Reciprocity Is the Method to Trump’s Madness
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The president sends a signal: Treat us the way we treat you, and keep your commitments.
Critics of Donald Trump claim that there’s no rhyme or reason to his foreign policy. But if there is a consistency, it might be called reciprocity.
Trump tries to force other countries to treat the U.S. as the U.S. treats them. In “don’t tread on me” style, he also warns enemies that any aggressive act will be replied to in kind.
The underlying principle of Trump commercial reciprocity is that the United States is no longer powerful or wealthy enough to alone underwrite the security of the West. It can no longer assume sole enforcement of the rules and protocols of the post-war global order.
This year there have been none of the usual Iranian provocations — frequent during the Obama administration — of harassing American ships in the Persian Gulf. Apparently, the Iranians now realize that anything they do to an American ship will be replied to with overwhelming force.
Ditto North Korea. After lots of threats from Kim Jong-un about using his new ballistic missiles against the United States, Trump warned that he would use America’s far greater arsenal to eliminate North Korea’s arsenal for good.
Trump is said to be undermining NATO by questioning its usefulness some 69 years after its founding. Yet this is not 1948, and Germany is no longer down. The United States is always in. And Russia is hardly out but is instead cutting energy deals with the Europeans.
More significantly, most NATO countries have failed to keep their promises to spend 2 percent of their GDP on defense.
Yet the vast majority of the 29 alliance members are far closer than the U.S. to the dangers of Middle East terrorism and supposed Russian bullying.
Why does Germany by design run up a $65 billion annual trade surplus with the United States? Why does such a wealthy country spend only 1.2 percent of its GDP on defense? And if Germany has entered into energy agreements with a supposedly dangerous Vladimir Putin, why does it still need to have its security subsidized by the American military ?
Trump approaches NAFTA in the same reductionist way. The 24-year-old treaty was supposed to stabilize, if not equalize, all trade, immigration, and commerce between the three supposed North American allies.
It never quite happened that way. Unequal tariffs remained. Both Canada and Mexico have substantial trade surpluses with the U.S. In Mexico’s case, it enjoys a $71 billion surplus, the largest of U.S. trading partners with the exception of China.
During the lifetime of NAFTA, Mexico has encouraged millions of its citizens to enter the U.S. illegally. Mexico’s selfish immigration policy is designed to avoid internal reform, to earn some $30 billion in annual expatriate remittances, and to influence U.S. politics.
The U.S. runs a huge trade deficit with China. The red ink is predicated on Chinese dumping, patent and copyright infringement, and outright cheating. Beijing illegally occupies neutral islands in the South China Sea, militarizes them, and bullies its neighbors.
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But in 2016, red-state America rebelled at the asymmetry. The other half of the country demonized the red-staters as protectionists, nativists, isolationists, populists, and nationalists.
However, if China, Europe, and other U.S. trading partners had simply followed global trading rules, there would have been no Trump pushback — and probably no Trump presidency at all.
Had NATO members and NAFTA partners just kept their commitments, and had Mexico not encouraged millions of its citizens to crash the U.S. border, there would now be little tension between allies.
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There comes a time when even your best friend needs a little Tuff Luv !
If they are truly "Best Friends", they'll still be there after the criticism.
I agree that Mr. Trump wants our allies to turn away from us as we have turned away from them. He is trying to weaken Europe so Putin can have free reign.
Is that what "wanting the European Nations to spend more on their OWN defense for a change" means now ?
I suppose your comment means you want the U.S. of A. to stay being the "Police of the entire world" ?
Is that what I said.......nope - just went back and looked and that's definitely not what I said.
Now, lets stick to the facts (not alternative facts). I believe NATO needs to update it's goals to better support it's mission in today's world. They need to start committing more towards global security. With that said, those commitments were already agreed upon with timelines.
Mr. Trump's goal is to create more opportunity for Russia. That's what I believe. You are free to believe it is for different reasons.
