A couple links that show how Trumps foreign policy is likely to go.
Here is a good article in the NYTimes on the conflict of interest issues we will face with a Trump presidency.
Also, over the weekend he threatened to undo improved relations with
Cuba , which exposes what our problems are with Trump….is this a legitimate policy issue, or just an amateurish attempt to develop in Havana?
And over at Hullabaloo, Tom Sullivan explains how Trump will be violating the Constitution the second he takes the Oath. He will be receiving direct payments.
I think what this shows is how Trump’s foreign policy is more likely to be twisted by personal greed rather than ideology. Look for a hack like Giuliani as SOS, rather than an ideology pick like Bolton. Giuliani has made millions in the Middle East , and Trump has buildings in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the U.A E.
The corruption, both foreign and domestic, is likely to be unprecedented. Don’t look for either the media or congress to address it.
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I’m sick of despairing and deciding there’s nothing we can do. That’s bullshit and a self-fulfilling policy.
Here, try this:
And particularly this:
Let’s call our Congressmembers, call our newspapers and write editorials, create and successfully pitch good stories, conduct effective public actions, and more. I’ll be damned if I’m rolling over.
Let’s fight every fucking day.
Center, I’m not sure if you saw this very good article at Lawyers, Guns, and Money, but it’s well worth a read since we watched this in real time.
L,G and M has been on a tremendous roll lately.
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In my view, it would be fabulous if massive corruption, self-dealing and unjust enrichment at public expense were the primary interest of Der Trumper and his incompetent lieutenants and family members. That’s the best case scenario in foreign policy we could hope for. If Madman Trump doesn’t embroil us in (another) major ground war or fire off a nuclear attack somewhere, we’ll be lucky. Of course, we are one major terror attack away from a return to mass hysteria and militarist insanity.
It will be interesting to watch how the inevitable conflicts between the American Madman’s Big Lie tweet-storms and the monetary interests of the American plutocrat class will be resolved, especially in the arena of foreign policy, like this Cuba rumbling. It will also be interesting to see if and when the leaders of civilized nations, including our putative allies, will begin to denounce the Madman and his insane party of imbeciles. There should be at least as big a world backlash against TrumpAmerica as against Bushco and its illegal wars of aggression.
For example, the destruction by Der Tweeter of the world’s 10,000 year old stable climate should engender world hatred of TrumpAmerica, even if it is enthusiastically applauded by Trumpites.
In post-rational America with its incompetent white electorate, I have serious doubts that any “objective” media attempts to expose executive greed and corruption will gain much traction. WH corruption, conflict of interest, blah blah blah. The Trump voter won’t care and can’t be made to care, although the corporate media may make some half-hearted attempts in a target rich environment, if only to stroke their bloated self esteem.
Der Trumper’s white adherents are all-in for their Strongman, and their minds are effectively unreachable–if the Catastrophic Election of 2016 taught us anything, it should have taught us that. That’s about 47% of the electorate, by the way, and no nation can hope to remain civilized under such circumstances of mass citizen failure.
Trump’s foreign policy is going to be pulled out of his ass one misstep at a time; that’s it. No one is going to know from one day to the next what might happen, or not. I am putting all my chips on the law of unintended consequences.
I think this is exactly right.
I think nalbar’s last line about corruption is also right; to the extent there is anything consistent it will be people trying to make money.