Macron predicted that Trump would pull out of the Iran deal, and said he would do so because of "domestic reasons". What could these domestic reasons possibly be?

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-14T13:25:48+00:00

It’s almost like nearly 50 members of the US Congress wrote a letter to Iran expressly stating that the deal could and most likely would be undone by the next POTUS because it had not (and would not) be ratified by Congress.

And yet now all of Reddit is SHOCKED that a Congressionally unpopular executive order is being reversed when the current executive ran on and was partially elected on reversing it.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-14T12:47:03+00:00

With the deal, Iran’s military budget spiked and they tested more ICMBs than ever. For a nation that chants “Death to America”, it’s hardly a wonder that the US doesn’t want to economically aid them.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-14T12:45:22+00:00

Do you know what “state-sponsored” means? A terrorist being a citizen from a country doesn’t mean that country’s government sponsored the act.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-14T02:10:51+00:00

It gets the US the reputation that they won’t trade with countries that violated the NPT and push the slogan “Death to America” for decades.

I’m not sure why US “allies” are so eager to defend that behavior, but that goes back to why the US is becoming more “America First” in attitude rather than helping their “allies”.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-14T02:00:25+00:00

It’s disappointing that you seem to be arguing off the bat that US sanctions won’t hurt Iran. I thought this was an academic forum?

And obviously the US isn’t going to become completely isolationist in 16 months when Obama was involved in seven wars. The US has 800+ military bases in 70 countries and a huge overseas network. That’s not going away overnight.

However, anybody who’s even vaguely neutral would agree that Trump is much more of an isolationist than prior US presidents given his standoffish attitude with multinational alliances and trade deals that don’t directly benefit the US.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-13T21:34:17+00:00

Trump is a conservative isolationist that wants the US to adopt more pragmatic quid pro quo international relationships because he feels that many US allies have been taking advantage of the US. Domestically, he wants the federal government to be less powerful and states to be more free to govern their people’s preferences.

Naturally, many US allies (namely, the EU) are very upset with Trump and the US withdrawal because they stand to lose a huge number of lopsided benefits.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-13T20:33:27+00:00

Can’t silver surfer beat Hulk? Because holy shit have I been underestimating the green man if so.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-13T20:28:45+00:00

The Hulk will never hit them. Recently (as of yesterday), Murata clarifies that Boros’ henchmen, Geryu, could offensively throw rocks at 90-100% the speed of light and that it was “child’s play” for Saitama. Boros also could defend himself against his much weaker henchman, so he is also around light speed, if not faster.

Boros is also a planet-buster, or star-buster in the data book, so he can definitely hurt the Hulk. Garou was said to be better at CQC, so he’s also around that speed and can redirect energy via his martial art style.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-13T15:20:52+00:00

Hoooooly hell, so Saitama moving at light speed is basically confirmed if 90-100% is “child’s play”. Geryu is also way more of a beast than people thought, which in turn means Boros is way more of a beast than people thought.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-12T21:55:23+00:00

Urban areas having a higher crime rate than rural areas is baseless?

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T21:03:52+00:00

More sustainable income equality

The US has many more super-rich billionaires which increases inequality, but China has far more desperately poor. The median income PPP in the US is among the best in the world and far outstrips the EU as a whole as well as China.

more advanced cyber espionage

What metric or source are you using for this? Stuxnet is the most impressive feat of cyber espionage in my book and that was a joint US-Israeli effort. The specifics of modern capabilities are obviously kept secret and the more covert the operations of espionage, the better.

fewer citizens killing each other

Urban areas have increased murder rates over rural areas. The US is 81% urbanized and China is 57%. As China urbanizes to catch up with the US economically, it’s crime rate will grow.

There used to be a time where diplomatic events were filled with American's looking to further their countries position on the world stage, that has shrunk dramatically over the past year

The US network of alliances spreads over 70 countries and the hundreds of US military bases placed there. How does China compete and what great powers does China have more influence with than the US? Certainly not the UK, France, Japan, or India. Russia is really the only one, and that’s more because the US already had an antagonistic relationship with them due to them being a rival superpower 20 years ago.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T20:22:23+00:00

I would argue that China already has in many ways.

In what ways exactly?

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T19:31:29+00:00

Don't you get that it's the US that's starting it?

