger than 75%.
Republicans have both the House and Senate.
There is no way that 55% of Republicans will ever choose America over treason.
So Adolf Twitler's gonna be your POTUS until 2020, unless he quits. His business MO is often, that when the going get's tough, grab everything of value that isn't nailed down, bail and leave the rubes and chumps with the mess.
In November 2018, there's gonna be a referendum on Little Big Boy, and while the House is in play, the Senate's not, unless a lot of Republican's decide to retire to spend more time at home with their money between now and then.
If the House rolls over, Impeachment can start in 2019, but full impeachment can't happen until after the 2020 Elections.
So you guys are stuck with Cheeto Benito until 2020 minimum, unless he makes a run for the border.
Either way, you should use the time between now and the , learning Russian, so that you will fit in, in 2020 America,
Or Chinese, so you can work for pennies a day in one of their colonial factories/work camps abroad.
"Adolf Twitler", when HRC referred to Vladimir Putin as "Hitler" tbis very likely sealed her fate. There are atill just enough Americans who fought the genuine article to point out reality to the voting public. As for Russians who fought the genuine article and bore casualties beyond what few Americans and even fewer Canadians can grasp, this is an extreme insult.
ReplyDeleteGiven the gravity of the stuation someone like HRC whom the Russians hate and disrespect could not be allowed to assume the office of POTUS. When I first heard this, I oncluded she was either a child in the body of an adult or pathologically insane, most likely the latter. Either way such a person should NEVER be allowed ANYWHERE near a position of power.
As for learning Russian and Chinese, probaly not a bad idea since some foolishly chose to make them an enemy, going out of their way to do so. It'd be a good idea to know the languages of the enemy you chose to create and for NO GOOD REASON. I'm pretty sure most Americans want something bettet than fighting wars that there is no good reason for, we can't afford, and we lack the resources to prosecute effectively even if we did "need" it.
In other words, we prefer to grow our econony and provide security for our people rather than involve ourselves in things that not only don't advance those things but undrmine them. As such, "treason" is efforts taken to undermine efforts to negotiate an end to Cold War 2 and improved relations with China.
Hopefully the people doing this will learn to put America's interests above their own small and political intersts. One can only hope.
LMFAO,
DeleteRussia's never been European. It's always been a Hybrid European/Asian construct since the days of the Kievan Rus.
ReplyDeleteThere was a very brief period at the end of the Cold War where through the EU and NATO, Russia could have become part of Europe, but the US veto'd it, because ehile it would have created a Peace Dividend, and a massive economic boom, most of the benifits would have accrued to the EU and not the US, and would have changed the global balances of power.
Jay,
ReplyDeleteI checked out your link on the last post. Basically Webster's definition is as I'd define it. Essentially "posterity" is all future generations
. Should we not find a NEGOTIATED end to Cold War 2 such will be non existent or quite bad for Americans. As such, we should be highly motivated to do this or to support those who can help us here. At the very least, GET OUT OF THEIR WAY!!
Jay,
ReplyDeleteThat's intersting about the "global balance of power." I've long known the "global balance of power" has been changing for the last plus years.
Russia and China are going to be the top powers for at least the next 25 years or so, at a minimum, probably much longer. Those who understand this can have good outcomes. Those who fail to recognize this will not have a good future.
Perhaps DJT is trying to postion America to prosper in the upcoming world system. If so, since it can't be changed at this point, such a move would be a good idea. It has no costs and huge upside benefits. The Russians aren't doing anything to hurt America and are asking nothing of importance of importance to America to end Cold War 2. As for the Chinese, it"s a bit tougher though they can hurt us less. Nevertheless they zeem willing to get this done. True American patriotis would support these efforts and the people who can achieve this.
LMFAO,
DeleteHad you mean to write and reference posterity, in proper english, your sentence structure and grammer would have been considerably different.
"Americans want sonething better for themselves, their families, and their posterity. Most Americans would like to have posterity."
That's clunkier in english than anything google translate would write.
