Never has there been an echo chamber as hermetic as this one, at least not since the days of Pravda and the Volkischer Beobachter. And then one day the smug, arrogant, self adulatory motormouths wake up and find that their world was a delusion and there is a reality out there to which they were utterly oblivious
12
First, I wonder how many agents we’ll lose for going public on that little bit of released intelligence (if the whole story wasn’t a put-on.
I still wonder how many networks of people dedicated to helping their own countries by helping CIA we lost when George W blew Valarie Plame’s cover because her husband refused to lie about Iraq’s (lack of) chemical-bio weapons.
NEXT TRUMPTWIT: NSA DEMORALIZED OVER LEAKS TO OUR ENEMIES, The Media!
4
Trump has bloviated himself into irrelevance.
5
The words "intellectual" and "Donald Trump" don't belong in the same sentence, unless "intellectual" is preceded by "anti-."
13
The last refuge of scoundrels is patriotism. True is 1770, true today. Trump is example number 1.
7
America First always have supported dictators.
3
I guess that includes funding Iranian militia in Iraq.
2
The Oracle has spoken!! There is only one person to save the world; and guess who that is....
1
The biggest threat to the United States national security sits in the Oval Office. When that horrible fact finally is able to penetrate the thickest of skulls of Trump Disciples then it may just be possible to force this rubber-stamp Republican Congress to take some action. Threaten your representatives cushy jobs and see how fast they act.
DD
Manhattan
13
Stop wasting our time, there is no "intellect" behind anything Trump does.
11
I have to admit Trump is starting to win me over. The nebulous costly feel-good apologetic internationalism of Obama led to one foolish and ineffective intervention after another. It had demoralized our friends and emboldened our enemies and it was not helping America. Trump's approach puts America first, unapologetically asserts American interests, supports our allies while insisting they carry their weight, and seeks limited effective diplomacy and cooperation country by country. He's done better in the Mid-East, Eastern Europe, and East Asia than his predecessors Obama and Bush. Many comments I've read so far are full of unsupported insults that betray an anger that Trump's approach is working better than Obama's did.
6
In all seriousness, it would be great to know what successes you refer to that Trump has had in the Mid-East, Eastern Europe, and East Asia. It would be great to know what actions Obama took that demoralized our friends, where they openly expressed that discouragement. I'm serious, here. I'm ready to learn.
14
President Trump speaks of a new era that recognizes great power conflict as the reality that the U.S. confronts, perhaps echoing Kissinger. Yet, regarding the DPRK China is seen as the primary ally to starve that country into submission to give up its nuclear capacity. Reliance on China needs to recognize that China and the DPRK share the strategic objective of diminishing U.S. influence in their region. It is unlikely that China would take any action that would strengthen U.S. influence in the region on its borders.
If denuclearization of the DPRK would lead to diminished U.S. influence in the region, then China would seek to achieve that. What else would they have to gain by supporting the U.S. on this issue?
The DPRK states that the sole purpose of its nuclear capacity is deterrence against attack by the U.S. If so, then guarantees of its security should be sufficient to denuclearize. If DPRK denuclearization on his watch is the overriding objective for the president, then there may be the makings of a deal.
Well, that's what he's saying today. By Friday China willl be our great friend again. Luckily everyone - in America and around the world - knows not to take anything this man says seriously, so let's just let him have his rant as he pretends to be a leader. I just hope the people behind the scenes who are actually running this country know what they are doing.
3
Amazing to me that clowns like yourself never give Trump any credit for having a brain, for having defeated 17 loser politicians to become President, for having invested $40 M of his own money for the primaries, for having accrued a personal fortune of a few billion dollars, for fighting for what is right while all losers like yourself are against him, for enacting 86 pieces of legislation since he's been in office, for spending his golden retirement years in a gilded cage, for serving American ingrates when he could be sipping Martinis at Mar-a-lago...the list goes on. Think a bit before you write.
3
The Pentagon, among other agencies, as well as virtually every large corporation, every other country and a broad consensus of the scientific community, regards climate change as a threat to national security and world stability. Mr. Trump has chosen, for reasons never clearly articulated, to remove that from his assessment of security threats to the U.S. How could it possibly be acceptable for a President to willfully ignore a recognized threat to the country? If this does not constitute neglect of the most fundamental presidential duty, what would? Or is it more than neglect-- deliberate sabotage of the national interest? Why is Congress facilitating this broadside attack on our nation's will and ability to defend itself?
6
I don't get it..!!
Only a short time ago Trump was praising both Putin and Xi Jin Ping.
Did he have another speechwriter do this one and he forgot or did not proof read it before he got to the microphone.
Did I not hear him say that to have peace America needs to make friends with China and Russia..??
Personally I think he has been tweeting too much and now his thoughts are for the birds.
Sure America has to be strong as many countries rely on their might but whose fault is it if they have fallen behind in this respect so naturally China and Russia would have improved their military. But they are not the problem. The immediate problem is Nth Korea who now want to talk turkey...but does Trump take this opportunity.
No...instead his cohorts speak of preemptive action as used by Bush Jr.
This will only spur not only Nth Korea but China and Russia to greater emphasis on cyber technology and arms because their only answer is to bomb and slaughter.
From a moral point of view America becomes last, just look at the Middle East mess.
There is something about flexing your muscles...sometimes you pull a tendon in the process.
Stan Chun
Wellington.
NZ.
19 December, 2017.
1
From the article: China and Russia, it says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
------
My response: America is just about to pass a tax bill that will make its economy less free and less fair. The National Security approach report determines to grow the US military. Finally, by baying "fake news" every 5 minutes, and slandering the media and FBI at every opportunity, Trump himself seeks to "control information and data to repress" society and expand his influence.
Until/unless this hypocrisy is broadly recognized by America itself, America's position will be far from first on the global stage.
5
Guess Donald’s friend thing with Russia didn’t work so well for him. But who would know? Tomorrow he’ll be saying something else.
Who writes his speeches, anyhow? That too, depends on the day, we guess.
2
I thought he did a great job reading the words on the teleprompters. Even the three- and four-syllable words were very clear and easy to understand.
He also did a good job of switching between the teleprompters, not reading from one or the other for too long.
2
No one expects cogency from Trump, nor the ability to stick to a subject. And if someone drafted a plan, it’s doubtful Trump would read it, and more doubtful that he would follow it.
In sum, as is often said, there is no point in listening to Trump. No point in trying to devine which way the ricochet will bounce.
4
Donald Trump's speech on foreign policy is business as usual. A 2.0 version of last century cold war. This time, China has been added to the traditional threats presented by Russia and rogue states such as North Korea.
The cold war was won for two reasons. First, a superior American economic system. The nugatory URSS's economic system did not resist the arms race and collapsed in the 80s. Second, the US diplomacy was extremely deft in putting together a global coalition against the former Soviet Union.
The question is whether the current American financials system-based economy is capable to beat the highly efficient Chinese model.
After all, the global geopolitical map has changed dramatically. Third world countries of the past are becoming prosperous and capable of manufacturing atomic weapons as NK has shown.
The question is: Can an isolated America First rule the world as of it did after the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989?
1
China and Russia, it says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
Actually, this sounds just like what Trump is doing in the US with his defense and nuclear expansion, his repeal of net neutrality, his incessant lying about facts in evidence and cries of fake news, and his focus on undermining our public schools and building up for profit and fake creationist schools to create a permanent uneducated underclass.
With Trump's 'strategies' underway and the tax bill robbing our country's poor and middle class to build the wealth of millionaires and billionaires, the only wall we need to build is around Trump and his swamp in DC.
3
This is our foreign policy message when the military controls the major functions of our government. They can never get over a map of the east that is too red. We have been fighting this mental war for 70 years to no avail.
With our debt approaching 109% of GDP the 2018 and 2020 election cycles will be a war of guns vs butter. Deficits don’t matter to the GOP any more but they do matter for the Boomer generation awaiting the return on their SS investment. We need people representing us who can solve the worlds problems not make them worse!
1
"struggled to develop an intellectual framework that encompasses Mr. Trump’s unpredictable, domestically driven and Twitter-fueled approach to foreign policy":
That is why, by the end of his first term, the USA will have become a third-world country with the rich oligarchy controlling the lives and fortunes of the 99% of citizens!
2
Now we just have to wait for the real thing, his morning tweet.
Maybe someone out there can inform me what this tome accomplished? Once again we heard vague allusions to an illusionary vision of what this administration is and will be doing to "Make America Great Again." How many times does the master orator drag out his old campaign drivel and engage in self adulation to the point where one has to ask just what has he done except once again discredit and denigrate any and all of Obama's legacy. And what did his meandering proclamations have to do with a tangible national security plan? Time for the Great One to spend some time with his speech writers thinking about these very important issues before he gives us the presidential scowl and launches into yet another rendition of how great I am.
1
American insecurity is a function of universal rejection of America's designs to dominate the world politically,,economically and militarily ......the more the USA demands and tries to impose the fiercer is the rejection of American imperialism .
Why would North Korea defy the USA except for the constant American disparaging of what NK believes in while in full knowledge of the immense cost of its response ?
Why would Iran go to the extremes of seeking nuclear power except for the USA rejection of what Iran stands for?
Ditto the whole world where American imperialism has engendered intense hostility and a willingness to bear the immense cost of anti American Imperialism !
America has been living and flourishing on its universally rejected ambitions to dominate the world
,
I am appalled at the naivete on display in so many of the comments here. To help restore some proportion to the discussion, here are some things to keep in mind:
1. At the end of WWII the US and the west took the lead in establishing an international political and economic order. It is vital that we continue to preserve this order so that we can continue to enjoy our way of life. Preservation of this order means challenging our enemies and not being afraid to use military force to secure our interests. The US dollar must / must remain the currency of global commerce.
2. The US can no longer afford to be charitable, or to give the benefit of the doubt, to the whims of our enemies, who use asymmetrical warfare against us -- via cyber operations, disinformation, and economic espionage -- to weaken our institutions and foster chaos domestically. For a small investment, Russia has managed to pit the FBI against the White House. Put aside your hostility to the clown in the White House for a moment and ponder that fact.
3. Mixed messaging to our enemies is critical. North Korea, Iran, Hezbollah, and others must not be allowed to go to sleep each night assured that the USA is cowering in a corner and afraid to use military force to defend our interests and our allies.
That's enough for now.
Trump and his handlers need to be schooled in the 'art of nuance' as they try and portray where we stand on the world stage when it comes to our 'national security'.
Trump's constant brow beating, besides him once again appearing like the school-yard bully and puerile, shows his lack of understanding as to how one approaches situations requiring maturity and the notion he has the depth of knowledge his stature demands.
This brash behavior of his once again gets us nowhere, befuddles any sense of the collegiality needed amongst world leaders during trying times like these. This puerile braggadocio only chips away at the trust and esteem we once had with all those wanting to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.
1
Trump does not have a clue what he wants, let alone what is good for this country. I am sick of Trump saying that he will save us from all of our problems. Our biggest problem is Trump.
2
A mixed message? The generals don't want to go to war but the commander in cheat declare war on everyone, foreign or domestic, on Twitter everyday. He makes the neocons look like a bunch of peaceniks. No wonder the billionaires have been buying doomsday condos, those repurposed fallout silos.
The survivalists and gun nuts have finally realized the dystopian vision
7
Peace through strength was Trump's message in that speech — a historically sound principle.
For example, the 200+ years of Pax Romana were exceptional for its savage times not because Lefties were singing Kumbaya, but because the Roman legions brooked no nonsense from the fanatics and the crazies in the periphery.
Anyone else who listened to the speech notice how much this Low Energy Prez was huffing and puffing to get through this speech?
He is in so far over his head that he's losing the strength to tread. But he's bloating up like Augustus Gloop which should keep him afloat.
But they're going to have to re-install the Taft bathtub soon enough to clean him up.
32
I have heard of Augustus Mutt, of the comic strip "Mutt and Jeff" -- but who is Augustus Gloop? Not to be confused with, I am sure, Augustus Caesar or Romulus Augustulus ("Little Augie.") :-)
Dark, delusional, revisionist vision.
16
Russia and China are not attacking American values. They don't have to. Trump and his gang are doing that for them. People like Trump are always freudianly projecting their own sins and immorality on to their enemies. Trump is the destroyer-in-chief of American values, starting with our hallowed Constitution.
59
America is in a terrible pickle. Trump is a very very flawed person, very racially biased which he feels necessarily to hide but not smart enough to do it adequately. He is both lazy and ignorant. Therefore a lot people of his ilk hide under his position and come out with views, so-called policies, and actions which mirrored his flawed self. Don't look for anyone ( including retired generals ) to check his craziness. Those who can do that do not choose to work for this administration. Those who do choose to do so are as unsavory as him. Really horrible people have to be thrown out ( with Miller still to go ). Really professional people have walked away. ' The basket of deplorable' is actually a perfect description of Trump and his appointees.
31
Good luck to those foreign leaders trying to extract a strategy from the pile of spaghetti noodles. Hint: there isn't one.
18
America first. China first. Russia first. Europe first. England first... every nation everywhere first. The only problem with that kind of world is pretty soon there won't be any world.
32
Its been that way ever since the end of WWI. And yes, the US had better ensure that we remain dominant, because our enemies would like to see us neutered.
But what about that big, beautiful piece of chocolate cake?
I thought we were besties with China now.
Or, wait. Wasn't it that this so-called master negotiator awed the visiting Xi with that macho missile strike of an empty Syrian airfield?
Xi was probably shaking in his boots when he announced his "One Belt, One Road" initiative to advance China and start filling the void left by Trump's short-sighted, dopey America First retreat.
Shaking with laughter.
14
This is getting way, way beyond dangerous. Trump obviously doesn't recognize the difference between running a country and operating a business. There is nobody nearby that has the gumption to challenge him or provide advice that might upset him. With no knowledge base, no real world experience, a chip on his shoulder and once upon a time style advice, he is totally lost and is going to get people killed.
23
Well as long as the GOP can privatize getting people killed and the 1% can make a few bucks off it (tax free of course) I'm sure they'll be all for it.
1
What is dangerous is letting Russia and China influence our perceptions of reality to the point that our democracy is paralyzed.
Yes, it can happen. Look at what the Russians did in 2016 with a relatively small investment.
Trump probably thinks an "intellectual framework" is a lecture on a box that holds an Intel computer chip.
3
This article makes a fundamental mistake in assuming Trump has a foreign policy. A policy, any policy, requires thought-out objectives, strategies to achieve those objectives, and tactics, including back-ups, to implement any given strategy. There is no indication that Trump is capable -- let alone desirous -- of engaging in such an intense, complex, and subtle process.
To the extent that the President has a policy, it is his own self-defined "success". It is a mistake to consider his ejaculatory tweets as policy. Foreign leaders face the dilemma of either assuming America has no policy or assuming that any given tweet actually is foreign policy, no matter how contradictory it may be to other tweets or White House statements. Such confusion often leads to the type of instability that tends to produce violent, preemptive aggression based on misinformation.
17
Most likely McMaster, the primary author, felt it necessary that the president demonstrate that he has a national security strategy. The fact that the speech is different from the document is not particularly important. Read the document.
Former Intelligence Chief James Clapper said on CNN today that Vladimir Putin is acting like the KGB Chief he once was, treating Donald Trump as an 'asset.'
We need to remove Trump from office.
33
Right now the greatest threat to America is not from China or Russia but sitting in the White House.
I find it particularly offensive when someone who did so much to avoid going to war himself is so anxious to light the fuse of sending others to war.
29
Trump has managed to transfer his narcissistic personality behavior into a national policy for America. The United States of America is now officially a "narcissist state" with visions of strong competition on all sides. Whatever happened to cooperation? This is a sad-no-pitiful- statement from a president who apparently is having problems focusing on reality.
