Although Pres. Trump's behavior seems erratic on matters foreign policy, he is in fact remarkably consistent. He sees himself as a great peacemaker (same as a great dealmaker, really: When nations make deals, they make peace.) Previously, he sided with Netanyahu to protect Israel from proxy wars with Iran (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis). So Israel's military decimated Hamas and Hezbollah, and the US decimated the Houthis, all to the point that Iran and its proxies now want peace. So Trump is willing to deal with them. However it is Netanyahu who now wants to make war, so Pres. Trump has cut him out. Pres. Trump is always on the side of those who want peace, and opposes those who want to make war (and there are plenty of warmongers at home and abroad).
I think you have this all backwards. Joel. Yes, Trump's behavior is erratic on foreign policy, he has too many neocons and warmongers among his cabinet. Israel's military, despite the billions of dollars in aid and military hardware, has not defeated anyone. Yes, it's Netanyahoo who wants war as do many of Trump's neocons, but we are seeing some pull back, not because Israel/USA is winning, but rather the genocide committed by Israel is tainting our country and a pullback is necessary to find a path to peace before it escalates further. Ultimately Trump and many in his cabinet want to profit in the middle east and secure the scarce resources of gas and oil while getting the American tax payer to fund development of Gaza for the wealthy among them Fink, Schwarzman and Karp.
A rather cynical view, I must say, although we do not totally disagree. I'm sure the warmongers in his cabinet are most disappointed in his snubbing of Netanyahu. Besides, nobody knows better than Trump how gas and oil are not scarce. Trump also understands that war generates poverty, whereas peace enables prosperity--for all concerned.
It was time to snub Netanyahoo, he's a zealot and a supremacist. Gas and oil are like rare earth metals and they are considered scarce resources, not every nation has them. These are natural resources always listed as scarce and in times of trouble there will always be a scramble for scarce resources. Econ 101. Another resource that appears in abundance but is actually becoming scarce is farm land. Rich soil produces an abundance of food. Ukraine is a land of rich soil. War? Yes, war generates poverty and wealth, but peace can provide more prosperity and for some an abundance of wealth. That's not cynical, that's a fact.
" Yes, war generates poverty and wealth, but peace can provide more prosperity and for some an abundance of wealth. That's not cynical, that's a fact." Correct, in that that is not cynical. The cynicism is the impugning of evil motives to anyone, without true knowledge of their motives. But oil and gas are certainly not scarce resources--certainly not in America (and lets not forget coal, of which we have enough to supply our needs for at least 2 centuries.) Ever notice how, the deeper we dig, the more natural gas (methane) we find? That's because it is not really a fossil fuel. Rather, the planet is made of it (though to a lesser extent than the gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune). And as for farm land, the various "green revolutions" have enabled farms to produce almost incalculable abundance.
Do the math: check out how many billions of bushels of corn and soybeans and other crops the US alone produces for a planet with only 7 billion plus inhabitants. But somehow the Western world is still stuck (after almost 200 years!) on the bad thinking of Thomas Malthus. Bad thinking leads to bad politics, and to war and famine. Good thinking leads to peace and prosperity.
I don't think I am impugning anyone. Motives have been very clear.
Ok, here's a text book created response:
"Scarce resources are limited supplies of goods or services that are in high demand, meaning there is not enough to satisfy everyone's wants. Examples include freshwater, fossil fuels, and arable land, which are all essential for various human activities but are becoming increasingly depleted."
This is widely accepted however, I am intrigued by your position that resources such as gas and oil are plentiful.. I had espoused a similar concept myself and still feel there's truth to that. However; for this argument and for the text book example I cited, there are more who believe these resources are scarce. What I think is the vast resources that exist like oil and gas have been extracted with the cheapest (easiest to extract have been found and they become increasingly more expensive to find and extract.
Climate change mania has a deleterious effect on land resources for farming and as such attempts are made to sequester farm land by putting it in government or private hands of the ultra wealthy making these resources scarce for the average person. Consequently it becomes more valuable and less available. For example people like multi-billionaire Bill Gates have been acquiring vast tracts of high qualify farm land. why? Blackrock and AG giants, like Cargill are after the farm land of Ukraine, why?
