I didn’t say anything like that. Putin invaded Ukraine.
They aren’t whataboutisms.
Things seem to be looking up on the trade war front..,
- Thread starter RagnarLothbrok
- Start date
They aren’t whataboutisms.
See there's this little know concept, 'those that don't learn from the mistakes of history......"
But you don't think he's working to reestablish the USSR - at least as much as he can?
That's a long ass time to be getting f@cked over on trade that is completely voluntary and driven by American desire, while being the planet's lone super power and padding the lead.
It's almost like it's not true. 🤔
Then your comment was nonsensical. Everything you mentioned has already passed. Are you suggesting we just sit back and let Putin act without thinking about what we might do to intervene so in the future we can say "What happened when Putin invaded the Baltic states?"
More favorable tariff rates, stricter penalties for IP theft, increased access for US goods, increased working standards in China… would all be wins. I’m skeptical that China has made any real progress with our trade partners beyond what they already had in place.
You can throw in a partridge in a pear tree, for what it's worth. And, if you missed it, China is now more highly regarded around the world than the US. China is now buying goods from other countries that it previously bought from us. The idea that this doesn't give them influence in those countries is ridiculous since it's that very idea that supposedly gives the US influence over them...we buy LOTS of their stuff.
I think MAGA is operating strictly on faith anymore.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle for a better part of two decades having been calling for trade reform with China. China has been buying access and influence all over the world for decades. Whether countries climb into bed with China beyond what they’ve already done remains to be seen.
If they think they’re a more reliable trading partner. And can get more cost certainty vs the whole totalitarian regime factor. Although the US is been trending more totalitarian as well.
They’ve compared the Nixon economic shock to this. The problem is the US didn’t have a global economic competitor to deal with back then.
It’s an interesting gambit. Hopefully it works in our favor. But to start it off by attacking everyone with tariffs certainly wasn’t a good strategic start.
Definitely agree with you on tariffing our “allies” or those that we already have favorable policies with was stupid. Even if you believe they can be improved, that wasn’t the right way to go about it. The only thing I can wrap my head around is they wanted urgency from all parties to come to the table so the disruption is far enough removed and the gains were being realized by midterms.
Why should we pay tariffs on imported goods that are significantly more than what we charge in return? That makes no sense to me.
My thoughts are he believed in shock and awe. Everyone would blame China. Pressure them to the table quickly. Instead the wealthy nations went to the bond market and fought back. And now have been removing American suppliers from their supply chains when able.
Nobody has won a war by attacking on 180 fronts. It was all ego with him. Figured he can bulldoze anyone into surrender.
None of it seemed to be gamed out by serious people. That’s what happens when you surround yourself with yes men and nutters.
As for gains the price shocks are going to be around for a few years. The gains might not happen for 5 or more.
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i'm not one of those who had issues with trump's tariffs on china, yet i see no evidence at this point of a win for america. my takeaways are (1) trump did cave (i assume to chinese hardball that he remove tariffs as a precondition to hold talks) (2) talks were in geneva, tells me talks aren't on our terms
while it may be too early to say whether trump will end up selling us down a river the negotiations aren't off to a great start optically.
and that post about cnn presenting this as a win makes me laugh -- that almost certainly means the opposite as their masters want the new trajectory
I’m saying we have heard the rhetoric and rationalizations many many times before.
200 billion is quite a financial commitment to a cause that sounds eerily similar to “stop the spread of ______.”
I wish a lot of things in the world were different. I wish North Korea was a democracy and didn’t have nukes. I wish the ME didn’t have many countries ruled by Sharia Law. I wish Latin America didn’t have so many oppressive regimes forcing so many people to seek refuge in the United States.
I wish a lot of things.
Wish in one hand and shit in the other.
A lot of that occurred because we DIDN’T think about what came next. Install a US friendly strongman in Latin America by thwarting democracy. What happens when the people rise up against him? Who’s going to back THEM against us?
So the question remains…what happens if we concede Ukraine to Putin by pulling funding? Considering consequences for our actions might be the way to go.
