We know all we need to know about Trump's version of diplomacy and it is neither pretty, adult or responsible. Australia is not the only ally wondering what is going on in Washington.
6
The Chinese have fewer scruples than the U.S.?! Maybe that was true at one time.
21
Trump demonstrates daily his dereliction of duty. He's unfit to serve, America. He seems to like Russia and China and his act as the Reality President. Sad to say this is all too real and we seem headed towards the cliff.
15
Australians don't appreciate their good fortune just being on the opposite side of the globe from the White House. If their luck holds out he may just forget about them altogether.
16
When I hear Trump yawp and read some of these comments, I reflect that it's literally true: lots of Americans really do think that their food comes from the supermarket.
By which I mean to say that it is insane to believe that we can cede access to the Suez Canal and blow off SE Asia without the slightest repercussions.
I expected that Trump and Bernie Sanders would howl about TPP, without having the slightest notion of what it said. And to me, the worst thing Hillary Clinton did was to jump on board: she knew better.
But to be fair to everybody, I suppose it's not really a matter of not knowing where the food comes from.
It's a matter of not knowing where we get our TV sets and phones, jet-skis and snowmobiles, and all the cheap junk we buy at Walmart.
15
Trump said it all in the campaign when he asked, "what have you got to lose?". After only a few months, we're getting a crash course in losing. The McConnell/Ryan GOP is incompetent and paralyzed with ideological posturing that does no American any good. Whether they see it or not, they are doing Putin's bidding, traitorously destroying our democratic republic from the inside out. The shallow, narrow-minded Trump is incapable of grasping the reality that he is ceding America's influence in the world to China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan. Where Obama achieved respect and cooperation, Trump achieves derision and irrelevance. What a mess we are in!
28
Scale matters. I was shocked with just how cheap Australian brethren to US politicians will sell themselves:
"Senator Sam Dastyari, a rising star in the Australian Labor Party, was accused last year of mouthing the pro-Beijing line on the South China Sea dispute for fear of losing a six-figure donation."
Comparables in the US are in the eight-figures, albeit over several years:
http://freebeacon.com/politics/none-of-the-top-10-biggest-political-dono...
Perhaps the Aussie Sam Dastyari should protest a la Trump: NOT FAIR!
2
Canberra may seem a "sleepy" capital to Mr Stephens in part because lobbying and political funding are strictly limited. Therefore there is much less buying and selling of political influence than there is in Washington. Also the personal lives of politicians have always been considered out of bounds to the media unless their job performance is affected. They are generally not considered to be celebrities and the public is less fascinated with their private foibles.
All of these, of course, are the sorts of activities that make Washington so lively.
16
I would like to point out that Mexico, Chile and Peru were countries in the TPP, hardly part of the Western Pacific. The withdrawal from TPP also gives China a free go at our hemisphere, as well.
17
Trump is ceding half the world to China - in terms of trade and influence - and all for the lack of comprehension on his own part, and skill and talent on the part of whoever it is in the Administration.
He listens to nobody, hires nobody, and has the intellectual curiosity of a can of Crisco.
When the dust settles, Jimmy Carter will find himself on the books as the best ex-President, and George Bush as the most likable. Trump will find himself fighting with Warren G. Harding, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson and John Tyler for worst ever - as President, before being President, and my prediction is as an eventual ex-President as well. Some people have a wealth of character. For others the vault is empty.
Because both Bush and Carter were sincere in their desire to improve the country; they were just abysmally bad at it. All Trump wants to improve is his TV-Q.
74
Ann CA Verified Readers’ Pick no 3 makes good use of Stephens’ column as a reason to observe that China is far ahead of Trump’s USA in developing renewable energy. I took her comment a step further to observe that the best of all renewable energy technologies is heat-pump technology, especially Ground-source geothermal heat pump tech (GSG).
I posed questions to Ann and all readers who support renewable energy: 1) How you heat and cool your home? 2) Are you familiar with heat-pump technology?
I have received a reply there that I recommend to all readers, a reply from mb in Ithaca, New York. Read mb and you will learn that he and his wife have GSG that heats and cools their home, at a cost for electricity a fraction of what they had earlier needed to pay. Read mb.
I add that no oil delivery needs to be made to their apartment building, no natural gas heating system need be used, and the GSG provides both heating and cooling.
Since they live in Ithaca I close by noting that the Cornell Tech Center on Roosevelt Island has GSG at the Bloomberg Center and perhaps other buildings.
Here is the URL to one of my replies that will take you to mb. This is for 1 of 2 replies to Ann. I have submitted a reply to mb, noting that he is the second person in 3 years to reply to me praising GSG as the best there is:
http://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/opinion/trump-turnbull-australia-china...
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
3
I agree with the energy saving of heat pumps, but without an outside source of electricity how are you going to run the heat pump?
3
Trump sees the United States as his personal business asset to be run as he sees fit a reflection of his ego mania and an opportunity to demonstrate his twisted idea of macho a loud ignorant school yard bully . Sad!
13
I understand the hard core Trump supporter who doesn't read much and never lets facts get in the way.
But I know way to many college educated Republican voters who knew before the election that Trump was a buffoon.
And they voted for him anyway.
Shame on them.
41
One of the most shocking things about Trump is his disrespect for our allies in Europe and Asia. At this point, he's being tolerated by our allies, but that may not last much longer. Trump is substituting bluster for genuine soft power (something that China is adept at). Trump's instinct is to stir things up and expect that everyone will eventually fall in line with his way of thinking. That is a major miscalculation on his part. He seems incapable of sending the simplest message to our allies, " If and when the stuff hits the fan, we have your back." Our President is not presiding over an absolute decline in American power; he is causing it.
85
China's (Clinton's, Bush's, Obama's) soft power has gotten us in a nuclear showdown with North Korea. It had to be tried, but here we are anyway. History shows that in the end it is usually hard power that tyrant's ultimately understand. Reagan knew that, and the USSR is no more. Even China is beginning to see that it can no longer put up with the wing-nut next door, no matter how much he served its strategic purposes. We can thank Trump-Mattis-Tillerson for that, not Clinton-Bush-Obama.
2
Bret better check his numbers. Less than 1000 Australians died in the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Not 100,000.
4
His numbers are correct. Wars over the past century include WWI and WWII. Over 60,000 Australians died in WWI and over 27,000 died in WWII.
A visit to the Australian War Memorial is a moving reminder that Australians have fought alongside Americans in nearly all of our wars over the past century: in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and — to this day — Afghanistan. More than 100,000 Aussies perished in these efforts, a staggering sacrifice for a country with less than 8 percent of America’s population.
And ww2.
5
Right. You would need to include WW1 & 2 to exceed 100,000 deaths.
3
Eight percent of America's population is a lot of people. It's not like America has done nothing for Australia to reciprocate. All those people is a big burden off of their backs.
China's advantage over the US in the Far East rests partly on "a lack of scruple?" Which US would that be? Surely not the one where we live now. Our President's word isn't worth the 140 characters that carry it so tiresomely. The world knows this and is adjusting its search for global leadershipaccordingly.
When we have Canada and Germany looking elsewhere for democratic inspiration, we can be sure that our reliable national trust is toast. It will take decades to get those bagels out of the toaster, even if Trump lasts only until 2021 -- or earlier.
So much damage has already been done, probably the greatest of which has been Trump's unilateral fit of Obama-hating pique, withdrawing from the TPP. President Xi must by now have adopted as his Mantra, "Thank you, President Trump!" but Trump is too rude and obtuse to reply "You're welcome."
11
My own uneasiness after reading this column is the never-ending slurs in print. We relied on China to labor on our railroads but determine they're unscrupulous. That's a fairly overwhelming bit of racism mirrored in the underlying concerns over their population, the size of the land mass they control, the bomb, their nearness to predominantly white Australia, etc. etc.). We're even afraid we'll lose trade with that predominantly white country. This could have been written by our President but for its correct use of English.
2
You're confusing the Chinese government of today ("Beijing"), with Chinese ethnicity (Chinese laborers who built U.S. RRs 150 y.a.). Today, ethnic Chinese span the globe and represent many nationalities, including over 4 million Americans. Characterizing or even criticizing the actions and policies of the Chinese government is NOT a racist slur against ALL ethnic Chinese.
