Will US dominance on the international stage grow or shrink in the 21st century?

[theprestige]

And Trump has made it clear that, in the long term, no agreements with the US can be trusted.

Trump has made it clear?

First of all, the President doesn't ratify treaties; Congress does. Second, we have a regime change every 4-8 years or so; agreements with the US are always up for review and renegotiation. Third, it's always been this way; it was baked into our system of government from the very beginning. Fourth, every sovereign nation is this way; America is not special in this regard.

And neither is Trump.

 

[Segnosaur]

Trump has made it clear?

First of all, the President doesn't ratify treaties; Congress does.

You're right... congress does ratify treaties.

But the question about whether the president can withdraw from a treaty such as NAFTA unilaterally is a different question, and not all legal experts agree. (Some think the president can unilaterally withdraw, but its something that hasn't been tested.) Plus, remember the current group of republican congressmen are largely composed of trump bootlickers, so its possible they would go along with anything Trump wants.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-poli...fta-congress-block-trump-withdraw-trade-power

Second, we have a regime change every 4-8 years or so; agreements with the US are always up for review and renegotiation. Third, it's always been this way; it was baked into our system of government from the very beginning. Fourth, every sovereign nation is this way; America is not special in this regard.

While there are regular changes in government, the shift between Bush S./Clinton/Bush/Obama was relatively minor.... yes, they may have had differences in policy, but for the most part the leaders were capable and respectful of the Office of the president. If one of them decided to change any international agreements, they would likely do so only after careful consideration (and after trying to build up credibility for their actions.)

Trump is different... he's petty, he's incompetent, he's a con artist, he's a liar. He makes up policies on the fly, justifies them with lies, makes no effort to see if there is any legal or political support for those policies, and then whines when people object.

That is why the situation is different under Trump than under previous presidents. Because we've never had a president like Trump before.

 

[JoeMorgue]

Another factor I got to thinking about is population.

China 1.4 billion people. India has 1.32 billion people.

The United States, the 3rd most populous country, has a mere 325 million.

Even in a world where raw manpower isn't nearly as important as it was 100, 50, even 20 years ago and will be even less important in the future... that's gotta a significant factor in cultural development.

 

[Delphic Oracle]

Another factor I got to thinking about is population.

China 1.4 billion people. India has 1.32 billion people.

The United States, the 3rd most populous country, has a mere 325 million.

Even in a world where raw manpower isn't nearly as important as it was 100, 50, even 20 years ago and will be even less important in the future... that's gotta a significant factor in cultural development.

If past is any predictor, about 1 billion of each will agitate for increased political and civil rights, an informal network of domestic elites and foreign agents will assist them. The new administration will then slowly sell them out, and then they'll be really pissed off.

This is where the tapatalk signature that annoys people used to be