In a change from what I normally do, here’s something I wrote today.
The US is on the way to becoming just another country thanks to Trump. Reasons?
1. The elimination of soft power programs like USAID are forcing developing nations to turn to China and Russia for help.
2: The plan to withdraw troops from Europe, if enacted, will lessen US influence. European reliance on the US has been a keystone of the postwar world order. With that diminished, that order is at risk. Europe is already making defense plans that don’t include the US.
3. Trump’s unreliability and unpredictability causes allies to stop counting on the US as a dependable partner. This again decreases influence.
4. Trump’s gunboat diplomacy is yet another blow to US prestige. Yes, we have a big army, but the current administration is throwing it around like a toddler scatters spaghetti on the high chair. Fear and respect are two different things.
5. The cancellation of most science funding will end US dominance of scientific progress unless it is reversed.
6. Threats to leave NATO lower its effectiveness as a deterrent. Note that NATO is a defensive pact, not one that has to respond to wars of choice or their consequences. NATO is not on the hook for opening the Strait of Hormuz. The obligations of member states are spelled out in the charter. Helping the US with Iran is not among them. If Trump pulls the US out, America First will become America Meh in Europe.
The US is on the way to becoming just another country thanks to Trump. Reasons?
1. The elimination of soft power programs like USAID are forcing developing nations to turn to China and Russia for help.
2: The plan to withdraw troops from Europe, if enacted, will lessen US influence. European reliance on the US has been a keystone of the postwar world order. With that diminished, that order is at risk. Europe is already making defense plans that don’t include the US.
3. Trump’s unreliability and unpredictability causes allies to stop counting on the US as a dependable partner. Not only are our allies decoupling militarily, but economically as well due to his temper tantrumic use of tariffs. This again decreases influence.
4. Trump’s gunboat diplomacy is yet another blow to US prestige. Yes, we have a big army, but the current administration is throwing it around the way a toddler scatters spaghetti on the high chair. Fear and respect are two different things. Ask any Greenlander.
5. The cancellation of most science funding will end US dominance of scientific progress unless it is reversed.
6. Threats to leave NATO lowers its effectiveness as a deterrent. Note that NATO is a defensive pact, not one that has to respond to wars of choice or their consequences. NATO is not on the hook for opening the Strait of Hormuz. The obligations of member states are spelled out in the charter. Helping the US with Iran is not among them. If Trump pulls the US out, America First will become America Meh in Europe.
7. Massive military spending, and tax cuts while running a deficit. This is not entirely Trump’s fault, but with US debt above GDP, and the piper standing at the doorway with his hand out, there is no reason to believe that the problem will be solved before our economy goes into a decades-long spiral. If Congress eliminates social programs to bridge the gap, the resulting deprivation will cause an open revolt. Millions could lose retirement income, health care, and disability benefits, creating a black hole in the economy. A US initiated global recession will not be good for influence, even with a big army.
9. Immigration crackdown. Ineffectively disguised as going after “the worst of the worst”, ICE and the CPB have gone after anyone with the temerity to be born elsewhere (except for WHITE South Africans) and brown skinned, while using performative violence and Gestapo tactics. The US government is trying to acquire warehouses across the country likely to lock up anyone who opposes them. The descent into authoritarianism has scared would be tourists along with asylum seekers. Tourism is down across the board with many Europeans, Japanese, and Canadians (among others) choosing to avoid the US. ICE agents have met tourists at the airports and sent them away because they may have been mean to Trump in social media posts. Seeing the way we are treating foreigners diminishes our influence, and leaves tourist dollars in other countries’ pockets. One further note on this: Trump is trying to send Afghans who helped us in the war back to Afghanistan where they would likely be killed. The world sees this, and getting similar help in the future will be difficult to impossible.
The world order he’s upending kept the world relatively stable for 80 years. We reaped the benefit of that stability in prosperity and influence. That influence is dissipating, and we’ll all be worse off for it. We’re in for a wild ride, folks.
