For image text, go to https://medium.com/s/story/a-visual-history-of-trump-magazine-covers-updated-for-2018-7255d632598c (A Visual History of Trump Magazine Covers - A thematic organization of how Trump has been illustrated by the media, from pre-election to now) Trump Goes Absolutely Insane In Unhinged Montana Speech - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHt8oZYENug
War-waging US now wants both world and space dominance! | Donald Trumps orders Pentagon to create US 'space force' AFP| Updated: Jun 19, 2018, 01.56 AM IST US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create a new US "space force," which he said would become the sixth branch of the American military. "I'm hereby directing the DOD (Department of Defense) and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Trump said at the start of a meeting of the National Space Council. "That's a big statement. We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the space force, separate but equal." |
War-waging US now wants both world and space dominance! KUALA LUMPUR (June 2018): US President Donald Trump has not only become economically “unreliable” to the rest of the world, even the Pentagon does not trust him with making a nuclear decision.And, today (June 19), Trump ordered the Pentagon to immediately create a new US “space force” to be the war-waging America’s military’s sixth branch.Trump also reportedly said that not only must there be a military presence in space for the US, “we must also dominate space”.So, the war-waging US is no more just aiming for world dominance, but also space as well!Now, isn’t that an open global threat to the rest of the world?Here are four very significant and relevant news reports that point to a globally unreliable Trump-led US:"The Unpredictable States of America is Making Trouble Not Only for China, but Also for Itself2018-06-16 China-US, Economy, Politics, TOPICS Lv XiangBy Lv XiangThe USTR announced Friday that President Donald Trump had approved 25% tariffs on $50bn worth of Chinese goods, which are products, alleged to be of “significant industrial technologies”, with tariffs on $ 34 billion goods under the first subset taking effect as from July 6, 2018,and those on another $ 16 billion goods under the second subset to take effect undated. From June 15 2018 – the date of announcement that will live in history – a massive trade war targeting China has been launched. It involves the world’s two biggest economies and the trade volume involved also represents a record in decades.
Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China April 24, 2018.The existing world economic order was set up after WWⅡ with the US as the leading force. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an essential cornerstone. The organization has kept growing and contributing to world economic development, especially since China joined.Containers are seen at the Yangshan Deep Water Port in Shanghai, China April 24, 2018.However, a new threat of neo-isolationism arose during the US presidential election in 2016 with Donald Trump as its champion. From campaign to taking office, Trump has repeatedly attempted to compensate for his deficit in public popularity by sowing an image of the US as a “victim” into the public mind. Trump has claimed that the US has been “raped”, “robbed”, “exploited” and “taken advantage of” by other countries under the existing international order. Hence, the US need to re-define its relationship – in fields such as the economy, trade, and security – with the rest of the world.The US trade war does not target China alone, but even traditional allies including the EU and Japan, and neighboring countries including Canada and Mexico. But in terms of the scale, China is unique.Economies such as the EU and Canada have already taken counter-measures against the irrational US actions. China’s Ministry of Commerce released a statement in the wake of the US announcement, claiming that China will take immediate counter-measures of equivalent scale and strength against US products.