10
How much rending and tearing can the constitution and government tolerate before the damage is permanent? How about the body politic?
Is Donald a passing flub, like Ross Perot? or is he the institutionalization of civic ignorance, populism, right-wing authoritarianism with emoluments?
We may know the answer before our legal institutions catch up with the perp.
8
Mr. Stephens is out in left field when it comes to the Land Down Under.
For starters, maybe Bret didn't follow last year's election cycle, but all three major Presidential candidates denounced TPP as a really bad deal for American workers. Only #44 found any value in his Asia pivot. I guess Hillary, Bernie and Donald were wrong, eh Bret?
America's naval mastery in Asia in doubt, Bret? The USN needs to shore up its on-board steering record in the heavy commercial traffic in the area, but its mastery in doubt? C'mon, Bret.
Did you read the transcript of Trump's "truculent" call to Malcolm? When you bother to do so, pay special attention to the "truculent" conclusion.
You need to specifically focus on those "Australian detention centers". They will tell you a lot about Australia's long history with its neighbors to The North. They will inform you of the likelihood of the Aussies switching their allegiance from the US to those purported democracies in the neighborhood.
The world is relieved that someone has a pretty good handle on Kim "Rocket Man" J-I's mind set. The Aussie's should share it with us. We would also like to know if Jr. has his hair done in a Rodeo Drive salon.
Other that than, Bret, 'ave a g'day.
2
There is zero evidence that the world approves of trump's bellicosity and schoolyard taunts against the leader of North Korea. Quite the contrary: the United States has lost its moral authority and leadership on the world stage. Most Americans are frightened and appalled by the daily utterances of this mistakenly elected man.
10
What's the point? That's about the silliest question I've ever heard regarding the Pacific. If the U.S. cedes the Pacific to the Chinese, we lose international access rights to some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Yes, a large portion of the U.S. economy relies on the South China Sea, either directly or indirectly, in order to conduct business. More over, the U.S. is isolated from other powers in the region. If the U.S. can't guarantee freedom of transport, other nations have little choice but to make deals with the Chinese.
Now imagine a scenario where U.S. and Chinese interests run into conflict on a global scale. Trump looks like a fool for threatening to cut off U.S. trade with China. China would have the ability to cut off U.S. trade with China but the U.S. couldn't respond. If the U.S. isn't already an economic whipping boy for Asia after the Bush years, Trump is bending the other knee. Obama was at least trying to the slow the trend down and negotiate a more favorable position long term. Trump burned that effort on day one.
7
Trumps insecurities are playing out in foreign policy. To our friends and allies in Australia, please hang in there, trump shall pass and maybe sooner than we think once Mueller is done with him.
6
Mr. Stephens is preaching to the choir.
If Mr. Stephens wants to be effective, he needs to be saying these things on Fox News and talk radio.
28
"White doesn’t mention it in our conversation, but Beijing has another advantage over the United States: a lack of scruple,"
um, have you seen who the US president is?
30
Well, Mr. Stephens, You say: "An erratic president can do a lot of damage in four to eight years."
That's hardly comforting when looking at the damage this erratic president has already caused in only eight months.
And with his erratic behaviour, along with the looming prospect of a nuclear war, it's hard to gage how much time we all actually have left on the planet.
One doesn't have to travel to the Southern Hemipshere to get a "queasy feeling" -- you can find enough of that right here.
26
I have these messages to those "Never Trump people". (1) Election has consequences. (2) Business-as-usual didn't work. (3) We are on a slow path to extinction. We might as well try things unconventional. We really have not much to lose. It is merely a question of sooner or later (if we don't change course). (4) Relationship can only last if it is mutually beneficial. I think the direct and common-sense approach taken by Trump makes sense. (5) Most importantly, the price of world leader position is just too high. It is a genuine question to ask why should US take refugees Australia didn't want?! I say enough is enough.
I was just amazed when I read the comment "there was no nuclear war under Obama". Funny! Under Obama, NK has become a nuclear power. Did I miss something?! I say an eye for an eye and I say we should use the language which NK understood. Preemptive strike is the only option left and we should all thank Obama for that. US has been taken for granted for too long. The only red line to consider is our national interests. It is just that simple.
2
"We might as well try things unconventional."
If by "unconventional" you mean mendacious, immature, dangerous, irrational, racist, and monumentally unfit, YES.
7
The refugee crisis is a result of the W. Bush / Cheney 2003 invasion of Iraq.
We take very few of the millions of refugees and the rest of the world is paying the price for the mess we caused. So much for accountability and responsibility.
As for the getting out of the TPP, it will hurt America. Same for getting out of the Paris Accord.
Pay attention to the deficit and debt when Trump signs his last budget on October 1, 2020.
The result of Trump's ignorance will put America last, not first.
He is not making America great again. He is making the oligarchs wealthier and the rest worse off.
12
Actually, North Korea exploded its first nuclear bomb in 2006 when we were busy chasing non-existent weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and, in general, making a mess of the middle east and now Europe with the refugees for two generations to come.
6
On a very recent trip to Australia I randomly met dozens of Australians, all of whom had positive things to say about Americans, the U.S. and our place in the world order. Most have or will visit the U.S. and none had anything particularly critical to say about Trump. Most actually didn't care much about politics. As a result, I think this article reflects the thinking of the political and cultural elites and not most average Australians (there are exceptions, of course, and most are likely posting here).
3
Yes, it's the elite conservatives and that's the point here.
1
Good points on the Pacific actors who live in/near and know the stage better then the US. (although we have some fine actors,who do know the Pacific stages very well,they are just hamstringed by this dotard POTUS)
But its the Chinese lack of scruples that will be, and in some places already is, their undoing. They have been very willing to invest in places with resources they need, and where the US has been less then eager to go (like various African states) due to complex conflicts already raging. So the Chinese make a lot of promises, even send money and tech and such, but then they renege on on certain agreements - like providing jobs for locals - and send in only Chinese to do a quick extraction, etc...and then leave. Or never complete the project.
The system of bribes the Chinese are used to receiving, seem to insult them when demanded by others in equal, if not greater amounts. And as such they will find themselves becoming more hated by various "locals," more so then the West/US is when we screw things up.
As to Trump in the Pacific. Unless he's ousted by the end of 2018, our footprint, and presence will be diminished all due to his lack of respect and understanding of what was built before he came along. Which is the problem with him in general. He lacks nuance. He fails to understand the finer points of the game he's been elected to star in. He thinks he can do all the jobs on his own, that his stellar persona will eventually win it all. He's not a team player.
14
Thank you for the a stark reminder that we are ignoring what is relevant (our allies, Chinese territorial ambitions and unscrupulousness), and attending to the irrelevant (walls, tariffs, name calling).
Mr. White is right, we are poised to lose to a point that we become irrelevant. Chinese ships we shadow in S. China sea treat our vessels as a joke.
Our haphazard policies and actions are confronting China's careful, deliberate strategy designed to gain dominance in Asia. Australia is indeed a canary; an empty ambassadorial appointment is indeed indicative of our collective mindlessness and inattention. Some of this is self-inflicted; the Australians have sold quite a bit of land to Chinese and Japanese interests. What were they expecting that to produce?
I am less concerned that China owns politicians in Australia. Why wouldn't they if they are for sale? Don't we own politicians everywhere? Doesn't our mining and energy industry shape our policy everywhere - particularly in Africa and Latin America?
I am more concerned that since the Bush years, our own political oligarchs are cozy with China, a lot of our trade is funneled through them. American share holders have accepted that soul must be sold (technology given away too) to get growth promised by a billion Chinese buyers.
Trump is doing right by his donors, his acolytes, and his voting bloc. Why should he redress America's greed and fecklessness when he personally has nothing to gain?
Kalidan
37
"One nagging worry among officials here is that Trump won’t attend key regional summits in Vietnam and the Philippines in November, mainly because he’ll find them boring."
That sentence says it all. We have a stupendously ignorant dotard in the White House. Shameful that the US is saddled with such an embarrassment.
48
"...but Beijing has another advantage over the United States: a lack of scruple, whether it comes to political bribes, military threats or diplomatic subversion."
No, Bret, no longer true. Trump aspires to Beijing's scruples, models Putin's authoritarian mobster mentality, lies with every breath. We had a scruples advantage in the past, but no longer. We are now a rogue, scruple-free state itching to use nukes on someone because, of course, "Why have them if you don't use them?".
