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The Putin-Drumpf intersection


william.scherk

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16 hours ago, Robert Campbell said:

 

Drumpf's foreign policy speech was pretty bad, even by the standards of politicians' foreign policy speeches.

Here is of the many reactions that will be discounted at this site:

http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2016/04/28/of-course-trump-supported-all-three-wars-he-condemned-in-foreign-policy-address-n2154633?utm_source=thdailypm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_pm&newsletterad=

But there's one passage of particular interest in that speech:

Quote

 

On Russia, in particular, the celebrity candidate has insisted that the world has nothing to fear.

“I believe an easing of tensions, and improved relations with Russia from a position of strength only is possible, absolutely possible,” Drumpf contended. “Common sense says this cycle, this horrible cycle of hostility must end and ideally will end soon.”

 

The source is here (I do not agree with the author about quite a few things, though we presumably share two premises, that Russia is an empire and Vladimir Putin wants to be an emperor):

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/foreign-policy/trumps-flawed-foreign-policy/

Drumpf has already displayed what at best can be described as ambivalence about Putin.

 

 

15 hours ago, Robert Campbell said:

The evident problem with Drumpf's statement quoted above is that keeping up the "cycle of hostility" might be Vladimir Putin's notion of what is best for Vladimir Putin.

If Putin so views it, what next?

Even though appeasement (Hillary's "reset") hasn't been working, Drumpf didn't rule it out.

What kind of confrontation is he willing to engage in?  What costs does he think are worth paying?

14 hours ago, Robert Campbell said:

The principles that Donald Drumpf laid out in his speech presumably do not resist being netted out.

Could you tell us, briefly, what they are?

 

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I've seen a better summation of Trump's speech now, from Anne Appelbaum (not coming from the same place as me politically, but she knows things Russian and knows how to write).

Will link to it in a response to JL.

Robert

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2 hours ago, Robert Campbell said:

I've seen a better summation of Trump's speech now, from Anne Appelbaum (not coming from the same place as me politically, but she knows things Russian and knows how to write).

Will link to it in a response to JL.

Robert

Trump's speech is a pretty good bridge from near idiotic incoherence to semi-rational. Let's hope he crosses it--then keeps going.

The speech is better qua speech--it's all political of course--than Appelbaum's analysis is qua analysis. I do think hers is fairly good and well worth reading, but it's the start of the presumptive campaign of the presumptive nominee plus a buff up to the convention. Trump is hitting the center-stage stops.

--Brant

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Brant,

The speech was a hot, steaming mess.

Of course, in American politics, one can produce a hot, steaming mess and a lot of people will either like it or pretend to like it.

It can even be seen as representing progress.

Robert

 

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