Americans should be frightened by the Trump statement that nuclear weapons will play a larger role in American foreign policy-whatever that means.
The overarching tone of this meaningless policy statement is one of bullying-which represents the president perfectly.
37
"Cooperation" has led to the Russians infiltrating our media and to the Chinese infiltrating our economy and our educational institutions.
I'd say paranoid.
Come a come a come on, 2020.
16
Trump’s “security” strategy demonstrates his astoundingly ignorant and narcissistically impaired grasp of history and world affairs. It is essentially an isolationist strategy. If he had paid attention in history class, if he ever had a class in history, he would understand that an isolationism doesn’t work. Many of his supporters probably don’t know what the term “isolationism” means. It is, “A policy or doctrine of trying to isolate one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, and generally attempting to make one's economy entirely self-reliant; seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement, both diplomatically and economically, while remaining in a state of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.” [International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences].
Anyone who believes that America can stand alone and that international cooperation is detrimental to our best interest shares his ignorance. Those who cite the fact that the stock market is booming as evidence of the validity of his policies and his effectiveness as a leader, suffer from a 1 degree understanding of a 360 degree world.
40
Although this document reeks of Trump's malignant narcissism, I suspect it is not 'his' but rather it represents the ramblings of his 31 year old international affairs puppet master Miller in written form.
13
China and Russia, it says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
Sounds exactly like the Trump/Fox/Koch axis to me....
30
That certainly was my reading of it and most likely that of everyone else who read or heard it. Well, there would have been a few exceptions of course.
5
In thirty years environmental concerns will trump all this nonsense.
13
They already do
9
This fool Trump and his cronies are living (in their delusional minds) in the 1950’s.
Trump is a clear and present danger to the security and future of this country.
34
America is in the game? Is the president's reality a board game cross of Risk and Monopoly?
The world is not a board game. The world is life -- a rare event in the Universe. Our inability to understand our precarious position on the planet puts ourselves and many other species at risk of leaving cockroaches and jellyfish to run the place. The world does not have time for president jellyfish and his twisted reality.
We need to be talking and working with all countries to secure a livable planet. Arming ourselves to the teeth and threatening everyone who doesn't like his re-writing the rules is turning us into a pariah state. The Trump Tantrum Doctrine is going to take everyone down with us, but the jellyfish are rooting for him, I'm sure.
Imagine the sounds of the planet without us. If the wind blows across the plains, the waves break against the shores, and lightning cracks the sky, do they make any noise if none are witness to their passing?
We don't have time for this warmongering sideshow of hate and greed.
20
Queen Elizabeth I said, "What you desire is of too great importance to be given to a collection of brains so light."
12
And now the United States under Trump's leadership is looking like a colossal hypocrite. Our President insults, criticizes and verbally attacks from afar, in the safety of the White House Lawn but flatters, praises and negotiates personal side deal within the walls of the Forbidden City in Beijing. The very nation you accuse of currency manipulation and economic rape is the very same nation you secure trademarks for the Trump brand within the first month of office.
The world is looking at us and seeing nothing more but an unreliable empire rampant with greed, corruption, narcissism and an utter lack of integrity.
24
Genau! As the Germans say. Here in Canada, you know, that threatening economic adversary to America's north, we - like the rest of the world - see in the this a repudiation by the U.S. of every agreement and treaty the country is a party to. Article 5? Any NATO ally that believes the U.S. can be relied upon in the event of aggression against it, is a nation of fools. NAFTA? Why are we even bothering to "negotiate", the Trump Administration has already made clear it's contempt. When the next 9/11 comes....and they always do when you are the bully on the block, don't look to the rest of the world for your "coalition of the willing".....you wanted America Alone, you've got America Alone.
We need to be America First and isolate and protect ourselves, so first thing I'm going to do is sell 245 billion dollars worth of weapons to the Saudis
Trump is not driven by dogma but pragmatism, he and his administration are far better suited to dealing with opposing international priorities than his predecessors.
1
This article makes a fundamental mistake in assuming Trump has a foreign policy. A policy requires thought-out objectives, strategies to achieve those objectives, and various tactics, including back-ups, to implement any given strategy. There is no indication the Trump is capable -- let alone desirous -- of engaging in such a process.
It would appear that Tump's sole policy is the self-defined "success" of Trump. It is a mistake to call his ejaculatory tweets as policy. Foreign leaders face the dilemma of assuming America has no policy or assuming that any given tweet actually is foreign policy, no matter how contradictory it may be to other tweets or White House statements. Such confusion often leads to the type of instability producing violent preemptive action based on misinformation.
7
A total win for the old military-industrial complex. Once again, we become the Pentagon/War Department's bottomless piggy bank--as if we aren't already.
6
Trump is playing the Coup game. Give the military everything they want, let them go blow stuff up, kill people, keep the game going and keep them on your side so if/when the time comes they are on your side for a takeover
God forbid that we should ever curb trade with and impose sanctions on China, like we do Russia, if the former is such a military threat to U.S. national security interests. Oh, and aren't they our banker, too, buy up much of the U.S. debt?
Or is this just an excuse to extract more spending for defense?
1
A draft dodger gives the country lessons on defense. Sad.
16
Booth Pence and Trump have said that Putin is/was a better leader than Obama. That is the sort of shameless people who are leading us now. Pathetic.
8
However much one despises Trump, and doubts his capacity to stick to the agreed text on anything from day to day, it would be helpful if the US national paper of record could be bothered to provide a link to the crucial sixty-eight page document being discussed in the comments by folks who evidently have not bothered to read the document before letting off steam.
Here you go, I've fixed it for you:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-20...
2
"Fortifying its borders, ripping up unfair trade agreements and rebuilding its military."
Motivated bad guys of all types factor defeating border security into their cost of business. We need to identify and defeat the root causes of illegal immigration and Islamic terrorism. Building physical barriers is a waste of time and money, except for Trump's construction buddies.
If I believed Trump could rip up unfair trade agreements and negotiate better deals I'd give him credit. Problem is he's not actually a smart businessman and relies on cheating and defaulting on deals to maximize his profits.
Rebuild our military? Please. How many aircraft carrier battle groups does the entire rest of the world have? Two? Three? America has ten. Trump also wants to build more warheads and missiles. A money pit that other nuclear powers do not care about and do not fear.
Trump has no idea what he's doing.
3
Saying that the world is destined to return to the Great Powers model of International Relations is straight out of Putin's mouth. This is very distressing. We left that model behind after two devastating world wars and have operated under a Compassionate Global Community since. It's been built off of economic integration, free trade, and the protection of Human Rights. The USA has flourished under this system and Russia has clearly not. This is why Putin has been talking since 2000 about returning to a Great Powers model where military might outweighs economic might. Trump endorsing this idea is EXTREMELY distressing. Instead we should be working together with China, investing in our education and infrastructure, and sanctioning anyone who threatens the Global Community (such as RUSSIA). If we do that the Russian people will take care of Putin. Their poverty rate is 15%, their average monthly income is $450 (less than China, Poland and Romania) and their economy has been in recession for 3 years while the rest of the world economy is booming. Their country is a mess, if we stop acknowledging them and validating the lies Putin is telling his people about their stability, then they will turn on him and elect a more cooperative regime.
36
I can find no fault with the sentiments and aspirations expressed in the speech. Why is the Left so bitter about it?
1
You say the Left why so bitter. It has nothing to do with the Left, what it has to do with is what is going to be LEFT when Trump and his treasonous gang are done
Great.
Now that the Trumperor has solved all our domestic issues and made us Great, now he sets out to tame the world.
This will go poorly.
Unless.
3
Just listened to General McMaster - what a load of nonsense on Trump’s policy - the military gets more money - to do what? The Wall! The unfair Canadians and Mexicans! Rubbish!! Words and more words - meaning nothing!
5
I have had enough of Not-My-President. Since he "won the election" and his inauguration it has been 24X7 news about anything and everything about Trump and his swamp mates. Don't get me wrong, I have GREAT respect for the NYTs, CNN and other news/media outlets that tell the TRUTH about him and his administration. I know it's cold in Canada, but I can take it ....
6
It appears that Trump ceded national security policy-making to McMaster and the generals - those in the White House, the Pentagon, and the Joint Chiefs. Trump is beyond being dazzled and awed by men in uniforms. He adores them and wants to be liked by them and be considered one of them. He seems still to mourn Mike Flynn's absence from his staff. Trump will defer to the generals even when they appear to contradict his own campaign speeches and promises. As long as the generals get what they want, Trump will underplay his own relation with Putin but continue to maintain that bond. If Trump doesn't overly interfere with the generals, they will be willing to let him blow kisses at Putin while they control national security. Once Rex Tillerson is gone, the generals will have the opportunity to find a Secretary of State to their liking. The rise of the generals is frightening. It could be the rise of a new militarized state. Trump would have no objection to a strong alliance with them - even going so far as to allowing them to play a critical political role in his administration like his chief of staff - as long as they remain in the background, draft policy Trump likes, and let Trump always appear to be in control. In short, Trump may ultimately become a ventriloquist's dummy for the generals. And he hasn't far to go.
28
You see when the Trump man loses the 2020 election he will have the military at his side as he declares the election invalid and continues to rule over his Empire
Going to have to build a big wall between China and everyone else - and get the Chinese to pay for it...
6
Glad to hear America is in the game. What’s the game?
Glad to hear America is going to win. What’s it going to win?
Most importantly, who’s going to head up this team that’s in the game & going to win?
Trump?????
12
The game - survive.
Win - surviving with prosperity.
Perhaps your confusion can be relieved by looking at what it is like to lose. Take a look at current news on Venezuela - the ultimate "progressive" policies implemented to their natural conclusion.
Trump or Hillary or Sanders or any other known "progressive"? Trump each and every time.
1
Oh Trump, you silly sausage. You just got beaten up at the UN 14/1. You used your veto, sure. Nikki Haley said you're not embarrassed (you should be)... But, don't you see what's happening? America lead, and nobody followed. Because America's leadership role is apparently by consent... Look that word up.
The world has shown it will not bend the knee to mad king Donald. Expect more to come. The more this happens, the more damage is done to America's standing and potentially, the more unpredictable things become.
20
Where to start? The coward, racist, and liar in chief speaks before a crowd of military personnel about his dark and distorted vision for America and the world.
The rest of the world should not just shudder, but proactively take steps to minimize the damage this man and his credulous supporters can do to the world order and to the Earth's climate.
America has no moral authority to lead its own people, let anyone else.
15
Goodbye and so long! Our close relationship with the US and our membership in NATO has been the heart of our security and foreign policy since the end of WW2 and the establishment of NATO and it has been to both our benefit is our belief. Like with the great friendship between Franklin Roosevelt and the Norwegian royal family we thought it to be more than just common interest, that there existed a genuine love and care for each other. However, in the world of Trump it seems these things have no place. It is therefore with great regret that we say goodbye. You are no longer the friend we loved and trusted.
We wish you all the best!
Norway
11
You know if I was Putin, I would be a little upset that all my "Collusion" wasn't paying off any better.
At least Trump told him about the St Petersburg terrorists and he acted, unlike Obama's FBI that basically ignored Russia's warning about the Boston bombing
Ah yes, one can just visualize the military/industrial complex salivating after this announcement. All this while America's infrastructure crumbles, the poor get poorer and the rich get richer, healthcare and education funding is cut and other than the usual military presence and chest-thumping, America's place in the world becomes virtually non-existent.
This is 1930s Fascist/Nationalism all over again. It didn't work then and it work now and ultimately, the majority of Americans will be far worse off for it.
5
Can you please provide a link to the document in the article.
2
Never thought I would say this, but Breitbart has a much more comprehensive analysis, especially with regards to China. The NYT article is very thin on the actual content.
1
Reading comments almost all are negative about Trump and many are very thoughtful. So where is the opposition party?
The opposition party ???
Oh, I get it, you mean the party of the Clintons, the modern-day Tammany Hall and its female Boss Tweed, Hillary, and her acolytes.
I thought by now everyone knew they are the other side of tbe Trump coin, the silent partners, in our corporate owned government, salivating with abandon at the thought of the wealth soon to be filling their overflowing treasure chests, emphasis on the largest Christmas gift ever to be given corporate America, and its wealthiest rulers, the latest theft from the poor and the middle-class, a genuine daylight robbery, hiding within the much lauded tax policy.
Actually a pittance when compared to the lucre that will be accumulated from the weaponry sales sure to be necessary as our King Trump sallies forth bringing mayhem with him, to all areas on our deeply troubled planet.
We are all to blame for this disaster.
1
War with China, not Russia, is inevitable.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/blogs/post-p...
Ironically, Trump’s rejection of the TPP may delay it by ceding to them economic power they would have had to compete or fight for.
1
Trump should avoid speechifying. His ignorance of the world( except for the Russian fake news he seems to swallow whole ) is absolutely astounding!
It is obvious that, in the past, he has traveled little outside of America and is frightened of foreign worlds and certainly scared of people of color. His appearances in Europe and elsewhere recently revealed an unsophisticated naive self: a face uneasy and surprised at the fact that others are not like him-- and don't like him.
In fact, I am an American and even I am not like him. Nor do I want to be since he lives in fantasyland and has no sense of reality.
3
"The disconnect between the president’s speech and the analysis in his administration’s document attests to the broader challenge his national security advisers have faced, as they have struggled to *develop an intellectual framework* that encompasses Mr. Trump’s unpredictable, domestically driven and Twitter-fueled approach to foreign policy. The same confusion has confronted foreign governments trying to understand Mr. Trump’s conflicting signals.
There is no possible way to construct an intellectual framework for any of the delusions that pass for 'Trump Thought'.
5
Trump’s national security team has the impossible task of trying to make a coherent national security policy sound like Trump’s campaign promises.
Think about the contradiction inherent in the “America First” Policy as explained to the bewilderment of foreign leaders: Every country needs to put its country first.. America needs to put America First. Now let’s negotiate a trade deal where only America wins. Can there be two firsts?
This kind of half-baked nonsense is what results when the news media gives a candidate a pass on hard policy questions. And the American people don’t demand intelligent, thought through policy statements before they vote.
But fear not, what happens when a nitwit is President is that the more experienced Elites fill in the void. So, of course you can more of the same old policies but couched in Trump slogans.
3
Interesting that Trump spoke with Putin twice this week, and one of those calls was only discovered because Russia's state-run Tass reported it.
Critical questions remain: When is our president going to stand up to Russia for their cyber attack on our presidential election? When is he going to take action to prevent further attacks? And why is he so afraid of Vladimir Putin?
7
I reject this analysis based on a heavy emphasis of regurgitating "Russian meddling" in our election.
If that occurred, it is a past event that should alert our intelligence agencies for action - it is a tactical movement - and not a strategy.
A strategy in view of this alleged meddling is to put Russians on notice that we are watching which is exactly what the POTUS did.
After "I see his soul" and that famous "reset switch" with a wrong translation - it's time to restate where our interests really lie.
In that regard from a total Russia centric strategy to a focus on China is a positive move.
China is our real enemy today - in economics, politics and infkuence in our new backyard, "Indo pacific."
Just ask Aussies who have woken up to China's mischiefs - and the Kiwis are not far behind - not to mention our other allies in that region.
And their ultimate mischief is the protection they give to North Korea.
Any POTUS not paying attention to this "present and clear danger" needs to be impeached by the Congress for not sticking to his oath.
1
What the Trump/Putin plan for taking-over-everything is I can only guess. The absurdity of it is that this bombast, this ridiculous uttering of obsolete cold war platitudes and 2016-vintage campaign cliches, is no longer working.
The idiots will pass a tax bill they think will save their political careers, but polls show that a majority of Americans think that their taxes will go up. Is this a smart thing politically?