18
Re: 'That Queasy Feeling Down Under': not to minimize Australia's sacrifice, but 903 Australians gave their lives in the three conflicts mentioned, according to the governments official website. Perhaps 100 000 served in those conflicts, but less than 1% of the article's suggested total perished.
3
This is accurate, it's around 100,000 who died in all wars since 1860, the bulk of which comes from the first and second World Wars.
5
I think the 100,000 number is close to correct when the worlds wars are included.
2
I suspect he was only naming those people would be surprised at but including all of the last 100 years.....which of course included the casualties of both world wars.....
1
We were right and I'm sorry about it. This president is a disaster and should be fired immediately. He doesn't work, doesn't think, and does nothing to reduce his towering ignorance. He is stumbling into war and doing his best to leave us without allies and without options for the future.
He must have been a really terrible businessman and I suspect that is one of the reasons he is afraid to let us see his IRS returns.
Grant and Harding must be sleeping better; they finally no longer rank at the very bottom of the list of presidential competence.
21
Sir you have too much faith in the United States of Central North America.
You’re military is powerful but spread out across the globe protecting your business interests (no one believes this freedom and democracy spiel anymore); we see what you have done with a wonderful aspirational idea of a civilization allowing every Adelson, DeVos and Kock to steal the life out of your nation.
Sir the Sabre ratting is silly. Jaw Jaw not war war, fools.
8
The Australian economy is now so dependent on China, and Chinese property investment, and indeed the only people buying property are cashed up older Australians, and offshore Chinese investors. Politicians like Sam Dastyari - and he's only one, are happy to parcel this country up and sell it off to the Chinese. After all, they are the only ones paying.
Australia no longer makes anything, it's economy has now transitioned to - apart from mining - "services" We service each other in the neo liberal ponzi scheme that that entails. Much like the US, we have rustbelts where the manufacturing jobs used to be, but now there is crime, unemployment and drug abuse, the only manufacturing jobs left is making monster houses for foreign property investors. Australian inner city property is beyond the reach of the local home buyer, and the government to so scared of losing the Chinese investor in the only buoyant market left that they will do anything to encourage more investment.
China is more important to Australia than the US, but China is not our ally, and China could snap us like a dry twig.
It's an uneasy feeling, but hear in Australia there is a belief that the US could take us or leave us. We are not important, and can't necessarily rely on the US if we were imperiled as we were in WWII. Why should the US come to our aid? Does Trump even have golf courses here?
10
Last evening at a quasi-campaign rally in Alabama Trump called the TPP 'the worst deal ever'. Most Americans don't understand the importance this deal held economically (our goods will now be more expensive than others in the region) and policitically vis-v-vis keeping China contained. Blame the Republicans too for reflexively being against anything President Obama proposed.
149
Exactly. It's that reflex -- and American's knee-jerk reaction to anything they think resembles "Globalism"; something this country needs to be part of, if it's to compete in the world market.
2
He also called the Iran Deal the same thing.
3
Not a cheerful way to start a Saturday. Mr. Stephens is a splendid addition to an all-star line-up of intelligent pundits and I'm sorry to say, seems to have this one right. The idea that an American President would avoid a conference that's key to our security, on grounds it's boring, is chilling.
39
Trump "won't attend key regional summits because he'll find them too boring." What a damning indictment of this so-called president, whose attention span is so short his briefing papers are cut down to a page, whose phone calls to foreign leaders are as likely to offend as befriend, who trades schoolboy insults with a nuclear-armed North Korean dictator, and who is rapidly isolating our nation by withdrawing from critical trade, environmental, nuclear and diplomatic agreements.
92
Good riddance. Americans are tired of being chumps. TPP was just another attempt to hit us up, make us buy their garbage tariff free to people who impose twenty percent on our products. Sorry about the Australians, who have always been good allies, but it's time for America to take care of Americans for a change.
2
We, there's some deep thinking going on here.
4
Wonder what you'll think of this chump in the White House when you start paying $50 for a T-shirt while the Chinese Navy takes over the Pacific. The only Americans Trump is going to take care of are himself and his immediate family.
16
And you call that catastrophc health plan the Republicans are pushing; America taking care of Americans for a change???
8
Somewhere back around the time of the great wars, the US answered the call to save the world from tyranny . The world that faced the Nazis needed American money and bodies to settle the score.
America did not invent the script. America was not eager to answer the call, and this country did not set out to cast itself in the role of Savior. But as we know from history, in the end America stepped up and went big. For a brief period of years the world audience applauded. And America was a 'hit' show.
That was indeed, history.
Today, decades later, America is stuck in the role like a fading actor. Long after this chapter's relevance or necessity has faded the US continues to burst onto the world stage to save it from despots, mullahs, and commies.
Since Vietnam one can say the US is not good at knowing when the world is tired of the performance. Tired of America playing the hero. Tired of America's persistent paranoia that it alone can be trusted in a world of villains.
The queasy truth is America's critics now far outsize its fan base. Endless bad reviews suggest it is time for America to take off the cap of 'greatness'. Set it down. Time to shutter this show and find some new material. Something more contemporary, something more in touch a global and not simply American truth.
Of course the only caveat to all this is. Will the world let America excuse itself and exit stage left?
3
Did the US step up to answer the call to fight tyranny in WWII? Not until it was attacked at Pearl Harbor. Not quite the same as stepping up voluntarily.
8
I would like to apologize to our Australian guest writer for the crude, crass,immoral behavior of a man fraudulently elected as a president. Mr. Stephens, he is a disgrace to this great nation of ours. Please let the good people of Australia know that over 60% of our people feel that he is unfit and unqualified to serve. He is a national embarrassment. We in the U.S. are praying to any god that we believe in that the national nightmare doesn't last more than 4 years.
25
One anecdote about Trump's effect on our international position - on a recent trip to South Africa conversations inevitably turned to politics. We repeatedly offered to trade Trump for Zuma. No takers.
5
Thanks for writing this. Australia appears to be a nation whose citizens enjoy a high quality of life. Can Trump learn a thing or two? Other than new weaponry, I'm not sure what the Oceana crowd would want from a degrading society with a leader elected by gerrymandering and a Kangaroo court.
9
An erratic American president doesn't need four or eight years to do his damage. Trump has managed to do very badly -- very badly -- in substantially less than a year. If he manages to further insult the Australians, they may wish to revisit the policy of stepping up every time America does something questionable, such things as the continuing wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the prospective wars in Iran and North Korea, for example.
3
On a recent trip to Canada, the Canadians with whom I spoke made it clear that they considered our current president to be an aberration, not at all representative of the U.S. I suspect the same is true of Australians: they can't be insulted by a president as abnormal as Donald Trump; Trump insults are so bizarre that normal people just shrug them off, as they would a random bird dropping on one's shoulder.
9
Yrumo is indeed abnormal, but polling here suggests that a majority of Canadians feel that the US does not share their values, and look more towards Europe. He's dragging down the US with him.
3
Considering Canada is a Commonwealth of England, it's hardly surprising they look towards Europe.
Foreign policy in the age of trump. Months of sustained and manufactured outrage. Abrupt decrees by Twitter. During the campaign he had blustered "we must be a nation be more unpredictable."
Since then, predictably, he's created fissures, fractures and a strained division with Europe. And fickle relationships with NATO and the UN. His general forced to explain inconsistent statements, intentions, and positions.
His rhetoric irrational, as experts fear his economic international policies could be catastrophic. As Larry Summers, who served as chief economist of The World Bank, Secretary of Treasury, Harvard President and Director of the National Economic Council remarked in June:
"We may have our first post-rational president. Trump has rejected the view of modern science on global climate change, embraced economic forecasts and trade theories outside the range of reputable opinion, and relied on the idea of alternative facts rather than evidence-based truth."
10
Trump the great businessman and deal maker is apparently ignoring the Asian markets entirely. He has basically succeeded this vast economic area and powerhouse over entirely to the Chinese. China must be having a tittering fit behind his back. The only thing that seems to engage Trump's attention is having a twitter war with North Korea. It is a very dangerous game but keeps him on the front page of the papers. Australians have taken the measure of the man and will act accordingly.
