5 ms·

A possibly highly irrational US president in a world where other US ground conflicts are winding down? I wonder this too. I expect we won't really know until we

A possibly highly irrational US president in a world where other US ground conflicts are winding down? I wonder this too. I expect we won't really know until we have a decade or two of hindsight to try to understand.

fahadkhan 8y ago
Let's hope Trump weakening the US politically and economically plays out well for the world.
- smhost 8y ago
  It won't, because America has a habit of doing American things whenever it has too much economic anxiety.
  - cvwright 8y ago
    What are these "American things" that we do when we have economic anxiety? Electing our first black president after the great financial crisis? Bailing Europe out of WW2 after the depression?
- rdtsc 8y ago
  > Let's hope Trump weakening the US politically and economically plays out well for the world. Well even CNN gave him credit for getting the two Koreas to talk and possibly end the 70 year old war: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/world/korea-summit-kang-kyung-wha-amanpour-intl/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/world/korea-summit-kang-kyung... "Clearly, credit goes to President Trump," Kang told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Seoul. "He's been determined to come to grips with this from day one." So in this case political "weakness" does seem to play well for the world?
ropeadopepope 8y ago
Is it possible he's not highly irrational at all and you're projecting your own fears onto him?
- nlh 8y ago
  It is possible, but extremely unlikely given the evidence.
  - cvwright 8y ago
    They said the same thing about Reagan, and he brought down the Soviets in a similar way. It seems that no amount of evidence is enough for some people.
    - bjourne 8y ago
      Reagan didn't: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/lets-please-stop-crediting-ronald-reagan-for-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/262647/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/le... The SU was brought down by Gorbachev, economic stagnation, the Afghan war and alcoholism -- not Reagan.
    - Clubber 8y ago
      Ya Reagan just took credit for it. They took down the wall 2 years after his "tear down this wall speech." It's a myth.
    - paulie_a 8y ago
      Reagan didn't. The Soviet Union crashed their own empire. This myth of him being a fiscal conservative while outspending the ussr on misguided military programs is something that needs to go away.
  - ConceptJunkie 8y ago
    If you ignore his tweeting, which frankly, is embarrassing more than it's informative, and get your news from somewhere other than CNN, you might realize that Trump's actually getting a lot of good stuff done.
  - ropeadopepope 8y ago
    You mean evidence like this? "South Korea’s Foreign Minister tells me in Seoul that “clearly credit goes to President Trump” for bringing North Korea to the negotiating table." https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/989423486438379520 https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/989423486438379520 --- Some more evidence, this time of fear and projection: "Why Kanye West's Pro-Trump Tweets Are a Real Threat" https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-kanye-wests-pro-trump-tweets-are-a-real-threat-w519572 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-kanye-wests-pro-...
nailer 8y ago
Trump confronted Kim, which was different, whether you think that was rational or not really depends on whether you think that was dangerous or stupid or a reasonable response to someone threatening the US.
rdtsc 8y ago
Irrational behavior from world leaders can be effective. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory Not saying this is going on necessary, but from the game theoretic point of view it makes sense.
- carapace 8y ago
  M.A.D. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
- ForRealsies 8y ago
  aka How North Korean leaders have acted for self-preservation. Act crazy, and people respect you. Trump's crazy tweets are incredibly persuasive in this realm.
- stcredzero 8y ago
  Trump has been talking to Kissinger quite a bit.

fahadkhan 8y ago

Let's hope Trump weakening the US politically and economically plays out well for the world.

smhost 8y ago
It won't, because America has a habit of doing American things whenever it has too much economic anxiety.
- cvwright 8y ago
  What are these "American things" that we do when we have economic anxiety? Electing our first black president after the great financial crisis? Bailing Europe out of WW2 after the depression?
rdtsc 8y ago
> Let's hope Trump weakening the US politically and economically plays out well for the world. Well even CNN gave him credit for getting the two Koreas to talk and possibly end the 70 year old war: https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/world/korea-summit-kang-kyung-wha-amanpour-intl/index.html https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/26/world/korea-summit-kang-kyung... "Clearly, credit goes to President Trump," Kang told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in Seoul. "He's been determined to come to grips with this from day one." So in this case political "weakness" does seem to play well for the world?

ropeadopepope 8y ago

Is it possible he's not highly irrational at all and you're projecting your own fears onto him?

nlh 8y ago
It is possible, but extremely unlikely given the evidence.
- cvwright 8y ago
  They said the same thing about Reagan, and he brought down the Soviets in a similar way. It seems that no amount of evidence is enough for some people.
  - bjourne 8y ago
    Reagan didn't: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/lets-please-stop-crediting-ronald-reagan-for-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall/262647/ https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/09/le... The SU was brought down by Gorbachev, economic stagnation, the Afghan war and alcoholism -- not Reagan.
  - Clubber 8y ago
    Ya Reagan just took credit for it. They took down the wall 2 years after his "tear down this wall speech." It's a myth.
  - paulie_a 8y ago
    Reagan didn't. The Soviet Union crashed their own empire. This myth of him being a fiscal conservative while outspending the ussr on misguided military programs is something that needs to go away.
- ConceptJunkie 8y ago
  If you ignore his tweeting, which frankly, is embarrassing more than it's informative, and get your news from somewhere other than CNN, you might realize that Trump's actually getting a lot of good stuff done.
- ropeadopepope 8y ago
  You mean evidence like this? "South Korea’s Foreign Minister tells me in Seoul that “clearly credit goes to President Trump” for bringing North Korea to the negotiating table." https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/989423486438379520 https://twitter.com/camanpour/status/989423486438379520 --- Some more evidence, this time of fear and projection: "Why Kanye West's Pro-Trump Tweets Are a Real Threat" https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-kanye-wests-pro-trump-tweets-are-a-real-threat-w519572 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/why-kanye-wests-pro-...

nailer 8y ago

Trump confronted Kim, which was different, whether you think that was rational or not really depends on whether you think that was dangerous or stupid or a reasonable response to someone threatening the US.

rdtsc 8y ago

Irrational behavior from world leaders can be effective. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory Not saying this is going on necessary, but from the game theoretic point of view it makes sense.

carapace 8y ago
M.A.D. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mutual_assured_destruction
ForRealsies 8y ago
aka How North Korean leaders have acted for self-preservation. Act crazy, and people respect you. Trump's crazy tweets are incredibly persuasive in this realm.
stcredzero 8y ago
Trump has been talking to Kissinger quite a bit.