Chicago Board of Trade futures settled much lower on Monday amid massive selling triggered by concerns over trade tensions between China and the United States.[Photo/IC]The essence of trade is the exchange of necessary goods. It is a reciprocal activity among economies. Both the companies and the people of the US have derived enormous benefit from trade between China and the US. Trump’s increased tariffs on Chinese goods fall under the unwarranted charge of a “301 Investigation”, forcing the mutually-beneficial economic relations between the two countries into a state of hostility. This action is unarguably an open challenge to world trade rules and global interests.However, the actions of Trump’s government do not represent the will or further the interests of all the US people or any of its industrial giants. Key institutes including the US Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers have united in condemning the counterproductive actions.US stock, bond and foreign exchange markets have all been fluctuating since February this year, indicating that US economic growth is still beset by enormous uncertainty. The US economy has been generally stable in recent weeks, but with these new prospects of a trade war it will once again come under pressure.The Chinese government has shown all possible goodwill and sincerity in its trade talks with the US. But in the volatility of in its actions, the US has been acting like the most disorganized government in the world. “USA” is becoming synonymous with “The Unpredictable States of America”. A capricious US government is making trouble not only for China, for the world, but also for itself.By Lv Xiang, expert on US issues, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China Association of International TradeEditor: Cai HairuoOpinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China Focus'US has become unreliable’: Austrian chancellor questions Washington’s commitment to EUPublished time: 29 May, 2018 02:33Edited time: 29 May, 2018 08:10The US, under Donald Trump's administration, is becoming increasingly unpredictable and “unreliable” to its European partners, the Austrian chancellor noted, joining a chorus of EU members urging for more unity and self-reliance.“The US has become more and more unreliable for us,” Sebastian Kurz told the Financial Times. “The most important thing is that Europe has to remain united.”Concerns about Donald Trump’s administration have been growing across the EU recently. Earlier this month, a poll showed that 82 percent of Germans believe the US is not a reliable political partner after Chancellor Angela Merkel stated that Europe “needs to take its fate into its own hands.”'With friends like that who needs enemies’: Tusk lashes out at TrumpThe major transatlantic rift first emerged after Trump pulled out of the Paris climate agreement, and it only deepened after the US administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, pulled out of the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal and imposed tariffs on aluminum and steel, which are due to come into force in June.Kurz and Merkel are not the only EU politicians to question Washington’s commitment to its European partners. Earlier this month, European Council President Donald Tusk also questioned the American friendship. The US President “made us realize that if you need a helping hand, you all find one at the end of your arm,” Tusk said in Bulgaria at a Western Balkans summit earlier this month.“Looking at the latest decisions of President Trump, someone could even think: with friends like that, who needs enemies?” he said. “But frankly speaking, Europe should be grateful for President Trump because thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions,”Tusk added, urging the Europeans to unite, against Washington's “capricious assertiveness.”Kurtz expanded his message to the European nations, calling on other EU capitals to mend ties with Moscow. “We won’t be able to solve the crisis in Ukraine alone… Syria, we will only be successful if we find a way to act united with the US and Russia, so I think it’s not negative for the EU if countries like Austria — which has always been a bridge-builder — has… a good relationship with Russia,” Kurtz noted. Would the Air Force Let Airman Trump Near a Nuclear Weapon?By Steven BuserJan. 