3
Of course Australia should feel uneasy. Australia should feel very uneasy. Even 4 years of This Man can do irreparable damage to the US, to Australia, and to the World. "A reckless China and a feckless United States." Talk about a rock and a hard place! But in actuality the United States is now both feckless and reckless. At least at the top.
10
It does feel like our president views the world in transactional terms, and thinks of our country as a corporation.
I know the courts have decided that corporations are people, but I don't think corporations have friends. I don't suspect they are very good at thinking about the long term, nor about considering costs they can shift to others.
2
One lesson I am getting from watching Ken Burns' Vietnam documentary is that we could have gotten a lot done if we had actually tried friendly persuasion with the North instead of supporting the South's incredibly corrupt leaders.
There are real human beings on the other side of a dispute, and sometimes it makes sense to see their side of things.
Would have saved thousands of American lives and hundreds of thousands of those who were shredded by the American war machine.
Friendly persuasion: Let's go ahead and vote and if Uncle HO is the winner, so be it. I am convinced both China and Iran have leaders who can be talked with.
Hugh Massengill, Eugene Oregon
169
Australia should make its peace with China. The Trump Administration is too truculent and disorganized to deal with. The US becomes more divided. more directionless, and less influential by the day.
China is the future. The US is the past.
13
AynRant may be correct in regard to Australia, but the same advice is even more applicable to South Korea. For many countries, being bound together with the US -- and the Trump administration -- in a time of international turmoil is a recipe for disaster.
3
Wait - is that Ayn Rant???? Such a good comment!
1
Re "Senator Sam Dastyari, a rising star in the Australian Labor Party, was accused last year of mouthing the pro-Beijing line on the South China Sea dispute for fear of losing a six-figure donation."
It would appear once more — albeit it this time Down Under — one of the root causes of our current situation is money in politics.
12
"the postwar liberal international order was just another sucker’s deal conducted at America’s expense"
The most shameful Americans share that opinion. Why do we accept them in positions of power? Why do people give any power to someone like Trump, a lying racist who is angry at scapegoats? This is what baffles.
The problem is he knows the world needs America. We pay for everything. But he is wielding it like a pedantic child, not a world leader. It grates the insides to see him bumble and shred the America I expect, an America that leads by example and delivers on purpose.
14
Mattis, McMaster, or Kelly should give Trump a quick course
in our military adventures with Australia dating back to WW2. There is
no relevant reason why the U.S. does not have an
Ambassador in Australia. Obviously, Trump should clear his mind
of the Manhattan real estate wars, and cultivate our
allies in the Pacific. We need our friends in Australia.
5
A reasonable suggestion, but well beyond trump's mental capabilities. Sad.
3
Who would Mattis, McMaster or Kelly give a "quick" course to...certainly not trump, who has the attention span of a gnat. This sounds and is quite nasty, but is a fact that trump does not read, ask questions, listen or comprehend. The bigger question is how and why did America elect this political embarrassment for a leader.
2
"Australians know that Trump, too, shall pass."
Rational Americans know this as well. The major worry is what will remain of America's reputation after this absurdly unqualified and dangerous man is finally removed from power. Reputation rehabilitation can be painstakingly slow.
18
Today's technology allows the quick video enhanced dissemination of the American political system in real time around the world. In all it's disturbing and pathological wonderment. Just witness last night's Trump rally in Dixieland last night ostensibly pertaining to a Senate primary but in reality an ego-fest for the child-POTUS. God what an embarrassment to the world we are. Australia or any of our other stalwart allies should understand now that their on their own now.
15
What IS with these endless rallies? Isn't there enough work to be done in Washington that he constantly needs these ego-feed fests?
I want a do-over. I want the last election to be called for what is was--fixed and crooked. I don't want Pence or Ryan post-Trump. These people together with McConnell, Cassidy, Graham and all the rest are destroying decades of progress.
7
Trump will probably be the last U.S. president, because his childish inability to avoid stooping to Kim's level of namecalling will escalate the current nukular brinksmanship. Trump is also unable to admit publicly that the planet Earth is dying because of our absurd reliance on internal combustion for too many things...Australians who used to think themselves relatively safe from nukular attack and fallout are now seeing the world differently and take no comfort from the misrule that is ongoing in America.
3
Under this President's leadership (sic), despite his nominal party being in control of both houses of the Congress, our legislative branch has nonetheless gone from gridlock to paralysis. The executive branch is similarly hobbled as sub cabinet positions go unfilled. Small wonder our foreign policy is inconsistent, our soft power squandered, our allies apprehensive and our enemies salivating at the prospect of filling the void. Winning is about more than thumping your chest, dissing your opponent, and marching away with all the marbles. When no one wants to play with you anymore, you have not won, you have literally lost the game.
4
TPP got to be politically toxic. Both Trump and Clinton took positions against it. Why is it that now we are seeing throwaway lines moaning that pulling out of TPP opening the door of opportunity for China?
Australia isn't the only place that has been played in this fiasco. Trump is advocating a political philosophy that will lead to further isolationism and his supporters will cheer him on.
3
I think that Brett Stephens is being a little too harsh on Trump. Our president is extremely busy defending his honor in his tweets, still attempting to defeat Hillary, attacking fellow Republicans, campaigning for 2020 and spending considerable time trying to line his pockets with inaugural cash, selling steaks, alcohol and rooms at his Washington, DC hotel., etc. to do something as mundane as to build the state department. After all, there might be someone else occupying the White House in 2021 or 2025. Let him or her do it.
17
Trump's shortsighted reaction to TPP (Bernie was against it too, and Hilary bowed to the political winds as well, I believe) removed the US from the negotiating table and gave China an awesome opportunity to control the entire Pacific. The Chinese know that they can make great gains over the next 4-8 years because they know Trump ( better than he knows himself) and they can have him do all the work trying to contain N Korea and chasing other grievances. Meanwhile look to see Chinese spreading money around every strategic port and political center in the world.
Trump is right about one thing, they are smarter than us. The rest of the world watched, or in the Russia's case pushed, as we elected a man whose only goal is to enrich himself at our expense. While we are all forced to stare at Trump's navel the true powers of the world continue to go about enriching themselves, at our expense.
211
Good point. Bernie was as wrong about globalization as is The Donald. Americans are consumers, too, and pulling out of international trade agreements would be far costlier than most of us appear to recognize.
4
What the Australians are saying echoes what the German Chancellor said after meeting Trump. It comes down to "We can no longer rely on the USA to defend our common interests and we may need to seek alternative solutions, perhaps alliances."
In part this is a good thing as, as Trump pointed out, the US's Allies do surf along on the American wave and hide under the US's technological and nuclear twin umbrellas. They could probably spend more on their own defense.
Inciting them to do so could come at a price however. I'm pretty sure that when Donald the Magnificent speaks of spending money on defense, he mains buying weapons and technology from American suppliers. And he also means that, even as the Europeans (and the Australians and New Zealanders and all the rest) do increase their defense spending, they keep aligned with the USA as it unilaterally defines what the "common" interests are.
If the erstwhile(?) allies are made to find their own way, they may very well end up besides countries that the US finds less than friendly. Looking at Europe, and the geo part of the geopolitical situation, it would be easy to find valid reasons for a rapprochement with Russia. In terms of behavior, Mr. Putin at times appears more focused and rational than Mr. Trump and the economic dependency of Europe on Russian ram materials, specifically oil and gas, being what it is, it would make a lot of sense. That Russian invaded and annexed the Crimea doesn't exercise people overmuch.
6
Trump's new best buddy, Turkey's Erdogan, is negotiating a big arms deal with Russia. Neither that, nor Erdogan's use of his thugs to beat up protestors in DC, seemed to make the agenda for their meeting this week.
2
"But America’s naval mastery in Asia is increasingly in doubt. "
No thanks to sequestration there. Thankfully US has 12 aircraft carriers to China's (older model) one. But they've built quite a submarine attack fleet during the past decade. Also, CHina debt to GDP ration is about to hit 300% so await the tiger's coming economic calamity. No TPP=good (SK trade deal caused immediate increase in trade deficit big time).
1
"... Beijing has another advantage over the United States: a lack of scruple, ..."
If you look past Russian collusion (treason really), emoluments violation, racketeering via a fake university, etc, etc, then look closely at all the low-lifes he surrounded himself with, then I guess I our president has scruples.