Yep !
"Mr. Trump's goal is to create more opportunity for Russia."
Germany is making Energy Deals with Russia without Trumps Help !
How is Trump weakening the EU again ?
Don't twist my words. You're just not that clever. I'm a master at wit war....being a female and all.
So, you are anti trade? You don't believe two parties should make a deal that is beneficial to both?
That's so weird....I thought Mr. Trump follower's were pro fair trade.
WTF ?
That's what you got from the article and from what I posted ?
Luv the "I'm a Female" play though. So "Lefty" like.
And here I was just treating you as a "Person".
Something in your eye again ?
I'm a woman so why would I want you to treat me any other way????
Anyhoooo, back to the topic - You never responded to my question about free trade.
READ THE ARTICLE !
You did do that....right ?
I read the article and am quite clear on what the author of the article thinks. I'm asking YOU what you think.
See comment # 1, 3.1 and 3.1.2.
And NO....you did NOT...….based on your comment #3.1.3
Okie dokie - enjoy your article. I'll move along since you are not interested in having a discussion.
You just don't like the "Real" answer.
Okie Dokie !
Very shortsighted of Germany actually. First, it gives Russia too much power in Europe. Before this pipeline, natural gas from Russia to Eastern and Central Europe flowed through pipelines that ran through Ukraine, Poland and Hungary. The new $11 billion pipeline bypasses these countries and delivers the gas directly to Germany. Now, Russia, can decide who they want to "punish" by turning off the spigot...just like they did with Ukraine. That is Putin's pattern.
Trump said:
He's right...we are giving WAY more mula to NATO to "protect" them than they are, while one of those countries is getting a sweet deal on the side from a country we are supposed to be protecting them from...it makes NO sense.
No, it's called lying about all of that in order to carry out his handler, Putin's, desire to weaken Western Europe (and by extension us) so Russia can continue to take back all of the countries it had to give up when the USSR fell apart. I do enjoy watching the display of treason from the people in this country who still pretend, despite all evidence to the contrary for decades now, to be "patriots."
Then why are our allies bumping up their Defense spending ? They said they were going to do that when Trump called them out on their bazillion dollar spending on the New NATO headquarters. WTF is wrong with telling those that say "THEY need U.S. defense", spending more of their own money for their own fucking defense ?
Doesn't seem to be something Putin would want....does it ?
The only one who wants Russia to have free reign is Merkel in Germany...she's the one who took the deal that puts a chokehold over her own country that also gives HERSELF a sweet little kickback...she weakened the NATO nations and her own country in doing so.
Just wait until the "Gas" get's shut off. Government thinks a single homeowner can be a bitch, wait until an entire country bitches.
A foreign policy is a strategy to achieve specific objectives. A principle of reciprocity (similar to the golden rule) is a maxim not a foreign policy. Trump appears to know nothing and doesn’t really think he needs to learn. Nor is there any discernible objective other than him getting something he can call a “win” so he can tout it in his re-election campaign. He replaces a foreign policy with a string of knee jerk reactions to each situation with seemingly no concern as to how one decision impacts another. I could probably do the same thing with a Magic 8 ball.
Foreign "Policy" throughout the decades has been "Placation" of all.
Not anymore !!!!!!!
It's "Pony up or Shut up" time ! Does Europe and others have the balls to do it ?
Maybe the U.S. of A. should REMAIN the Worlds Police ?
That may be how you view its result but the result and foreign policy are two differnt things. International affairs (which includes foreign policy) is a very involved course of study at the graduate level. To people who know foreign policy, Trump is just an ignorant buffoon.
If we were talking about Trump’s company, how long do you think Trump would laugh if someone walked in off the street with no experience or educational training and asked him for an executive position stating that he would be an asset because he “doesn’t take no shit off anybody”?
I think Trump was right on the money with this...he called them out and rightfully so. You get what you give...pony up or shut up - that's the message.