Now this nonsense -- which is mostly part of an obvious strategy we can all understand. Jack up that defense budget, give the American Oligarchs in the arms business and their Russian counterparts (that includes aerospace to small gun manufacturers and everything in between} lots of juicy business, and pretend that the money is going to workers, while the robots continue to drive down wages and the size of human work forces.
And yet...somehow I fear the idiots will prevail. I think it's a question of idiots appealing to idiots.
11
Trump: "America is in the game,” he said. “And America is going to win.” Not with Trump as President and some one had better hide the weapon release codes! Trump is unfit and unqualified and demonstrates this daily. It is an Orwell "1984" nightmare!
11
Wuld we go to war with China if they Short sold all those T-bills they own? Or hey we could try and take back Smithfeild pig farms...Or all those other companies they own, or real estate, or you know treat them like second class citizens and all that.... We aren't going to get out of this debt easy, But the donny I don't pay back my debts dude in washington, can try and stiff the Chinese all he wants, But They still have Money and time on their side, and Have more people that speak english than we have humans living between our shores....They have already answered Trump et al.
4
Honestly, does somebody still care what this guy says? I wonder why the media still carries these hollow "speeches". Just being the president should not be a guarantee to have everything you say covered by the media. At this point I think that we have the right to start ignoring this guy. I mean, who even knows how much of this document is intended to be taken seriously and how much is just empty rhetoric? One day this, another day something altogether different. What's going on is a joke and the media might want to start covering real news at some point. Right, I forgot that the corporate media are making a killing from this daily reality TV circus.
I have a plea to make. After the GOP is thrown out in the midterms next fall, please somebody tell me that the cable news companies and other corporate media that gave us Trump are next. The method is simple. We all just need to switch off and listen to NPR or something else. Anything else.
8
Trump is such a sad little fraud. Doesn't Trump also want to take any planning for global warming out of the hands of National Security. Does he not know that the Pentagon has been taking global warming seriously enough to monitor it and try to plan for a world of increasing natural disasters, fuel & food shortages and increased war. Is Trump telling them to stop planning for climate change too? He's already rolled back building standards insuring developers make a quick and dirty profit but guaranteeing that future disasters will continue to cost the most dollars and lives. He's like a greedy emotionally stunted five year old.
5
The 1.5 billion Republican tax giveaway to corporations ought help get the Chinese ahead on worldwide infrastructure. Building up the Star Wars ought help the United States pull back economic expansion and advance corporate economic monopolies enough to get in line with Russian stagnation. Senate & Congress can now work on discrediting the FBI. Ah the glory of republican fundamentalism!
2
Seriously, How did this clown end up being President? It will be interest to see how the history books record this farce in ten years time. Mind you, at least he hasn't destabilized the Middle East like Presudent Bush did.
3
"How did this clown end up being President"? Simple, really, alot of Americans just weren't paying attention, but, especially the democratic party establishment whom despite all the growing evidence to the contrary and even by annointing a deeply flawed and questionable democratic presidential candidate, they continued to scoff at the idea the "clown" could actually win the election.
Men and their ego's will be the ultimate cause of our self destruction even when most of us can see the danger looming there seems to be no way ahead for common sense and mutual respect. We can live with our differences but not the ego's of men in power.
1
It is sadly ironic that we the demographics, economy, and technology to make the 21st century an American Century. Instead, we have an Administration that thinks feudalist.
This is the 21st century, not the dark ages...
6
His own Secretary of State described him in the most accurate and succinct way as "the FM". That explains the depth of our leaders acumen and depth of knowledge on all matters complex. Mid East has been beyond the grasp of men with great understanding. So we can only imagine what insight Mr Trump has about it other than what Jared whispers in his ears.
3
China is building international alliances that will help them, building infrastructure, investing in education, and spawning a huge middle class. The USA is doing the opposite in each key area.
7
"War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength." The Party's slogans in George Orwell's "1984" were never more true than they are today. Looks like the 3 "Big Brothers" of "Oceania," "Eurasia" and "Eastasia" will be keeping us all in a state of perpetual war for decades to come......so The Party can keep us "proles" fearful, patriotic and willing to spend our hard-earned tax $ on weapons of war and meaningless military misadventures.....
33
If he really cared about national security, his plan would be two words..."I quit". There is no greater danger to America than Trump and his band of corporate shills and evil masterminds. Will Republicans ever wake up and save this country over themselves and thier pockets?
27
It is interesting that Trump did his own readout of the phone call from Putin over the weekend and today "revealed" his policy on China and Russia. Could the phone call in fact have been Trump giving Putin a "heads-up" or discussing his "policy", instead of Putin giving a high-five to our CIA?
4
Trump says "We will stand up like we have never stood up before" in his speech today. Does he realize that the U.S.A. has lead the free world since before World War II? Does he "get" the idea that we won both the Cold War? Does he live in a vacuum? He may think that Arab leaders, or Vladimir Putin are very. very strong leaders whose model he must follow, but does he understand that we are the most powerful country the earth has ever seen?
4
of course he has no grasp of or interest in this country's history...haven't you noticed by now ?
why would he ? does it make h im any more adored by the Masses ?
his literacy rating is that of a fourth- grader. and the personality of a Tasmanian devil.
This too shall pass.
3
I have been in favor of this for years. Perhaps this will lead Trump to rethink the way he does business with Japan and the EU.
I would also like to give them credit for including China as an enemy and not just Russia. Too many people seem to think that Russia is the only enemy, when it is China that is far more dangerous to the long-term interests of the United States.
Glad you’re relieved that we have 2 enemies; not just one. Stick around, maybe he’ll come up with a few more.
3
Does Trump have his signature label shirts and ties made in Japan and the EU too?
1
The traitor in the WH is a paranoid, lying simpleton (I forgot draft-dodger, among many others). His "again" is some delusional pseudo-history that lives on a planet of 3 billion people, NOT resembling, in any way, the realities of today's Earth, with over 7 billion human inhabitants. Attempting, once again, to instill FEAR into the populace, is an old totalitarian trick. Another failed attempt at emulating Mussolini and Hitler.
The man in the WH is severely under-equipped, mentally and emotionally (we have NO information on this man's health, as we should), as he's a "public servant". His mental state is beyond troubling: it's DANGEROUS! IMPEACH!
15
In just the last 24 hours, the power to our largest, busiest airport went out, stranding thousands of people, and a new high-speed train line derailed and crashed on its inaugural run. Combined with our incompetent effort to help Americans in Puerto Rico and other examples of our failed-but-shameless leadership, this country is beginning to show the flaws in its ailing systems and seriously limited capabilities. China is investing, Russia is sneakily undermining the competition wherever they can, whatever it takes, and we're just not committed to a clear strategy and honest dialog.
11
A real life Manchurian president.
8
The "enemy" of the American People is the GOP and "Corporate" Democrats. It's so close that many people can't even "see" it!
6
Looks like spin from the White House to justify trillions in an arms race filling the coffers of defense contractors promoting billion $ jets that fly without pilots. Russia spent about $500 million for its cyber attack on American elections and got what they wanted an erratic ignorant president who they have compromised the old KGB way. Trump will welcome Putin's help in defeating democrats in 2018 and of course in re-electing him in 2020 getting rid of those pesky sanctions and green lighting Putin's moves on Eastern Europe. No wonder Trump hates the FBI and our intel agencies they have the same goods Putin does on this fraudster and he knows it so does the GOP who only want to help the oligarchs of America.
5
Mitt Romney may have forgotten his dog, but he never forgot Russia...kudos to him!
1
Strategy? There is no strategy. It's all wrapped up with whomever Trump last talked to.
3
“are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.” Sounds like Trump's agenda, just as much as it sounds like China and Russia's
6
So, after having alienated long-standing allies by pulling out of the Paris Climate Accord and distancing itself from the Iran deal, the Trump administration plans to engage in a power struggle with Russia and China. Because the go-it-alone approach always works when the stakes are highest, is that it?
When Tillerson finally gets the ax, who on earth will take that job?
4
President Trump. A leader standing up for America first. Thank you Mr. President.
3
James. You must be kidding! Trump is Not for America first. He is for your money in his and his friend's pockets.
America first means being part of the world. It does not mean being pals with dictatorial Putin. Watch some fresh news outside of Fox once and awhile. Talk about fake news they stew it up!
7
When a country cannot examine itself and blinds itself to its own history it becomes a country destined to fail. Blinders to corruption, war crimes, and ineptitude, together with callous disregard for those less fortunate, and celebration of the shabbiest, most negative aspects of the human spirit are becoming more prominent in our national policies. The CDC and the EPA are being forced to use special vocabularies. Assistance to those least able is being destroyed to enable benefits to those least needy. The better aspects of our society are becoming hostage to mindless greed and meaningless tweets. Trumpism is combining cheap hucksterism with prostitution of longheld values, obvious instability, and failure of character. The delusions of a charlatan like Trump aren't just the illusions of a few. Our friends including the British, canadians, the French, and others are confounded as well
We sre seeing the cheapest, shabbiest, most destructive kind of corruption. It depends on ignorance and meanness and flourishes with indifference and myopia. It's malignant, it's dangerous to national surviva , and we'd better find a way to end it sooner rather than later.
11
Fact-checking Trump's speech or even pointing the rather glaring internal logical inconsistencies is a waste of time. Fundamentally, like most authoritarian rants, facts and logic are irrelevant. It's all about manipulating the emotions of a public that has turned off the brain and abandon critical thinking. Trump could have simply repeated "America is going to win" a hundred times as his entire speech, and the effect on the mob would have been the same.
15
"We are at war with East Asia. We have always been at war with East Asia." This is straight out of George Orwell's dystopian vision. Instead of engaging with the world in a realistic way, Trump uses militaristic, jingoistic bluster to distract the public from the fact that "Making America Great Again" looks an awful lot like "Making Trump and Friends Even More Filthy Rich."
9
This just shows how mercurial this president is: 1) alienate foreign governments by promoting a pretentious America First, 2) withdraw from participating in world affairs by dramatically reducing and eliminating diplomatic posts overseas, 3) stand oblivious to Russia and China willing to fill the voids Trump's foreign policies neglect.
I couldn't believe the sheer delight President Xi expressed when Trump walked the red carpets in Beijing. Like a Cheshire cat watching a dumbfounded American blather on about America First, Xi clearly sees his foreign influence will eclipse the Age of American Confusion lead by small time real estate broker.
7
Trump doesn’t want to understand that it already is and has always been fact that any nation that attacks America will be obliterated. He seems to want to reinvent the in place policy of MAD that the world has relied on since the nuclear age began.
To his national security policy it does not take into account any other threats to our nation other than a full frontal assault to our shores. He continues to behave in a bipolar manner as to the complex diplomacy that must be in place to make a dangerous world more secure.
2
The Trump billionaires rediscovered their voices "...and reclaimed ownership of this nation and its destiny"
Our foreign policy based on corporation's self-interest.
2
Want to know why this is a genius idea for the C.I.A.?
This is a game of trust, that can apply to anything from natural resources, money, to information. The CIA is using this in groundbreaking ways to encourage peace.
http://ncase.me/trust/
If this movement grows, I might love this country again.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry. The way he behaves makes me wonder if he's planning to start another Cold War and slowly work his way to a real one with nuclear weapons and all the destruction they can cause. He does have a way of irritating everyone he deals with.
6
While Trump blathers the Chinese build the 'belt and road' a huge infrastructure project across Asia. While the USA pulls away from the TPP, the Chinese propose the RCEP which will unite many Asian nations in a wide ranging trade initiative.
The facts are that the US is already losing the battle for economic supremacy in the developing world. Trump's policies will hasten this process.. US prestige, influence and economic well being will be the loser.
7
Given the terrain (deserts, mountains), this plan would seem more dream than threat.
Trump’s national security strategy, like his hair: winds long on cyber-techniques versus a short concise response; twists self-evident climate change onto sidelines versus straightforward acknowledgement as game changer; and bleaches natural partnerships for peace into distorted self-interested competition! Unattractive and unsettling to say the least!
2
I spent my entire adult professional life trying to help solve the problems created by the Cold War: First as US Army Infantry man form the year the wall in Berlin was built in 1961 to 1964, serving along the Iron Curtain in Germany and then as a conference interpreter in Europe well beyond the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Iron Curtain and the Soviet Union. In the quarter century since then the "only remaining Superpower" under both Democratic and Republican presidents has been incapable of turning the Cold War "victory" into a "Warm Peace". Instead, it relished in uncalled for triumphalism, historically undeserved exceptionalism, aggressive militarism and unabashed attempts at world domination. When all this failed, the US elected an arsonist as president who is now proclaiming a new Cold War. When will we ever learn?
9
Nothing in my lifetime has weakened American influence in the world like the election and continued incompetence of Donald Trump. Our allies know they can no longer depend on us to protect us and them. Other nations know that only incoherence and confusion flows from the current US president.
13
Our allies have been around for much longer than we have, although, to be sure, they have not always been our allies. They have witnessed much, and much of it they do not wish to repeat. As to the embarrassment that is Trump, my guess is that they are thinking "This, too, shall pass."
4
May I humbly request that the Russians please spill whatever dirt they have on Trump and the rest. This American will be eternally grateful. We can still be friends.
8
Does it matter? He promised to solve the North Korea crisis, correct the trade imbalance with China, revise NAFTA to give Americans “a better deal,” and make peace in the Middle East. He hasn’t made progress on any of these fronts. If anything, he’s made things worse.
The man, his cabinets, and, yes, “his generals” are incompetent. All they know how to do is disassemble diplomatic institutions, destroy hundreds of millions of dollars worth of our machinery, and kill our own soldiers.
6
Let us not be fooled for one nano-second: China and Russia continue to pose serious challenges to US and western domination of the post-WWII international order. It is a battle that the West cannot afford to lose.
Despite the glitz and glamour of St. Petersburg and Shanghai and the glib leadership statements emanating from Moscow and Beijing, both countries remain at heart peasant societies that aim to steal everything and everything they can from the United States and its allies.
Both countries aim to penetrate US political and social institutions, our media, our educational establishments and our politics and undermine us from within. Russian interference in the 2016 election and the efforts by its intelligence agencies targeting unsuspecting Americans has resulted in a semi-paralyzed American political system. The Chinese are buying up property in the US in important commercial locations with the aim of exploiting our society's freedoms to expand Chinese government influence and weaken our free-market way of life.
The Cold War never ended. The only thing that has changed are the avenues -- commercial, cyber, and social media -- that our enemies are using to lull Americans into a false sense of complacency and to try to confuse us into believing their version of reality.
We must stay alert. This is not a game.
8
You wrote, ". . . and weaken our free-market way of life. "
To which I reply, "TINSTAAFM." There is no such thing as a free market.
Well said.
Roger that!
3
An arms buildup. Trump is the front man for another massive arms build up in the same waste of resources that Reagan carried out. There's nothing new here and it nearly bankrupted us while bankrupting them.
Our opposition entrenches the Putins of the world since they can use our threats against their own citizens.
"China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence - add the US to that list. Trump has gone full-throated into taking as much as he can along with his friends and that's anybody willing to pay for it, the skies is the limit.
The US has lost so much that we could have been, could have had like clean water, healthy food, cheap and clean energy, but instead we get warmed-over policies that siphon the funds for education and research, the public good, into weapons that we will end up selling to the rest of the world, gaudy politicians pushing their own brands, corporations writing and implementing their own agendas over the will of the majority.
Say no to another cold war and another arms build up. Nuclear weapons will not save us from our own rot nor will they stop terrorists and rogue states from needing them to use against us.
4
Once again, Trump gives us a non-specific non-strategic strategy. What else is new?
JD
6
...but they are (trying to grab power)!
