American economic power depends greatly on soft power and reliability as an ally who doesn't bully, lie, and demand obsequiousness. The Trump-Musk duo have greatly eroded the fundamental bases of America's long-term success in 2 short mths. America will gradually find itself abandoned and replaced. - ThreadSky

popovaprof.bsky.social • 28 days ago

American economic power depends greatly on soft power and reliability as an ally who doesn't bully, lie, and demand obsequiousness. The Trump-Musk duo have greatly eroded the fundamental bases of America's long-term success in 2 short mths. America will gradually find itself abandoned and replaced.

Reposted from The Verge

Starlink competition is ramping up in Ukraine

Comments

restlessalbatross.bsky.social•28 days ago

Weak, incompetent, small-minded men don't understand soft power. They think power means being a bully and pushing everyone around. They are destroyers. It's all they understand, and all they're capable of. They prove their unworthiness for power with every petty moment in which they wield it.

saltyfrenchy.bsky.social•28 days ago

More than just losing their leadership, Trump's actions have directly fed the need to find alternatives (downgraded weapons, suspension of starlink in Ukr, etc).
For the US military industrial complex a president no longer willing to even pretend to support his customers is a major issue

popovaprof.bsky.social•28 days ago

Yes

lbloom.bsky.social•28 days ago

That sounds bleak and hyperbolic, but that is because it represents a historical disruption and nuclear age/Information Age regression to the exercise of raw state power and autocratic or at least authoritarian rule

lbloom.bsky.social•28 days ago

… none of this matters to Trump. They are are replaced by the whims and capriciousness and self- serving rationalizations of a criminally deranged mafia boss who will take everything he wants and is able get to increase his power, personal wealth, etc. to satiate his megalomaniacal needs and demands

popovaprof.bsky.social•28 days ago

Yes. But it's going to bite him eventually. The Economist's latest cover is spot on:

lbloom.bsky.social•28 days ago

The hope is Trump will have been a singularly charismatic avatar of/for these forces — and they die with him or dissipate when he leaves office at some point. The fusion of post- humanist (accelerationist) technologism and neo- fascism will likely survive him and mutate into any number of dystopias

lbloom.bsky.social•28 days ago

Values, principles, norms, institutions, laws , agreements, contracts, treaties that inform consistent, stable reliable behaviour and structure the foundations of trust, loyalty, reciprocity, mutual respect, certainty and predictability, friendship and partnership, freedom and prosperity…

williamfergie.bsky.social•28 days ago

Excellent point about reliability and comity. Trump & Musk simply don't understand these things, probably due to some psychological / moral deficit. _Very_ happy to see alternatives to Starlink on the horizon.

felinesareperfect.bsky.social•28 days ago

Just in case? Come on, EU, even a blind cockroach can see where this is going. With Trump as far up Putin's ass as he is, you (I am really, really sorry to say) cannot depend on us, the USA. You got to arm yourselves to the teeth, or freedom will die in this world. It is up to you, this time.

bjornfagerstedt.bsky.social•28 days ago

The headline is wrong. It's not "just in case".

mullinshere.bsky.social•28 days ago

Obviously I'm not happy that will happen to us, but I'm all for Ukraine and Europe finding an alternative to Starlink. I've been advocating that since Musk turned up on the election trail.

guybaddis.bsky.social•28 days ago

I'm not sure about "replaced," but definitely abandoned.

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