17, 2018President Trump boarding Air Force One on Friday.CreditAl Drago for The New York TimesAs a psychiatrist for the United States Air Force, one of my responsibilities was evaluating the mental stability of airmen who handled nuclear weapons, using the standards laid out in what is called the Nuclear Personnel Reliability Program. There is no need to justify why our military would take every precaution necessary to ensure that the men and women in uniform handling nuclear weapons were fit to do so, whether they were in charge of a missile silo or loading nuclear bombs onto aircraft — or giving the orders to them, on up the chain of command. Strangely, the commander-in-chief, the one who would decide when and how to use those weapons, is the only individual in the chain who is not subject to the ongoing certification under the program.According to the program, or P.R.P., personnel who handle nuclear weapons are held to higher standards of physical and mental readiness than other personnel, and rightfully so. The Department of Defense Directive 5210.42 states: “Only those personnel who have demonstrated the highest degree of individual reliability for allegiance, trustworthiness, conduct, behavior, and responsibility shall be allowed to perform duties associated with nuclear weapons, and they shall be continuously evaluated for adherence to P.R.P. standards.”On Tuesday the White House physician, Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson, gave the president a clean bill of health. And no doubt, by many standards, Mr. Trump is in decent shape. But the standards for a person’s physical and mental health are a different matter from his fitness to oversee our nuclear arsenal. What if President Trump were, instead, Airman Trump, and was to be assessed under the program’s guidelines; would I certify him as “P.R.P. ready” to work in the vicinity of nuclear weapons?I have not had the opportunity to examine the president personally, but warning signs abound. What if I had reliable outside information that Airman Trump displayed erratic emotions? That I saw very clearly that he was engaging in cyberbullying on Twitter? That he had repeatedly made untruthful or highly distorted statements? That his language implied he engaged in sexually abusive behavior? That he appeared paranoid about being surveilled or persecuted by others, that he frequently disregarded or violated the rights of others?These are the sorts of things that set off alarms for Air Force psychiatrists. I certainly could not certify him as “P.R.P. ready” without more extensive psychological evaluation.It does not take a former Air Force psychiatrist to point out that our country finds itself in a place unlike any we’ve ever been before. Saturday morning’s alarm in Hawaii, as residents read alerts that incoming ballistic missiles were on their way, is a wakeup call to the very real danger we’re facing. Global tension and angst are significantly heightened.We’ve been here a few times before, but unlike those other times our commander-in-chief adds, without equivocation, to this angst almost daily with his words and actions. We have always assumed that the person at the top has the mental fitness to meet whatever standards the Air Force set for the rest of the chain of command. What keeps me up at night? The realization that, at the worst possible time, we have a chief executive who I believe would probably fail the P.R.P.The topic of presidential fitness and cognitive decline has always been a legitimate issue. The ability for the Executive Office to function effectively and without exposing the American people to undue danger relies on the mental faculties of the one person inhabiting its walls. Former President Jimmy Carter pointed this out in an article he wrote for The Journal of the American Medical Association in 1994, in which he warned that our country is in “continuing danger” from the possibility that a president could become disabled “particularly by a neurological illness.” Revelations that President Ronald Reagan may have had early-stage Alzheimer’s while he was president add to these concerns.It’s unlikely that the military will act on its own to require the president to submit to an Air Force psychiatrist’s evaluation. But there are other options. A bill in the House, with support in the Senate, called the Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2017, explicitly prevents any president from initiating a nuclear first strike without Congressional approval. This should be common sense for any politician to support, because it assures that the checks and balances intended by the framers of the Constitution remain intact. But equally important, it remedies a glaring failure within the nuclear chain of command and mitigates one of the greatest dangers of our nuclear ages: the possibility of an unhinged president executing a calamitous decision that endangers millions of Americans, and potentially millions of others around the globe.No president, including Mr. Trump, should have the unilateral power to begin a nuclear war. Congress must protect the American people, and taking away the option of an impulsive first strike nuclear attack is a clear and sane way to prevent a dangerous and insane result.Steven Buser is a clinical psychiatrist and a former major in the United States Air Force. He is an editor, with Leonard Cruz, of “A Clear and Present Danger: Narcissism in the Era of President Trump.”Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTopinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.Germany's Merkel Signals Deepening Rift With U.S. Under Trumpby Andy Eckardt and F. Brinley Bruton / May.29.2017 / 11:33 PM ET / Updated May.30.2017 / 6:55 PM ETGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel enjoys a beer during an election campaign in Munich on Sunday.Christian Bruna / EPABERLIN — Angela Merkel's weekend speech stating that Europe could no longer "fully count on others" was a sign of the widening cracks in the relationship between Germany and the U.S. — an alliance that has defined the post-World War II global order, experts and analysts said.Europe Must Take Control of its Own Fate: Angela MerkelMAY.31.201700:47"All I can say is that we Europeans must really take our destiny into our own hands," the German leader told the crowd of some 2,500 during a campaign event at a beer tent in Bavaria. "The times in which we can fully count on others are somewhat over, as I have experienced in the past few days."While Merkel never mentioned President Donald Trump by name, her blunt remarks followed a bruising series of meetings with the U.S. president at the NATO summit in Belgium and then at the G-7 gathering in Italy.Trump sent a tweet criticizing Germany early Tuesday.Donald J. Trump✔@realDonaldTrumpWe have a MASSIVE trade deficit with Germany, plus they pay FAR LESS than they should on NATO & military. Very bad for U.S. This will change6:40 PM - May 30, 2017· 85.1K· 45.8K people are talking about thisTwitter Ads info and privacyOn Thursday, Trump did not explicitly promise to protect America's NATO allies if they came under attack, instead alleging 23 out of the 28-member nations owed "massive amounts of money" to U.S. taxpayers. The U.S.-led NATO alliance made up mainly by European countries has for decades been a bulwark against the Soviet and then Russian aggression.At the G-7 summit, European and other diplomats were frustrated that Trump refused to endorse a global climate change accord and said he needed more time to decide. Trump was also quoted as calling Germany "very bad" on trade — but the White House denied it."Solidarity for Donald Trump is a commodity, only available with advance payment"Merkel's comments were made on the election trail and therefore directed at a domestic audience as much as to an international one.Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper stated that Sunday's comments showed "Merkel no longer regards the USA as reliable."Elmar Thevessen, the deputy editor-in-chief at German public broadcaster ZDF, said that "Merkel sent a very important signal" from Europe."[French President Emmanuel] Macron and other European leaders seemed to have the same takeaway" from the encounter with Trump and his delegation at NATO's headquarters and the G-7, he said.German Chancellor Angela Merkel enjoys a beer during an election campaign in Munich on Sunday.Christian Bruna / EPAIn an op-ed, Thevessen suggested that the summits offered insight into Trump's approach to foreign affairs, which he summed up as "'America first and only.' Responsibility for the world — no chance.""Solidarity for Donald Trump is a commodity, only available with advance payment," Thevessen added. "I am not a psychologist, but am judging as a political scientist and journalist: this U.S. president is dangerous. We Europeans can do nothing against it."Martin Schulz, Merkel's main challenger in the September federal election, told German broadcaster ZDF that "we have to make clear to the United States that they are isolated, they are also isolated on their own continent."On Monday, AFP also quoted Germany’s Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel as saying that Trump’s actions had “weakened” the West.The U.S.-European relationship is built on the ashes of the Second World War, when America spent around $103 billion in today's dollars to help rebuild a shattered continent. The European Union has gone on to become one of Washington's key economic partners, and the world's largest trading bloc.Ivo H. Daalder, a former U.S. envoy to NATO, told The New York Times that “this seems to be the end of an era, one in which the United States led and Europe followed."“Today, the United States is heading into a direction on key issues that seems diametrically opposite of where Europe is heading. Merkel's comments are an acknowledgment of that new reality,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.Michael McFaul, who was ambassador to Russia under Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, expressed dismay at the state of the key relationship.Michael McFaul✔@McFaulJust amazing .. and sad... and so easily avoidable.Yannis Koutsomitis✔@YanniKoutsMerkel: We can't rely on the US anymore. I have experienced this in the last days. We Europeans should take destiny in our own hands. ~@BILD3:14 AM - May 29, 2017Kori Schake, a national-security expert at the Hoover Institution think tank, was more guarded. In a tweet, she said that Obama had also damaged U.S. alliances by "calling our reliability into question," but went on to say that "Trump has damaged them more."Andy Eckardt reported from Berlin. F. Brinley Bruton reported from London.”Jonathan Ernst / Reuters"
