Do we scratch our backs and watch people die? I think we can’t do that, but what actions are good for short-term and medium-term and long-term stability is a very interesting global public policy question. Are you seriously willing to discuss it? If you’re not, why did you ask?
We scratch our backs and watch people die every day. It’s a matter of how deeply you want to get into it. And I asked for my own curiosity, and have been discussing it. Your question about why I’d ask seems pretty bad faith in itself. As if asking a question is a problem in and of itself. Why does it matter to you why I asked?
Hell, we scratch our backs and actively kill people every day as a country, so it’s clear as a nation we don’t actually care unless it benefits us in some way, no? America has never just simply been a benevolent country. We couldn’t afford to even if we wanted. We can’t even solve our own local homeless crisis.
So why are these places receiving our money, when our own people can’t even get their own health care? Why aren’t their nations providing it? And if their nations can’t provide it, who else other than us is providing assistance?
People ask questions to educate themselves. You should stop being so judgemental.
so it’s clear as a nation we don’t actually care unless it benefits us in some way
That’s the “stability” part of the argument you zipped by and ignored in the comment you replied to.
Trump/musk/republicans are undermining and outright removing US controlled support abroad. Doesn’t matter which one, USAID or NATO or whatever. I’m not here to argue the morality of our influence, but I’ll point out the consequences of removing it. The US spending abroad is a relief valve for countries that might otherwise become unstable and affect our interests in that country or in a neighboring country that would be affected by conflict. Want to see instability? Make people hungry and let them die of diseases that they know can be treated. Another reason - the US military budget is so huge and we have bases worldwide and offer defense services and materiel to the host country. That frees up money in that country to take care of itself and be beholden to the US.
All of these things give us favorable trade agreements, rights to exploit resources, and political influence worldwide.
What this dumpster fire of an administration is doing is removing all the carrots - the US spending that promotes soft power and stability all over the world - and is relying on nothing but the strength of the military threat.
I fully expect growing world instability thanks to trump’s actions. Small conflicts growing into bigger ones. Migration and starvation. Loss of soft power, economic and political partners shift alliances away from the US. All of this is going to hurt our economic outlook and increase costs to the US and the citizens. It will bite us in the ass, leave us hanging out on our own, and cost far more than maintaining thr soft power.
Both musk and trump are sheltered dictators, none of this matters to them, we can be in economic ruin and they’ll be kings.
We scratch our backs and watch people die every day. It’s a matter of how deeply you want to get into it. And I asked for my own curiosity, and have been discussing it. Your question about why I’d ask seems pretty bad faith in itself. As if asking a question is a problem in and of itself. Why does it matter to you why I asked?
Hell, we scratch our backs and actively kill people every day as a country, so it’s clear as a nation we don’t actually care unless it benefits us in some way, no? America has never just simply been a benevolent country. We couldn’t afford to even if we wanted. We can’t even solve our own local homeless crisis.
So why are these places receiving our money, when our own people can’t even get their own health care? Why aren’t their nations providing it? And if their nations can’t provide it, who else other than us is providing assistance?
People ask questions to educate themselves. You should stop being so judgemental.
That’s the “stability” part of the argument you zipped by and ignored in the comment you replied to.
Trump/musk/republicans are undermining and outright removing US controlled support abroad. Doesn’t matter which one, USAID or NATO or whatever. I’m not here to argue the morality of our influence, but I’ll point out the consequences of removing it. The US spending abroad is a relief valve for countries that might otherwise become unstable and affect our interests in that country or in a neighboring country that would be affected by conflict. Want to see instability? Make people hungry and let them die of diseases that they know can be treated. Another reason - the US military budget is so huge and we have bases worldwide and offer defense services and materiel to the host country. That frees up money in that country to take care of itself and be beholden to the US.
All of these things give us favorable trade agreements, rights to exploit resources, and political influence worldwide.
What this dumpster fire of an administration is doing is removing all the carrots - the US spending that promotes soft power and stability all over the world - and is relying on nothing but the strength of the military threat.
I fully expect growing world instability thanks to trump’s actions. Small conflicts growing into bigger ones. Migration and starvation. Loss of soft power, economic and political partners shift alliances away from the US. All of this is going to hurt our economic outlook and increase costs to the US and the citizens. It will bite us in the ass, leave us hanging out on our own, and cost far more than maintaining thr soft power.
Both musk and trump are sheltered dictators, none of this matters to them, we can be in economic ruin and they’ll be kings.