Russia in the Crimea, Syria and even in the Olympics.
China in the South China Sea, Africa, etc.
And in the two countries listed above do you think there is a complete lack of freedom in the press?
Kumbaya is a beautiful concept in fantasyland, but not in the real world...
2
There is one world. It is in danger because of our environmental demands and pollution. Some people own more than entire communities of others. The solution to world problems includes world cooperation and we can achieve it, just as 13 colonies could become a single country, many countries can adopt a singular order of rule. The cold war leads to a hot war, we need and deserve peace. Mr. Trump is not up for that task. He is incompetent and a egotistical fool.
10
Listening to Donald Trump trying to read a speech from the teleprompter takes me back to my grammar school days, and listening to kids who had a hard time reading aloud even with the benefit of a remedial reading class, what a joke, never mind his tax returns, let's see Donald Trump school transcripts going back to grammar school.
10
...but they are trying to grab power!
Russia: in the Crimea, Syria and even in the Olympics.
China: in the South China Sea, Africa, etc.
And in the two countries listed above, do you think there is a complete lack of freedom in the press? If not, well, maybe Trump isn’t your president & you should consider living in Russia or China...?
Kumbaya is a beautiful concept in fantasyland, but not in the real world...
3
Given the daily falsehoods emanating from the White House, is there any independent proof that Putin actually called Trump, or is this perhaps fake news intended to bolster Trump?
7
And, if they did talk, wasn't putin just giving the traitor more instructions?
1
The question will be how other national leaders view this plan. I think we need to work closely with China as President Obama did and I would be very worried about a view of China that was adversarial. China is just not an adversary.
3
Another cesspool of right-wing boilerplate rhetoric to placate 'the base'. To be completely ignored by normal people everywhere.
20
I'll bet the disgraced former-General Flynn could have found time - between '...lock her up...' rants to have the president hood-wink a National Security Plan!
Gawd; nearly one year with no plan?
Sure, that makes sense!
4
You talk about the lack of credibility when one uses a harmless phrase like the "liberal media." Then you go completely off the rails with your talk of treason which is ridiculous. Do you think you have any credibility?
Donald Trump reminds me of a local television show for kids when I was growing up in Massachusetts in the 60's, Major Mudd.
Although, in Trump's case, I think Major Domo, fits him better.
7
Perhaps a fluffernutter would calm the man down.
2
I can see why he wanted tax forms to fit on a postcard. That's all his attention span can tolerate.
7
How is it that Trump can claim he has shamed fellow NATO members to increase their defense spending and not rely on the US, then in the next breath boast about all the billions he's going to spend to upgrade the US military? Shouldn't there be a savings for the US somewhere?
3
Thanks, guy from Canada! You do know that most immigrants move to Canada because of how soft on war they are, right? Most of them would choose USA as their first destination, otherwise. The military-boosting talk is a play on intimidation, something that Canada knows nothing about. You're lucky that USA is actually handling China, or else no other country is going to stand up to them and their corrupt business practices.
1
That's funny. As we now outspend the next 7-9 countries n the world COMBINED on "defense", the LAST thing we should be spending our quickly dwindling tax dollars on is "defense". WE DON'T NEED IT!!
4
The authors incorrectly assert that “President Trump’s national security strategy envisions a world in which the United States confronts two “revisionist” powers — China and Russia — that are seeking to change the global status quo, often to the detriment of America’s interests.” The NSS actually envisions a world populated by many threats, including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, but the NSS also plainly states that the “primary transnational threats Americans face are from jihadist terrorists and transnational criminal organizations.” The NSS characterizes the future relationship with Russia and China as increased “competiveness,” not a resumption of the Cold War. The NSS also plainly states that the “primary transnational threats Americans face are from jihadist terrorists and transnational criminal organizations.” It designates border security and enforcing immigration laws as “priority actions.” It designates border security and enforcing immigration laws as “priority actions.”
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-20...
4
thanks for the link to the document. The story, amazingly, doesnt seem to give a link.
This new national security "strategy" seems to combine three main themes:
1) "That's not fair" and
2) "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down" and
3) "Do as I say, not as I do."
Perhaps it was naïve to hope for more now, but America has stood for a lot more than this historically.
9
Lol, you live in England...You guys are not even standing up to China, you're waiting for America to do it, for you! Good luck with your London real-estate home prices.
1
In Trump’s World, it makes sense to bomb China...for what? To bring the jobs back?
4
The only strategy we heard today is Goeybbel-style propaganda. It's all nothing more than shameless self-praise.
This guy really thrives on such boasts. At one point of his speech, Trump was heard prompting "Thank you, Thank you" even before the audience began to applaud. It looked as if he was prompting them to clap hands.
It's pure campaign speech; praising himself and slamming his predecessors. Shame! Shame!
9
Trump does have a strategy to guard against cyber meddling in future elections: Cancel them since he already knows who SHOULD be "elected."
5
A strategic plan that disrupts and fails to utilize the power of collective trade agreements to counter China's economic rise and dominance (TPP/Nafta), fails to acknowledge Russia's cybercrime and hacking of our election and democratic apparatus, actively subverts our free press and fails to recognize the national security threat of the effects of climate change lacks credibility and seriousness. A leadership that underfunds stem education, underfunds cybersecurity, develops economic insecurity and massive deficit spending, works to dismantle democratic institutions and norms is a great threat to American dominance and its ability to compete or protect itself from foreign or its own domestic adversaries.
7
so Trump offers no change, excepting for a nuanced affirmation that Russia may not a benign player. Ok.
1
This rivalry will spur on a new arms race making defense contracting filthy rich at the expense of all the other aspects of American exceptionalism such as world class research and education.
We will mortgage our children’s future buying deadly pentagon toys instead of investing in our education system and our infrastructure.
6
The Roman Empire is gone. The British Empire is gone. We're next.
5
Should there be empires? Our idea that we are an empire is in reality an illusion. How did we do in Vietnam, how are things in the Middle East?
We have military bases all over the world. We have designated ourselves as the "policemen of the world." Isn't that similar strategy used by the Romans and the British?
1
An illusion based on the size and fantastic expense of our military, no doubt.
1
Irony and hypocrisy abounded in this self serving speech . Example ironic Iran is labeled a rogue state yet was IRAQ,s greatest ally in the defeat of ISIS in that country. Trump of course claims full credit,in the process is critical of his predecessor , yet the hypocrisy is Trump continues Obamas strategies in many places.
More critically he has opted to ignore Climate change , human rights fundamental policies of his predecessors.
Looking at Trump,s policy of America first through the eyes of most of the rest of the world I believe they will see a future where the USA has ceded global leadership to China and they will act accordingly .
The world needs a vibrant USA and its values as enshrined in the constitution including the preamble , we must build bridges not walls
50
Tell me, Californian...Did you grow up rich? Most Californians are spoiled and know nothing about responsibility. You all are taking that corrupt Chinese money with a smile on your face, and you don't care about the rural or poor areas of the USA, other than your wealthy Californian wonderland. China needs to learn that the world does not want to become like it, they'd rather be more Americanized. Of course, you are probably Chinese-American anyway, with dual-loyalty and your astronaut parents who are making all of that Corrupt Chinese money and shipping it straight to you, so you can drive around in your Ferrari. #dontChinaMyAmerica #fuerdai
What an extraordinarily odd response to what was an extraordinarily balanced observation.
A warning of "great power competition" with China and Russia.
Is there any other news today about things that we have known for 70 years?
7
These comments are ridiculous. Trump tries to protect America from hostile nations, and somehow that is a national crisis. Obama’s strategy of appeasement was an utter failure. It’s time for something new.
1
How is Trump protecting us from Russia?
1
Trump is fanning the flames of war to once again deflect from his numerous failures as a world leader and as a man.
2
Definitely a McMasters document as Trump publicly stated that he wanted to work with Putin, who cyber attacked our democracy, on American cyber security. In other words, here are the keys to my safe to save you the trouble of breaking in next time.
This McMasters document will get about as much overall respect from Trump as our Constitution does, and is just a distractive ploy of the moment to try to make Americans believe that Trump has our national security at heart and is a patriot.
I find it coincidentally interesting that he has a national security speech right after a few phone calls with Putin which we now know were made to convey a terrorist attack on Russia warning from the CIA. Interesting that there was "chatter" available and picked up by our U.S. intelligence about a terrorist attack to take place in Russia at the same time that the Mueller investigation has made indictments against members of the inner circle of Trump. Another Putin ploy at distraction? One to gain our sympathy?
However, if the chatter about an alleged terrorist attack to be made against Russia was true, I thank God that our CIA saved all those lives and averted all that devastation. Better to be safe than sorry.
2
Trump has portrayed an image of dysfunction, deception and corruption and there isn't a world leader that doesn't smell the blood in the water!
4
The New York Times’ assertion that the Trump National Security Strategy does not “prescribe solutions” to cyberattacks against the United States during the 2016 election is inaccurate. The NSS document devotes a subsection to “Cyberspace.” The threat posed by cyberattacks is discussed on page 31 and solutions are discussed page 32 of the 55-page document.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-20...
1
Reads similar to a sub-par high school term paper, finished at 2 am before the due date. This administration is an embarrassment and dangerous, on so many levels.
9
Yes, this admin intelectual depth is pretty shallow... let’s wait for Mr Mueller, the only one that has any credibility Towards the WH these days...
1
Russia is an also-ran in the geopolitical arena, with an economy about the size of Italy's, and less than that when oil revenues are down. I cannot imagine anything less "MAGA" than giving them such stature. Blow Putin a kiss and move on to something important, Trump.
2
I challenge the authors and editors of the Times to imagine the global reaction (shall we call incredulity), if this type of language was used by anyone else.
Say by Mr. Putin. Or Xi. Or Ms Merkel. Or M. Macron. Or Mrs. Theresa May.
6
Say by world leaders?
1
In any other administration, it would be beyond belief to propose a national security strategy that does not seriously propose strategies to minimize significant attempts to influence US elections and contribute to the spread of false stories, false websites, and false comments aimed at destabilizing our form of government or what's left of it. The fact that these same activities occur internally as well does not mean we should ignore the threat from another country with an authoritarian plutocratic government that we do not want to become established in the US. It is bad enough that we have to have this fight internally.
Doesn't ultimately matter under Trump since anything he says officially regarding Russia has little credibility in general except as cover for his own agenda.
4
So are we believe what he says or what his writers wrote for him to
read today? They are two different things regarding Russia.
Have we reached a point where that is just another day with the Trump
insanity? That we mention such differences and let it fly off in the
wind?
5
Welcome back to the Cold War.
5
Was this so-called "Trump administration strategy" written on one napkin or two?
14
You are giving them way too much credit. :)
3
Cold War? Why mess around?
Just launch the nukes already. More jobs in Montana and Wyoming!
Kansas will be so happy to finally see their silos being used!
Make America Great Again!
2
Oh, no. Trump -- who has the intellect of Dan Quayle and the diplomacy of Caligula -- is trying to think.
10
The liberal media always takes a negative view of everything Trump does or says. All you hear from Democrats these days is how evil Russia is with constant echoes of Russia interfering with our sacred democratic system, but now he is being criticized because he is not having a love fest with either Russia or China, but realizes that we are also in competition with them. A false picture of world leadership is also put forward by his critics who seem to think that not going along with agreements that are not in our national interrest is somehow a forfeiture of leadership. As he sees it, the world is not a club to which one hopes to belong by seeking the approval of others or by "leading from behind." That was Obama's view. Now we have a new leader. We have a right to our opinions, but we must give him a chance to see if his policies work. Obama's certainly did not.
4
Ed,
Anytime one resorts to using terms like "the liberal media" and Obama bashing, one makes himself not credible. Take a break from watching Fox News and use your head for something other than a hat rack. I agree with the characterization of China and Russia as adversaries. However, I find it incredible and dangerous for the President not to mention Russian interference in our electoral process. This was an act of war that should have been followed up on with serious consequences and a coordinated effort to prevent it from happening again. To me, this self-serving, narcissistic idiot of a President should be tried for treason, and if convicted, suffer the fate of all traitors. Any other take just shows which side of treasonous you are on.
7
Poor Ed. It must be so nice to live in a world where facts don’t matter.
2
If Trump's plan is to lead from the front, why is he doing everything in his power to ensure that no one wants to follow?
There is a vast distance between having "a love fest" and engaging in a new Cold War. Sensible policy lies somewhere in between.
America truly has lost its way as a country with an administration anyone could admire. (Oh, well, maybe Israel).
2
This just shows that the reckless ruling elite, desperate to hold onto Empire as capitalist economies undergo late-stage perturbations, see increased military power as their salvation; they perversely see war as a necessity and a benefit.
The Military Industrial Complex (MIC) continuously needs to invent problems and terrorists in order to keep the war racket going.
After Al Queda came ISIS. Now they say that ISIS is being defeated, so who springs up instead? Some other groups in Africa, and -of course - Russia and China, the only ones challenging America's hegemony and its war machine (In reality, McCarthyism never ended in America).
After war presidents (W.) we get so-called 'peace presidents' (Obama) who go off on sanctions and other wars all under the disguise of peace. Then enter a new war president. And if they are not war presidents when they arrive in the Oval Office (Trump) they will soon be made so by the Pentagon, the Generals, the CIA, the FBI.
The MIC, the neoconservatives, AIPAC, and the intelligence agencies bring the American citizenry nothing but perpetual war, sucking every penny out of the national coffers and making Americans the most despised people on the planet.
As the late great Jewish intellectual and expert of all Empires, Hannah Arendt, tried to warn the German people:
"Empire abroad entails tyranny at home"
And we certainly have a full serving of both to eat, right here in the US.
When will there be a Harvey Weinstein moment for US wars?
WHEN?
19
You referred to, and I quote you verbatim, "the late great Jewish intellectual and expert of all Empires, Hannah Arendt."
Aristotle, if I am not mistaken, made a point of noting the distinction between essential and accidental attributes. Noting the religion or ethnicity of an "intellectual" would be relevant if we were discussing the ideas of that intellectual in terms of his or her religion or ethnicity as a context. One could thus argue that the fact that Hannah Arendt, who wrote "The Origins of Totalitarianism," was Jewish, is relevant to her ideas -- or one could argue that it is not. Your characterization of her, however, is simply glib.
I doubt Trump even read this before he telepromptered it.
8
The president's first words, after meeting any foreign leader area
always How Much that person liked him, how great was their
relationship is and how much the leader will soon do his bidding.
China's leader didn't, for example, hasn't lifted a finger. The Brits
haven't shown unusual warmth and the erst of the world laughs at
him. But scornfully and without any humor at all. Dangerous.
And today we are read something stupid that someone wrote for him,
that dives unsuccessfully in the mess of Trump contradictions and
has nothing at all to do with anything. Yack yack yack.
10
First a note, then an argument.
The Note -- from the kicker on the main-page, which observes that Trump's view of Russia and China as competing powers ". . .is at odds with his often-warm relations with the leaders of those two countries." Well, that's Trump. Coherence is not one of his strong points -- which makes me ask, does he have any strong points? (Answer -- none that are not rendered irrelevant in light of his overall incompetence and unfitness to continue serving as President.)
Now, I will make an argument. A thesis, if you will, as an "argument" has negative connotations. Avoiding arguments is the implicit reason why some people play cards as their preferred social interaction, instead of attempting discussions which would quickly escalate into brawls. :-)
My argument is this -- the "Cold War" never ended. Now I am perfectly aware that Republicans will scream, "of course the Cold War is over -- Ronald Reagan won it!" That falsehood is enshrined in Republican lore.
