What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Grey Fox]

I think it's well known that no Republican president has ever disagreed with Trump on anything.

[Syt]

The Pentagon will accept an anonymous $130,000,000 donation to help with payroll during the shutdown: https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-military-payroll-anonymous-donation-trump-e327c306292043755d9d700731039e83

[Caliga]

The Pentagon will accept an anonymous $130,000,000 donation to help with payroll during the shutdown: https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-military-payroll-anonymous-donation-trump-e327c306292043755d9d700731039e83

[The Brain]

I'm shocked that you can buy influence anonymously at the Pentagon.

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

The thing is, because of the Budapest Memorandum (guaranteeing Ukraine's borders), the UK, the USA etc. should by now be at war with Russia. I understand why they are not in war with Russia, but they did break their treaty obligations almost as much as Russia did.

I missed this one earlier, just noticed when Yo quoted you.  You have the Budapest Memorandum wrong.  It did not create an obligation.  It was a non-binding assurance.  It likely would not have been agreed to by the US or UK if it created a binding obligation.

[Zoupa]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

[Tonitrus]

I kind of hinted at that in my post.  I don't think in those days Clinton/Yeltsin foresaw the Russia/Ukraine issues we've had in the last decade...they were mostly looking at solving the "left over nukes" issue and tacked on the window dressings of assurances.

Interestingly though, when you read the memorandum, you'd have to pretty naive not to think it was written with Russia in mind.

[Tonitrus]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

In practical terms?  It may be sucky, but in international relations, national interests>promises.  Also, expediency>promises.

[grumbler]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

The assurance in this case was Russia promising not to invade Ukraine, just as the US, UK, etc agreed to not do. The only "guarantee" was that the attacked power could seek aid from the US Security Council.

The only deterrent to Russian invasion provided by the Budapest Memorandum was that the invasion would break Moscow's "treaty" obligations.

[Zoupa]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

In practical terms?  It may be sucky, but in international relations, national interests>promises.  Also, expediency>promises.

It's in the national interest of the US to send a gazillion dollars in weapons to Ukraine yesterday. Biden pussyfooted around. Trump is Trump.

[Zoupa]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

The only "guarantee" was that the attacked power could seek aid from the US Security Council.

I just read the text and you're right. Yikes. What a terrible deal Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakstan signed. I guess they had their backs to the wall in 94.

[Tonitrus]

What's the difference in practical terms? An assurance is a promise.

In practical terms?  It may be sucky, but in international relations, national interests>promises.  Also, expediency>promises.

It's in the national interest of the US to send a gazillion dollars in weapons to Ukraine yesterday. Biden pussyfooted around. Trump is Trump.

Don't listen to me...instead of Biden's "intel scorched earth" ahead of the Feb '22 invasion (the best we were going to do while sitting out the conflict), I'd have signed a separate-from-NATO mutual defense pact with Ukraine and poured in US aircraft/defenses and told Russia to bring it on.

[HVC]

Trumps raising tariffs on Canada because Doug Ford was mean to him. Is he even bothering to use the fake excuse of security anymore?

[Zoupa]

You can do what you want once the other branches have abdicated their duties.

[Admiral Yi]

Trumps raising tariffs on Canada because Doug Ford was mean to him. Is he even bothering to use the fake excuse of security anymore?

His first excuse with Canada was fentanyl.  What do you think?