knapplc Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 Everything he's doing is diminishing the United States' role in the world. That leaves a power vacuum for other countries to exploit. See who exploits it. Then you'll see who's controlling Trump's strings. 1 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted June 29, 2018 Share Posted June 29, 2018 To Knapp's point above add this: What a 'cluster' this would be. USA's withdrawal from WTO. The guy is insane and needs to be removed for incompetence and in a hurry. Just the fact that he considers this even if it doesn't occur tells me he is plain nuts - as a top trade lawyer says below. https://www.axios.com/trump-threat-withdraw-wto-world-trade-organization-f6ca180e-47d6-42aa-a3a3-f3228e97d715.html Article quote: What we're hearing: “He’s [threatened to withdraw] 100 times. It would totally [screw] us as a country,” said a source who’s discussed the subject with Trump. The source added that Trump has frequently told advisers, "We always get f#&%ed by them [the WTO]. I don’t know why we’re in it. The WTO is designed by the rest of the world to screw the United States." Flashback: During the campaign, Trump told NBC's Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press," in July 2016: "World Trade Organization is a disaster." Some aides have tried to explain to Trump that in their view, the U.S. does well at the WTO, given the U.S. has an army of trade lawyers and created the system: The “Economic Report of the President” for 2018, which bears Trump’s signature on Page 11, states: “[T]he United States has won 85.7 percent of the cases it has initiated before the WTO since 1995, compared with a global average of 84.4 percent. In contrast, China’s success rate is just 66.7 percent.” But Trump is unmoved by those arguments, according to sources with direct knowledge: Trump’s economic advisers do push back in the moment when he raises the idea of withdrawal. But they’ve never put in place a policy process to take the idea seriously, according to four sources with direct knowledge of his private comments. That dismissive attitude in the face of Trump’s insistence could ultimately prove to be a mistake — as history has shown with other policy ideas of which aides do not approve. Between the lines: Even if his advisers put a policy process in place and try to make sure he’s well-informed on what it would mean to try to withdraw from the WTO — there is no guarantee that Trump won’t do it. History shows he doesn't care about the process. Remember when Trump upended his globalist trade advisers’ carefully constructed policy process and simply announced he’d be imposing massive tariffs on steel and aluminum imports? It’s not unimaginable that the same could eventually happen with his desire to try to withdraw from the WTO. Why this matters: A U.S. withdrawal from the WTO would send global markets into a spiral and cast trillions of dollars of trade into doubt. It would also blow up an institution that for 70-plus years has been a pillar of global economic and political stability. The consequences of a U.S. withdrawal are so profound that, like Trump’s senior advisers, the trade community hasn’t seriously entertained the possibility that Trump would try to withdraw. A top trade lawyer in Washington said: “We think he’s nuts, but not that nuts." The safety valve: Should Trump defy his advisers and announce a withdrawal at some point in the future, he would run into significant legal hurdles. As head of state, Trump under international law could make the notification at the WTO. But the U.S. law implementing the WTO agreements states quite plainly that withdrawal from the WTO requires an act of Congress. What’s next? Probably nothing. This move seems too extreme, even for Trump. Sources with knowledge of the situation say the Trump administration will continue to call attention to various ways in which the U.S. encounters what some Trump advisers perceive is unfair and unbalanced treatment within framework of the WTO. The administration will likely continue to push the envelope on all its trade policies, fully expecting its actions will be challenged within the WTO. But if Trump continues to feel as if he’s being unfairly stymied by the international body, you’d be a fool to confidently declare that he won’t follow through on his desires at some point Link to comment
Guy Chamberlin Posted July 3, 2018 Share Posted July 3, 2018 On 6/24/2018 at 3:52 PM, TheSker said: Because we should just believe at face value what other countries' diplomats say? When in the HISTORY of the world have we seen a desire for a global kumbaya? Can we just end this naive belief? Donald Trump has said more than once that he trusts the word of Vladimir Putin over the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies at his disposal. There's not a diplomat in the world who's not waiting to see how Trump gets played, and none of them expect it to be a kumbaya moment. Link to comment
TheSker Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 2 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said: Donald Trump has said more than once that he trusts the word of Vladimir Putin over the 17 U.S. intelligence agencies at his disposal. There's not a diplomat in the world who's not waiting to see how Trump gets played, and none of them expect it to be a kumbaya moment. I don't expect Trump and Putin to ultimately have a kumbaya moment. I think my post was pretty clear...... Link to comment
