Sunday, August 12, 2018

Time to Call Trump's Bluff


Donald Trump has invited Theresa May to join him in restoring sanctions against Iran - or else. "Nice country ya got here, Terry. Would be a shame if something happened to it."
The United States ambassador to the UK has called on Britain to side with President Donald Trump on Iran or risk "serious trade consequences" for UK businesses. 
In a pointed intervention into an issue that has strained ties between the two allies, Woody Johnson said the UK should embrace Trump's hard-hitting sanctions on Iran, reimposed last week, and break with its European partners who are seeking to preserve the deal to curtail Iran's nuclear program. 
"America is turning up the pressure and we want the UK by our side. It is time to move on from the flawed 2015 deal," Johnson wrote in the UK's Sunday Telegraph, referring to the 2015 Obama-era pact agreed by the US, Iran, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia. Trump withdrew from the deal in May. 
"We are asking global Britain to use its considerable diplomatic power and influence and join us as we lead a concerted global effort towards a genuinely comprehensive agreement," Johnson added.
Shortly after the sanctions snapped back into place last week, Trump warned in a tweet that countries doing business with Iran would "NOT be doing business with the United States."
America's allies must sort this out. Will they defend their sovereignty and stand up to Trump or will they submit? If they should know anything about this malignant narcissist, if they fold this won't end with Iran. This is far more about Trump than Iran. He's going to keep pushing them, working to dominate them. Will they find the courage to tell him "enough"?

8 comments:

bill said...

After reading an article on CBC north about a Dawson City family who survived a year on only locally grown or harvested food and another on the Globalist site talking about how trump is turning the U.S. back to a Mercantilist country like the 19th century. On one hand after several articles this week of how Canada is on our own, how long can we rely on the complex supply lines for our basic needs? On the other going back to the failed systems of the past to fix todays problems will have one good effect. Earth overshoot day will go back to September or even October when there is no market for anything other than locally produced necessities.

Maybe the northern territories have part of the answer where many communities have replaced 40% of their diesel with solar and now wind generation. Most communities have green houses to at least provide everyone with a few meals of fresh food a year.

If you are worried about the world post Trump or fear standing up to him because of the consequences spend a couple of hours finding out what is really happening in the remote north where there is a growing sense of self reliance that will be needed by all Canadians when there is no more food in our corporate stores.

Anonymous said...

Yeaaaaa bill. Anyoung And to boot...the indigenous people can train us what plants to use for good health. Anyong

Lorne said...

Trump is a mere thug with a very big stick. I doubt Britain has the wherewithal anymore to stand up to people like him. Just note their recent timidity regarding Saudi Arabia.

The Mound of Sound said...


Our options may seem far clearer after the mid-terms this November. If the Dems don't make some sort of meaningful breakthrough, we will have to ask ourselves what is our bottom line for our relationship with the United States, how must we recalibrate it? Decades of weak Canadian leadership beginning with Mulroney and continuing to today have left us too deeply integrated with the United States. Our vulnerability/dependency on trade has led us to synchronize much of our foreign and defence policies that, at times, almost seem to have been outsourced to the Americans. We seem to have lost track of what it once meant to be at least partly independent. How would we find ourselves compelled to act if Vietnam began in 2010?

WILLY said...

You can almost feel or I guess see what the pitch will be after the trade/economy shit hits the fan and when more Canadian govts get taken over by the Harperites. A new type of sovereignty, that they will tie to the growing Nationalism that they run on, where we move into a modern day integration with the new more whitish NORTH AMERICA.

Trailblazer said...

Much of the world has lived oblivious to the leveraging of the USA.
Now the 'power' of the USA is staring just about every nation in the world, in the face.
I think we are in for a tough ride 'if' we oppose Trump and his
leeches.
To bow to his wishes will lead to servitude as we have never seen before.
No matter, the world will never be the same again.
No one will trust the USA again and about time too.

TB

Karl Kolchak said...

I'd bet you $100 (American) that not one single American military base in Europe--where the empire's worst atrocities are logistically supported--will be closed at this time next year. Stand up to Trump? Those poodles? Yeah, right.

Trailblazer said...

Poodles; yes but that's just the governing powers.
Face with re elections we could see something different.
75000 Japanese demonstrated to close a base in Japan!
Many Germans would love to see US bases closing.
France rid itself from the scourge decades ago.

TB