Friday, September 15, 2017
Ostracizing Washington?
Donald Trump is not going to like this. He's being sidelined while the leaders of 34 major economies gather in Montreal this weekend for talks aimed at preventing Washington from scuttling November's climate summit in Bonn.
Though ministers from 30 major economies will be present, accounting for half of the G20, one major economy will not have a senior minister there - the United States. That is as intended.
The summit is, in part, an effort to head off any attempts by the US to play a spoiler role at the Bonn talks.
US President Donald Trump announced his intent to withdraw his country from the Paris climate agreement in June. But since then it has become clear that the US is in no hurry to pull out, and will still have a seat at the table until 2020. That has left other signatories to the deal worried that US representatives will use their delegation to thwart efforts to strengthen the regime at this year's summit in Bonn.
The Montreal meeting is the first of its kind, because it has been called by individual countries and is taking place outside the UN framework.
Long over due, should have been done years ago.
ReplyDeleteAdd to the list the newer post on NORAD and we have nailed the reasoning of the USA ; America first; but the world can pay for it.
Whilst Trump and co cry out that the USA is dumped upon by the rest of the world; the rest of the world is waking up to the reality of fighting America's wars for American companies and prosperity.
TB
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to read period accounts that chronicle what Britain went through at the end of its empire, TB. Some aspects of it are eerily similar to what's underway today in the States especially the Messianic and exceptionalist rubbish.
Britain is still in denial.
ReplyDeleteI was back there a couple of months ago and to say they have their heads up their arses would be an understatement.
The country has been decimated with neoliberal thinking from Maggie Thatcher to Tony Blair and now Theresa May , an endless pool of backward thinking self important underperforming leaders looking back to the good old days of Queen Victoria.
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/sep/07/how-the-aristocracy-preserved-their-power
TB
Nice one TB. Thanks.
ReplyDelete