| The scary truths about Trump’s nuclear summit In which Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un compared the size of their nuclear buttons. Violet Blue, @violetblue 06.15.18 in Politics In the first summit meeting between the leaders of the United States and North Korea, Donald Trump met with Kim Jong-un on June 12, 2018, in Singapore. The two leaders smiled warmly, posed for cameras as friends, shook hands, and Trump spoke in glowing terms of admiration about Kim at the news conference. The summit came after a year-and-a-half of both men terrorizing the world with open threats of thermonuclear annihilation and childish public insults. Trump derisively nicknamed the North Korean dictator "Rocket Man" and called him "fat and short," while Kim called Trump "a mentally deranged U.S. dotard." This week's historic meeting was nearly scrapped by Trump in a threatening yet passive-aggressive letter to Kim that tried to make the cancellation look like it was North Korea's idea … for more, go to https://www.engadget.com/2018/06/15/the-scary-truths-about-trump-s-nuclear-summit/ |
A desperate US is super dangerous to the rest of the world … | FLASHBACK: Chinese Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong and Soviet Communist Party General Secretary Joseph Stalin attend a celebration for Stalin’s 71st birthday in Moscow, December 1949. Russia and China fell out due to ideological differences as Stalin’s eventual successor, Nikita Khrushchev, softened the Soviet stance toward the West, infuriating a more hard-line Mao. RUSSIA AND CHINA COULD SOON BECOME MORE POWERFUL THAN THE U.S. AND VALENTINE’S DAY IS TO BLAME BY TOM O'CONNOR ON 2/14/18 AT 2:25 PM Nearly seven decades after Russia and China struck their first major alliance, an expert analysis showed Wednesday just how powerful the U.S.’s two leading military rivals have become. Despite setbacks over the course of their relationship, recent initiatives have allowed China and Russia to once again shift global military strength from West to East. On February 14, 1950, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union signed the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance. Less than five years after World War II and only months after the guerrilla forces of Mao Zedong expelled the Chinese nationalist Kuomintang government to Taiwan, the world’s two largest communist powers joined forces at the onset of what would be a nearly half-century Cold War between Moscow and Washington. Already wary of growing U.S. influence in Asia, the two nations vowed to defend one another in the event of an attack from U.S.-backed Japan or any of its allies … for more, go to http://www.newsweek.com/russia-china-bring-valentines-day-treaty-back-life-military-power-806950 |
A desperate US is super dangerous to the rest of the world … https://youtu.be/bA2s84teos0 (Putin Unveils Russia's Newest Underwater Drone) That’s a multi-trillion-dollar question for the rest of the world.Given the US’ continuous global demonising of Russia and China, it sure looks like the American military is confident of taking on both Russia and China simultaneously.The US confidence is just that. What is the reality in this 21st Century digital world of economics and technology?It certainly appears the US is still living in a world of its own, waging war as it had been doing in the 20th Century.It also appears that the US know nothing else about the world economy, except to profit from arms deals.And that is exactly why President Donald Trump has to keep his electoral promise that he will “Make America Great Again” by a “closed door economic policy”, dumping free trade and level economic playing fields to protect American business interests.The pressure on Trump and the US is due to their national debt of between US$20 trillion and US$22 trillion (Read this for context: https://ilovemalaysiachinasilkroad.blogspot.com/2018/03/you-better-believe-it-desperado-us-and.html - You better believe it! Desperado US and Trump are more than prepared to rock the global economy.The US desperation is showing and growing, and if it oversteps its boundaries, a military clash between the US and Russia-China would be disastrous to the rest of the world.View the above two video clips on Russia’s military fire power and technology and the following Russian news reports that include the US Congress accusing Xi Jinping’s China of harbouring the dream of world hegemony:"'Doomsday Machine': Russia's New Weapon Reportedly Gets Nuclear Warhead © Photo: YouTube/Russian Defence Ministry
RUSSIA
18:27 17.05.2018(updated 18:31 17.05.2018)
During his state-of-the-nation address to the Russian Federal Assembly in March, President Vladimir Putin touted the country's newest weapons, including the Poseidon (Status-6) unmanned underwater vehicles.
Russia's state-of-the-art Poseidon (Status-6) naval system is expected to be equipped with torpedoes containing nuclear warheads, Russian media reports said.
