Quote from: Richy_T on Today at 05:37:50 PM

Quote from: Lucius on Today at 05:10:06 PM

The Panama Canal is an easily achievable mission considering that Panama is a country without a professional army, which is again the result of US policy after the 1990 US overthrew Noriega. As for Greenland, I don't see Denmark giving up even a millimeter in its position that it is its territory, and it has the support of almost all the members of the European Union.

In some crazy development of the situation, Europe could find itself at war with the US and Russia at the same time, and as much as it seems impossible, considering the violent attitude that Donald often shows, and that the new minister looks like a kid who would love to play some military game, all options are open.

Panama appears to be approaching a peaceful resolution. We'll have to see on that. The problem with Greenland is that it is currently undefended and in a strategically important position and Denmark is unable and apparently unwilling to provide a reasonable defense. The people of Greenland are likely to have to pick their poison and hopefully that can be brought to a peaceful resolution.

Speaking of military bases, the problem Europe has is that it has US military bases run through it and a large part of their defense is provided by the US as illustrated when Trump made them squeal when insisting they start meeting their NATO commitments. I'm not saying that it's a good thing that the EU being beholden to the US is a good thing but that's the way it it. It makes EU saber rattling somewhat empty. (Just remember how they caved to Bush's lies about WMD in Iraq).

This is true. I would take it a step further to say, really all the people in power on both sides of the ocean are executing a long refined playbook of printing money and feeding it into a giant military industry mostly in the US. But the people higher up on all sides are lining their pockets. And there are concurrent versions of this scam running in all different sectors as well. Energy, Aid, things like the IMF etc. And it is MY country (the US) who is more to blame for this nightmare loop, and i for one want to see it stopped.

So as jarring as Trump is to me (and I know many others), I am glad when I see his administration come in and go "click" no more foreign aid for a time. And of course in this area as well as Nato, and the ME etc the screeching will start. But what about the starving people?!??!? But of course as much as that is a real problem on our earth that is just a red herring. The "solutions" like the IMF and WHO etc are just scams that enslave "emerging countries" and keep them in debt to the bankers. Look at the IMF manipulating El Salvador. They are not trying to HELP but to control.

And you are dead right on Panama. And frankly so is Trump. The is an AMERICAN (I am using that word in the broadest term) shipping channel. And we want it to be under the control of AMERICAN people (again meaning the US, Central America etc).

What Trump does is set the stakes so high that when the "deal" is made everyone feels like they have won. It's actually amazing he can just keep doing that over and over without people figuring it out.

Then again... he also is wielding the biggest stick. This is also what he is doing with the tariffs. But will it work? And even so how rough with the road to it working be?

Ces't la univers...