"there are more who believe these resources (gas and oil) are scarce." True, but Donald Trump is not one of them, and we are beginning to see how his point of view is more important than anyone else's (Thank God!). And Trump also does not subscribe to "climate change mania". It could be said that Donald Trump practices the politics of plenty, as opposed to the prevailing politics of paucity. The latter produces fear and envy and conflict, all based on a false point of view about the abundance of resources.
For example, you also say: "What I think is the vast resources that exist like oil and gas have been extracted with the cheapest (easiest to extract have been found and they become increasingly more expensive to find and extract."
Well, look how fracking and horizontal drilling have made oil and gas much easier and cheaper to extract, and the various "green revolutions" I mentioned make the earth produce much more abundantly. So technology has disproven that thesis. It's really all about perception.
Of course, everyone recognizes that there are "haves" and "have nots", and the socialists and communists believe that government's job is to redistribute the wealth. But, since no process is 100% efficient, redistribution necessarily depletes wealth, so you get entire once wealthy nations (e.g., Venezuela) impoverished rather quickly. But the capitalist system not only redistributes wealth, but increases it. Take "multi-billionaire" Bill Gates. How did he get so rich? By making everyone else rich! Look how much wealth the personal computer has brought to millions of people by increasing their productivity exponentially. Gates may not be using his wealth wisely, but that is another matter. So it is trade that not only works to equalize the wealth of the haves and the have nots, but which actually generates more wealth. While politicians have habitually talked about peace and prosperity, they rarely bring it about, even when they are well-intentioned, because they do not understand the principles. Trump is different, because he does understand. Watch how every action he takes is designed to expand peace and prosperity.
No, Trump does the right thing... The events are what they are. Trump wants to do right by Israel, but he won't do so at the cost of his integrity... Nope not gonna happen. Israel had better wise up and realize you can't play around with the American people as they have with impunity. That Pooh ain't gonna fly anymore. It's time to toe the line and come correct. Period.
I doubt this is a long-term break-up; Trump has shown extreme support for Israel. But Netanyahu needs to rein it in a bit, and I believe this is just that - a tightening of the reins, but not a sale of the team.
Duly note, however, that Larry Fink is in Trump's tour group in the Arabian nations. A breakup with Netanyahu does not mean Trump is now an antisemite.
This ostensible cooling does give Israel a free-hand to destroy Hamass and the Hezbo's, while giving Trump & Co plausible deniability. I'm less concerned about the Saudi's having nuclear power-domestically BUT, the entirety of the Emirates all ship money to terror proxies which has resulted in numerous American casualties so, I'm happy starving ALL of them of many things. If they ate an errant cruise missile that took out some more Hamass-sympathetic pricks, I wouldn't shed a tear. BUT, the projection of US POWER worldwide calls for (friendly) landing strips & ports in nasty but accessible areas. Personally, NONE of them are trustworthy, some much less than others. A messy world and few years of BIG Stick Republicanism to go around.
Do you not know that Israel and the USA both fund terrorists in the region for the purpose of creating chaos and plausible deniability about the genocide they have been committing? Projecting power is the problem. We should be projecting peace and prosperity for all, that is our mission, not destroying other people.
It’s a big world out there. Trump has to balance many forces. I’ll continue to trust him until he shows me by word and deeds that I shouldn’t. Tea leaf reading and trouble making from articles like this one serve no useful purpose
We must maintain a strong relationship with Israel. It's not just "another country in the Middle East." It's impossible to understand Israel and her place in the world, without Biblical revelation around such texts as Genesis 12:1-3 et al. I am very concerned that Trump is not taking Israel's peril seriously. Israel sees with unique eyes because they are the target of 22 Islamic nations and then some. I'm not saying we need to do "everything Israel and Netanyahu want," but I am saying we don't need to hang them out to dry. We don't need to ditch them or kick them to the curb. We need to continue to strategize with them on how to handle the big boys with big bombs. They are sharper on handling terror than we are, for sure. Netanyahu wrote the book on it. I'm also not in any way opposed to Trump making deals as Joel B. said. He's awesome at that. I also wonder if Trump is feigning offense with Israel just to make some points with some Islamic states.
Just going to leave the clean up to Israel. Trump only here four years, Israel has to plan the next hundred. No way they’ll let Iran get a nuke. That would be suicide. Why is Iran’s nuclear program 350 ft under ground and why the nuke grade enrichment if it’s just for peaceful purposes . Can’t trust them, do it now.
