presidential alert...

[PB]

Pretty sure Pooty Poot got one.

[BigDaddy]

I had just boarded a plane when every phone went off at once. Just a little disconcerting for a few seconds.

I was driving through Harvard Square when it went off... was so bizarre to see all these youngsters staring at their phones.

[Sirshredalot]

Your time in DC served you well...

This analysis brought to you by the fact that I'm no longer covered by the Hatch Act.

Which reminds me: Hatch is an asshole. No one should vote for him or his fellow partisans.

[krp8128]

I don't know why Obama ever allowed this to happen...

[adrenalated]

https://thehardtimes.net/culture/tif...t-from-father/

[iceman]

yeah, thanks, Obama.

[rideit]

You're gonna get eaten by zombies.

Zombies are on the hunt for brains, so I think he's safe...

[stuckathuntermtn]

I didn't get one either.

[splat]

Poly ass dammit

Don’t we have mods to protect my snowflake self from this vitriol on TGR?

Which part is vitriol to you?

[abraham]

This analysis brought to you by the fact that I'm no longer covered by the Hatch Act.

Which reminds me: Hatch is an asshole. No one should vote for him or his fellow partisans.

You mean the guy who ran on this slogan?
"What do you call a Senator who's served in office for 18 years? You call him home."

[riser4]

yeah, thanks, Obama.

Heh.

[jackattack]

https://thehardtimes.net/culture/tif...t-from-father/

Eric still didn't get one.

[SumJongGuy]

Are you looking for a real answer?

A.) Russian intelligence interfered with the election on Trump's behalf because they benefit from a weaker US and Russian leadership benefits from an executive branch unwillingness to enforce sanctions. They also have kompromat, so that's a bonus. They remain an enemy of the country but a great friend to Trump. Because their economy has stagnated under corruption and kleptocracy, they are increasingly irrelevant in world affairs. Undermining functioning economies and political systems is their way of trying to stay in the game despite their economic irrelevance.

B.) The current government in Israel is far right-wing nationalist and shares an ideology with the Breitbart.com crowd in the White House, to whatever extent there is a coherent ideology to share. Their situation is analogous to Poland right now. There is an inherent tension here because other right-wing nationalist governmenta are wildly anti-Semitic. This is probably a backstop keeping them from going Full Hungary, though who knows?

C.) The Chinese aren't fond of us but are delighted by the leadership vacuum in geopolitics created by the incompetence of the White House. Their long-term strategy in dealing with the US is unchanged, though they now have an accelerated time-table w/r/t asserting themselves more in world affairs.

D.) The North Koreans aren't fond of us but were happy to take advantage of Trump's venality for some photo ops and propaganda. Their nuclear program and their long-term strategy in dealing with the US are unchanged.

E.) Trump is fond of kleptocratic dictators temperamentally and that is how he models himself. Kleptocratic dictators, by nature, don't necessarily have shared interests in international affairs. International alliances and stability are good for humanity and for economic growth. If your goal is to loot as much as you can for yourself and hang onto power lest you get imprisoned or shot for treason, those goals aren't really on your radar.

Pity that SomGung is prolly not looking for real answers, but you did a good job point out the...main points.

Israel has their own game with Saudis & Iran so their game is..as usual..a bit obscure. Not that the last 15 years has not served Israel well. All their previous adversaries are in shambles and none are left to directly confront them. But, Iran <=> Saudi situation is a challenge : Who will blink and go for broke with the Nukes? Iran blinked few years back but what next? Saudis have made their stand clear. If Iran gets nukes so will they. As if.

With China? Hmm. They are already gunning for US guts, they have done that for the last 20+ years.
Spratly Islands are the latest clearest sign. I am not into making bets but in the next 6 months shit is bound to go down there. Just to test.
One collision and one of the Aegis Destroyer is out of the game. Combine that with US internal policies and lack of 'clear and decisive action' for few days...

Voila.

That vacuum that china has claimed during the last decade is suddenly theirs and no action apart from tactical nukes would remove them from Sprat/Woody/Fiery Islands.
Not so dissimilar that NATO has been doing in the Baltics?

ya, NATO.. Note that Drumpf is sabotaging NATO at every turn, walking away from historic global agreements like the Iran deal and Paris Climate Accord and causing chaos throughout the UN.. All but demanding Russia be re instated to the G7ish. It runs deeper than an envious idiot..