Tag: Trump love of authoritarians

Syria’s Kurds stand to lose all gains from US pullout

BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s Kurds accused the U.S. of turning its back on its allies and risking gains made in the fight against the Islamic State group as American troops began pulling back on Monday from positions in northeastern Syria ahead of an expected Turkish assault.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to stand aside — announced by the White House late Sunday — infuriated Kurds, who stand to lose the autonomy they gained in the course of Syria’s civil war.

The Kurdish force pledged to fight back, raising the potential for an eruption of new warfare in Syria. “We will not hesitate for a moment in defending our people” against Turkish troops, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement, adding that it has lost 11,000 fighters in the war against IS in Syria.

View the complete October 7 article by Bassem Mroue and Suzan Fraser on the Associated Press website here.

Steve Bannon flexes influence during Brazilian president visit with Trump

WASHINGTON — Steve Bannon, the former Trump White House adviser and conservative hardliner, will be a special guest of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for dinner on Monday, the eve of the far-right leader’s meeting with President Trump at the White House. Continue reading “Steve Bannon flexes influence during Brazilian president visit with Trump”

In Pardoning Saudi Arabia, Trump Gives Guidance to Autocrats

WASHINGTON — President Trump has long viewed foreign policy as a series of business deals, stripped of values and idealism. But his 633-word statement on Tuesday about the brutal killing of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi showed the extent to which he believes that raw, mercantilist calculations should guide the United States’ decisions about the Middle East and the wider world.

Mr. Trump made clear that he sees alliances as transactional, based on which foreign partners buy the most weapons. American jobs outweigh American values. And all countries act abhorrently, so an American president should never hold friends to different standards than enemies.

Tuesday’s message could become something of a blueprint for foreign leaders — a guide to how they might increase their standing in the eyes of the American president as well as how far they can go in crushing domestic critics without raising American ire.

View the complete November 20 article by Mark Mazzetti and Ben Hubbard on The New York Times website here.

Pres. Trump has flown to Europe to meet with NATO

Before heading off to attend the NATO summit, Pres. Trump was busy on Twitter attacking our allies’ contributions to NATO.  Why is this so odd?

In past administrations, NATO summits were used as an opportunity to maintain our longstanding transatlantic alliances and ensure those relationships stay strong going forward. Based on his icy rapport with our friends overseas, we aren’t so hopeful that Trump with continue this long-standing practice of basic diplomacy.  Unfortunately, we’ve seen through Trump’s words and actions that he would much rather flirt with dictators than build upon our decades-long relationship with NATO. Continue reading “Pres. Trump has flown to Europe to meet with NATO”

Trump wants “his people” to “sit up at attention” like North Koreans

The following article was posted on the Axios website June 15, 2018:

President Trump lavished praise on North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a Fox News interview this morning. The president said the two had “great chemistry” and he respects that Kim is a “strong” leader who “wants to make his country great.”

“He speaks and his people sit up at attention. I want my people to do the same.”

 

Trump administration cuts “definitive” deal on China’s ZTE

The following article by Erica Pandey was posted on the Axios website June 7, 2018:

Credit: Cheriss May, NurPhoto via Getty Images

>Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told CNBC on Thursday morning that U.S. negotiators have “executed a definitive agreement with ZTE.”

Why it matters: Compromise with ZTE — a repeat violator of U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea and a company identified as a national security threat by the Pentagon — could set a dangerous precedent for trade negotiations with China.

“At about 6 a.m. this morning, we executed a definitive agreement with ZTE. And that brings to a conclusion this phase of the development with them.”
— Wilbur Ross

Worth noting: President Trump announced in a tweet on May 25 that a deal had been reached. Continue reading “Trump administration cuts “definitive” deal on China’s ZTE”