A Trump Foreign Policy Thread

They try to export their bloodshed, we respond by exporting our law and order.

Of concern (to say the least) to those of us living in Taiwan…

“Steve Bannon: ‘We’re going to war in the South China Sea … no doubt’”

It’s noteworthy that he felt confident making these predictions long before knowing who the next President would be. But it’s still at least marginally on topic, now that we know who’s going to be dealing with the wars when they come.

Really, he didn’t need to know who the next President would be. He knew who the last one was, and that’s all the information he needed.

Just like the immigration thing: if it doesn’t go well it’s Obama’s fault, and if it does go well it’s thanks to the Donald’s awesomeness. :smile:

(This is not a comment on American politics, just on your debating style.)

I don’t understand your comment and I’m trying, but maybe I’m missing something,

How is immigration doing well with Trump now? And how is the China island situation going well with Trump now?

The simple present is not strictly bound to the actual present.

Scenario 1:
Protests etc. aside, no incident occurs that anyone can reasonably connect with the immigration ban. Rowland gives Trump 100% credit for saving the world.

Scenario 2:
An incident occurs with people from countries other than the seven “New & Improved Axis of Evil ™” countries. Anti-Trumpists say this proves Trump was wrong. Rowland blames Obama.

Scenario 3:
War does not break out in the SCS. Rowland gives Trump 100% credit for saving the world.

Scenario 4:
War breaks out in the SCS. Rowland blames Obama.

This is the best strawman since Wizard of Oz.

“Heads Trump wins, tails Obama loses.”

Best strawman indeed!

He’s got enough trouble already…

Still some negotiating to do:

While the press are babbling excitedly over utter bullshit, this is happening:

https://www.yahoo.com/news/saudi-king-slams-iran-spearhead-global-terrorism-145711070.html

Meet the new cold war, same as the old cold war.

No, I don’t trust the Saudis. Let’s see if they stay bought.

Given that fifteen of the nineteen September 11th hijackers were from Iran, Iran is the epicenter of Wahhabism, the primary funding source for Al Qaeda and ISIS is Iran, Osama bin Laden was Iranian and Iranians have carried out numerous terrorist attacks in the West the king of Saudi Arabia is justified in calling Iran the spearhead of global terrorism.

The point is, there aren’t any good guys in that crowd. We’re setting bad guys against each other. That’s fine, so long as we never lose track of the reality. If we do lose sight, we can be tempted into loyalty, and loyalty won’t be reciprocated.

Right now Iran is by far the greater imminent threat. Twenty years down the road, who can say?

Once the Taliban were freedom fighters helping to bring down the Soviet empire. Then they were something else. We use these people at our peril.

There is an opportunity right now to bring about major changes in Saudi Arabia. Low oil prices have made the society vulnerable. But there’s more than one direction they could go.

Where’d you come up with Iran’s link to Wahhabism? You are so wrong.
And the same with Osama bin Laden being Iranian. Get your facts straight.

From wikipedia on Wahhabism and thousands of other sites:

The alliance between followers of ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad bin Saud’s successors (the House of Saud) proved to be a durable one. The House of Saud continued to maintain its politico-religious alliance with the Wahhabi sect through the waxing and waning of its own political fortunes over the next 150 years, through to its eventual proclamation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932, and then afterwards, on into modern times.

From wikipedia and thousands of other sites on Osama bin Laden:

Usama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden] was the founder of al-Qaeda, the organization that was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States, along with numerous other mass-casualty attacks worldwide.[8][9][10] He was a Saudi Arabian, a member of the wealthy bin Laden family, and an ethnic Yemeni Kindite.[11]

Bin Laden was born to the family of billionaire Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden in Saudi Arabia.

Dude, he was being sarcastic.

He’s a bit clumsy at it.

Fair enough. I’ll give him credit for knowing the correct facts.

I have a Taiwanese friend who visited Iran in the early 1990s while living/working in KSA during that same time. He agreed (with me) that, given the choice between the two, he’d take Iranians over the Saudis any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

Twenty years down the road the real evil in the Axis of Evil, the one which is still technically at war with the U.S., will have ICBM’s capable of making good on its oft repeated threats to wipe Guam, Hawaii, Anchorage, New York City and Washington DC off the face of the earth. Meanwhile no one can even remember the last time in history that the “by far the greater imminent threat” actually launched a military attack against one of its neighbors. I think it was when George Washington was president.

Triangulation elucidated:

The Saudis genuinely fear Iran. Saudis are Sunni and Iran is Shia. Not only that Iranians aren’t even Arabs, they are Persians.

Saudia Arabia wasn’t happy about Obama giving Iran nuclear weapons, they felt he was quite reckless in that, and this affects them unduly. They are quite relieved by Trump.