We are aware that the "Soviet Union" no longer exists, having formally dissolved itself. We are also aware of Putin's attempt to re-annex Ukraine, and the understandable nervousness which this has caused among citizens of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
We need to debunk the Conservative narrative which contends that the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union was mainly about ideology. In fact that rivalry, like all geo-political rivalries, was about Power. It endures.
68
Hear, hear.
1
Trump’s Security Plan is just another of the many pieces of propaganda designed to heighten public anxiety and win support, or lessen resistance, for shoveling even more of our money to the already bloated War Department, war contractors, and associated killing equipment manufacturers. Somehow we do not understand or appreciate we already spend more money on war than the next 9 ranked countries....together.
44
Why not?
The various recent administrations, since the fall of the USSR, have been using "1984", as a textbook. With perpetual war, and double speak to boot.
And, then throw in a new quirk, Trump's revisionist history.
I mean right now we have been at war fro 16 years and counting. Last week, the government laid down plans to go after Iran, by showing an Iranian missile "found" in Yemen. Sort of like the same dog and pony show of movable chemical labs, never found, in Iraq.
Now, we have a true stooge as commander in chief, who is ready to war against Iran, Russia, China and North Korea. In addition, to a border war with Mexico.
It is only a matter of time that Trump's big mouth will create a global wide incident, that only Big Brother will love.
15
What do we do about the not-so cold war raging within the Trump mis-administration?
7
This plan may be a return to a cold war footing, but it will be on a hot planet, made hotter by many of the anti-climate policies pursued by this same administration.
10
'China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”'
Hey, WAIT A MINUTE...isn't that basically the GOP Tax Cut Boondoggle and Media Muffling being pushed by POTUS45? Yeah, I thought it seemed Evil, and yet sadly familiar...
81
When I read that sentence I thought the same thing - that's what is happening to US under this fake president! Add their destruction of net neutrality to the list of their accomplishments to create a less free economy and to control information.
1
This CIA tip to thwart a "St. Petersburg, Moscow attack from terrorists that could have killed thousands"....I remember a month after Putin took office as president there was a suspicious apartment bombing that many think was a plant to allow Putin to consolidated power. As well, this St. Peterburg story has a similar smell to it.
I wonder if the same CIA that Pompeo runs for Trump is in a similar vein.
Didn't Trump say our intelligence agency was "sad" and "sorry?
12
My wife was born and raised in a former Soviet republic, my great friend Andrei served with Spetznatz in Afghanistan, I was a Cold War warrior with the British Army. All of us were told that the other was the aggressor. The military industrial complex that others allude to here successfully convinced the respective civilian populations of grave ideological threats from afar while, in reality, leaders of both blocs sniggered up their sleeves, oligarchs in the making. Today, no one bothers with the sleeve; instead they openly deride their populations with these fallacious doctrines that nostalgically yearn for profitable detente from the expedient spectre of mutually assured destruction. It's not the Other that our current populations need fear, it's our Own who would guide us once more into the shadow of the mushroom cloud. But, then again, it always was.
95
Instead of Communist China invading and conquering the USA, they are using their foreign trade surpluses to buy privately owned businesses, movie houses, factories, casinos, hotels, farms, land, ports, refineries, forests, ports, breweries, distilleries, and other privately owned national wealth and other assets located in the USA that do have value and were created by previous productive US generations prior to the USA de-industrializing (instead of Gold from Ft. Knox or the NYC federal reserve bank).
Industrial individuals in the industrialized nations who will probably soon own every business in the USA might have already anticipated and might be prepared to protect their US investments during periods of civil unrest in the USA. The Industrial individuals in the industrialized nations might be planning to expand their existing US security personnel by hiring unemployed retired US army infantrymen or ex-US marine riflemen that can be organized in a military manner with sufficient weaponry to repel any civil uprising by US citizens trying to obtain access to foreign owned food located in stores within Asian business enclaves that are located throughout the USA.
These Chinese Owned corporations might form their own armies to protect their assets, and/or use Blackwater type mercenary contractors.
4
Wonder if Trump and Puty have taken any lessons in stage fighting just so it looks a little ore realistic.
17
With a competent and honest administration this National Security Strategy, with the addition of climate change, could be a useful tool pointing the way ahead for America's international actions and relationships. Unfortunately, the words don't come close to reflecting Trump's behavior this past year as he drags us toward international isolation.
The section on diplomacy was especially dishonest, and the cheap shots directed at his predecessor were unseemly. This NSS at least is confirmation that Trump actually knows what he ought to do, that is if he has read it, meaning his dangerous actions have been willful acts that are damaging this country.
8
As Obama stated a couple of years ago, Russia has been reduced to a regional power. Its economy ranks behind Italy and Canada. What it does have is a malevolent egotist for leader with a substantial arsenal aimed at Europe.
As for China, if they are a looming military and economic threat it is because of Walmart, Bed Bath & Beyond, The Gap, Banana Republic, and all the other mega-chain stores that are conduits for the transfer of hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars, money that builds for China a very fine military, indeed.
Above the topsy-turvy of economic competition is the ominous fact that both Russia and China are authoritarian dictatorships, and the U.S. is now rapidly evolving into a fascist hunta with a wildly reckless crazy-maker at the helm. Where is the rest of the world to look for working examples of civil society, forbearance, and human rights?
19
'Russia's economy is behind Canada's'. How do you measure? I'm curious. Canada's GDP is overwhelmingly from services (putting money from one pocket into another and maintaining a bloated civil service) and is just as resource-based, as Russia's, helped somewhat by a few branch-plant assembly lines.
If measured by PPP, as opposed to GDP (as The Economist has been advocating for years) Russia would be way ahead of both you mention. Of course still way behind advanced economies, but be fair.
The root of the problem here is not with Trump but our military and intelligence communities, as well as our Congress, all of which have not changed their mindset towards the world one iota since the 1950s.
This is exactly why citizens need to vote intelligently to strongly counter and change this intrenched mindset, but considering the wanton ignorance and just plain old idiocy that we continue to see from the majority of our citizens, don’t hold your breath for any change anytime soon.
So America, “enjoy” that next war and our police state, because you have “earned” it.
3
This is preposterous. What the world needs is a comprehensive verifiable global disarmament. The American people have no stake in this global game of power.
http://commentsongpe.com
6
When will people learn? There is nothing new under the sun. Did we not learn from even Britain? Spread yourself too thin. Let's stop acting like a world empire. I'm tired of my tax dollars being used for unnecesary expeditions and bases all around the globe. Why do we even still have Guam and Diego Garcia?
Russia.. This President seems suspiciously soft talking when it comes to them. State sponsored or not - the interference is obvious. All nations spy. Interfering is another matter. Trumps lack of talk on the matter "speaks volums".
China - the beef here is not much different than what Europe complained about this nation when it was moving into the drivers seat (unfair trade/intellectual property). Unlike Trump - China knows history and are prepared (largest cash reserves and US bond holdings). Better off being friends than enemies.
South China Sea is another example. How foolish did I look when watching a debate about it overseas and had no clue that Vietnam - Malaysia - Phillipines - Taiwan all have dubious claims and all had military airports before mainland China's. I partly blame the media here for my ignor ac because that is basically never reported here. Don't condemn one if you don't condemn all. China is not stupid - nor are they weak. Again - better to be friends than adversaries.
2
I'm tired of my tax dollars being used for unnecesary expeditions and bases all around the globe. Why do we even still have Guam and Diego Garcia?
Russia.. This President seems suspiciously soft talking when it comes to them. State sponsored or not - the interference is obvious. All nations spy. Interfering is another matter. Trumps lack of talk on the matter "speaks volums".
China - the beef here is not much different than what Europe complained about this nation when it was moving into the drivers seat (unfair trade/intellectual property). Unlike Trump - China knows history and are prepared (largest cash reserves and US bond holdings). Better off being friends than enemies.
South China Sea is another example. How foolish did I look when watching a debate about it overseas and had no clue that Vietnam - Malaysia - Phillipines - Taiwan all have dubious claims and all had military airports before mainland China's. I partly blame the media here for my ignor ac because that is basically never reported here. Don't condemn one if you don't condemn all. China is not stupid - nor are they weak. Again - better to be friends than adversaries.
1
If our strategic competitors are China and Russia, maybe America would do well in the long term by allying with Russia against China. Russia by itself has no chance against either US or China, but it may end up being the kingmaker.
This is the best rationale for Trump's global strategy I can come up with.
If Russia falls to China, America will not be able to hold the Pacific, so Japan, Korea and Taiwan will supplicate again to the Middle Kingdom.
With Russia and Australia, US has a good chance of keeping Japan, Korea and Taiwan peeled off for the next century.
Or we can just gently retreat from the world and let China push out. We'll be ok. Not stinking rich, but ok.
1
Any realistic national security policy will, of course, have to take into consideration the resurgent threat from Russia and the Chinese economic and political expansion. Yes, redeploy Armor and Infantry Divisions to Europe, and devote more resources to Naval training in the Pacific. But don’t forget the basics. Remember that our victory in the Cold War involved more than just the military. It included the construction of the interstate highway system, a massive expansion of higher education opportunities and rates of taxation that kept our federal government functioning. It also involved intense diplomacy by a corps of intelligent, trained and dedicated public servants. The Republican fetish of destroying the federal government (i.e., making it smaller and smaller) will leave this country weaker, less intelligent and less united. Cutting revenue as a prelude to slashing spending on health care, education, infrastructure, transportation, diplomacy and every thing else that makes America healthy and strong makes it more difficult to confront hostile regimes. Promoting intolerance and facilitating xenophobic responses to world events, makes our country less appealing to potential allies. Firing diplomats and encouraging them to leave the State Department in droves, makes us less safe and makes future conflicts inevitable. In truth, it is better to be loved then feared, and it is far better to be powerful and idealistic than powerful and amoral.
2
China is the economic power that's who I'd stay friends with.
1
Our infrastructure is crumbling, our public education system is failing, we're throwing 13 million Americans off their healthcare, and we're borrowing $1.5 trillion from our children to give to the richest Americans and corporations. A decade or two more of failure to focus on addressing these issues and we won't have to concern ourselves with competing with China, Russia or the EU. We will have devolved to a second tier has-been of a country.
15
China's "global economic ambitions"? What do they have left to achieve? American employers already abandoned us and gave China all the manufacturing jobs we used to have here. it's a bit late for that, isn't it?
3
Working class voters believe that Democratic President Clinton should now say,
"Once you were employed and were able to feed your family, until I unilaterally created PNTR for Communist China and this economically caused your manufacturing jobs to relocate from the USA to Communist China because you would not agree to work for the same wages that Communist Chinese citizens would work for."
1
Didn't President Eisenhower warn against the hazards of a military industrial complex? Are we not regressing back to the 1950's or is it the 1860's? With
red white & blue is becoming the blue & the grey...huh?
11
What counts is always standing for peace and I can only hope the president understands that.
3
Why waste your time analyzing this speech for true policy? It purely political noise.
As usual Donnie
1. Pretends to talk tough, bully and rage. “Strategic Competitor “
2. Threatens war. Bring out the war card, quick poll fixer!
3. Will wink, hug and hide in dealing with China and Russia.
Of course he doesn’t deal with cyberwarfare or directly with trade. ( indirectly yes, but strategic multilateral trade alliances like NAFTA and Asian trade alliance he bailed on , nope.)
Just a waste of time as a actual policy paper, purely political puffery to his base.
LOOK AT ME MAKING AMERICAN GREAT!
Awaiting his war in fall 2018, election plan anyone?
11
Its an amazing incongruity that Trump wants to exert American might through nuclear intimidation, yet at the same time he is actively working to destroy American influence around the world. Our closest allies are already shunning us, and I doubt very much that anyone is going to come to our aid should we start another war. But this mindset is not surprising and displays Trump as the deranged simpleton that he is. Might makes right may work well in a schoolyard, but in international relations it is not a winning strategy. Influence is just as important as military power. The United States was once respected. Now it is ridiculed. The sooner Trump is removed from office the better it will be for all.
9
In 1972 President Nixon declared that the US dollar would no longer be redeemable for gold from Ft. Knox, and stated the US dollar and these freshly printed paper US Treasury Bonds, and etc. are now backed by the "full faith and credit of the USA" (aka Junk Bonds) instead of gold.
This allows US citizens to sell their US located privately owned assets that were created by previous US generations to foreigners in return for US dollars earned (created) by foreigners, in lieu of US citizens having to work to produce the things that US citizens consume and to pay for increased US federal government activities.
These privately owned US located assets are finite. The USA will soon run out of various assets created by previous generations that we can to sell to foreigners to keep US citizens living off of government tax collected money instead of working to create taxable wealth.
The US Government calls selling our wealth producing assets to foreigners "Investing in America."
After the foreign individuals and foreign governments have purchased title to everything of value in the USA, the US government will no longer be able to raise as many US dollars from these foreign manufacturers, as they do now, by selling foreigners more and more of our freshly printed US T-Bills, US Treasury Bonds, and other US governments instruments without greater and greater cash discounts to pay for our ever increasing US government expenses.
3
At least some realism on china is emerging. Russia is a third-rate bit player compared to China's vast plan for world domination.
2
Except the 2 together are a formidable force.
Instead of a strong arm approach to China, I would consider an economic and trade agreement with our allies and other nations that are under similar economic threat. We might call this a Trans-pacific Partnership Agreement, or TPP for short. It would be a long and extensive effort by many nations, but it would be worth a try.
4
After invading and destroying Iraq and Libya based on lies and deceptions, America is fighting its longest and most pointless war in Afghanistan while it supports Saudi Arabia's murderous bombing in Yemen and illegally violates and occupies territory of Syria while it demands "regime change" there and opposes the elected government in Venezuela and sides with the residue of the dictators who overthrew the elected government in Honduras while the US threatens North Korea with destruction and Iran with invasion. Now the US has elevated Russia and China, two powerful nuclear states which like the US can extinguish human life on the planet by accident or design, as enemies while domestically social and institutional forces are attempting to force out the sitting President.
It's hard to imagine where all this could go wrong.
3
Although it’s hard to believe Trump could actually read such a document nor understand it, it is all Trump in being pure baloney: no specific concrete actions.
4
So, Trump envisions the U.S. confronting Russia, China, and non-state foes without allies? The Jersuleum remark has alienated most of Europe and all of the Middle East. His blustering and threats of nuclear war in N. Korea have shown our Asian allies that we would sacrifice them for our own self-interests. In the world, we are isolated and increasingly alone and our former power is seeping away every moment Trump is in office.
9
An excellent strategy. We shouldn’t be enriching Chinese and Russian crony capitalists, oligarchs and corrupt politicians, we should be enriching our own. MAGA.
3
Excellent idea. Bring home the iphone production and we will pay 3 grands for the newest gadget. Walmart will go bankrupt, together with the entire clothing trade.
And declare space exploration null and void, declining the Russians' offer to ferry astronauts back and forth.
Smarter it can't be.
Yes there is a new modern twist on the cold war ongoing today. Fueled and furthered by continued efforts of the Putin Regime to reconstituted the Soviet Empire. However he is much more sophisticated and subtle in his more recent efforts. Look at the meddling in the European and US elections. Essentially the Trump campaign and Putin conspired to stage a ‘coup’ in the US democracy usurping our election and placing an very unsophisticated group of neophytes in the Executive Branch. Russians trickery, propaganda and possibly vote switching coupled with a very corrupt and corruptible group of US citizens daily undermine our institutions and our confidence in each other. The Trump administration has done, will do and continue too do anything and everything to retain power with the help some news outlets and talking heads who are always on the look out to boost their ratings. One most recent effort, as an example was the advocacy of an accused child molester to the Senate. Yes We are in a cold war both inside and outside the nation.
62
You people need to stop hyperventilating about Russia. They are indeed an adversary but not every move the Russians have made has been an offensive one; many of their moves have been a reaction to pressure being put on them by the USA/EU.
