2. Yes, it's partly that they admire Putin, the iron dictator Trump would like to be. But it's much more important that Russia is useful weapon, whose own economic weakness means it poses no threat to US dominance.
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If economic concerns had mattered at all to the American far-right, they'd have avoided emulating the Russians (or Hungarians) with all their wits, and would've been more assiduously courting the Chinese.
This is not a great-power rivalry, this is an admin of petulant mankids who want all the money and the power and the glory going to them, and don't care if all three are diminished over time as long as they're theirs alone.
Russia could well be on the cusp of being handed the opportunity to rebuild and become that threat. They could even follow the Nazi playbook of reclaiming what they purport to be theirs and before you know it - KABOOM !
This is the part people aren't getting. They're doing the whole "They work for Russia" thing because they're destabilising Russian enemies, but will deny that these people have the brains to plan something like using Russia instead of being the used ones.
3. If the result of US colonial diplomacy (and appeasement by some Europeans - see Question Time this week for a classic example) is that Russia feels emboldened to expand its territorial aggression, so much the better. It'll sow chaos in Europe. Trump loves chaos because it weakens his rivals.
Trump is doing to Europe what he's doing to America i.e. maximum disruption to confuse and disunite. I think you're right about him seeing Russia as less of a threat to America than a united , and far too liberal, Europe. He does not see the EU as an ally, or the UK, but as business competitors.
4. Remember: THEY DON'T CARE. They don't give a damn about other people's rights or lives. It's just about power and control.
European unity (UK included) is essential. Ukraine is just the beginning. If we don't hold the line there, Russian/US aggression will only spread.
I think it’s more than that. To them, Europe is not just a geopolitical rival but an ideological one. Europe stands for the „old order“ they wish to destroy both at home and abroad. Social welfare. Consensus driven decision making. Consumer protection. Environmental regulations. And so on. /1
Strong man autocracies where the billionaire rulers and their oligarch cronies run roughshod over the unwashed masses represent the type of society they are trying to build
How does it serve Putins interest to invade EU after 3 yrs in 🇺🇸 engineered war with 🇺🇦?
Europe has fab oil/gas supplies off East Med coast, & from ressource rich 🇷🇺 & Iran, as neighbours. False friend🇺🇸 created border & economic insecurity for Europe to stops it from ever benefiting from this.
US whole middle east policy is about ensuring no one can make stable win win deals directly with eachother. America always has to take its cut & keep a megalomaniac like grip over the ebb & flow of trade, to ensure no one gets more prosperous or powerful than she does
Ukraine is sitting on several trillion dollars of rare earth minerals many of which are in the areas captured by Russia - minerals essential for manufacturing hi-tech products
On the plus side in history its threat of external enemies that tends to bind people together. The Trump govt revealing itself as the enemy of Europe and democracy will have a galvanising effect on Europe, UK included. Thank God we have Starmer in No10 and not the Trump boot-licking Tories.
The Starmer who is so unsure of where he stands he's trying to be a bridge nobody wants instead of choosing a side? Because right now you either support democracy or authoritarianism, there is no bridge.
I would lay even odds that McSweeney is looking at developments in the US and thinking "Ooh, we could adapt some of that stuff to our advantage - hold off on the criticism for the moment, Keir". Fascism is catnip for the centrists.
Don't know that it makes me feel much better. Starmer hasn't exactly been pushing to strengthen our democracy. Seems to me he's being a little too autocratic himself.
Europe has ceded power to US and doffed its cap. That isnt good enough for Trump because he knows in his heart we all think he's a tosser and a grifter.
I totally agree. The historical record of isolationism in the US, imperialist drivers in Russia as well as recent actions by Putin reinforce this view. And we need to react with speed and clarity.
And it's larger than just Russian/US aggression. It's pro-authoritarian aggression from all directions. That includes all the right-wing parties in European countries.
I understand this POV, but what do you mean by "hold the line" here? Keep feeding conscripted Ukrainian men into the Russian grinder? Or send British troops? You imagine waging war until all Ukrainian territory is recaptured? Are there intl relations scholars who consider Russia a threat to Romania?
Your all taking as Europe is some sort of beacon of enlightenment. The Europe that exploits the 3rd world and has been involved in numerous wars in the mid east.
It’s such an indictment of our predominantly rightwing media that people still aren’t wise to this fact. Too many remain dangerously ignorant. Too many cheer on the very people who seek to weaponise their prejudices and persuade them to give up their own rights and protections. It’s horrendous.
These people including the British press were also ignorant of the fact that large-scale Russian investments in London by Russian oligarchs were the first step to drive Brexit and influence British politics to further drift away from common ground with EU-Europeans! See RUSSIAN REPORT!
Unfortunately, many people voted for Brexit. Thinking that Trump is a viable leader is an easy next step from that, as demonstrated by support for the laughably unqualified Farage.
I'm a big Labour supporter but Starmer is not cutting the mustard.
Time now for a vision of EU - USA.
Time to call out Brexit & take on the right-wing media.
Softly softly catchy no monkey.
We need Corbyn's vision without the Soviet love-in.
Personally the Corbyn GE manifesto I thought was good.
It was aspects of him, such as (particularly) the unwillingness to fight wars. I'm not sure he's a pacifist but wanting peace and being willing to fight for it are my preference to letting war mongers have their way.
Corbyn was the first in Labour to refuse to stand against Brexit. As a younger politician he opposed joining the union. He weakened us as much as Johnson by leaving it up to the Lib Dems to resist rather than uniting in a coalition to take the country and stop this bullshit idea that ruined us.