A native english speaker familiar with the word, would have written something more along the lines of:
Americans want something better for themselves, their families, and (some permenent achievements to leave for ) posterity. Most Americans would like to have prosperity.
Posterity is a legacy left behind for others, the posessive is in the future, or a legacy left in history, for the present, not a posession in the present.
The Egyptian Pharaohs' obsession with death left monuments to this obsession for all posterity.
The horrible legacy of the Residential Schools will colour Canadian and First Nations relatins for all posterity.
But it fits perfectly with your counterfactuals, as if an algorithm was constructed to write propaganda in a first language, on a subject matter, say Chinese or Russian, then auto-translate it into english.
Jay,
ReplyDeleteNot quite sure what you're talking about. Perhaps you don't understand American english very well. I must admit I don't understand Canadian english as well as perhaps I should.
How I typed this is exactly as any American would. This is what I am. Perhaps Canadians would express this differently.
In any event, you want to fight Russians and Chinese, go strap it on. You can join the "resistance" in Ukraine, Tawain, or pethaps Poland. As for Americans, we generally understand all of the above are a net liability to us, want something better that, and that there is no future or "posterity" for us in such endeavors as it can only have a bad ending for us.
As for Canadians, you might well celebrate our destruction. We've always admired you Canadians, wushing we could be you, but knowing we could never hope to measure up to your manifest excellence. As a country like America without the glorious past that western European countries or Canada has we can only look forward, hence to having posterity or something we can leave them is all we have. Cold War 2 and/or conflict with China is not going to be helpful here and will only end badly. Again, if you want it, if you need to ptove something, by all means STRAP IT ON. The Baltic States, Poland, and Ukraine WANT YOU. They want YOU to help them in their power struggle against Russia that's been going on for centuries. YOU might even be the necessary element to finally win it for them!!
In which case, perhaps they won't devour you. They might even sing songs honoring you. and your sacrifice for generations to come. After all you were useful to them in their power struggle. By all means STRAP IT ON sir!! The good news for you is as Canada you won't bear the brunt of Russia's reprisal. Shch things will fall on America. As such, it behooves us to be far more circumspect esprcially those of us who have families who depend on us and that we'd like something better for.
On our Memorial Day, I engage in thoughtful reflection on what we are doing, the lives lost, and a way forward. Avoiding/ending conflicts we don't need and that serve no good purpose seems a FABULOUS way forward. A baby step perhaps but for a nation with a bad past like America this seems good. As for you, by all means fight Russia, prove your tougness, but LEAVE US OUT OF IT!! We'd like something better.
LMFAO,
DeleteGoggle yourself a copy of Mairriam Webster's American Style Guide.
http://sentence.yourdictionary.com/posterity
LMFAO
Jay,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link on posterity. I read through some of the sentencesbon this. Perhaps I misused the word. As an American I understand my place to you as a Canadian.
I do NOT like it and aspire to change it while most Americans are reconciled to this. We Americans are inferior to you Canadians both in terms of environment and DNA and no matter how hard we try to measure up to our superiors we never will. All American leaders acknowledge you manifest Canadian magnifance. Should DJT refuse to do so obviously he would be hated by all.
Perhaps I used "posterity" improperly. Suffice it to say Americans would like a future. Perhaps we might one day achieve not only decency but maybe even the greatness of Canada. Few Americans dare believe such is possible but we hope. Unless we end Cold War 2 none of these dreams are likely achievable.
Oh look. Another WNU comment section littered with the manic, repetitive, grindingly tedious witterings of Jay Fark Up, here to correct the record whenever anyone challenges his myopic progressive dogma. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteDoes this rude, grating, intolerant ninny have a life? Probably not. After all, he is man so boring and obnoxious that every other comment is "LMFAO", because he actually has nothing original or intelligent to say. When he's not being boring, he's being racist in that bizarre, twisted way that only the very politically correct manage to achieve. Reading this imbecile's comments is like watching a clogged toilet fail to flush.
I wonder how his business is going?
ReplyDelete