Although Pres. Trump's behavior seems erratic on matters foreign policy, he is in fact remarkably consistent. He sees himself as a great peacemaker (same as a great dealmaker, really: When nations make deals, they make peace.) Previously, he sided with Netanyahu to protect Israel from proxy wars with Iran (Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis). So Israel's military decimated Hamas and Hezbollah, and the US decimated the Houthis, all to the point that Iran and its proxies now want peace. So Trump is willing to deal with them. However it is Netanyahu who now wants to make war, so Pres. Trump has cut him out. Pres. Trump is always on the side of those who want peace, and opposes those who want to make war (and there are plenty of warmongers at home and abroad).
I think you have this all backwards. Joel. Yes, Trump's behavior is erratic on foreign policy, he has too many neocons and warmongers among his cabinet. Israel's military, despite the billions of dollars in aid and military hardware, has not defeated anyone. Yes, it's Netanyahoo who wants war as do many of Trump's neocons, but we are seeing some pull back, not because Israel/USA is winning, but rather the genocide committed by Israel is tainting our country and a pullback is necessary to find a path to peace before it escalates further. Ultimately Trump and many in his cabinet want to profit in the middle east and secure the scarce resources of gas and oil while getting the American tax payer to fund development of Gaza for the wealthy among them Fink, Schwarzman and Karp.
A rather cynical view, I must say, although we do not totally disagree. I'm sure the warmongers in his cabinet are most disappointed in his snubbing of Netanyahu. Besides, nobody knows better than Trump how gas and oil are not scarce. Trump also understands that war generates poverty, whereas peace enables prosperity--for all concerned.
Sometimes the truth appears cynical.
It was time to snub Netanyahoo, he's a zealot and a supremacist. Gas and oil are like rare earth metals and they are considered scarce resources, not every nation has them. These are natural resources always listed as scarce and in times of trouble there will always be a scramble for scarce resources. Econ 101. Another resource that appears in abundance but is actually becoming scarce is farm land. Rich soil produces an abundance of food. Ukraine is a land of rich soil. War? Yes, war generates poverty and wealth, but peace can provide more prosperity and for some an abundance of wealth. That's not cynical, that's a fact.
" Yes, war generates poverty and wealth, but peace can provide more prosperity and for some an abundance of wealth. That's not cynical, that's a fact." Correct, in that that is not cynical. The cynicism is the impugning of evil motives to anyone, without true knowledge of their motives. But oil and gas are certainly not scarce resources--certainly not in America (and lets not forget coal, of which we have enough to supply our needs for at least 2 centuries.) Ever notice how, the deeper we dig, the more natural gas (methane) we find? That's because it is not really a fossil fuel. Rather, the planet is made of it (though to a lesser extent than the gas giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune). And as for farm land, the various "green revolutions" have enabled farms to produce almost incalculable abundance.
Do the math: check out how many billions of bushels of corn and soybeans and other crops the US alone produces for a planet with only 7 billion plus inhabitants. But somehow the Western world is still stuck (after almost 200 years!) on the bad thinking of Thomas Malthus. Bad thinking leads to bad politics, and to war and famine. Good thinking leads to peace and prosperity.
I don't think I am impugning anyone. Motives have been very clear.
Ok, here's a text book created response:
"Scarce resources are limited supplies of goods or services that are in high demand, meaning there is not enough to satisfy everyone's wants. Examples include freshwater, fossil fuels, and arable land, which are all essential for various human activities but are becoming increasingly depleted."
This is widely accepted however, I am intrigued by your position that resources such as gas and oil are plentiful.. I had espoused a similar concept myself and still feel there's truth to that. However; for this argument and for the text book example I cited, there are more who believe these resources are scarce. What I think is the vast resources that exist like oil and gas have been extracted with the cheapest (easiest to extract have been found and they become increasingly more expensive to find and extract.
Climate change mania has a deleterious effect on land resources for farming and as such attempts are made to sequester farm land by putting it in government or private hands of the ultra wealthy making these resources scarce for the average person. Consequently it becomes more valuable and less available. For example people like multi-billionaire Bill Gates have been acquiring vast tracts of high qualify farm land. why? Blackrock and AG giants, like Cargill are after the farm land of Ukraine, why?
"there are more who believe these resources (gas and oil) are scarce." True, but Donald Trump is not one of them, and we are beginning to see how his point of view is more important than anyone else's (Thank God!). And Trump also does not subscribe to "climate change mania". It could be said that Donald Trump practices the politics of plenty, as opposed to the prevailing politics of paucity. The latter produces fear and envy and conflict, all based on a false point of view about the abundance of resources.
