03-22-2019, 11:21 PM
(03-22-2019, 10:20 PM)Dill Wrote: I agree, and taking it a step further, the kinds of personal and identity crises to which fascism speaks are rampant again.
I agree as well. I also think the exact same argument can be made about communism and socialism. As the people who suffered under those systems fade into the past as well a new generation take up the old flag because this time will be different.
Quote:Still further, I would add that all the measures constructed to make sure we don't get another WW, like the UN, military alliances and treaties, the IMF, etc. are now perceived as outdated, full of free riders soaking the American taxpayer.
The UN has become a joke, while I don't want it moved to China its usefulness is near nil at this point. As far as military alliances, Europe has seen to the decline in that status far more than the US. The US has been doing the heavy lifting for decades while countries like Germany use the portions of their budget they would otherwise have to devote to the military to the "butter" side of the ledger. But what are the real world consequences of this decline? Is Europe going to ally itself with China or Russian? Somehow I think not. For all the pissing and moaning they do about us I can't see them latching on to those countries. As for going it alone, good luck. The nations in the EU are growing ever more fractious, with Italy, Austria and perhaps France and the Netherlands now leaning closer to the Eastern European nations that they are to Germany or Belgium.
Quote:The U.S. is pulling back its diplomatic investments in regions of the world precisely where the vacuum can be filled by authoritarian states like China and Russia. The former is quietly constructing a competing world order with soft power as it strengthens its military.
let it be filled by those countries. I can't count how may times on left leaning news sites like The Guardian that I've seen comments yearning for the day that China supplants the Us. Let it happen in parts of the world, let them have what they claim to want. In any event Russia is a regional power and, nuclear weapons aside, is unlikely to ever be more. Let China have more influence so nations can see how good they had it under the Pax Americana.
Quote:All this while Trump's authoritarian leadership is cheered because it IS authoritarian and criticism of it is dismissed as "Trump hate."
A fair amount of the criticism is "Trump hate". Trump is doing a lot of things wrong. One area in which he is wholly correct is redressing the imbalances with nations such as China and organizations such as the EU. Trump has a lot of negative traits, but the left wants to treat him as 100% malignant. Not only is this incorrect it is actually enabling nations hostile to ours.
Quote:Vacuum of knowledge. Vacuum of power.
A pithy summation I suppose. Seeing as the Democratic solution to Trump appears to be an evisceration of bedrock national principles and more "free stuff" for everyone I don't know that anyone should be yearning for their ascension. In one way you are entirely correct, we live in an era in which ideological purity is more important than logic and common sense. Perhaps Trump's biggest sin is enabling the entire political class to completely abandon any moderate stance and willingly embrace polarization and positions considered extreme no more than three years ago. This could all end very badly.
