Posted on 07/21/2016 5:02:26 AM PDT by Eurotwit
For example, asked about Russia’s threatening activities that have unnerved the small Baltic States that are among the more recent entrants into NATO, Mr. Trump said that if Russia attacked them, he would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations “have fulfilled their obligations to us.”
Mr. Trump had nothing but praise for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the country’s increasingly authoritarian but democratically elected leader. “I give great credit to him for being able to turn that around,” Mr. Trump said of the coup attempt on Friday night. “Some people say that it was staged, you know that,” he said. “I don’t think so.”
Asked if Mr. Erdogan was exploiting the coup attempt to purge his political enemies, Mr. Trump did not call for the Turkish leader to observe the rule of law, or Western standards of justice. “When the world sees how bad the United States is and we start talking about civil liberties, I don’t think we are a very good messenger,” he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
> And yet at the same time Trump is talking about getting NATO help in U.S. involvement in Syria against ISIS. Can’t have both.
NATO’s help is pretty much useless at current funding levels. Therefor we get help from the nations meeting their obligations and start kicking out the ones who are not.
Sounds like Trump doesn’t favor involving the US in petty foreign entanglements, especially with so-called allies who aren’t contributing to their own defense.
No more free lunch for Europe!
Trump knows that the carrot isn’t working and it is time for the stick.
Back in the Cold War days, these countries agreed to 3% and most of them never met that either. All these countries have been free riding on this alliance for so long that it has become an entitlement like welfare.
Time for “alliance reform”.
I trust the NY Times about as much as I trust Erdogan’s words. I’d like to see a video of this interview.
WTF???!!! This sounds like something Obama says.
Taking acompletely contrarian view, the policy of the US has been to topple Middle East strongmen leaders.
So I’ll ask, how’s that working out?
How’s that worked out in Iraq, Egypt, Libya and Syria?
How has exporting Liberty worked out in practice?
If these countries don’t want the strongman it’s their F-ing problem!
“It is our true policy to steer clear of permanent alliance with any portion of the foreign world” -George Washington’s Farewell Address.
“Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliances with none.” -Thomas Jefferson inaugural Pledge.
I have a novel idea, why don’t we dust off our founding principals, stop paying it lip service on this site.
Great post. Succinctly stated.
And such an announcement should be made in Moscow.
He knows he's unlikely to get either.
Or just withdraw yourself.
And how about “I don’t think we have a right to lecture,” Mr. Trump said in a wide-ranging interview in his suite in a downtown hotel here while keeping an eye on television broadcasts from the Republican National Convention. “Look at what is happening in our country,” he said. “How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?”
He is equating an a governmental repression following a coup to the lawless shooting of police by private citizens?
Isn’t Turkey part of NATO? What have other NATO (or the EU) members said about what is happening in Turkey (from what I know crickets)? Trump is not speaking in a vacuum. Erdogan has 3 months to show the world where he is heading. Plenty of time for the world and US including Trump to see what we are truly dealing with.
“.......maybe he thinks he shouldn’t make Erdogan a bigger enemy at a time when the airbase has been shut down.”...........
Trump is no fool. He says what he has to say when needed as he plans his next moves. “A great chess player”
As far as I know, every western country including the general secretary of NATO has condemned the coup and pledged support for Erdogan.
Thing is.
I thought Trump was different and understood the threat from radical islam.
On the NATO comments he’s simply twisting arms to make sure everyone helps carry the load.
On Erdman, he’s harkening back to Sadam and Kaddafi, bad as they were, the world might be better if they were still around.
First off this is the NYT. Secondly, he didn’t “praise” Erwhatshisface. Thirdly, what part of 19,000,000,000,000 dollars in debt don’t you understand?
We can’t keep supporting the world on the backs of our grandchildren.
You are right. I don’t understand why people can’t be accurate and not employ strawman logical fallacies.
Nuclear weapons, lives, nations are currently at risk in the hands of Erdogan. Seems to me Mr. Trump is appropriately appeasing a situation to play it out for at least six months when hopefully a smarting electorate places him at the helm. He knows the idiot currently in the WH isn’t going to do what’s necessary to protect the nuclear weapons, thus the lives, and nations at risk.
I think Mr. Trump is wise on this one.
Like I said 3 month is what erdogan has placed turkey under a state of emergency. Plenty of time prior to the election for Trump to see what we are actually dealing with. The us said we are able to continue our airstrikes out of the base. But right now we all know Turkey is playing on the side of ISIS and as far as I can tell we are too. So on this I can wait.
I suspect so as well.
But, in that case Trump got it the wrong way around.
Kadaffi and Saddam were for all their faults secular dictators holding the likes of Al Qaeda at bay.
Erdogan assuming full control is more akin to the coup by the Ayatollahs in Iran.
A military coup would have installed a secular strongman to protect Ataturk’s legacy, as they have done on several occations in Turkey’s history when Turks have elected either islamists or communists.
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