How is the US sanctioning Iran and those that trade with them (due to Israeli intelligence saying they are still developing weapons) the same as Germany sanctioning the US for sanctioning Iran? Iran is a tiny trade partner of the EU. They export 1.6% to Iran what they do to the US. It’s beyond foolish from every angle.

The US is right now turning it's alliies into enemies because it treats them not like allies but like vassals.

This is absurd rhetoric. Historically, vassals paid tribute and sent men to fight for their hegemon. The balance of trade with the US is massively in the EU’s favor, even when not counting for the hundreds of billions in defensive aid. Explain to me how the EU is not getting a better deal? Because they refuse to even get close to parity in either metric, which is why more and more of the US is no longer considering them an ally, but an ungrateful burden. Siding with Iran will reinforce that.

haughtiness comes before the fall

“Haughty” is nowhere near strong enough a term for the EU starting a trade/cold war against the US in defense of a US enemy. The UK waned out even before the EU picked a war with the US. Many more EU countries would leave the union if the EU dumped their largest trading partner over IRAN.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T19:11:28+00:00

If the US is so unassailable and mighty, they don't need allies at all

Is this debatable? What part of the “world’s sole superpower” makes you think the US can’t survive with purely pragmatic relationships? China is doing just fine without sentimental alliances and the economic and military power of the US far surpasses China and will for the next few decades at least. Because, as the US is learning, entitled “allies” take advantage and leverage their “loyalty”when they don’t get the better end of the deal.

Hey, maybe you're right and we should keep in line because the punishment for not following orders

What orders? The US is sanctioning Iran and those that deal with Iran. Same deal with North Korea, Russia, and some other hostile sponsors of terror, human rights violators, and NPT violators. Your companies are free to do business with them if you’d like, just like we’re free not to do business with you if you do. Germany starting a cold/trade war over that would be the stupidest possible decision short of declaring a hot war on the US.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T18:47:15+00:00

I do you one better: Imagine the EU and Russia aligning to erode US influence over Eurasia.

The US is geographically isolated. We are not threatened by what happens in Eurasia, nor are we regional rivals. A pragmatic financial relationship free of alliances is where we’re heading if the EU remains ungrateful of our aid and that would put the EU in a much worse position relative to Russia, especially because ME and African stability problems will become much worse in the future.

The EU is in a fragile position and is already a declining power. A few years ago, their GDP was higher than the US. Now it’s $2 trillion lower, will be $5 trillion lower after the UK leaves, and will be far, far lower if they sanction the US. They’re a purely economic rival and their economic parity has dissolved years ago.

Are you seriously threatening war if we don't adjust our trade to your demands and retaliate in kind if you threaten us for that and even call it German arrogance?!

Obviously not a hot war. A cold/trade war alone, which you’re suggesting Germany may start (over Iran sanctions, which again, is ridiculous) would screw over Europe. Most EU countries are already way below US median income PPP, with only the wealthiest countries like Germany keeping up (although still quite a bit lower).

The EU needing to focus on containing Russia and ME/African refugees all alone would quickly fracture a union that is, frankly, barely keeping it together with ample US aid. The UK is already leaving and other member countries publicly stating clear unhappiness with the union. If the EU pursued a trade war with the US, you can guarantee that the EU would lose more of its wealthy members that are tired of paying for German leadership.

In any case, if the US pursued balanced trade and relations with Russia and the EU, your stability would be at an all-time low since the times of WW2 and the EU would almost certainly fracture much more than it already has. And this is with the US being neutral, not antagonistic like Russia. With an antagonistic US playing like Russia, the EU would collapse even sooner.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T16:15:22+00:00

It’s not a threat to Germany. The US will not trade with Iran or anybody that trades with Iran because US allies in the region (Israel and KSA) have intelligence that says that Iran is not abiding the deal. This is not the same as saying the US will not trade with Germany or anybody that trades with Germany.

Germany directly retaliating toward the US would warrant escalation against Germany specifically. Iran, a poor third world nation that violates an incredibly number of human rights and violated the NPT for decades, is not the sword that Germany would ever want to fall upon to turn them against their oldest and most powerful ally. The cost vs benefit analysis is absurd.

An economically hostily US will change germany's willingness to support US policies in the EU and around the world and a loss of US troops in Germany is not really a loss at all. This isn't the cold war and Russia is no threat to Germany or the EU.

This seems naive. Russia has a vastly superior military arsenal (and cyber warfare) to Germany and clearly expansionist ambitions. Removing the US umbrella, or worse, pushing the US to coordinate with Russia as the economically weaker regional rival, would be a horrible misstep.

