The "Donroe" doctrine.

[AntonToo]

Lets call things what they are with some modern clearity - what Trump doing is Putin doctrine.

 

[berg80]

Now the US taxpayer is paying to rebuild Venezuela's oil industry for oil company profit apparently.

If it happens it will be a monumental undertaking. VZ has huge oil reserves but it's heavy crude requiring expensive refining and extraction processes. The financial investment by US oil companies, with no real return for years, when oil is at $60 a barrel and demand for oil declining, is not at all guaranteed.

 

[AntonToo]

...with democrats on Russia's and China's side.

Democrats who were supporting and arming Ukraine are on Russia's side?

"I take Putin's word ever American intelligence", "Smart Invasion!" and "Not a penny for Ukraine" Trump is against Russia?

You are fucked in the head sir.

 

[kyzr]

Democrats who are supporting and arming Ukraine are on Russia's side?
You are fucked in the head sir.

Democrats who object to Trump removing Maduro and Russia and China and TDA from Venezuela komrad.

 

[Hafar1014]

It's "might makes right". Virtually overnight we have become an international bully, a predator nation.

It makes some people feel strong and in control for a change, but it's sad to see us become The Bad Guy when it's not necessary.

Asserting strength backed by the rule of law and moral correctness is a bad thing in the mind of the left that defends crime drug dealers and Hamas killers of women and children. I get it.

 

[konradv]

Meh, I saw it as Big Stick diplomacy.

Maduro was asked to step down, didn't, and had the stick applied to him.

Done and done.

When has Trump ever spoken softly?

 

[AntonToo]

Democrats who object to Trump removing Maduro and Russia and China and TDA from Venezuela komrad.

LISTEN.

Stop posting braindead bullshit and LISTEN.

It's not the removal of illegitamate autocrat thug in itself, what is being objected is SHITTING ON INTERNATIONAL LAW by talking about running Venezuella and taking their resouces which legitimizes Putin's invasion of Ukraine and lays rhetorical groundwork for China to take over Taiwan.

Trump is embracing Putinist vision of world where big countries have a might-makes-right to run smaller countries around them at a barrel of a gun. He is embracing the Putin Doctrine.

You tribalist cultists have absolutely no principles, no coherent world view, no core values. Nobody is helping Russian and Chinese land grabbers more than Dear Leader that is mindfucking you into abandoning everything that made us exceptional, everything that elevated us above those imperialist autocrats. No one.

 

[forkup]

Perhaps Dotard wants a return of an era of regional hegemony with China, Russia, and the US each controlling their parts of the world. A new axis of evil.

I think that's the idea. What I don't think is that the full implications of that policy is really thought through.

 

[Mac1958]

There are plenty of other things.

Most Americans don't really understand the absolutely dominant and preferential position they enjoy today. It's a position given in the understanding that America as a (sometimes broken) rule, won't abuse that position too badly.

That's why American companies have such dominant positions. That's why I grew up watching shows like Full house, or Family Matters. Hell it's why I learned to speak English well enough to meet my wife.

Trump and his base are willing to throw that stuff away, for well... I don't know...hubris, ego, malignant narcissism?

Malignant narcissism.

Trump & MAGA have exactly zero (0) understanding of the value to America of soft power, international goodwill, and global relationships. They don't see the advantages it had bought, and that we had spent the last 80 years building it. Not simple enough, evidently.

They'd rather just do what they do naturally: Play the victim. "Everyone is taking advantage of us". Holy crap. They have no idea what Trump as thrown away. Now it's gone.

80 years, down the drain.

 

[forkup]

It’s ridiculous to let thugs take over countries and then we take in their refugees, leaving the thugs in charge of entire countries. The refugees would rather be in their own countries than in the US. It’s about time we got rid of the thugs so we wouldn't gave to take in their refugees and then support them as well.

Yet, Trump not long ago pardoned such a thug.

And me personally have no problem with the US removing Maduro. That's simply not the issue.

It was how he was removed and the precedent it set.

There was no notification to Congress. No justification provided before the act. And after the act Trump went on camera making it clear that he considers Venezuela at best a puppet state under the control of the US and at worst simply a colony to be exploited. Followed by him threatening several other nations and territories with the same.