Citing an unnamed source in the Russian Defense Ministry, media reported that the Poseidon system is composed of several high-speed deep-water torpedoes which will be carried by a nuclear-powered submarine.
"The system is designed to destroy the fortified naval bases of a potential enemy. Thanks to its nuclear power unit, Poseidon has a speed of up to 70 naval knots (130 kilometers per hour) and is capable of moving at a depth of more than one kilometer (0.6 miles) underwater," the source added.
President Vladimir Putin mentioned the Poseidon system when presenting Russia's most advanced weapons during his state-of-the-nation address to the country's Federal Assembly on March 1.
The technology website Business Insider called the system "Putin's doomsday machine" which it claimed could cause "a 300-foot [91-meter] tsunami if exploded in the right location." US House Intelligence Committee declares China ‘pre-eminent threat to American security & values’
Published time: 18 May, 2018 01:53Edited time: 18 May, 2018 08:36 | China’s aircraft carrier Liaoning takes part in a military drill /Reuters |
Having bitterly split along partisan lines in the probe over Russian influence and “meddling,” the House Intelligence Committee united in decrying the “pre-eminent threat” posed to the US by another rising power ‒ China.
“China has only become emboldened and now may be the pre-eminent threat to American security, our economy and our values,” Committee Chair Rep. Devin Nunes (R-California) said at the hearing on Thursday, even as US and Chinese diplomats began a second round of negotiations to stave off a trade war.
Ranking member Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) agreed, saying he hoped there would be more public hearings about China.
“We need to consider that the military challenge is part of a larger national strategy by China to project its power and to secure its national interests by whatever means necessary,” Schiff said, adding that this included sales of “potentially compromising” telecommunications equipment by companies like ZTE and Huawei.
Nunes is planning a series of hearings on China in the coming weeks, focusing on a variety of threats to the US, such as “aggressive territorial claims, unfair trade policies, espionage and cyber-attacks,” he told the Washington Free Beacon on Wednesday.
Former intelligence director of the US Pacific Fleet, retired US Navy Captain Jim Fanell, was one of the witnesses at Thursday’s hearing, along with China experts from the Council on Foreign Relations, American Enterprise Institute and the International Assessment and Strategy Center.
US intelligence agencies “had blinders on” for the longest time when it came to China, and misjudged Beijing’s activities, an unnamed committee aide told the Beacon. As an example, the aide cited China’s expansion of naval capabilities, which the US thought would be limited to regional conflicts but are increasingly looking global in scope.
“Our focus in the first hearing is to look at the military advances, quantitative and qualitative, and how it connects to China's broader strategy for force projection and influence,” he added.
Nunes has been focused particularly on the Chinese military base in Djibouti, recently built next to the major US base in the east African country. He argued that China is looking to invest in ports and infrastructure around the world, not just for military purposes, but as a mechanism of exerting influence and control over host governments.
Bill Gertz✔@BillGertz
Xi Jinping’s ‘China Dream’ is global hegemony, experts tell Congress …
4:40 AM - May 18, 2018 China’s President Xi Jinping/Getty Images
This assessment was seconded by the Free Beacon Editor Bill Gertz, who wrote a book titled ‘The China Threat’ in 2000. “The Chinese goal is to challenge the United States and coerce regional states into adopting China's vision for a new global order under an authoritarian, anti-democratic power,” Gertz wrote.
It is unclear, however, how much of this accurately reflects China’s military and economic expansion, and how much is the analysts’ projection of US behaviors and motivations on Beijing.
