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You're witnessing the collapse of American soft power, economic power, and our transition to an authoritarian isolationist state. Some of us accept it while oth

You're witnessing the collapse of American soft power, economic power, and our transition to an authoritarian isolationist state. Some of us accept it while others still have to grasp the situation. The death of the post cold war neoliberal world order and the death of the American century. to be replaced by... ?

nxm 2y ago
[flagged]
- wombatpm 2y ago
  Are we giving up our bases? Sending all personnel home, disbanding some brigades or a fleet? No? Then we are not saving any tax dollars. We’ve just made it more expensive to maintain our global empire.
- cbg0 2y ago
  Europe has always been willing to defend itself, but the US had interests in keeping EU dependent on the US for defense; It was a win-win because US could keep their large global sphere of influence and the EU could spend money on other things to benefit its citizens. The EU will soon announce major defense spending in partnership with the UK, and the US' large sphere of influence, as well as America's superpower status will continue to decline. Whether that's good or bad is yet to be seen, but the world will rebalance itself - China is already throwing money at places where USAID is no longer present to expand their influence.
BLKNSLVR 2y ago
The thing that I find strange about it is that it's being pursued actively, from the inside, as opposed to it being forced on them by an stringer outside force (ie. China). The US has chosen to retract from it's global power and influence. Mind-blowing, except, kinda-sorta, for the fact that the effort is helmed by a (short-term thinking) businessman rather than a seasoned politician with familiarity with, or even the ability to consider, long term consequences of actions and decisions and the interplay of other countries and their leaders.
- consteval 2y ago
  Nearly every decision made since the late seventies has been with the intention of making the most money in the shortest amount of time. Not just in government. In everyday people’s lives, in companies. And it always fails long term. We lose so, so much and then we just ignore it and do it again. We’re getting to a point where we don’t even remember where we started. This has been a long time coming, IMO. You can only be selfish for so long before you implode. If everyone is selfish, you’re living on borrowed time.
- daveguy 2y ago
  Oh, Russia is still the outside force pulling Trump's puppet strings. They just did such a good propaganda job with "Russia Russia Russia" that people are afraid to say it.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
Hikikomori 2y ago
Based on trump's wants around Canada and Greenland it doesn't sound like you'll be very isolationist, more like a bully.
refurb 2y ago
[flagged]
- intermerda 2y ago
  Agreed. Chamberlain used Britain's soft power for world peace with great effect.
  - refurb 2y ago
    You can't cherry pick one example and ignore all the times choosing war was the wrong choice - Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Libya, Iraq 2, Somalia, Afghanistan, Panama, Grenada, Syria, Lebanon, Dominican Republic. But yeah, good point about Germany!
- twixfel 2y ago
  It’s lost all respect from its allies and its enemies are excited at the new world order that has been built. Frankly I had admired the US my whole life and I now detest it and want Western civilisation to shun it completely.
- jsiepkes 2y ago
  If by "resolving" a war you mean forcing the victim into a surrender and making the agressor a victor than sure. You seem to forget the obligations the US has when they signed (and made Ukraine sign) the Budapest memorandum. In which Ukraine gave up the world's third largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for protection of their sovereignty. The US since 2014 (invasion of Crimea) failed to uphold their part of the deal.
  - csomar 2y ago
    You know Ukraine could have sided with Russia and avoided this saga the whole time, right? The real victim are the Ukrainians that had the suffer this war because Zelinski and their deep state sold the country to Biden’s team interests. As a civilian, I’d rather live in an authoritarian and peaceful Russia than a war torn Ukraine where I am forced to be drafted. But hey, that’s just me.
dangjc 2y ago
China will benefit the most from this. Europe has zero interest in backing up the US in a fight for Pacific dominance. Good luck trying to form a trading block that excludes China now.
lyu07282 2y ago
I think this is exactly right, but very discordian. It shouldn't happen, it makes no sense. No country in the world has benefited more from the post cold war, neoliberal world order, than the US. It's the very foundation of all of America's wealth and power. It makes zero sense why the imperialist-core would willingly step down from it's bloody iron throne it has worked for 80 years to create for itself. What was the point of it all then? All the wars, all the coups, all the covert-action, all the forced liberalization, the neocolonialism and the establishment of the liberal world order? If this is genuinely what is happening, this can only be some sort of hostile takeover enabled by the legitimate grievances in the domestic depoliticized populations. Neoliberalism made itself vulnerable to be destroyed from within, it's greed went too far, the inequities to much to be sustainable, the post-political ideology became so extreme that it forgot the old lessons of empire, bread and circuses. Or as Merkel and Thatcher said, "There is no alternative". Wanna bet?