You guys might be far enough up Trump's butt that the cheeseburger is still warm, to dismiss this, but to observers and nations alike it's not dismissed that easily.

 

[Mac1958]

Perhaps Dotard wants a return of an era of regional hegemony with China, Russia, and the US each controlling their parts of the world. A new axis of evil.

I think that's exactly what he's doing.

 

[Auld Phart]

What Norway territory????

Says who? What if we want a bigger military presence there, or mine there, or whatever? If our joint chiefs say we need Greenland, we're taking Greenland, laugh at that.

The US generally negotiates for mineral rights.

Folly? Watch.

Fine.

Over Greenland? Get over it. Its a big ice cube.

Empty threats, look at whose economies would suffer more.

What Norway territory????

Greenland

 

[Bitterhook]

It's "might makes right". Virtually overnight we have become an international bully, a predator nation.

It makes some people feel strong and in control for a change, but it's sad to see us become The Bad Guy when it's not necessary.

Not a bad call when your allies are only getting weaker, losing their identity, and failing to protect their own citizens, while other players on the global stage just want to bend you over, and cry about you not playing nice.

The strong can take control, and should, when it becomes obvious that pussyfooting around, while more favorable for the weak and folks that want to believe in fairytale Utopias, just isn't cutting the mustard.

 

[Frankeneinstein]

For years I’ve wondered what the “again” in Make America Great Again was actually referring to.

lol...tell us, how many years did you spend on this conundrum?

 

[Bitterhook]

I think that's exactly what he's doing.

How did you figure that out, genius?
Did you read the National Defense Plan for 2026, because that's pretty much what the **** it says?

It does also include the desire to assist Western Europe in hanging onto whatever the hell is still left of them, that they haven't thrown down the gutter yet.

 

[forkup]

Malignant narcissism.

Trump & MAGA have exactly zero (0) understanding of the value to America of soft power, international goodwill, and global relationships. They don't see the advantages it had bought, and that we had spent the last 80 years building. Not simple enough, evidently.

They'd rather just do what they do naturally: Play the victim. "Everyone is taking advantage of us". Holy crap. They have no idea what Trump as thrown away. Now it's gone.

80 years, down the drain.

I still don't know it's down the drain. At least not completely.

There's an issue that might save it.

As you pointed out the US has spent 80 years to build up those relationships. Inertia is a thing and before anything irrevocable happens Trump's political position might be weakened enough that Congress will reign him in, not out of principle but self-preservation.

Mind you I personally am not very hopeful. And I highly doubt that after Trump's election and more distressing reelection. The rest of the world will have faith in the American electorate making rational election choices, and as such will fear another demagogue coming to power. But I don't think it's by definition hopeless yet.

 

[AntonToo]

Not a bad call when your allies are only getting weaker, losing their identity, and failing to protect their own citizens, while other players on the global stage just want to bend you over, and cry about you not playing nice.

The strong can take control, and should, when it becomes obvious that pussyfooting around, while more favorable for the weak and folks that want to believe in fairytale Utopias, just isn't cutting the mustard.

It's really sad how fucked in the head the rightwingers are getting nowadays.

 

[Bitterhook]

It's really sad how fucked in the head the rightwingers are getting nowadays.

Roll over, I'll scratch your belly and maybe you'll feel better.

 

[JWBooth]

Given this, I might change my mind on the subject. Problem is, the cucks wouldn't follow through.

 

[forkup]

.

Not a bad call when your allies are only getting weaker, losing their identity, and failing to protect their own citizens, while other players on the global stage just want to bend you over, and cry about you not playing nice.

The strong can take control, and should, when it becomes obvious that pussyfooting around, while more favorable for the weak and folks that want to believe in fairytale Utopias, just isn't cutting the mustard.

What mustard do you think this cuts?

Those allies that are getting weaker in your opinion. Are actual partners. They give you an immense power over not just them but the entire world.

History has been dominated by millennias of your thinking and has had wars that entire time. And it's because after the last time it ended in catastrophe, and something like 80 million deaths later, the world under American leadership decided on a better way.

A way of trade, cooperation, and alliances encompassing the globe.

A way you reject to go right back to were we where. Only now with weapons so powerful we're one bad afternoon away from civilization ending.