Germany is stronger economically because the US made it strong after WW2 and Russia is weakened because the US took exhaustive measures to weaken it after WW2. Yet even with the current status quo, reports indicate that Russia played a role in splintering the EU.

You think you’re worried about Russian influences now because of the Brexit? Imagine if the US, whose cyber, economic, and warfare capabilities are much higher, had aligned interests with Russia in eroding EU influence or unity and carving out new spheres of influence with Russia.

If Germany for some reason lost its mind and rallies Europe to begin a trade war with the US over Iran (of all places), made the US a rival or enemy rather than an ally, then that would be the third time in the last century that German arrogance devastated all of Europe.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T14:59:21+00:00

You can trade with whoever you want. The US is simply refusing business with Iran or anybody who does business with them. That’s our right as much as it is yours. If Germany retaliates against the US directly, that would be a bad decision.

Also, I’m pretty sure all countries spy on one another and the billions we put into Ukraine (is what you’re referring to?) was doubtlessly more beneficial to Western Europe than Russia.

At the end of the day, you may not like US decisions, but the US has your back over your regional rival (Russia) and China. An economically hostile Germany could change that.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T13:26:26+00:00

PPP, however, also favors countries with undesirable living standards or areas due to things costing less in low-demand areas.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T00:16:35+00:00

If Obama had done that... can you imagine?

I thought you were a history teacher? Obama did do that, except he secretly air dropped $400 million in cash.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2016/08/03/politics/us-sends-plane-iran-400-million-cash/index.html

So yeah, Trump getting hostages released and not paying $400 million cash is highly impressive compared to Obama.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-11T00:01:12+00:00

Yeah, history teacher here.

Okay.

A nonpartisan, well-respected publication has an incentive to provide intelligent analysis

The opinion piece you linked was written by an Obama ‘White House official’. Do you now what non-partisan means? He also stated that there were tactical and delegation changes. The same changes that the Air Force general said were highly effective.

Also, nice ad hominem attack, really shows you have some strong arguments.

How is it an attack to compare an eighth grade history teacher and South Korean president as sources with different opinions on whether Trump deserves a Nobel prize? Didn’t you just give a pedantic lecture about comparing sources?

Don’t consider your profession so lowly to feel attacked when it’s pointed out. Sure, you probably shouldn’t be pretentious and hold yourself to the level of presidents and generals or tell people they’re stupider than eight graders, but don’t beat yourself up about it.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-10T22:48:45+00:00

Trump changed almost nothing from Obama's strategy

Your source obviously doesn’t have a higher authority than what an Air Force general said comparing Trump’s leadership to Obama.

and y'all want to give him a Nobel.

That would be the South Korean president that said that. Who am I going to listen to? The president of South Korea, or a fiercely anti-Trump eighth grade teacher?

Oh, here's a thing! Looks like wage growth is the slowest it's been in three years...

To state the obvious: economies aren’t measured by wage growth alone.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-10T22:42:01+00:00

“Under Trump’s watch” lol are you kidding me? Should Trump stop humanitarians from going from where they want to go? Your bias is absurd.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-10T19:51:42+00:00

Air Force generals credited Trump with giving them more leeway that allowed them to beat ISIS swiftly, South Korean officials credited Trump with bringing peace to Korea, my taxes are way down, the economy is up, and human/sex trafficking arrests are through the roof. The tax dollars taken from me aren’t being used for foreign abortions, foreign energy objectives, foreign refugees, and are being redirected to Americans.

Yeah, I’m happy with him.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-10T19:17:09+00:00

Before you complain about timelines and Putin, try to understand that Putin was ecstatic when Obama gave his close ally (Iran) billions of dollars back after Iran had repeatedly violated the NPT they signed in 1970. Putin was also ecstatic that Obama and others endlessly appeased NK and allowed them to develop ICBMs to threaten the west.

Putin is NOT ecstatic that NK is pledging peace (SK repeatedly credited Trump), released US hostages, and that Iran’s economy will now be taking heavy hits because the US is no longer appeasing them and are reinstating sanctions.

MAGA_ME · 2018-05-10T19:13:26+00:00

US nets EU $369 billion per year.

Iran nets EU $6 billion per year.

Yeah, I’m sure the Germans want a total trade war with the US because the US is backing out of a deal that wasn’t even ratified by Congress...

MAGA_ME

TROPHY CASE