Allies Start Planning a Life Without America - NYT Editorial Board

[DonViejo]

Many governments must be thinking along the same lines, but few have spelled it out so clearly. Germany did, when Chancellor Angela Merkel said, “The times in which we could rely fully on others — they are somewhat over.” Now Canada, a country tightly bound to its neighbor by history, alliance and the longest border in the world, has declared the need to recognize that the United States is relinquishing its role as the “indispensable nation.”

“The fact that our friend and ally has come to question the very worth of its mantle of global leadership puts into sharper focus the need for the rest of us to set our own clear and sovereign course,” Canada’s foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, told her Parliament this month.

Ms. Freeland never mentioned Donald Trump. That wouldn’t be diplomatic. But every line of her speech before a silent House of Commons was clearly about a world order thrown into crisis as President Trump scoffs at trade agreements, hectors allies, rips up the landmark Paris climate accord and otherwise demonstrates disdain for anything that isn’t “America First.” Canada’s course, Ms. Freeland said, would be the opposite of Canada First; it would be “the renewal, indeed the strengthening, of the postwar multilateral order.”

On the face of it, for Canada and other NATO members to increase their military spending, and in general for Western nations to assume more of the responsibilities borne for the past seven decades by the United States, has long been the goal of United States administrations — including those, like the Obama administration, with a far more global outlook. NATO has asked members to spend 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. The United States spends over 3 percent, and Canada spends a tad over 1 percent. If getting allies to take on more responsibility were President Trump’s real goal, Canada’s stance would be a commendable result.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/17/opinion/sunday/allies-start-planning-a-life-without-america.html

[weydowner]

1. First Bush Jnr, now this.

Is there a secret desire in US hearts that Donald will continue for the next near 4 years? With the daily scandals and outrages and general air of sleaziness and lack of morality? If you - as a country - are unable to get rid of him, (by legal means preferably) then you can keep him and deserve to keep him.
Somehow I doubt that he will make a triumphant World Tour; he might have an approval of 40% in the US but he might find that figure plummet abroad, even amongst real politicians. If he came to stay with the Queen there would be a republican (small R please, - it used to be a respectable word once until usurped by the US Confederacy Of Dunces) backlash against her and her whole growing family.

All this x 100 if he gets his second term.