And that has exactly what to do with advancing a foreign policy?
Ah, once again the elitism of ACADEMIA. If you don't go by the book, you are a buffoon. Going by the book produces narrow minded viewpoints and people without the ability to think outside the box. Clamoring for change without changing the way things are done is the ultimate Don Quixote experience.
I’ll bet that Trump has always relied on the “elitism of academia” when he’s picking people to manage his company or his money. And there’s a good reason for it. But when it comes to matters that could lead to another world war, all we need is some dope who’s sole claim to fame is that he can think out of the box. If Trump actually thinks as you do, then let’s see him put his money where his mouth is and hire an untrained and inexperienced person to handle his personal financial affairs.
Is that really the best you have? Do you really equate the science of math to sociology? If so, you are really pissing off a large number of academics who refuse to accept sociology as a true science. When it comes to accounting for the use of money the numbers are consistent and predictable. When it comes to the social behavior of human beings consistency can not be depended upon making predictability nothing more than a guessing game.
Scientists like to make decisions based upon results. Based upon where we are after years of going by the "book" of foreign policy the results have been quite negative.
There is also a big difference between a true scientist and an academic technician. A true scientist prefers to think outside the box. Unafraid to try something new. Experimentation is the backbone of true science. Is it the mission of a scientist to maintain the status quo or to make improvements? Going strictly by the book inhibits progress.
Trump wouldn’t hire an executive simply because he can do math and foreign policy is much more than a guessing game.
Really? Where are we and where is Trump going and how does he plan to get there? Think what you like but Trump doesn’t know what he’s doing and it shows.
We are where going by the book has brought us.
Where is Trump going? I'm not a mind reader I can only hope it is someplace better than where we are.
How does he plan to get there? By throwing off the shackles of going by the book.
I watch it over the decades. If the past had worked, Trump wouldn't have been elected.
The Scumbag wasn't "elected," he was "electoraled." It's a dellberately anti-democratic process demanded by slave states at the country's founding that has produced devastating results every time it's been it's been applied. It's the deformed monster remnant of that immoral and criminal institution that still haunts this country today.
It's a United States of AMERICA system that's been in place forever. You don't like YOUR system this time ?
I’ve watched it over decades too and Trump is the most ignorant and ill-prepared person on foreign policy that I have ever seen. It’s like pulling someone out of line at Walmart.
The biggest problem that the lefties and some of our allies are having with Mr. Trump is that they have been caught totally unprepared by his directly in your face honesty. Who would have thought that any American businessman leastwise a politician would even consider using such a tactic?
Before all of you trolls and lame-brained partisans start having conniption fits, I didn't say the Trump was an honest man, I said he was using honesty as a tactic. Some of you should try it sometime, it can be a very formidable weapon.
Exactly.
Interesting … and in my opinion accurate … I recall my grandfather (35 - 40 years ago?) telling me, while out riding on his ranch in Eastern Montana, it was time for the US to stop paying to protect Europe from Stalin and Hitler... I had NO clue what he was talking about - I get it now...
The tariff wars and trade are interesting, yet complex … US cattle growers export beef to China, while the US imports beef from Mexico - coal production is declining in the US, as the US imports coal from Columbia ……………… US wood products industries are nil to none, as the US forest are left to disease and wild fires .. while the US imports lumber from Canada...
I only mention these products, as they impact Montana - I realize that my focus is more locally oriented, but this is where my life is … my family ranched .. I was raised on money from the wood products industry - and Colstrip is the coal and electricity hub in Montana...
Thanks It Is Me...
Not here. Parts of our national and private forests are culled regularly.
That is great news to hear … it breaks my heart to see what is happening in my area.
By selective cutting and removing the dead and dieing trees .. 'our' forest remain healthy, thus doing their part in reestablishing 'to an extent' wood industry job, assist in the prevention of climate change and wild fires. It is quite amazing what healthy trees can do : )