US President Donald Trump has campaigned on stopping “terrible” trade deals with China, accusing Beijing of disproportionally benefiting from globalization and free-trade arrangements. For many years, the US has been buying manufactured goods from China, while selling mostly financial instruments and agricultural products, making for a trade imbalance reaching over $350 billion in 2017. Trump has imposed tariffs on $60 billion worth of Chinese imports, while Beijing has pledged to retaliate against US soybeans and other exports. The current trade talks are aiming to address the issues before they escalate into a full-blown trade war. 'Chinese Were Prepared, EU Companies Were Not’ for US' Iran Sanctions - Analyst © AP Photo / Vahid Salemi
OPINION
14:29 20.05.2018
China’s state-owned energy giant CNPC is ready to replace French energy company Total’s stake in the Iranian South Pars gas project. In 2017, Total and CNPC signed a 20-year contract worth 4.8 billion dollars to develop Phase 11 of Iran’s South Pars field. Sputnik spoke with political analyst Tom McGregor about CNPC’s acquisition plan.
Sputnik: How serious is CNPC about acquiring Total’s stake in the South Pars gas project in your opinion?
McGregor: Definitely if it’s available to them they will certainly look at the deal and the way the Chinese do business is that they don’t make an announcement unless they are going to do something. They are very secretive about this kind of stuff, so unless there is some weird bluff, there’s no reason for them to make an announcement unless they are very serious. Chances are they are already taking action and they have already moved forward on it and they are just waiting to sign the deal to see what Total does.
The Total energy giant in France and you do have these sanctions and then Trump has promised on campaign trail that he was going to create problems for Iran, so there should be no surprise. The European companies should have been prepared for this, years ago and I don’t know why they are overreacting. They knew what was going to happen after Trump was elected. So I think what happened was that the Chinese were prepared already and the European companies were not.
Sputnik: CNPC could not become the target of US sanctions against Iran?
McGregor: I am sure it might happen but I am pretty sure they are protected. You also need to realize that Total is doing business in America so they are just making a smart business decision. If we go forward with Iran we lose our American business. So they are going to have to throw someone under the bus and it’s going be the Iranian people, because they know that if they risk anything and they lose their American market, they are bankrupt. They can lose everything.
The CNPC they focus more on the emerging markets, on the Chinese market, so their connections with the Americans are not as strong as, say Total’s is. So there is less risk for them to do it even if they face any type of retribution or penalties from it. It’s just a smart business decision on all sides.
Sputnik: How would Total’s withdrawal from the South Pars affect the project itself and its future?
McGregor: Well CNPC would basically just take it over and reinvest and they will make money from it. It will be business as usual, it’ not going to be anything shocking or disturbing. Total will at least get some type of return on investment because they can sell it off to CNPC. So at least they can get some money from that.
The views and opinions of Tom McGregor are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik." | An F/A-18F Super Hornet jet flies over the USS Gerald R. Ford as the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier tests its EMALS magnetic launching system, which replaces the steam catapult, and new AAG arrested landing system in the Atlantic Ocean July 28, 2017. Picture taken July 28, 2017. U.S. Navy/Erik Hildebrandt/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY? - RC1C71D03A40 (REUTERS/Erik Hildebrandt/Navy Handout) The US is talking about “great power competition.” What does that mean? The US is creating a new naval command and redeploying the Second Fleet in the Atlantic, the department of defense announced yesterday (May 4), putting teeth behind a new national security strategy announced in January. “We will continue to prosecute the campaign against terrorists that we are engaged in today, but great power competition, not terrorism, is now the primary focus of US national security,” secretary of defense Jim Mattis announced. Specifically, the US will prioritize curbing the aggressions of China and Russia. If all of this sounds vaguely familiar, it should. It’s an echo of language that’s been part of geopolitics for two centuries. In 1814, towards the end of the Napoleonic Wars, five Great Powersemerged in Europe: the UK, France, Russia, Austria, and Prussia (which later became Germany). Those powers jockeyed for control of Europe—and through their colonial empires, the rest of the globe—and their rivalry eventually tipped into World War I. In the 20th century, new powers emerged, notably the US and the Soviet Union, and their Cold War defined global affairs from the end of World War II to the collapse of the USSR in 1991 … for more, go to https://qz.com/1271166/us-vs-china-and-russia-what-does-great-power-competition-mean/ |
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