What America did in Vietnam for decades under multiple presidents provides overwhelming evidence that we completely lack scruples also. Every government and intelligence agency in the region know what really happened over there. Tonkin gulf anybody? Did this lie actually fool anybody in these agencies?
With a world GDP at 15% and falling, Pax Americana is coming to an end. We no long invest in education, infrastructure, or scientific research. Also consider the horror show the electorate keeps placing into positions of power. Trump, his cohorts, his supporters are the very definition of lack of scruples. We spend money we no longer have on the military, money borrowed from China of all places. China will pass America within the decade or two. The regional power that is China will replace us there.
22
Maybe China "replacing" the US is the natural order. Didn't we replace the British empire in the 20th century? This century is not ours to be had. Maybe that's natural for a world power.
2
Mr. Stephens has made this American reader look at a row of books, inspiring but out of reach of my mental horizons. Each one has a dedication, some of the authors were family-related and others are the work of acquaintances who care in a sensible way about the world we live in.
Feeling queasy about our State of Affairs, 'The World in 2020' by Hamish McRae came to mind. Published in 1994, Mr. Stephens may feel that it is dated. The author keeps up with the times, and he is not a seer. He, and a few others of his ilk (Mr. McRae is Scottish) could not predict the advent of Trump. He would have thought it was a lame joke two years ago, much as the young technician who laughed and said 'I am voting for Trump'.
Whether either of them are feeling complacent or somber, it would not be my right to determine and yet my feeling is that America, described as a Giant by Mr. McRae, is in retreat.
What is unsettling is this unease of waiting for the straw that broke the camel's back and the words of Orwell who wrote that it might take a great evil in the face of our nation and world for us to unite as a Country, and yet every day navigating on sensitivity, there is a foreboding that we are growing closer and closer apart.
A decade ago an African friend and I discussed our respective countries and we agreed that China is here on our territory. Farewell to the TPP which with common sense and clarity, the previous Administration tried to bring to our attention.
5
Wait a minute. "Beijing has another advantage over the United States:a lack of scruples, whether it comes to political bribes, military threats or diplomatic subversion." Hey, don't sell us short Bret. Have you seen the Republican healthcare plan? Were you not listening when our President promised to annihilate North Korea? Don't you notice that Rex Tillerson is reading from a different script than our illiterate President? When it comes to unscrupulous, dangerous and incompetent government actions, Nobody beats the U.S.A. You can start chanting now.
81
"Beijing has another advantage over the United States: a lack of scruple, whether it comes to political bribes, military threats or diplomatic subversion."
You're joking, right?
47
This is a pure example of taking our friends for granted. I'm sure the ambassadors appointed so far were made because that is where the individuals named wished to go. Not for any strategic need. And when push comes to shove the Australians should be under no illusion. They are in the far back of Trump's foreign affairs vehicle. Not likely there will be any substantial reward for their allegiance coming from the Me First president.
9
I think you are selling the U.S. short when you note Beijing's advantage due to a "lack of scruple." America is right at or near the top of any list of international conquerers, thieves, and liars.
56
Yes, the Administration is a little slow with naming it's Ambassador to Australia but remember they were trying to pawn off a bunch of refugees to the U.S. while our President "Keep Everyone Out" was trying his best to keep everyone out. It's called payback time. Besides, just think of the money we save by not appointing one. Next we'll probably shutdown the embassy. We'll save a bunch there. How the heck does one think we're going to pay for all those tax cuts for the "well-healed" crowd?
Sorry for the rant. Anyways, we do have a few more pressing issues at hand besides ambassadorships. Namely, healthcare on the ropes for 20 million Americans, 800,000 DACA kids and young adults possibly being deported, and a couple of scewballs trying to start World War III.
And were only 9 months in. Seems a little longer, more like an eternity!
9
"Pawn off refuges"? As an enormous and prosperous country it is our duty to aid the refugee crisis. The fact that we object to 1250 lives is immoral.
2
One of the stupidest unnecessary things Trump has done, so far, is pulling us out of the TPP. I doubt he knew what it was about beyond 'Obama did it', but undoubtedly helps China and hurts us. Sad.
22
trump does not understand any of the deals he is pulling out of or criticizing. he does not understand long term interests. he does not understand that what is in a nation's best interest is not the same type of quick hit deals he makes for his branding etc. he does play a very poor game of checkers when real world leaders, friend and enemy alike, are experts at chess. dotard indeed!
14
It's not just t, it's all the small minded hateful people he surrounds himself with, including Pence. Steve Miller and the other writers of his teleprompter babble should be ashamed, but instead they're goulishy laughing as they betray anyone and everyone they can; t is just a mouthpiece, his time will come too. Their hubris is testing the patience of the gods, just ask Xi.
2
As an American and a former resident (5 years) of Australia to say I'm embarrassed by Trump would be the understatement of the year. America might deserve Trump but Australia certainly does not. In the age of Trump i think all nations need to ignore him as much as possible and cooperate only when it is in their best interest.
28
A "feckless United States", to be sure, but America's problems with being in Asia go even deeper and long predate Trump.
The viewing of the current "The Vietnam War' on PBS is a powerful reminder of the intrinsic racism that we brought to that conflict and still permeates through much how America views Asia. Trump may be a particularly profane face for that racism but the fact is that at least 40% of Americans fundamentally support him and are not much troubled by it now and haven't been since the first Chinese appeared on our shores.
6
I think Australians view Trump's ascendancy as a statistical anomaly. There is still residual warmth for the US but only because President Obama wound the thermostat to eleven.
From the Sydney Morning Herald. August 28 2012:
"IF AUSTRALIANS could vote in the United States presidential election, they would choose Barack Obama over Mitt Romney by a margin of 14 to one, a poll shows.
Indeed, Australians prefer the US President by so overwhelming a margin that it would be a bigger landslide than any in the history of the US."
http://www.smh.com.au/national/australian-voters-would-deliver-obama-lan...
11
The US is losing its influence around the world and with Australia because it no longer has the tools or experience to be a partner for social and commerical development and it can no longer among sophisticted audiences keep up the long faulty premise that it's a democracy. It's a plutocracy plain and simple. Not only is it a plutocracy but it's pluotcracy with a warrior culture and an overwhelmingly influential military industrial complex that dominates both the economy and geopolitical strategy. If this is the way you think and you lead with a military conflict first based form of diplomacy of course "Harry Harris, the admiral who runs the United States Pacific Command" would be a "smart choice" for US Ambassador to Australia. When all you have is a hammer everything starts looking like a nail. But the topper in this piece is the statement that the Chinese "lack of scruple" provides them an advantage over the US in international relations. Really? Are we still writing this stuff in 2017? Post Libya, Post Iraq, Post abandonment of the Kurds, Post Honduras, Post our historical support of an endless list of murderous despots and regimes around the world that furthered our national interests? If so it's a failed propaganda strategy. The Australians and the rest of the world are just not that stupid. The Chinese offer peace time devlopment and improved standards of living though investments in education and infrastructure not destruction and endless war. Compete with that.
272
China offers economic imperialism where loans from China are used to pay Chinese companies to build infrastructure. (Which is yet another idea that they stole from the West.)
2
American ascendancy gained momentum after WWII based on a lot of factors that included hard and soft power. Trump came into office and immediately squandered America's soft power by doing two notable things: 1) not having relationships with friendly nations and, 2) demanding every nation in NATO or the UN pay equal share.
The man who claims to know the "Art of the Deal" and to be the best negotiator, he seems to know very little about how soft power is garnered and displayed.
47
We should not give in to fear, we are better than that. Now there is another show being produced by the Fear Administration. The subject of this show is North Korea. While I am concerned about the success of North Koreas nuclear program, I do not think they will choose to launch a strike against the US or their neighbors. While our Fear Administration is talking about possible preemptive strikes against them out of fear that Kim Jong Un might strike first. Mutually assured destruction has worked for many years and there is no reason to think that it will not work with Kim Jong Un.
6
The idea that China has an advantage because a lack of scruples is laughable. American rhetoric has never inhibited policy decisions when money or geopolitics is on the table.
Still, the basic premise seems alarmist. Nations largely set policy with visions longer than any president's term. This is especially true with Trump given how precarious his position is, given what we know of the Mueller investigation. Any nation making decisions based solely on his first nine months in office is getting ahead of the ball.