commando Posted July 4, 2018 Share Posted July 4, 2018 2 hours ago, TheSker said: I don't expect Trump and Putin to ultimately have a kumbaya moment. I think my post was pretty clear...... more like a "yes, my master" moment? 4 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 As we stop leading in world events, others jump in to fill the leadership void. Taking our ball home with us is a defeatist policy in this world global community. The world is bigger than just the USA and other countries will lead when we fail to do so. Here we have others picking up the ball on the Iran Nuke Deal. Instead of renegotiating, we've got these other countries giving reassurances to Iran that they will honor the agreement. These countries also reject our 'secondary sanctions' against them if they were to cooperate wt Iran. I read that as saying, we may get 'sanctioned' by them in return. Kind of like Trump's tariffs - tit for tat. https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/2018/07/04/u-s-sidelined-as-five-powers-set-to-give-iran-new-assurance Quote A top State Department official warned Tuesday in Washington that any plans to continue doing business with Iran will run afoul of U.S. sanctions. “Our goal is to increase pressure on the Iranian regime by reducing to zero its revenue from crude oil sales,” said Brian Hook, who has led Trump administration discussions with European allies on the sanctions. “We are prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case-by-case basis, but as with our other sanctions we are not looking to grant waivers or licenses.” Quote Foreign ministers from China, France, Germany, Russia and the U.K. will convene in Vienna for the first time without the U.S. in order “to ensure the continued implementation” of the accord, which granted Iran a reprieve from sanctions in exchange for limits to its nuclear program, according to a European Union statement on Wednesday. Quote “Austria and the European Union are ready to maintain and deepen the framework for cooperation with Iran,” Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen said following a meeting in the Austrian capital with his Iranian counterpart, Hassan Rouhani. U.S. threats to impose secondary sanctions violate the rights of European companies and individuals, Van der Bellen said. 2 Link to comment
BigRedBuster Posted July 5, 2018 Author Share Posted July 5, 2018 He has impressed our European Allies so much. I"m so glad he's regained respect for America around the world. 2 Link to comment
Guy Chamberlin Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 On 7/3/2018 at 6:50 PM, TheSker said: I don't expect Trump and Putin to ultimately have a kumbaya moment. I think my post was pretty clear...... Agree. I think it's more of a "kumbaya THIS motherfukkers" moment. I don't think the global diplomatic corps is being coy or disingenuous at this point: Trump and Putin want to fracture all previous alliances that reign them in. That's the face value proposition. Putin has more to gain, Trump has more to lose. One of them is vastly superior at strategic manipulation. It would be naive to think this is a good thing. 2 Link to comment
TGHusker Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 This article makes me wonder who believes in free trade and open markets -- it appears China is more capitalistic in its approach then our president. https://www.axios.com/china-us-is-opening-fire-on-the-entire-world-with-trump-trade-war-tariffs-191b6420-5e2b-40e5-a006-d54df915f5d6.html Link to comment
Fru Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 16 minutes ago, knapplc said: Wonder if that farmer on I-80 near Lincoln with the "TRUMP" sign on his barn will be negatively impacted by this. 1 Link to comment
ZRod Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 22 minutes ago, Fru said: Wonder if that farmer on I-80 near Lincoln with the "TRUMP" sign on his barn will be negatively impacted by this. He had to do it. They were taking advantage of our steel workers in Pittsburgh. Link to comment
TheSker Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 3 hours ago, Guy Chamberlin said: Agree. I think it's more of a "kumbaya THIS motherfukkers" moment. I don't think the global diplomatic corps is being coy or disingenuous at this point: Trump and Putin want to fracture all previous alliances that reign them in. That's the face value proposition. Putin has more to gain, Trump has more to lose. One of them is vastly superior at strategic manipulation. It would be naive to think this is a good thing. And equally naive to allow diplomacy issues to affect my blood pressure. Link to comment
knapplc Posted July 5, 2018 Share Posted July 5, 2018 3 minutes ago, TheSker said: And equally naive to allow diplomacy issues to affect my blood pressure. If a president meeting with Vladimir Putin without any official record keepers or advisers around him doesn't affect your blood pressure, what does? 1 Link to comment
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