For example, you also say: "What I think is the vast resources that exist like oil and gas have been extracted with the cheapest (easiest to extract have been found and they become increasingly more expensive to find and extract."
Well, look how fracking and horizontal drilling have made oil and gas much easier and cheaper to extract, and the various "green revolutions" I mentioned make the earth produce much more abundantly. So technology has disproven that thesis. It's really all about perception.
Of course, everyone recognizes that there are "haves" and "have nots", and the socialists and communists believe that government's job is to redistribute the wealth. But, since no process is 100% efficient, redistribution necessarily depletes wealth, so you get entire once wealthy nations (e.g., Venezuela) impoverished rather quickly. But the capitalist system not only redistributes wealth, but increases it. Take "multi-billionaire" Bill Gates. How did he get so rich? By making everyone else rich! Look how much wealth the personal computer has brought to millions of people by increasing their productivity exponentially. Gates may not be using his wealth wisely, but that is another matter. So it is trade that not only works to equalize the wealth of the haves and the have nots, but which actually generates more wealth. While politicians have habitually talked about peace and prosperity, they rarely bring it about, even when they are well-intentioned, because they do not understand the principles. Trump is different, because he does understand. Watch how every action he takes is designed to expand peace and prosperity.
Trump knows what he's doing. A great teaching moment to show PEACE is possible
Kudos!
Trump is being forced by events to do the right thing.
No, Trump does the right thing... The events are what they are. Trump wants to do right by Israel, but he won't do so at the cost of his integrity... Nope not gonna happen. Israel had better wise up and realize you can't play around with the American people as they have with impunity. That Pooh ain't gonna fly anymore. It's time to toe the line and come correct. Period.
I doubt this is a long-term break-up; Trump has shown extreme support for Israel. But Netanyahu needs to rein it in a bit, and I believe this is just that - a tightening of the reins, but not a sale of the team.
Duly note, however, that Larry Fink is in Trump's tour group in the Arabian nations. A breakup with Netanyahu does not mean Trump is now an antisemite.
Quite so.
This ostensible cooling does give Israel a free-hand to destroy Hamass and the Hezbo's, while giving Trump & Co plausible deniability. I'm less concerned about the Saudi's having nuclear power-domestically BUT, the entirety of the Emirates all ship money to terror proxies which has resulted in numerous American casualties so, I'm happy starving ALL of them of many things. If they ate an errant cruise missile that took out some more Hamass-sympathetic pricks, I wouldn't shed a tear. BUT, the projection of US POWER worldwide calls for (friendly) landing strips & ports in nasty but accessible areas. Personally, NONE of them are trustworthy, some much less than others. A messy world and few years of BIG Stick Republicanism to go around.
Do you not know that Israel and the USA both fund terrorists in the region for the purpose of creating chaos and plausible deniability about the genocide they have been committing? Projecting power is the problem. We should be projecting peace and prosperity for all, that is our mission, not destroying other people.
Netanyahu or CIA ?
It’s a big world out there. Trump has to balance many forces. I’ll continue to trust him until he shows me by word and deeds that I shouldn’t. Tea leaf reading and trouble making from articles like this one serve no useful purpose
We must maintain a strong relationship with Israel. It's not just "another country in the Middle East." It's impossible to understand Israel and her place in the world, without Biblical revelation around such texts as Genesis 12:1-3 et al. I am very concerned that Trump is not taking Israel's peril seriously. Israel sees with unique eyes because they are the target of 22 Islamic nations and then some. I'm not saying we need to do "everything Israel and Netanyahu want," but I am saying we don't need to hang them out to dry. We don't need to ditch them or kick them to the curb. We need to continue to strategize with them on how to handle the big boys with big bombs. They are sharper on handling terror than we are, for sure. Netanyahu wrote the book on it. I'm also not in any way opposed to Trump making deals as Joel B. said. He's awesome at that. I also wonder if Trump is feigning offense with Israel just to make some points with some Islamic states.
Just going to leave the clean up to Israel. Trump only here four years, Israel has to plan the next hundred. No way they’ll let Iran get a nuke. That would be suicide. Why is Iran’s nuclear program 350 ft under ground and why the nuke grade enrichment if it’s just for peaceful purposes . Can’t trust them, do it now.