If Trump lasts and is re-elected, then that could signal a fundamental shift in the American electorate that merits adjustment. Otherwise, I imagine most will just wait and see what 2018 brings.
2
"Nations largely set policy with visions..." This generalization may apply to nations with parliamentary systems. America's divided government has failed to accept anything like a vision for at least 20 years--unless we think that "War on Terror" is a vision, or that unregulated financial and industrial activities are visions.
3
Perhaps but not all of us are sitting at home in a state of imagination. 1964 in America, a former marine, young, well-educated and from Old New York is standing by the sea. Imagine if you can, he says stretching his arms out wide, a long line of Chinese along this shore line marching into the sea. It never ends, and China can afford a nuclear bomb because there will always be survivors.
Trump might be more in fear of 'Who is Afraid of Fox Five' and its news. Should he fall from its powerful paws, the jig may be up for him and all of us in the end.
With China's militant ascendancy in a region that it has always considered part of its "mandate under heaven", the United States will be unable to maintain the status quo ante without a more favorable balance of power vis a vis China. There is probably only one nation that can fulfill that role and it is Russia. That is the unpleasant reality. With or without President Trump's bafoonery . . . the United States will be faced with strategic withdrawal in the Pacific for the foreseeable future.
1
To use an odious expression, Europe with reason, may have to toe the line with Russia. China, with the help of Mother Nature, is to be feared by Putin, whose Siberian tiger was once seen swimming to its stronger shores.
W was as undependable and feckless as Trump lest you forget, and it was widely understood he set back relations with our neighbors and allies. To pretend Trump is a one off is to pretend America is not America. We are, proudly, defiantly xenophobic, and have the military to prove it. Out of way! America the Undependable is on the way again. With friends like us, who needs enemies?
20
History shows that great powers rise and fall based on their economic success more than their reliability as allies, and alliances are based a great deal on the economic advantage of both sides.
The United States became king of the world after the two great wars of the 20th century left all competing powers exhausted while the victories cost the U.S. close to nothing compared to its allies. Initially we used our advantages very wisely.
Unfortunately, the U.S. system is becoming increasingly inefficient compared to our rivals and we are absolutely incapable of correcting this trend. A portion of the money created by the inefficiency of our health care (costing double the world average), criminal justice (6 times the incarceration rate as world average), higher education (think student loans), defense spending, etc is used to stop our government from correcting the problem.
Out corruption functions like a perpetual motion machine because money has so much sway in our political system and this influence is accelerating.
China still has a long ways to go to catch us, but they are gaining and we are floundering.
85
Hmmm... America's economy is strong, yet we are in decline. Perhaps another indicator of a slide to irrelevance is the growth of individualism and hedonism.
3
"Hmmm... America's economy is strong, yet we are in decline."
Yes, do a quick search of the U.S. economic and industrial domination immediately post WWII compared to what it is today. Also search the relative growth of special interest money influencing our politics and policy.
The vast majority of British citizens were quite confident of their countries continuing dominance preceding WWII although many economists were sounding an alarm.
I'm not an economist and only throw my opinions out there in hopes that more qualified experts might find motivation in my suggestions. Not enough of them have a holistic focus.
It is impossible for me to believe that our growing economic inefficiencies are sustainable, but I hope I'm wrong.
2
British subjects, I think you mean. Anyway, what happened with the UK was the loss of territories whose wealth was creamed off by British officers and business men: a lot of Downton Abbey look-alikes were built with such money. As for the US after WW2--the US finished that war with a humming industrial sector; France did too, since the Germans had learned from WW1 not to destroy Renault etc. Sweden was in good shape too, having been neutral. But F and S provided little competition for the US. This was a golden age of American manufacturing. Over time, competition grew. Japan et al subsidized steel, and Americans lost out. But it's pointless to compare the post-WW2 economy with that of today. American industry is still humming. There are 5-6 million job vacancies that can't be filled because the qualified US personnel don't exist. We issue thousands of Hb1 visas for Ph.D.s every year, And until recently, chambers of commerce and farmers and meat producers wanted cheap, undocumented labor from south of the border. American workers were sandwiched between layers of foreign labor, one layer uneducated, the other highly educated. Meanwhile, globalization and off-shoring sped along. And individualism ate away at community values. In restaurants, how many people do you see immersed in their devices rather than talking to each other?
2
The further decline of the U.S. seems inevitable, because of the complete rottenness of its political system and the apparent inability of a large majority of the people to behave like reasonable and engaged citizens of a democracy.
Still, I wonder why it should be so bad if China becomes the regional hegemon. They have an effective system and behave mostly reasonably. They don't have the recent history of aggressive military imperialism like the Russians/Soviets. They might really be a better partner in the future than a nation whose behavior totally depends on which of its political tribes is currently in power.
8
".....I asked whether the American president had nominated an emissary to this important if sleepy capital.
Not yet, says Sam Roggeveen of the Lowy Institute, a nonpartisan international policy think tank that is hosting me for the week. This isn’t completely unexpected given the pace of State Department bureaucracy. "
The bureaucracy?
Trump has failed to nominate. Why the deflection? Why the Trump apology?
32
An apology would be seen as a weakness and not a sign of courtesy. This Administration and its internal affairs are currently caught in a cobweb of intrigue and deceit that only the most formidable Department of Public Relations could set right.
2
Trump's tendency to evaluate foreign policy as an accountant would bodes ill for our commitments to all our Pacific allies, not just Australia. The postwar liberal order, as it's called, never made much sense in bookkeeping terms, because too many of the benefits don't fit neatly on a balance sheet. A world in which countries coexist peacefully (most of the time) does, of course, confer enormous economic advantages on all concerned.
But the sense of security and well-being that prevail in a period when peace rather than war defines normality don't easily translate into measurable improvements in GDP. This reality makes it difficult for Trump, who evaluates the worth of an individual or a country in terms of the visible trappings of wealth, to approve a relationship that requires the US to spend more on its military than do its allies.
Trump's narrow perspective stems less from ignorance than from an outlook that envisions international relations as a zero/sum contest. A country can prosper only at the expense of its neighbors. This viewpoint explains his statement at the UN, to the effect that he would always favor American interests, just as the leaders of other nations would naturally put the welfare of their people first. The idea that our goals might dovetail with those of our neighbors sometimes appears in presidential speeches written by his advisers, but almost never in his spontaneous comments or in his actions.
9
While four years of Trump is definitely problematic, Australia and other allies should know that US policy can change quite drastically with each president or with each election cycle for Congress. Therefore, it would be rather short sided for Australia to leave the US in the dust. Australia needs to stay ready for post-Trump America. We all know that Trump's election was a fluke, Russia or no Russia, given the way the electoral college worked out.
1
Another example of the completely dysfunction within Trump Administration. major allies lack Ambassadors and Trump still woo's his fanbase with his margin of electoral votes in the last election.
After 4 years of Trump's America will end up a much diminished nation on the world stage. Indifference to diplomacy and engagement in a world increasing global in its scope will be our burden after Trump. A much diminished country in world trade, innovation, science, moral and cultural leadership. We will I suspect remain North Korea's no. one nemesis.
5
Australia has done a good job of keeping up working class wages and fighting income inequality by keeping out low-skilled immigrants. On the other hand, its policy of admitting lots of high-skilled immigrants from mainland China is increasing the long range chance of a new elite in Australia more loyal to Beijing than to the historic Australian people.
2
How many is "lots?" What percentage of the Australian population is composed of recent Chinese immigrants?
Words like "lots" are common obfuscations. Use real data.
The only people who still believe in Trump are the members of his obdurate base, who reject science, facts, and reason with equal vehement energy. World leaders fall into two categories: Those who know they can exploit his narcissism, and those who fear his ignorance and volatility.
American citizens need to rid themselves of Donald Trump as soon as possible, and the Republican Congress must go next. The nation has never been in greater peril of losing not only its reputation, but the foundation of values it was built on. Australia's role in American history is as unknown to Donald Trump as climate science. His ignorance poses a greater threat every day.
53
"So on a trip the other day to Canberra, I asked whether the American president had nominated an emissary to this important if sleepy capital.
Not yet, says Sam Roggeveen of the Lowy Institute, a nonpartisan international policy think tank that is hosting me for the week."