Sorry, but that is nonsense. It was the Lib Dem refusing to acknowledge Corbyn as the se facto leader of the (majority) opposition to Johnson after he prorogued Parliament, which allowed the Tories to rush through the disastrous Brexit “deal” and win the 2019 election. Disastrous all round.
We're simply talking to ourselves in our progressive echo chambers. How do we change the situation though? Who/what is needed to rip the scales from peoples eyes to the realities of the populist agenda?
Sadly, I don't see Labour doing anything to fix it whilst they have the opportunity.
I think we can help by challenging & talking to as many people as possible ¬ joining in criticism of KS ..the gov has to govern in this very dangerous context whilst managing the constant media attacks. Naga M was shocking yest.
As policies begin to make a difference I hope people may realise
Trump’s tariffs are an attempt to weaken the rest of world because he knows that the USA can be self sufficient, even if it means much pain to underprivileged people. He sees himself as the dictator of the world.
How can the US be self-sufficient? It does not produce enough educated people, lumber, metals, rare earth elements, the right kind of oil--or even enough food -- for its current needs. What kind of 'self-sufficient' US are you envisaging?
US alienating Europe is a possibility for the latter to reassess its strategic interests, whether they be in global politics or trade deals with emerging economies. It's allegiance to NATO and the US may have been hampering more productive ways to secure its position on the world stage.
This is, I think, the crux of what we need to understand. Fighting individual battles only expends energy; their stances aren’t ultimately ideological—they’re about increasing power. Our response shouldn’t be outrage, but 'yes, we expected that.' The real struggle is against the power grab itself.
#4. They don't care one jot and it's staggering how overt they are about that.
Of course Putin and Xi Jinping wanted to destabilise Europe, and weaken America, but I wonder if they are beginning to think that the beasts they unleashed to do this are spiralling out of control?
Yes agreed, but Trump is deliberately attacking the EU because of his jealousy and deep grudge he has towards its success and regulatory framework. He’s a vindictive narcissist (possibly solipsist)
We, the innocent civilians in Europe don't matter. The Fascist overlords reckon they can lose a lot of us, if the goal is to win the game show.
That's all it is to Trump. It's "The Traitors", except that getting a letter to say they killed you is replaced by actual death and/or major suffering.
He is acting like a reckless tycoon CEO - „offering“ to get 50% of Ukraine’s mineral resources e.g. - „dealing“, bluffkng, winning over other countries / presidents / parlaments
His direct finacial profits are his main motivation - but how to investigate these fast enough…?
😩😰
#3. As well as chaos, Trump loves hurting those less wealthy than himself. Rocket those basic necessities prices right up - it'll kill off the poor. He sees us all as filth because we're not rich. But if we were all as wealthy & squanderous, this planet would have long been drained to nothing.
Disagree. To me it's pretty clear it will transpire Trump is under the control of and/ or influence of Putin. As was Boris Johnson. The power alliances are already set in place, not being transformed.
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." (I mean, we can spend the days debating the causes. The result is the same.)
Thanks for explaining that to me. It actually makes a big difference. And yes agreed, stupid puppets whose shame makes them malleable and whose conditioned ability to make them able to bully psychopathically makes them useful. More than one thing can be true at the same time.
There's a distinct streak in this (obviously Musk but the oligarch line of shame at the Inauguration was another clue) that some hyper-wealthy saw what happened in Putins Russia and decided they wanted that, but the power to throw people out of windows should be theirs; Trump is an ideal vehicle.
They perceive Europe as a socialist bloc that respects international law, so they have common cause to weaken, fragment and destroy it. Expect cracks to show in broader European unity, as UK, France, Germany and former Soviet states draw closer together.
#2. Trump and Musk's actions don't just harm Europe, they are destroying America - it leaves me wondering if one of their next moves could be... and it's previously unthinkable... selling US arms to Russia?
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It's a dangerous idea dampening resistance.
European unity (UK included) is essential. Ukraine is just the beginning. If we don't hold the line there, Russian/US aggression will only spread.
Europe has fab oil/gas supplies off East Med coast, & from ressource rich 🇷🇺 & Iran, as neighbours. False friend🇺🇸 created border & economic insecurity for Europe to stops it from ever benefiting from this.
It was a criminally procured result to destabilise the West and it's worked!
#BrexitTrumpRussia
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/700005
Time now for a vision of EU - USA.
Time to call out Brexit & take on the right-wing media.
Softly softly catchy no monkey.
We need Corbyn's vision without the Soviet love-in.
It was aspects of him, such as (particularly) the unwillingness to fight wars. I'm not sure he's a pacifist but wanting peace and being willing to fight for it are my preference to letting war mongers have their way.
Sadly, I don't see Labour doing anything to fix it whilst they have the opportunity.
As policies begin to make a difference I hope people may realise
Trump’s tariffs are an attempt to weaken the rest of world because he knows that the USA can be self sufficient, even if it means much pain to underprivileged people. He sees himself as the dictator of the world.
Of course Putin and Xi Jinping wanted to destabilise Europe, and weaken America, but I wonder if they are beginning to think that the beasts they unleashed to do this are spiralling out of control?
That's all it is to Trump. It's "The Traitors", except that getting a letter to say they killed you is replaced by actual death and/or major suffering.
His direct finacial profits are his main motivation - but how to investigate these fast enough…?
😩😰