nxm 2y ago

[flagged]

wombatpm 2y ago
Are we giving up our bases? Sending all personnel home, disbanding some brigades or a fleet? No? Then we are not saving any tax dollars. We’ve just made it more expensive to maintain our global empire.
cbg0 2y ago
Europe has always been willing to defend itself, but the US had interests in keeping EU dependent on the US for defense; It was a win-win because US could keep their large global sphere of influence and the EU could spend money on other things to benefit its citizens. The EU will soon announce major defense spending in partnership with the UK, and the US' large sphere of influence, as well as America's superpower status will continue to decline. Whether that's good or bad is yet to be seen, but the world will rebalance itself - China is already throwing money at places where USAID is no longer present to expand their influence.

BLKNSLVR 2y ago

The thing that I find strange about it is that it's being pursued actively, from the inside, as opposed to it being forced on them by an stringer outside force (ie. China). The US has chosen to retract from it's global power and influence. Mind-blowing, except, kinda-sorta, for the fact that the effort is helmed by a (short-term thinking) businessman rather than a seasoned politician with familiarity with, or even the ability to consider, long term consequences of actions and decisions and the interplay of other countries and their leaders.

consteval 2y ago
Nearly every decision made since the late seventies has been with the intention of making the most money in the shortest amount of time. Not just in government. In everyday people’s lives, in companies. And it always fails long term. We lose so, so much and then we just ignore it and do it again. We’re getting to a point where we don’t even remember where we started. This has been a long time coming, IMO. You can only be selfish for so long before you implode. If everyone is selfish, you’re living on borrowed time.
daveguy 2y ago
Oh, Russia is still the outside force pulling Trump's puppet strings. They just did such a good propaganda job with "Russia Russia Russia" that people are afraid to say it.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]

Hikikomori 2y ago

Based on trump's wants around Canada and Greenland it doesn't sound like you'll be very isolationist, more like a bully.

refurb 2y ago

[flagged]

intermerda 2y ago
Agreed. Chamberlain used Britain's soft power for world peace with great effect.
- refurb 2y ago
  You can't cherry pick one example and ignore all the times choosing war was the wrong choice - Vietnam, Cambodia, Iran, Libya, Iraq 2, Somalia, Afghanistan, Panama, Grenada, Syria, Lebanon, Dominican Republic. But yeah, good point about Germany!
twixfel 2y ago
It’s lost all respect from its allies and its enemies are excited at the new world order that has been built. Frankly I had admired the US my whole life and I now detest it and want Western civilisation to shun it completely.
jsiepkes 2y ago
If by "resolving" a war you mean forcing the victim into a surrender and making the agressor a victor than sure. You seem to forget the obligations the US has when they signed (and made Ukraine sign) the Budapest memorandum. In which Ukraine gave up the world's third largest nuclear arsenal in exchange for protection of their sovereignty. The US since 2014 (invasion of Crimea) failed to uphold their part of the deal.
- csomar 2y ago
  You know Ukraine could have sided with Russia and avoided this saga the whole time, right? The real victim are the Ukrainians that had the suffer this war because Zelinski and their deep state sold the country to Biden’s team interests. As a civilian, I’d rather live in an authoritarian and peaceful Russia than a war torn Ukraine where I am forced to be drafted. But hey, that’s just me.

dangjc 2y ago

China will benefit the most from this. Europe has zero interest in backing up the US in a fight for Pacific dominance. Good luck trying to form a trading block that excludes China now.

lyu07282 2y ago

I think this is exactly right, but very discordian. It shouldn't happen, it makes no sense. No country in the world has benefited more from the post cold war, neoliberal world order, than the US. It's the very foundation of all of America's wealth and power. It makes zero sense why the imperialist-core would willingly step down from it's bloody iron throne it has worked for 80 years to create for itself. What was the point of it all then? All the wars, all the coups, all the covert-action, all the forced liberalization, the neocolonialism and the establishment of the liberal world order? If this is genuinely what is happening, this can only be some sort of hostile takeover enabled by the legitimate grievances in the domestic depoliticized populations. Neoliberalism made itself vulnerable to be destroyed from within, it's greed went too far, the inequities to much to be sustainable, the post-political ideology became so extreme that it forgot the old lessons of empire, bread and circuses. Or as Merkel and Thatcher said, "There is no alternative". Wanna bet?