Honestly, what a remarkable connection Mr Stephens can make with the common reader...
8
suidas, thanks for the good laugh.
1
All empires inevitably fail. Post WWII Europe was rebuilding and China was fighting a civil war so other than Russia we didn't really have a lot of competition. This allowed us to become the economic powerhouse around the world. We flexed our muscles and tried to reimagine the world in our image.
But things have changed since 9/11. We lied to the world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and unnecessarily destabilized the region. We've squandered nearly two decades in Afghanistan with little to show. Our lax regulations caused the worst economic crisis since the depression around the world.
Our allies have every reason to doubt us. We've elected a president who is determined to destroy the world order. He refuses to honor past agreements, has zero respect for traditional allies, and seems intent on taunting us into yet another war.
Until we come to our senses the world needs to pull away from the US. You can't manage crazy all you can do is steer clear.
61
It is an embarrassment that Australian politicians are selling out on Australian values and interests for financial gain. Our tertiary institutions have also become hooked on Chinese income from full fee paying students and are now caught up in the mire of shady local Chinese influence groups acting on behalf of the Chinese government.
Our politicians would do well to look at what has happened since South Korea positioned anti-missile defence systems in the vicinity of Seoul, against strong Chinese protests. Almost immediately, on a flimsy pretext, a significant South Korean retail chain was closed down acrosss China.
I can see a similarly strong response to Australian exports into China (our biggest trading partner) should Australia become more vocal on the South China Sea issue.
Trump administration does not have any coherent foreign policies, no sense of loyalty to our allies all under the guise of "American first". This narrow and nationalist view will do the US in. Trump knows only one thing--to be a bully. His way of dealing with North Korea crisis is to have an competition of insult and threat with Kim. It doesn't take four years, Trump already racks havoc internationally.
6
It's election day here in New Zealand. A close run thing after right wing National has been in power for nine miserable years. The Chinese have been doing their best here as well as in Australia. And it's the right wing politicians who've been co-operating with them.
7
There's more than a few U.S. politicians who'd happily sell our nuclear codes to the Chinese and Russians for a few silver coins if they thought they could get away with it. Not that that is much comfort. (One of them might even be sitting in the White House.)
6
I don't claim to speak for all Australians but my feeling is that most of us are/were unaware of the lack of a USA ambassador and, even if we were aware, we couldn't care less. In the current environment of instant communication, ambassadors are an anachronistic hangover from history.
There are exceptions such as Nikki Haley. Her role as a very public spokesperson for the US in the United Nations forum ably complements the well-considered utterances from your Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.
The utterances of your President are no longer taken seriously by the mainstream in Australia and there is no reason to believe that one of his 'locker room' friends looking for a diplomatic sinecure in Canberra would have any more credibility than his sponsor. We live in hope the checks and balances built into the US Constitution prevent any international catastrophes from occurring whilst your presidential incumbent is serving out his term.
15
Don't make the mistake of separating Trump's appointees from Trump himself.
They represent the most reactionary US administration in my lifetime of 73-plus years.
Tillerson and Haley are Trump puppets, utterly unsuited to their positions and just as dangerous to the real interests of the US working class.
10
Our president knows so little about foreign policy (and so many other things) but what's far worse, and as has been said before, he doesn't know what he doesn't know and he doesn't care to know more.
Our allies might be wise to just hunker down and see what they can do on their own for the next 3 plus years. I hope for our sake they don't get too accustomed to it.
10
Trump doesn't read--it's boring; he doesn't attend diplomatic meetings---it's boring; he doesn't listen to experts---it's boring; he doesn't sit down with aides and put together a political, economic, and diplomatic team---it's boring. Trump does watch Fox and Friends---it's interesting and informative, certainly not boring. And so here we are, a nation now essentially running on auto-pilot,with our pilot in chief to busy ordering cokes are flight attendants to run through the landing checklists.
12
Alright already it's boring to read about Trump. The ball is in Our Court but We are looking elsewhere. We can start by helping each other in our community and branching out. Whether we are happy or sad about our choice of president, we can start by counting our blessings that we are fortunate to be in America, one that we are watching diminish.
If We can take back our Country from Trump and his Presidency, without pitchforks, it may be dull porridge during a moment of recuperation from this political mire and intrigue. Business, as usual, is sounding better by the day.
1
Trump's brain appears to be near nuclear meltdown from megalomania at this point. His bizarre rant in favor of Luther Strange last night leaves no doubt that Trump grows nuttier by the day he continues in office.
Lucky Australia. It has the parliamentary system of dealing with loss of competence in government: the vote of "No Confidence" that can call a snap election to replace an administration on a timely basis.
66
Corruption is a willful act consciously chosen. It depends on the average ethical standards of our politicians and voters. Once ethics are lost and corruption allowed, a nation never goes back. This should scare the bejesus out of all of us.
10
Sad state of affairs since Trump assaulted the presidency, no doubt, with 'our' willingness to look the other way when candidate Trump told us how 'rich' his racism and xenophobia were, how deep his ignorance, and how wide his arrogant stance. Trump has only one care, himself. So, it behooves Australia to grow up, and take charge. America first rules.
6
"...Beijing has another advantage over the United States: a lack of scruple, whether it comes to political bribes, military threats or diplomatic subversion."
This is so cute, an American Candide who still believes in our kindness and purity of heart, just at the same time as PBS broadcast an 18 hr documentary on one of the infinite numbers of historical episodes of deception, falsity and immorality of our nation.
Oh yeah,"America’s strategic advantage over China lay in our combination of reliability, likability and preponderant military and economic strength."
LAY is past tense: our reliability as an ally is gone, and not just for Australia.
Military and economic strength only work if we are willing to provide leadership (something Trump gave up completely in his U.N. speech).
Finally, the like us: that will stay. we both are white and racist. That won't change.
7
Trump does not seem particularly concerned about whether any country, friend or foe, has a US ambassador or not.
Similarly, Rex Tillerson is slashing the State Department budget and staffing to levels unseen in decades. A man not exactly known as a cost-cutting turnaround guy in business has suddenly become the "Chainsaw Al" of diplomacy.
Guess we don't need ambassadors or diplomats or personal relationships with other nations when Trump can tweet foreign policy pronouncements from his bedroom while in his PJs at 4:30 am?
And who needs diplomacy when you can stride like a bloated orange peacock into the UN, essentially declare that the US doesn't need or want to truly participate in the governance of the world unless we are simply ordering others what to do, and personally insult mentally unstable dictators who have their fingers on the button of nuclear weapons?
Question to those more affluent southerners who support Trump: Are you willing to send your own sons and daughters to fight a war started by the global incompetence, personal insults and egomania of Donald Trump? Are they going to leave behind their frat parties at the University of Alabama, Texas and Ole Miss to enlist?
And to the mega rich who support him mostly because they want a big tax cut--are a few more bucks in your already swollen pockets worth unleashing global war?
Read your history. Global wars and massive death and destruction have resulted from less than Trump is doing.
133
I have seen very little in the way of insight from Donald J Chaos. He has a penchant for a clumsy glibness that we have seen many times. China plays a long game and Trump doesn't. He has pulled out of many Obama-era agreements, but where are the new agreements promised? What are he and his minions in the White House creating for our future? Everything, so far, has been all about the fear. We should fear all Muslims. We should fear our fellow minority citizens. We should fear Iran. We have elected something new, the Fear administration.
Fear has created many catastrophes for the USA and the world. The Vietnam war is a good example of the result of collective fear. In that case, a fear of international communism. What was known as the Domino Effect, not many people talk about that anymore. Basically put, if you let one nation, Vietnam, choose Communism, their neighboring countries will also fall to communism.
Our most recent example is Iraq and the fear of WMD. While weapons of mass destruction, usually nuclear weapons, are indeed something to fight against. It was our fear that enabled the Bush administration to spin and outright make up circumstantial evidence to get the USA behind war with Iraq. That war resulted in thousands of lives lost, millions of refugees and the murderous criminal organization known as ISIS.
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Trump is unfit to serve, period. Invoke the 25th amendment now, remove this embarrassment from office and let Mueller get on with putting him behind bars.
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Surprisingly, this administration hasn't nominated an ambassador to South Korea either. Given where things are headed you'd think they would have filled that position months ago.