It took Russia centuries to secure the Caucasus, Ukraine, and Central Asia, tens of millions of Russians died in WWII so that Ukraine would not be controlled by Berlin, they are not going to just give these places up without a fight.
If America's economy collapsed and Texas attempted to become an independent country aligned with an anti-USA military alliance I would be 100% in favor of the USA attempting to reassert its control over Texas. That's the situation the leadership in Moscow faces.
I am putting my intelligence analyst hat on to make some simple responses.
First, Russia and China know why we make a bluster over Nuclear Weapons. They know our military is weak and under strength. It will take four to five years to rebuild military. McMasters has no choice to lead with nuclear for domestic consumption. Any nation that leads with nuclear has just said their conventional forces are broken or not large enough. It is the Israel dooms day approach. Russia and China knows the USA will never do a first strike. This is just bluster.
Second, where is the mention of Iran. That is most immediate threat. Trump is pushing to war with Iran and the USA is not capable to meet this challenge.
Finally, our enemy is not stupid. They know we are going to pass a tax bill that adds a trillion to deficit. They know a large ground war will cost two or trillion and this is an ideal time to bankrupt the USA.
3
We invite further and future conspiracies to undermine democracy when we don't even acknowledge what Russia did to our election in 2016. Shameful.
3
The Paper Tiger moans.
7
Madness. Based on 2015 figures the US spends three to four times as much as the Chinese and about nine times as much as the Russians on "defense".
We are staring at a repeat of the Anglo-German dreadnought race in the lead up to WWI only this time it's new players and, more ominously, real weapons of mass destruction that will end human life on planet Earth.
And for what? To make sure that the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned of in 1961 keeps its place at head of the Federal trough? The only America that Trump is making great will unfortunately only continue to exist in the... afterlife. However, that dovetails nicely with all the Trump-base Evangelicals looking forward to Armageddon and the Rapture.
There you have it. Insanity married with greed and corruption and buttressed by fanatical religious convictions that preclude rational thought. Are we talking about Saudi Arabia (which has the third largest military budget in the world) or Iran, let alone Russia or China? No - it's right here in the good, old USA.
I would advise people to make out their wills but there's going to be nobody left to leave anything to. Just rats and roaches. Non-human rats and roaches.
5
Time to move the doomsday clock a bit closer to midnight. Welcome to the eve of destruction.
2
China is gaining strength & influence via economic power. A few Russians lie, cheat & steal from their own nation/people to gain power. Guess who's example America's GOP, Corporations & trumpsters want to follow? Your fist clue is the current Tax scam legislation being voted on.
97
If Putin has no interest in spreading an economic system in the way that Stalin and Khrushchev did, what would be his motive in having a friend in the White House? I also do not think Putin and Russia have much interest in conquering any significant new territory. After the debacle in Afghanistan, Russia has no stomach for occupying territory where the population does not speak Russian and could involve fighting insurgents supported by outside interests. Russia has no interest in trying to subdue the populations of Poland or Lithuania even if Trump and/or NATO were willing to look the other way. Russia has already achieved most or all of the re-absorption of Russian speaking areas such as Crimea as it probably wishes.
What Russia and Putin desperately need is money. Even if Putin asked Trump to have the American Treasury transfer, say $200 billion to Russia, that is not going to happen. Even Kellyanne Conway could not spin that one into anything that would be acceptable to the American people or congress. How could Trump cause Russia to gain $200 billion? The answer would be a $50 increase in the price of oil. What has caused most of the oil price spikes? That has been wars in the Middle East. In particular conflict involving Iran which could block moves by tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important petroleum transit choke point...” http://seekingalpha.com/article/4034048
7
Where do you get this idea, that 'Russia needs $200 billion"?
That country's federal debt is almost non-existent, its gold reserves are sky high and foreigners don't hold any treasury bills, as the Chinese do to the US to the tune of several trillions.
This is typical American cavalier short understanding of facts.
1
the Chinese government sold/dumped far more treasury bills than they bought.
Trump is a strongman sycophant pretending to be hardliner.
1
The national security strategy is as puerile as Treasury's one-page tax analysis.
4
His tax analysis just made me a boat load of money. It will help send my grandchildren to college debt free. Thank you, Mr President.
1
Why is this man (and I use the term advisedly) still President?
4
Just because you want warm relations with another country doesn't mean you don't have a National Security Strategy for them?
We supposedly love Israelis, but we will jail their spies when we catch them.
3
1 (Jonathan Pollard) in 69 years. That's a record.
When Vladimir Putin thanks President Trump for passing information on to him to prevent a Terror attack that was provided by the CIA, it worries me.
I worry that a man like Trump who likes to brag, get patted on his head like a Good Doo-Bee, would pass on top secret and confidential information that would put our own systems and people at risk, because Donald Trump is that stupid, the Russian Stooge.
2
There's no coherent strategy because Trump's a fool and Vladimir Putin is playing him. It's shameful to watch.
Notice how eager Trump was to tell us Putin praised him for the Stock Market?
Trump's an idiot and it's incredibly dangerous to have a president so stupid, needy and corrupt that he eagerly plays along with Russian attempts to compromise him.
Nothing in our national security or foreign policy will be coherent, safe or stable again until Trump is removed from office.
It can't happen fast enough.
4
This document is laughable — words only. trump has completely dropped the ball on Russia and is as much a Putin sycophant as any in the Kremlin.
4
It sounds like more stupid chest thumping from a belligerent old man. Get off my lawn.
6
Trump's "strategy" is just a page out of the Nazi playbook: Distract the people with a made up enemy.
4
"China and Russia, the document says, 'are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.'" Ha! That sounds a lot like Trump and his criminal cronies. This has less to do with "security" as it does with propping up blood-sucking, arms-dealing defense contractors and pillaging the last vestiges of Western democracy. Mission accomplished, comrades
8
I am very concerned that China will emerge as the dominant country on the planet in the long term. They are very big, powerful, don't play fair and have global corporations doing back flips for the chance to do business there - on terms dictated by the Chinese. But I have no faith that our so-called President has any answers or that he will stand up to global businesses.
1
Are you sure you're not talking about the United States?
"very big, powerful, don't play fair and have global corporations doing back flips for the chance to do business"
Back when it was the US vs. USSR, we had the upper hand economically, and eventually capitalism won out over the deprivation endured by the Soviet people. Not to mention their anger with Russia's failure in Afghanistan.
Today, it's China that has the economic upper hand, and its aggressive capitalism combined with authoritarian rule is unstoppable. They are essentially colonizing Africa, and gaining the upper hand in technology, while the US pulls up its drawbridge and sneers at the world.
We are literally bankrupting our future with endless military buildup, skimping on education, health and environmental security. The Chinese leadership must be gleeful, watching us destroy our power from within.
So I don't have a lot of faith that we will remain the dominant superpower, despite the bluster.
10
Let us not jump to a quick roasting of our government or the white house on the topic of this article. It is a first step not emphasized in past presidencies in a quickly changing world. While I don't see things the same way as the report, it doesn't mean I don't support an effort on a cohesive future focus. With regards to President Trump; he came into office without experience in government or politics, being in touch with only a small slice of daily American reality. Against this backdrop, changing ones mind is expected, and moving on by recognizing problems like Bannon also expected.
Major domestic policy missteps and missed opportunities are still present, particularly as it relates to public education and health care, but righting the foreign policy ship is no easy task and progress in this area is being made, despite heavy opinion to the contrary. True world "threats" are what is actually happening inside of China, theft of corporate/classified/private company information from everywhere, and Iranian ideology and scooping up of the broken Arab world and its failed state countries. All of these areas have significant impact on our own future, although not fully evident today. The Chinese are playing the long game. To the congress and white house - please fund the CHIP program. If a few billion got cut from our UN annual contributions, I would support that trade off temporarily for the health of our children now.
1
As a chinese i think there are fundamentally wrong with this article putting China and Russia on the same basket.
1.Disagreement with China mostly about trade & investment , The issue with Russia is much more personal & raw. Russians deliberately with intent to subdue US election should be treated as vital attack to US core interest, while the former are just business
2.As much as i want to defended my country position,US displease with China stand on South China Sea or East China Sea vis a vis Russia movement in Crimea are night and day differences. Russians movement cost thousands of lives while China has not fire a single bullet against anyone or costing anyone their lives.
3. On the last 5 years alone, US and China has made many positive collaboration affecting many peoples well being and world in general compare to Russia. Namely from Climate change pact that pave way for Paris agreement which now US intent to pulling out from, Nuclear Proliferation , Cyber security which President Obama negotiate to exempt commercial from being targeted then being implement in other countries , and many more
China is US partner and competitor, Russia is ... well you answer it yourself
Gerry (USC graduate)
4
America can and should try to limit China expansionist policies. Armed with new power, China has been providing high-interest loans to countries that cannot repay that debt. These loans would eventually go back to Chinese companies and labor.
When these countries inevitably default they force them to hand over strategic assets gaining new foothold around the world. They are doing it in South America , Africa and south Asia.
2
China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
One country missing from that list is Trump's United States.
3
George Kennan's containment policy required us to play the long game, secure in the knowledge that the Soviet state would eventually collapse. A key element of that policy is that we always had available the force to neutralize Soviet force.
Unless we have found a new policy to replace containment, we are again playing the long game, as we wait for the lawless oligarchies of Russia and China to collapse from political and economic corruption and systematic violations of human rights.
I'd be a lot more concerned if Trump's policy here were to cut military and nuclear expenditures because he likes Putin and Xi and believes that they like him. Yes, our president is unfit but it doesn't mean that his Administration gets everything wrong.
Nobody in the US establishment, from the President down to the intelligence community had any inkling, that the USSR will collapse and when.
Just as, they didn't see the Berlin Wall coming. Or more recently the Russians' Syrian intervention.
Unfortunately, Western democracy has spent the past 4 decades lining its pockets and being as corrupt as possible while other nations have actually been working toward a future. The change from Mao to Xi is one of ECONOMICS, not ideology. "If it takes 10000 years we will achieve our goals", whereas Americans want instant gratification and business and government are willing to give it to them via toys and oil and big cars and tax breaks but now it is time to pay the piper.
The Civil War ended in 1856 and we went to war with Spain in 1898, then we went to again in 1917, then again in 1941, then 1955 then 1965, then 1990 and here we go again. Do you SEE the it? Our national policy is driven by people like trump and the military-industrial complex with its ever-growing need for money to pay the politicians who want to start wars to raise money for donations to politicians who.........
3
Amazingly, people are so far gone in Trumpianism that they actually have talked themselves into believing that a guy who can't get through a daily one-page briefing actually understands the issues involved, knows the facts, got involved in the discussions, and wrote this thing.
It's beautiful. The one time there's every going to be something resembling evidence of their beloved "deep state," and they refuse to pay attention.
1
crux of the situation:
without a designated set of boogeymen and specific countries to call enemies - it's not possible to justify a military budget that exceeds the entire GDP of most countries on earth.
2
Why no recognition of the irony? "America’s adversaries have learned to 'operate below the threshold of open military conflict and at the edges of international law.'" The US openly operates above the threshold of military conflict and beyond the edges of international law. After all, the US is the exceptional nation, invading many other countries as needed by the oil and other transnational corporations, overthrowing their governments (neatly called "regimes"), assassinating their leaders (conveniently called "strongmen"), sabotaging economies (referred to "sanctions" or ignored entirely when the CIA injects billions of dollars to install "democracy") - often done in broad daylight and supported to the hilt by the corporate media (read NY Times, Washington Post, TV networks). Trump didn't initiate surrounding Russia and China with military bases, naval fleets and first-strike missiles. The religious fanatics, called terrorists, are clearly not sufficient to warrant over a $trillion a year in war spending. The 1% have to create truly capable enemies out of economic competitors. Russia and China fill the bill. Trump is simply removing the mask of long and deep policy, which the establishment would prefer to remain hidden.
2
very well said.
I am here strictly to read readers' comments to see how well informed nyt readers are.
The Democrats are also doing all they can to inflame US-Russian relations, with no apparent concern for the consequences of two nuclear powers feuding - or even the risk of an accidental triggering of nuclear-armed missiles. For a comprehensive review of the madness of Washington's policies, see:
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/united-states-future/
3
We have nearly 800 military bases spanning the globe, and yet we point the finger at others nations reactions to this behavior as confrontational and hostile. We are appalled that the world order of the past seven decades might be challenged. Tell that to any number of European nations who once dominated the globe. Things change. And let's not forget that we eclipsed Russia by bankrupting them in an arms race, a race we seem now to be running only against ourselves. Our mighty military has been laid low by untrained civilians with improvised weapons while our domestic agenda remains woefully underfunded.
101
The vast majority of those bases are there either because of treaty (NATO) or requested by partners (Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia) and are in the region to enhance stability. As for the IED comment, I worked in Iraq for a year during the surge-"laid low" is a wild exaggeration of their effects. We lost good people because we were fighting a counter insurgency war in 2 countries and trying to show restraint to the populations, that's hardly a defeat of the entire military.
Is that true? Does US have 800 military bases around the world? Lord, God no. Do you have a cite? Thanks.
Treating China as an adversary or potential enemy strikes me as beyond saddening and entirely needless. China is a country committed to peace and repeatedly shows a wish for American well-being. Making China-America relations adversarial can only be considered tragic.
2
As though Trump has a "strategy" other than figuring a way to line his own pockets. LOL
53
Are you saying that because his son in law is Jewish?
1
Does this fact surprise ANYBODY? Republicans are in charge, People! If we only fall back to the Cold War era thinking, we will be lucky. The GOP wants us back to pre-McCarhty days when the women were quiet and in the kitchen and pregnant. Just you wait, America.......we are progressing backwards.......
17
I’ve been reading in the Times for one year the Russians are the enemy and that Trump is a fool to do business with them. Now I read that Trump shouldn’t look at Russia as the enemy! You can’t parody this.
2
We are in the midst of an irreversible death spiral.
1
Huh? And all this time after overdosing on the NY Times and MSNBC I thought that Trump was simply putty in Putin's pocket? Who wudda thunk it? First this shock to my tender sensibilities. What's next? Mueller announcing there's no proof of any collusion between Trump and Putin to defeat noble and pure but hapless poor Hillary? I don't know if I'd be able to survive the emotional vacuum is that should happen.
4
Trump is Putins lap dog. He is in office because of Putin, and because of that truth Putin has that kompromat plus much more. It is highly likely that Trump has illegal business dealings with Russian mobsters, and possibly even compromising "personal" tapes. He does what Putin allows him to do.
As for China - Trump owes the Chinese government banks hundreds of millions of dollars. He had his more recent buildings constructed with Chinese steel, which he acquired with loans from the Chinese government who used offshore shadow companies to try to hide the transactions. All of this was reporter BEFORE the election by Newsweek's Kurt Eichenwald, but was ignored by most media outlets because ...you know...email.
In short, the man currently occupying our White House is compromised. His actions are not in the interest of these United States of America, but for himself and his foreign benefactors.
20
To suggest that Trump or anyone in his administration has a strategy is just laughable. He knows nothing about the World, period.
87
True. It should read Bannon's strategy.
Somebody has to stop these people before it is too late. They are wrecking the country and on their way to wrecking the world.
10
Who still supports the United Failed States of America? The real threat is staying part of this mess. #calexit
3
This president is losing words every day Just read the transcripts and compare them from those taken a year ago. He is unwell.
8
Putting Trump and "strategy" in one sentence is like linking a monkey to the nobel prize. There is no such thing as strategy coming from this guy, there is nothing, zero that would make me think that this "president" is even able to form one halfway coherent intellectual thought - with anything - including and especially world affairs.
9
Democracy requires a balance of powers; in the federal government and in policy perspective.
