Francisca Sinn
“The officer then said that even a swift return of America to its former role won’t matter.
Because “we will never fucking trust you again.”
The Americans at the table seemed somewhat startled by the heat of that pronouncement. I agreed with it entirely. So, it seemed to me, did most of the non-Americans.
… it was still being talked about the next day. “Thank God,” one allied official said to me. “Someone had to tell them.””
noahm
@fsinn I think this period in American history will come to be known as The Great Betrayal. Betrayal of democratic principles, betrayal of allies with whom we've worked for 80 years as noted in this piece.
As to what's left of America after this period, it's anybody's guess. As an American, it's incredibly sad and scary to watch all of this.
Francisca Sinn
Some blunt talk for our American neighbours at the Halifax International Security Forum
Isaac Ji Kuo
@leobm @noahm @fsinn I don't think it will be a single country that fills the gap. Russia is too weakened. China is too untrusted, and rightfully so.
But Canada? Australia? France? There are countries which are pretty easy sell partners to transition to, from unstable USA. None of them are "big" enough to be 1-for-1 replacements, but that's arguably a good thing.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@noahm @fsinn Now they are threatening us with pressure and fear, but that has never worked in the history of mankind, unfortunately. We can now watch the downfall of an empire live. It will be a slow and agonizing death.
Let's see who will fill the gap, probably China.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@noahm @fsinn The worst thing is that these people actually believe we just exploited them, when in fact it had enormous advantages for the US. Perhaps not primarily in monetary terms, but on other levels, in that the US's leadership role in all areas was accepted. Through their role, they had a lasting impact on the last century. But that is probably over now, through their own fault.
HistoPol (#HP) 🏴 🇺🇸 🏴
I agree.
Last year, when Trump started the dumbest trade war in history, I proposed a rapid finalization of the CAN-EU trade talks, #CETA, topped up by a wider and deeper integration process with the #EU, similar to the 1 the #EuropeanUnion went through, including #Mexico.
I dubbed this #CEUM.
As the #EU and #MERCOSUR seem 2 have finalized their trade agreement, this could encompass all of the #America's, *but* the 🇺🇸.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol
There is not only an economic crisis of confidence, but also a cultural one. The U.S. has always stood for freedom and the belief that anyone can succeed if they just work hard enough. People from all cultures were welcome as long as they were committed to the U.S. and work hard. I believe that’s a key factor in its power. The U.S. has military bases all over the world, including here in Germany. In Germany, of course, this is partly due to Nazi Germany’s defeat, but after the
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol war, the U.S. wasn’t perceived as an occupying power—rather, as a force that brought great music, great movies, and freedom to a Europe that had become stagnant. That indirectly solidified its power. Today, however, the U.S. is making enemies of everyone, even its allies. Just look at the situation with Greenland or Canada, or how the U.S. is acting in South America under Trump. There seems to be a grand plan behind
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol Every world empire is also based on legitimacy and narrative (belief and trust). For example, citizens of the Roman Empire trusted that the legal system would ensure protection and order (Pax Romana). Trust can also relate to currency or religious and ideological concepts. This can also be applied to the United States or other world empires. While military power and influence certainly play an
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol I don’t even want to get started on the cuts to USAID. It’s totally stupid—sure, it cost money, but development aid has never been provided for humanitarian or altruistic reasons. Not even in other countries. It’s specifically because it creates dependencies and builds trust, which in turn leads to the establishment of economic ties, and so on.
He really is the dumbest U.S. president of all time. And we don’t exactly have any bright lights in our leadership here either.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol But the Americans have elected someone who is destroying what has been built up over the last 100 years. And at least 30% still don’t realize it.
I don't know how trust could be rebuilt either. I think it will take a very long time. Trump hasn't made the U.S. stronger—he's made it weaker.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol Trump and his allies are so strongly opposed to renewable energy or are trying to drive a wedge between the EU?
Trump directly and indirectly supports right-wing parties in Europe that would love to abolish the EU. If you look at the facts, the U.S. is now our enemy and no longer our friend. I find this extremely sad, because I also worked in the U.S. for some time and made friends there.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol Now Trump has even cut South Korea loose. If you can’t rely on a friend or partner, you naturally look for new partners. And that’s extremely dangerous for the U.S.: Let’s imagine if the Europeans were to take a hard line like Canada’s in the tariff dispute. I think they’d end up looking pretty foolish. What’s probably preventing that is still our dependence on LNG or technologies like AI. Do you understand now why
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol this to assert itself against China in the long term. But if America turns even its own allies into enemies, how can it expect to be supported against China, for example? Or take the Strait of Hormuz. In Iraq or Afghanistan, many allies still went along with it. In the Iran conflict, however, no one wants to get involved anymore, even though many countries are extremely dependent on that oil and that shipping lane.
Felix 🇺🇦🚴♂️🇪🇺
@HistoPol important role, ultimately the military cannot be everywhere. And it is precisely this crucial currency that the United States is currently losing.
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