I don't see some struggle against Chinese influence as being more important than the North Korean crisis. China's influence has grown because China's economy has grown. China's economy has grown because they have been able to export to the US and steal American jobs. That happened because we foolishly opened up US markets to China. The New York Times and their friends in the New York banking establishment were big boosters of free trade, along with the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. It would not surprise me if the Chinese have rewarded their American friends, as they tried to reward their Australian ones.
Free trade deals in the past have been a disaster for the American middle class and Trump was absolutely right to withdraw from TPP. That deal would mostly have benefited Communist Vietnam, who were responsible for the deaths of 60,000 US servicemen. Free trade with former Communist states like China, Russia and Vietnam is a bad deal for the US and we should not do it.
There is a lot of history between the Chinese and their Asian neighbors, and that will not be forgotten regardless of what happens with trade. China won't replace the US, because they have no intention of becoming a destination for other people's exports.
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No, the failure to nominate professional diplomats as Ambassadors in difficult or high leverage countries is not surprising in the least.
I don't think that they nominated an Ambassador to Afghanistan, either, even as they plot the literal forever war there.
They have, after a long lag from his being suggested by Trump, have nominated Woody Johnson to the Court of St. James, which will spare the Baby Powder heir the indignity of seeing his American Throw Ball team lose every game, while playing a clutch of quarterbacks, all of whom make Colin Kaepernick look like an All-Pro.
He has nominated Callista (8 year affair) Gingrich as Ambassador to the Holy See. When Pope Feancis sees her, does he think "Get thee to a nunnery?"
Nope, the professionals have been excised from the Department of State by Rexxon Tillerson.
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Despite his campaign promises to label China a currency manipulator and to declare holy war (of the economic kind) on Beijing, The Donald won't do a darned thing to offend Comrade Xi- and not just because he needs his imaginary "friend's" barely existent help in order to fend off Lil' Kim. Our feckless leader has conducted too much business with the PRC and has too many outstanding loans for him to get involved in a trade war, let alone a shooting match. On the other hand, if WERE to end up going mano-a-mano with Beijing, the folks Down Under could at least take comfort in the fact that the nuclear fall-out will reach their country last (as per the prophecies of Nevil Shute).
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It won't reach the Australian Beaches last if the conflagration begins in North Korea. Very different than mutually assured destruction of European and American cities...
1
With Trump's help, China is even better positioned to make this the China Century. While America invested trillions in an undeclared war on Iraq and by proxy--Afghanistan--the Chinese circled the world inking deals for strategic resources; oil and gas, rare and precious minerals, water and agriculture while investing in other countries, and building infrastructure and goodwill. While Trump back filthy coal, China will invest at least $361 billion into renewables, and move the nation to all electric transport. China holds 3.5 million of the 8.1 million renewable energy jobs globally, compared to less than 800,000 in the good ole' USA. China also produce more students in STEM disciplines and graduates more masters' level students who speak English. Then there's the $1 trillion One Belt, One Road investment. And while we pay for a bloated military as the nation falls behind and apart, China is improving its cybersecurity plan; certainly superior. Indeed the Chinese are playing the long game, and Trump's verbal bullying with North Korea, and continued display of incompetence is great distraction. Get ready to say, "Nĭ hăo!!"
http://www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/chinas-belt-and-roa...
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/26/world/europe/greece-china-piraeus-ale...
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Pardon the typos; it's late here on the West Coast!
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@ Ann California Verified - This is an explanation of my first reply if it ever appears. You point correctly to China being far more serious (understatement) than the USA about renewable energy. Oddly, the NYT is also far behind. The NYT with one or two exceptions only knows two kinds of renewables, solar and wind, neither 24/7 technology. Heat pump technology that works 24/7 and is the most efficient technology simply is never mentioned in the Times. Exception Diane Cardwell, but simply by using those two words most recently in her article about Vermont's Green Mountain Power.
So whenever I get the chance, I ask Times comment writers who express strong support for renewable energy if they are familiar with heat pump technology and if they use it. Replies = zero. Draw your own conclusions.
Larry L.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
3
@ Ann verified be thankful you are on the west coast, you and Rima and a few others can get out early and be read. Of course since you are Verified maybe that does not matter. But if you were over here in Sweden and were not a Verified you would be lucky to see your comment published after comments have been closed.
What I really want to say is that your comment is great in every detail.
Perhaps one question that I often pose but to which I never get an answer. How do you heat and cool your living space? May seem off topic but here on an island I write from a small home heated by air-air heat pump. In my morning newspapers full page ads for the latest high-efficiency silent heat pumps. But a few days ago in a reply to one of my renwable energy comments a reader said that in his city it was hard to get any information about heat pumps and serviice was non existent. What is especially strange about that is the heat pump in this house has been running for 10 years, no service needed.
Don't worry about the typos - we all make them and in times comments there is no edit function. Too bad.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
5
When I think about how Trump changed the conversation on TPP (forcing HRC to say she wanted to modify it)...at times I question our democratic system.
Dropping out of the TPP may be one of the most damaging of Trump’s legacies... I'm not at all certain that we can recover in my lifetime.
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You really need to read more about the TPP and its profoundly undemocratic provisions...allowing corporations to sue democratic governments and overturn their health, safety, and labor regulations. [It's called "investor state dispute settlement"] Why was it negotiated in secret by Wall Streeters? Why did the Eu so overwhelmingly reject ITS version of the TPP (TTIP)? It was a bridge way too far, aimed only at further enriching the superrich. It's amazing that to this day so few people listen only to conservative economist dicta on so-called "free trade." Trade is already hugely "free." The TPP was about the largest corporations making a big end run around democracy. Thank God they failed.
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To be fair, it was Sanders and the anti-trade elements in the Democratic Party who put the heat on Clinton over TPP, before Trump was seriously considered.
5
"Australians have fought alongside Americans in nearly all of our wars over the past century: in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and — to this day — Afghanistan. More than 100,000 Aussies perished in these efforts, a staggering sacrifice for a country with less than 8 percent of America’s population." says Mr. Stephens. This makes them sound very noble, our loyal allies that we should not abandon, and gives rhetorical help to the purpose of the column. But under a thousand of these deaths occurred in the wars Mr. Stephens mentions; most occurred in the two World Wars, when Australia was fighting alongside Britain, and some occurred while we were still neutral, before we entered the conflicts.
These lines were sloppy and manipulative at best, and left a bad taste in my mouth.
The column could have pointed out that the natural limiter of Chinese power in the area is Japan, but we took Japan out of that role at the end of World War II, leaving a power vacuum that we had at least implicitly committed ourselves to fill. Japan had filled this vacuum before the war, but had done so in a way that inspired strong regional resentment and suspicion. If Australia is to step into our shoes, it will have to be by diplomatic finesse, as part of a regional alliance, rather than economic muscle.
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Totally agree with this response. The red herring in Stephens OpEd, in my view, is his venerating of all things military. Putting an Admiral in a diplomatic position to bring about world peace is an oxymoron if ever there was one. Not sure what it is with neo-cons and the military, particularly when they have no stomach for serving themselves. This century, until recently (Trump that is) was headed for a showdown of technological and economic ideas pitted against one another. We walked off the field. No one else did.
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That's all very fine and large, but there's a yuge problem at the core.
Trump doesn't think, and he doesn't have values.
Parsing his actions is a waste of time. He's been rewarded for bad behavior all his life, and now he and his egregious core supporters seem to think reality doesn't matter. They think taking advantage of people is "making deals" and getting away with stuff is "success" when they think at all.
It turns out there is a sizeable number of people who really think being the worst they can be is the best way to be.
Hospitable planet be damned, kleptocracy is king for and devil take the hindmost.
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The Chinese are buying Australian politicians in exchange for cheap donations.
The Russians are buying American Presidents in exchange for cheap financing.
Trump loves The Art Of Selling Out Your Nation
He loves Australia-America-Russia-China-whoever's got the cash.
Patrioti$m is an incredible thing for political prostitutes.
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Well said and clearly cuts through excessive verbage.
11
"The Chinese are buying Australian politicians in exchange for cheap donations."
Proof would be nice.
David....the Chinese are graduates from the Trump University College of Ethics and Morality.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-05/asio-warns-political-parties-over-...
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/07/dastyaris-donatio...
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jun/05/sam-dastyari-cont...
8