A civilian leader needs generals to advise, but also needs expert state department input. Trump seems to - naively or insecurely- to depend predominantly on Tough Guy generals to fornulate comoplex internayional policy. He hired a novice for Sec of State, pandering to Putin (via EXXON w/o sanctions) and now derides Tillerson.
The generals were faulty advising JFK on Cuba; he was strong and smart enough to seek broader counsel. Trump is no JFK !
8
That China is a 21st century geopolitical rival is alarming news to NYT? We should plan on them being our friends and pulling an about face to totally align with our interests?
Gimme a break.
3
Yes, quite so. I spent nearly all of my life in Britain. The country has not been a world power since the late 19th century but this was not finally and fully recognized by all in the UK until the end of WWII.
Once the concept of being a world power was buried, life in Britain was pretty good. Brexit is a different story of course.
America is a great and powerful country that sorely needs sound leadership from a president and Congress. (Present incumbents should not apply).
Trump is simply stating a Truth given Truth is more important than ever the New York Times must be pleased.
The truth is China and Russia not interested in any rules based international society which are not of their own making. Both Russia and China now Turkey are claiming and moving into geographic space which are not their own. Utilising military power and in the case of China and Russia under the cloak of nuclear response if challenged.
We again have two aggressive Major Asian and European powers in an alliance crossing rule of law red lines utilising the exact same excuses for their behaviour without response - What do you think is going to happen in the end something different?
“The lessons (regards WWII) here are:
…..
(c) That peace cannot be brought by appeasement; that it is far better in the long run to challenge at an early stage rather than allow an aggressor to go on from strength to strength until the inevitable war begins with the defender at a dangerous disadvantage.
…
If you make the deductions from your intelligence reports fit your preconceived notions about what the enemy is or ought to be doing, you are almost bound to be surprised.”
MIDDLE EAST 1939-43, DIRECTORATE OF MILITARY TRAINING, Military Board Army Headquarters, Melbourne, 31/8/1959
1
Great power competition? We're out of the game already, thanks to the fourth grade education of our great leader. We are being lapped on an hourly basis by China and Russia. Meanwhile, he sits and watches Fox and Friends. Why not just watch cartoons all day? Doomsday is coming.
43
thanks to the fourth grade education of our great leader...."
and the less than that o the voter class that put him in the WH. Never forget the PEOPLE are to blame as much as the guy that drives the nations into the ditch.
To sum up the NSS:
1. The US doesn't need allies
2. It's our way or the highway
3. China is an economic aggressor and will be dealt with accordingly
4. Russia, look out because we don't trust you ( wink, wink)
Of course none of this will matter because Trump is a windbag. The NSS is a really, really great thing and everyone will know that the US is back.
5
Loser Donald is not a leader, but he plays one on television.
5
I wonder if this speech has been written by Miller ? We all know what a terrible person he is.
6
IF the U.S. is going to confront anyone.....the Trump family should be the first ones on the front lines!!!!
22
Donald, Jr. and Erik are both big game hunters and should be ready for Afghanistan.
This is more of the same anti Russia stuff. US efforts to use the US backed coup in Ukraine to pressure Putin has led to a stand off which has not been to the benefit of Ukraine. It certainly hasn't ended corruption there. The loss of Crimea was easily accomplished by Russia with the support of the vast majority of Russians who live there. I don't support Trump's huge military build up. But the NYTs again tries to make Trump's refusal to criticize Russia on Ukraine as a major failure. Which shows the NYTs unbalanced pro Hillary Clinton neo con strategy to put the US in direct adversarial contact with Russia in Ukraine. A pointless neo cold war strategy.
3
I guess most of the nyt readers didn't notice the u.s. put up some of Ukrainian assets up for auctions in Washington, d.c. last year.
It is ridiculous to believe China or Russia really want America to have another American Century. Xi wants it to be China's century. He has cemented his power and wants the advancement of China no matter what. He is realizing there is more to gain in knowledge workers than manufacturing.
Let us see what 'corporation' has given us: they've proven to steal American technology and trade secrets (hence lack of investment), along with the information of every federal employee (myself included when I was an government IT consultant). Maybe Obama didn't have enough of a spine to stand up to countries which are ruthless in their advancement. Shake with one hand and keep a brick in the other.
Also, no one is going to drop a nuke on North Korea. A lot of policy experts have mentioned they're doing it mostly to keep Kim in power, and to deter any foreign nation from dethroning him. The Times should stop with the nuclear war fantasy narrative.
1
I think both China and Russia are our enemies, albeit in somewhat different ways, and not in the way of North Korea. That said, do we not expect the sitting president to be on speaking terms ("warmly" or otherwise) with the leaders of China and the USSR? Trump gets no end of criticism for being "belligerent" toward the NK tyrant, yet when he does the opposite he again is criticized. Like it or not, a president should be fostering a communication with China and Russia, however much we may dislike them.
2
If it provides for the rehabilitation of our armed forces after decades of neglect, that is a good thing.
1
Trump has NEVER had a STRATEGY, other than CHAOS and DYSFUNCTION, if you wish to call that a strategic initiative. Like dictators like you, Gen. Franco, Trump has no concept of what the military's role in addressing the 21st Century threats to the United States ought to be - other than providing a cheering section for Trump's primping and preening on stage aboard aircraft carriers and in the hangers of F22 Raptor aircraft.
This is why I'm so fascinated by the human mind -- especially its ability for non-falsification. For almost a year now, the mainstream media led by the New York Times, MSNBC, WaPo and CNN have told us Trump was nothing more than a stooge of Putin and Putin's nefarious ways against America as the progressive media went into a paroxysm of moral indignation. Now Trump declares he' resetting American foreign policy to deal with Putin as a serious threat, and the same progressive media outlets and their followers go into a new paroxysm of moral indignation that Trump is kindling a new Cold War. As Mr Spoke would say looking upon human kind: "Fascinating."
3
This policy, as usual from this administration, is nonsense.
China can and should be a partner with the US, EU, Canada, Australia and other nations seeking peace, prosperity and stability.
Russia with Putin in charge is an enemy of all such principles. It uses proxy state actors to spread its malevolence, troll farms to spread its propaganda,
Compare the difference in economic growth between Russia and China.
The later has far outgrown the former because China cracks down on corruption and diversifies while Russia in the words of Senator McCain “is a gas station run by the Maria.”
China should be welcomed as a partner in peace, while Russia should be a global pariah for its corrupt domestic and international influence.
The US needs to pick its battles wisely. China didn’t undermine our Presidential election.
7
"...the United States confronts two “revisionist” powers — China and Russia — that are seeking to change the global status quo, often to the detriment of America’s interests."
Make that three revisionist powers detrimental to America's interest.
Anyway, here's China's and possibly Russia's response to that. Paper Tiger Barking Dog.
3
With respect to trade agreements, and their possible termination, does no one in the Trump administration realize that if you put barriers up against products and services from China, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Korea, etc., that those countries are going to retaliate in kind? US consumers are going to "love" paying twice as much or more for smart phones, wide-screen televisions, building materials and other items.
3
Yes, it does seem that Trump's so-called "strategy" is based on his "gut instincts" at the moment and expressed as incoherent and often contradictory tweets. Just to put things into perspective I would like to remind everyone of just what we all know is contained in the gut from which Mr. Trump's instincts emanate.
1
Of course, it's the next page out of the autocrats textbook - if there isn't a war, create one, so the plebes are anxious and intimidated to follow the leader or be called unpatriotic. 3 more years .... will our democracy survive? I'm not convinced.
1
Setting national policy on the basis of promises made to gather the votes of the angry strikes me as being a singularly dangerous way to run a country. If Mr Trump wants to run his business this way, fair enough, opposing hotel chains and golf courses don’t have nuclear weapons. But setting up the sort of dog eat dog competition that his comments up to now imply, is reckless endangerment of the nation and the planet.
1
PROFITS OF WAR!
"We can't do this unless we cut "Entitlements!"
"We must sell our Natural Resources to counter this existential threat!"
(And it's vital that we not pay taxes on the return from our "investment" in the well-being safety of the American people.)
My point is that this is painfully obvious to those who are even half-way paying attention. The final piece of evidence in a decades-long criminal scheme the republican party.
4
Another document that Trump will sign with glee, because he will sign anything that crosses his desk without thought or reflection. He's devoured by the idea of winning
1
Trump wants to rule the world and will do whatever he can to achieve that goal.
25 years on active duty in the Navy. My war was the Cold War. We "fought" the Russians and the Chinese and I learned a lot about them. I also learned a lot about US. What I learned is the same thing many Old Soldiers learn, which was stated succinctly by General Butler: War is a racket. We the People of the United States have NO BEEF with the People of Russia or China. It is only the Old Men in capitol buildings, men placed into positions of power by hidden financial interests, who use the resources and citizens of their nations as pawns and fodder on the Grand Chessboard, who have a problem with each other. I refuse, as one citizen, to fight for these Old Men any longer. No Russian ever did me wrong and I have malice toward any Chinese person and I will not be told they are my enemy because they manifestly are not. Let these Old Men and their Money Masters fight their wars themselves. All we have to do to stop war is to say No Thank You. I earned the right to this knowledge. I give it to you for free.
24
"Trump's first national security strategy" This is the ultimate political oxymoron. Our impulsive, incoherent, uninformed, intellectually vapid, and self-contradictory Fake President has but one "strategy". Having misled and manipulated many investors during the course of his business career, then those working class worshippers in his electoral base, and most recently unconscionably attempting to "sell" to middle class taxpayers his plutocratic tax bill, Don the Con now moves on to the big, bright world stage.
Presenting Trump in the guise of a serious strategic "thinker" has as much chance to impact world leaders, particularly the wily Chinese and Russians, now well on to his shallow schtick, as trying to convince someone that my Golden Retriever is a Standard Poodle. In a day or two, he will, with tweet, mouth, or action, come out with something completely at variance to what he said today. More of the same circus with its reckless ringmaster. MAGA.
1
The biggest obstacle to taking action against China is corporate America.
2
Trump's words are meaningless...that's his own doing, which result of being a pathological liar.
However his actions still say he is Putin's boy. Example, Trump has still not actioned the sections against Russia that Congress passed months ago.
Until Trump can demonstrate that he is willing to put America and its long proven reliable and trustworthy allies first this is just more of the all too familiar Trump deception.
2
China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.” Thank you, Mr Trump, for this concise description of your policies, which are identical to those you allege for China and Russia.
2
"China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”
This sounds like the New Order of America.
4
If Trump could write, this sounds like the kind of national security policy he would write. Except for the part about not trusting Russia.
Talk about cognitive dissonance The Nation Security Strategy suggests the administration's goal is to maintain the status quo while the President, a revisionist himself, wants to overturn it.
If the authors were more serious about the challenge of great power competition, the document would have called for refunding the State Department and the Foreign Service.
In any event, for most countries, including America's friends, the status quo is a bad place. It's human nature to want improvements, in the economy, education, personal security, human rights and government performance. The words have too much of an imperialist ring to attract much support from our foreign friends, even though many have come to fear China's foreign policy and a goodly number Russia's interference in their affairs.
I suppose the reference to Russia's efforts to control data is code for its meddling in the domestic politics of the U.S. and others, a subject which CIA briefers reportedly avoid in their briefings of the President so a not to upset him. As Forrest Gump might say, "Turgid Is As Turgid Dpes".
1
I don't argue with the statement below but what about the Republican Tax cuts, Trump's embrace of larger military expenditures and the end of net neutrality? Maybe those are just his way of keeping up with authoritarians.
"China and Russia, the document says, “are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence.”"
1
If there's one thing this strategy (of sorts) makes clear, we're no longer being led by "the leader of the free world" or "the most powerful person on Earth." The Free World doesn't trust us anymore, and the most powerful person on Earth left The White House in January, unfortunately.
1
There is an urgent need to translate the National Security "doublespeak" used in this document but three things stand out for me:
1. No mention was made in the summary of our traditional allies and organizations like NATO which have been particularly helpful. I hope this was simply omitted due to the length of the article because exclusion would mean a doubling down on Trump's go it alone approach.
2. In the climate change area, the language that the US would be an important leader in opposing an "anti-growth" energy policy signals the Trump administrations continued backing of the use fossil fuels. This is bewildering because it suggests we know climate change is happening but we are going to lead with use of more fossil fuels to make it worse. I can't wrap my head around the logic.
3. Trump hopes to use this document as a cudgel to spend even more on defense which in turn would grow the deficit.He will then call for massive entitlement cuts as the only remaining way to cut costs.
Clearly the document reflects what we have seen recently with Trump's Daily Briefings. His CIA briefer is unable cover such topics as election meddling and relations with Russia.
1
Trump has not done much foreign policy damage, in terms of what he campaigned on, in his first year but that that doesn't not preclude him from enacting or trying to act in his remaining three years on some of the crazy ideas he spoke about during the campaign: abandoning NATO and SEATO, the Mexican wall and steep tariffs on Mexican imports, distancing the US from the EU, getting us into a needless war in North Korea, starting a trade war with China. In Trump all actions are visceral and weighed in terms of what they do to his personal aggrandizement. Xi and Putin, along with Natanyahu, Ertogan and Duterte, quickly picked up on how far flattery gets you with Trump.
Given his obsequiousness toward powerful leaders like Xi and Putin and conversely his predilection to pushing lesser powers (like Mexico, Venezuela, and Cuba) around; given Trump's utter lack of ability to make an informed decision, it is hard to imagine that this speech will be Trump's and not McMaster's.
That being the case, it would be fair to assume the our foreign and national security policies are be run by a military general steeped in Cold War attitudes. That may or may not be a good thing but the American people but they didn't elect McMaster. Furthermore, Trump still has plenty of time to shred what's left of American prestige and power since the Congress has chosen not to defend the Constitution and uphold its members' oaths of office against Trump's defiance of it.
2
Stop them in their tracks. Stop the horrendous tax heist they plan to vote on Tuesday and Wednesday. John McCain has announced he will not be there to vote. News over the weekend revealed a "secret" giveaway to The Con Don developer and his Robber Baron brethren. Bob Corker said he didn't know about it. He also said VERY publicly that he would never vote for a plan that adds to OUR national debt. This bill adds at least $1 TRILLION DOLLARS that will come out of OUR pockets/lives.
The Con Don and his International Mafia Top 1% Global Financial Elite Robber Baron/Radical religion Good Old Boys' Cabal want WW3. They will get even richer and get more control over OUR lives.
Stop them. Stop the money. OUR hard-earned taxpayer money. NO WW3.
Call, e-mail, tweet, write today and tell them NO. Do NOT pass the tax heist or budget bills. WE THE PEOPLE are the only ones who can stop them.
https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
https://www.house.gov/representatives
28
While he's at it, he's active in killing the messenger about climate change coming from all rational knowledgeable people.
Threat? What threat? He'll protect his Scottish golf course and Mar a Lago at state expense, but admit there's a problem? Dare to mention rising seas, increasing storms, wildfires, insect migrations, rising global temperatures, etc. etc.? The preponderance of the evidence, phooey!
We humans don't realize that all our fancy toys depend on power, and refuse to look the staggering evidence of what powerlessness has done to millions in Puerto Rido.
Death camps for the poor, the elderly, "those people", and anyone trying to get by, excess wealth for the already privileged, worthless luxury markets, this is the path to planetary mayhem.
But he don't care!
3
When did Donald Trump resign and John Wayne take over?
I really don’t like our security being put at risk because of one man’s inherent insecurity, cluelessness, and need to prove just how big a man he is on the world stage.
Wasn’t it through international engagement and treaties that we were able to step back from the Cold War madness, in a time that was comparitively less fraught and more sane than it is today?
Why does he want to return to that era?
