The Summer of Summits

[hollodero]

(06-11-2018, 12:42 PM)bfine32 Wrote: G7 in the books and NK just hours away. Let's see if we can have a thread to discuss the merits of either or both without turning into Trump and going ad hominem.

G7- Depending on which side of the aisle you sit you will probably view Trump's actions differently. Some will view him as standing up for American's interest; while others will see him as petulant. Personally, I think Trump should be censured for his comments about allied leaders, but I would be curious to know exactly how much of the bill the US has been paying in the past.

Censored? You're becoming such a minority within your own political realm... I think you're right of course. The US is putting themselves into a corner where there's hardly a coming back. Being the most unreliable partner in this world, displaying an attitude of being the only man left in a completely neutered world. It's deeply offensive and will not be treated lightly, I suppose. This will have consequences for centuries to come, and I don't see the US as a winner in that development.
Also, Putin back in the G7? What kind of crazy talk is that.

As for paying the bill, sure Trump is right in some regard (say defense spending or the automobile industry), hence I can understand some measures and maybe even some tariffs, but I miss explanations as well. At some point, I had the feeling Trump considers our sales taxes tariffs, as if the US paid for them instead of the consumer, and as if it weren't applied to all products sold. I often don't know what he could mean with his numbers except that one.
Also, I guess he looks at trade deficits and gets to the wrong conclusion that the world is taking advantage, while I guess what that deficit really means is that US citizens consume way more than the country can possibly produce, even in times of nearly full employment.

(06-11-2018, 12:42 PM)bfine32 Wrote: NK- I think this may be the reason Trump lashing out at the Canadian PM. Perhaps a feeble attempt to show Kim that he means business. I do hope that the NK summit is fruitful and a road map is created to NK becoming a productive member of society and perhaps a move toward unification with the South.

I hope that, sure I do, but I have zero confidence in that happening. Kim could have no interest in an unification with the south, or in any unilateral move towards denuclearization, and why should he. On the other hand, though it sounds like a cliché I also think he craves for the photo op and the sign of being accepted as a leader in the world.
Then again, when Trump gives away too much in exchange for little or even ineffective symbolic steps towards denuclearization, the message to other countries is, you want to get something out of the world, start building nukes as well, you'll get respected for it.