From Amuse on X:
Donald Trump’s diplomatic style, on full display in his best-selling opus, The Art of the Deal, hinges on calling out systemic failures and pressuring the status quo to bend before it breaks. His approach, for better or worse, rarely flatters established sensibilities, particularly among European elites, left-leaning U.S. politicians, and drive-by media outlets. Far from the typical political pleasantries, Trump’s tactic is to combine open criticism with the promise of beneficial agreements—always with a clear end goal in mind. In the present Ukrainian crisis, that goal is as simple as it is vital: to stop the carnage and avoid a slide into a broader conflict that could engulf the globe.
Those who scorn this approach as “dangerously simplistic” forget that much the same language was thrown at Trump when he chastised NATO members for neglecting their financial commitments—only five members were meeting their 2% commitment at the time. At the infamous 2018 summit, Trump labeled certain allies “delinquent” for their failure to honor the 2% GDP spending threshold. Most of the condemnation fell on him, not on those nations content to shelter under America’s defense umbrella without meeting their obligations. Notably, Germany—the largest economy in Europe—resisted, citing sovereignty over its spending choices. Meanwhile, the American press and Democratic leaders seized on Trump’s critiques as evidence he was eroding NATO unity to Vladimir Putin’s advantage.
But fast-forward to the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022. Only then did the same European allies scramble, belatedly, to rectify glaring vulnerabilities that Trump had warned about all along. Today more than 23 members have now raised their defense budgets to meet or exceed the 2% threshold; some have even rushed to surpass what they had previously denounced as an irrational American demand. Like Benjamin Franklin’s cautionary advice—“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”—Trump had advised that paying now would prove cheaper and less perilous than paying later on the battlefield. (Read more.)
Also from Amuse on X:
Europe stands at a precarious crossroads, holding the lofty yet perilous belief that it might successfully engage in a direct conflict with Russia absent the robust support traditionally provided by the United States and the broader NATO alliance. Advocates of European strategic autonomy argue earnestly for the continent’s military self-sufficiency, envisioning a scenario where Europe's combined economic and technological prowess suffices to repel any Russian aggression. But such views are perilously detached from the cold calculus of geopolitical reality. (Read more.)
From The America Conservative:
The Democrats tried to treat Congress as if it were a college campus, where angry activists could shout down and “cancel” a speaker they didn’t want to be heard. Johnson treated them the way more college presidents should treat disruptors. He enforced the rules and shut them down. Once Green was escorted out of the Capitol, the rest of the opposition mob took note. They weren’t silent during the president’s speech, and they scowled all the way through it. But they didn’t dare try to derail it again.
If the president had said nothing the rest of the night, he would already have been assured of a favorable reception from the American public. The Democrats had shown themselves to be both petulant and impotent. They frowned, and some held up little paddle-shaped placards with brief messages written on them. These were grown adults—indeed, many looking positively cadaverous—trying to protest like undergraduates, and failing. Far be it from me to advise Nancy Pelosi and friends how to conduct a protest, but common sense ought to tell would-be protesters to agree on a common message beforehand, at least. The slogans were a cacophony.
Other forms of protest, such as some Democratic women wearing pink in solidarity with one another, also fizzled, since only a handful of women joined in, and they failed to sit together in an unbroken bloc. Pelosi wasn’t wearing pink. What exactly was the logic behind who participated and who didn’t? A viewer couldn’t guess. The Democrats just seemed to be literally in disarray. (Read more.)
What Zelensky could learn from Ben Franklin. From Creators:
After the United States declared its independence from Great Britain in 1776, this nation sent diplomats to France — seeking an alliance with a country then led by King Louis XVI. One of these diplomats was Benjamin Franklin. In 1778, France signed a treaty of alliance with the United States and Franklin would later write a letter to Congress, arguing it was in America's interest to express gratitude to the French king for his support. (Read more.)
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