77
John Wayne dodged the military draft during World War II while making war movies about men like George McGovern and James Stewart. Ronald Reagan was drafted and made war movies about those kind of men. Acting brave, honorable and patriotic is what they share with Donald Trump.
2
MDB,
Probably because he stopped growing and did not keep up with the times we are living.
Strangelovian strategy is still the gamble. It fits in well with Trump's what have you got to lose mindset. I grew up with it and never lost any sleep. The concept of utter destruction is too abstract for people going about their daily lives while would be Alexanders dream and plot. Maybe the aliens hinted at in the reports yesterday will save us from ourselves. If not, humankind has survived population bottlenecks before or we will wise up and assume our place in the galaxy among the enlightened species.
5
Words, words, words, which will in no way affect how this administration conducts business.
8
Did Trump actually read the document or did his "helpers" hide the negative things about Russia in plain sight assuming he couldn't or wouldn't read them? It sounds like a policy constructed by a committee of competing individuals. Some parts are not compatible with others. But this is what Trump likes to do. It works so well in his businesses like the casinos and the Trump SoHo hotel.
By not going after Russia on Crimea or its interference in the 2016 election Trump acts like an asset of the Kremlin, which he may well be. The criticism over Russian economic policies in the document does little to cover it up.
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ALL policy, but especially the National Security Strategy, is constructed by a committee. Every cabinet agency has some sort of stake in the NSS and each interest must be balanced. No one, even the president himself, gets everything he wants in the final document.
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This document probably isn't worth the paper it is printed on. Trump can't hold onto any opinion on foreign policy for more than a couple of tweets. His only true strategy is to fire up his base with appeals to their grievances, their beliefs that the whole world-foreign and domestic-is out to get them.
He castigates China for its economic policies then demands that they control North Korea along his terms. That strategy make work with the wishy-washy Republicans in Congress, However, the rest of the world is quickly learning to work around a completely unreliable United States.
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We knew it would be horrible, but there was no way of understanding just how criminally incompetent this gang is.
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" but there was no way of understanding just how criminally incompetent this gang is."
Why not? I had no illusion what was going to happen, and it turns out I was right on target. All you have to do is to look at Trump's past life! It was clear to me a year before the election that there was no way I was going to vote for Trump.
This grand strategy is Obama's, not Trumps. Obama had a sophisticated world view as well as a strategic sense of how to project American Empire. Trump has neither.
Trump has chastised NATO for not paying their bills, offered rapprochement with Russia without anything in return, alienated Australia, driven the Philippines toward China, insulted South Korea, undermined Japan, which had fully backed the Obama plan and given China carte blanche to initiate its own trade plan with all the Pacific Rim countries. His major foreign policy initiative has been a sword dance with the crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
What we will get today is the effort by Trump's staff to stem this damage and try and resurrect some coherence to US foreign policy. But these are not Trump's ideas and it's doubtful that he even understands them. They originated with Obama and Trump has an almost reflexive tendency to reject them for that reason alone.
This was Obama's plan to save American Empire. Maybe now the press will finally acknowledge that American has been building its own Empire and we can openly debate whether this is the direction we should be heading.
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It wil take decades to repair the damage resulting from Obama’s presidency but progress is being made.
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Obama despised "American Empire" and felt the need to apologize for it. One may argue about how "sophisticated" his views were, but he too often spouted a lot of words that were full of hot air.
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Drspock: Let's see. Usamericans should acknowledge that their country "has been building its own empire" ( I thought it had been built a long time ago.), debate whether this is right or wrong, if the latter, tell the powers that constitute the empire to dismantle it and problem solved. Do you understand what imperialism is?
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The Trump so called "Strategy" is really an excuse to feed the military industrial complex. The Trump administration's America First, isolationist policies, such as pulling us out of the Climate pact and withdrawing from multilateral trade organizations, along with insults and slights to our allies has cost the United States support from governments and citizens throughout the free world. As a consequence we have lost the cooperation of our allies and forfeited our position as a world leader.
We already have enough missals, planes, ships and weapons of all kinds to deter any aggressor. The military conflicts we have engaged in for the last decade and for the foreseeable future are asymmetrical conflicts against low tech opponents. In these conflicts, the moral authority of the United States which Trump has lost, is more important than having more and better high tech weapons.
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The moral authority of the United States, assuming it ever existed, was lost a loooong time ago.
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Yeah, let's get hostile with Russia. Great idea. It's been too long since we had a good Duck 'n Cover drill.
Look, Russia insn't perfect. But its interests are SO much more in line with ours than the USSR's were that we have a real chance to draw them closer, to persuade them to enmesh themselves more and more in the western trading system, and to put themselves on our side in regional third world conflicts instead of automatically assuming that 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.'
What good can possibly come from isolating a large, heavily industrialized, nuclear-armed country with a proud military tradition?
Just because Donny Small Hands likes to make goo goo eyes with Putin doesn't mean we have to hate all 126 million Russians.
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Getting hostile with Russia? For the past year all we've heard is how we have to get TOUGH with Russia. That there are Russian behind every curtain or every conspiracy theory. That Trump is controlled by Russia/Putin. That Russian 'interference' in the election was an 'act of war'.
Now when Trump is getting tough with Russia its all a big mistake?
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Have you been reading the Times at all for the past twelve months, GT? Are you at all familiar with the year-long narrative? If not, here’s a quick summary: Russia is evil, Trump loves Russia, Russia is our sworn enemy, Trump loves Putin, etc., etc. But now the story is changing... Since the old story hasn’t done the job, it seems the Times may be changing and that it’s time to try something else...
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Actually, Marcus, those chants you write were directed to Obama by your party for eight years, i.e. that Obama wasn't being tough enough on Putin:
http://www.newsweek.com/obama-putin-meeting-criticism-377689
Now the tables are turned and suddenly all is forgiven. Talk about a changing story.
Funny how double standards work.
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The document is a product of the military and intelligence organizations. Trump will pay no attention to it because it has more than 140 characters.
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And the terrible irony here is that the greatest threat to the United States is Trump himself.
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....and his Party First-Country Last Russian-Republican Congress.
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Ask Tillerson how reliable Trump's foreign policy statements are. Trump is "eager" to show he can govern, all he shows is how little he knows. This doesn't deserve the reporting given to it, it is written in sand and will blow away tomorrow.
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Implying that Trump's has a "national security strategy" is laughable. He has the attention span of a gnat, knows nothing of the world beyond our borders except a Scottish golf course, knows nothing about his own country beyond New York, New Jersey and Mar-a-Loco, does not believe his own intelligence agencies, does not read briefing papers and acts on instinct from an oversized gut. Putin and Xi have taken his measure and play him like a harp.
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But in a country where a large segment of the population is just as ignorant, that's good enough.
1
Don't believe the hype.
Vladimir Putin is not an ignorant, immature, incompetent, inexperienced, intemperate and insecure bloviating bullying buffoonish clown. While Russia is an aging and shrinking nation of 143 million people and the American annual nominal GDP is 15x Russia and annual American military-industrial complex spend is 9x Russia's, the Russians interfered in the last American election campaign on behalf of Trump.
Putin's socioeconomic political grip on his puppet dummy Trump is the treacherous reality. Russia abandoned the socialist communist mythology of the Soviet Union by becoming a corrupt crony organized criminal band of oligarch plutocrats.
Xi Jinping is the 1st Chinese leader to be deemed a "core leader" since Deng Xiaoping and the 1st Chinese Communist leader since Mao Zedong whose "thoughts" are deemed worthy of study by CCP party cadres. While Mr. Xi lacks only "The Mandate of Heaven" of the Chinese Emperors, his failure to designate a successor at the end of his 2nd term is troubling.
Nearly 20% of the human race is ethnic Han Chinese. There are more Han living outside of China than there are Americans. Socialism with Chinese characteristics is their euphemism for capitalism. China is led by a term limited one-party leadership in a nation with 4x as many people as America. China has no entangling military and economic alliances. China is aging and shrinking with too many males and too few natural resources and useable land.
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Did the USA ever interfere in another country's election? Did it ever overthrow or kill another country's leader when he or she (Don't forget Queen Liliuokalani.) was not convenient to US's interests?
1
What about Saddam Hussein? In the 1970s and 1980s, we built him up as a bulwark against Iran, in the 1990s we contained him when he tried to take Kuwait, then we declared war against him after 9/11. Don't you think the rest of the Middle East and the world watched how we mishandled that?
1
Anyone who believes that Trump has a carefully conceived national security strategy is as delusional as the President himself. Trump is a bomb thrower who is more interested in continually being the center of attention than in doing anything that is best for his country or for the stability of international relations. Anyone who believes otherwise should be prepared to be disappointed, or worse.
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This is the same approach he used with New Jersey in establishing his loser casinos. It should work, right?
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It's a spinoff of an old maxim - Let's try to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results!
2
We just have to be patient until Trump is gone. He's intent on bowing to Putin as climate disasters ramp up. Not a clue
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China is not like Russia. China trades with the world, is politically agnostic, and has a Chinese diaspora population of over 40 million across the world.
It also has a population 10 times larger than Russia.
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60 million overseas Chinese across the world. more than 4.5 million in the U.S.
China will take care of Russia when it suits it. Right now Putin appears to have a free horizon to trample on America, doling out treats to keep Trump pacified for good behavior on occasion.
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In other words, just vague belligerence.
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Once money floes, it continues to flow.
That is true for the outdated fears of our cold war warriors,
and their arms manufacturers.
Old fears become new policy.
4
Can someone tell me how Trump tweets with threats of nuclear destruction fit into the strategy?
Or how Senator Lindsay Graham's saying that its OK to start a war "over there" - that is in Asia - because although millions of Asians will die American lives will be saved and that's OK (except he seem to have forgotten about the American servicemen and Americans that live in Asia who will die as well).
Japan and Korea are better off without allies like this. Maybe they have less to fear from China than from the US.
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At this point I think the whole planet should be watching with concern.
2
Clinton and the Bushes committed one of the greatest strategic mistakes in American history in establishing "free" trade with China.
They didn't exactly assume that China would become a "benign actor" or "trustworthy partner", but rather another bit player in the Pax Americana system. They thought that membership in some international organizations and hosting the Olympics and World Cup should be enough to make them team players.
Nope.
They don't intend to be subordinate to the U.S. or even equal partners. China aspires to be the central kingdom and world's leading culture, which they believe their history demonstrates and their destiny demands.
Clinton and the Bushes were not just woefully ignorant about China, they were blinded by hubris and seduced by greed.
9
You seem to forget that it was Nixon who went to China, not Clinton or the bushes
3
The United States had an incredibly lucky run, as a global empire, but no empire lasts forever.
Adjusting to changes and seeking common areas of interest with others, large and small instead of putting confrontation on a permanent footage should be the new modus operandi and the centerpiece of any new 'national security strategy'.
Study the history of the Roman Empire. The clues are all there.
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To the contrary: Trump's plan is to age the US backwards to the glorious 1950's, where LGBT, Blacks, women, etc knew their place. Where global warming was yet unknown. Etc. Etc. This buys us 67 years! Isn't putting your head in the sand as policy glorious?! Kind of like believing a supernatural spirit guides everything and if you believe hard enough, life will turn out great! More Magical Thinking from the Republicans.
9
Absolutely, Waldo. One reason empires fall is that imperial states refuse to adapt to changes. Their leaderships convince their citizens that they have achieved some sort of exalted "exceptional" status. They become conservative and change only when they are forced to (which is too late), or worse yet, retrogressive. Americans: why not try to stay ahead of the curve? Revivifying a ruling aristocracy of the rich and getting the rest of the populace to accept it, rule by "divine right" of the billionaires is hardly the wave of the future, or if it is, it will be followed by another period of revolutions in which lots of "little people" die, but in which lots of rulers will be strung up like so many Nicolae Ceausescus. Unnecessary and sad. The "divine right" of the rich has already taken too great a hold. Too many people already believe that if someone is rich they must (not might, but must) have all sorts of sterling qualities, as if the love of money and the accumulation of wealth were the measure of a quality life. Yes, it is time and will always be time to resist these ideas. Had we only been doing so the last 35 years, we wouldn't find even bolder political resistance to be such an urgent necessity now. However, as our Declaration puts it, "...all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves...," and prevent what is turning our developing American democracy into an American (global?) plutocracy.
4
One of the clues that are there is the fact that after the end of the Nerva-Antonian Dynasty, the Empire was on the defensive and had to fight for itself.
1
And after the bluster and sword rattling, Mr. Trump will settle all differences in exchange for a couple of golf courses and Branded hotels in His Royal Name.
And at home, a far reaching cold war internal security state and massive military spending. No one will be safe from his private army of spies, informants, lawyers and appointed toadies.
Can no one rid us of this meddlesome dictator-king?
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"Can no one rid us of this meddlesome dictator-king?"
Sure, ...if there is a will there is a way!
If Russia and China are revisionist powers that must make the USA a status quo power. Status quo implies standing still. Since change is a condition of existence, exactly what is being proposed?
The Belt and Road Initiative expresses China's strategy for this and the next generation. It looks long term not to the end of the 'quarter' or the next election. Does the USA have an economic strategy beyond supinely acquiescing in the export of manufacturing capability in pursuit of the lowest wages? One of these days that pursuit will have circled the earth and the hollowed out husk that is the USA will have the lowest wages. Government and business will then be trumpeting job creation. But what sort of jobs? Perhaps on a par with run of the mill employment at Walmart and in Amazon's warehouses.
Russia has been held up as the great scary thing behind the arras. I have yet to see evidence ... real evidence... that that is the case nor, if it be the case did 'Russian meddling' change the outcome of the election. I have yet to see anything beyond assertions. The rhetoric surrounding the Ukraine and the Crimea is always accusatory and never mentions the role of the USA in the overthrow of the former government nor does it refer to the stated goal of the more aggressive, and to my mind delusional, 'strategists' who wanted to see Ukraine in NATO. Step back and look at that from Russia's point of view.
From your description this strategy sounds simplistic and stupid.
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"I have yet to see evidence ... real evidence... that that is the case nor, if it be the case did 'Russian meddling' change the outcome of the election. I have yet to see anything beyond assertions"
-------------------
So what? That doesn't mean such evidence - oops, sorry, I forgot, no one is supposed to use that word - doesn't exist.
Never did understand such self-absorbed logic.
3
Confronting Russia? Putin? He has secret meetings with him, some in which he thanks and praises him. As usual, lies.
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Some in which he helps him prevent a slaughter of his people.
1
Trump is too close to Russia. Trump is too hostile towards Russia. Brilliant journalism.
It is difficult to give any credence to this president since he has spent the better part of his first year in office playing footsy with his idol Putin. Trump is more aggressive and antagonistic towards established, respected American institutions than he is towards Russia which continues to streamline its cyber attack plans for the 2018 mid term elections and beyond. China and North Korea aren't far behind.
Bannon is utilizing the Trump presidency to complete the implementation of the Far Right doctrine known as PNAC. It is a plan that was hatched in 1995 with Cheney, Wolfowitz and Richard Perle as ghost writers, rejected by Clinton in 1996 and a rallying cry by the Far Right ever since. Trump's lack of knowledge regarding geopolitics and his grade school approach to governing has emboldened the likes of Putin who regard him for as a court the jester.
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How's that tin foil hat fitting? PNAC, the Project for a New American Century, was a neoconservative think tank that operated between 1997 and 2006. Steve Bannon is many things, and has been accused of being many more, but one thing no one has ever accused him of being is a neocon.
Neoconservatism is centered on the advocacy of the preemptive use of American military power to promote free markets and individual liberty abroad. Bannon, by contrast, is a borderline isolationist.
3
Jacob, do you check under your bed and in your closet for the boogie man before you go to bed?
2