Forum Topic

What price Special Relationship?

Only the other day I posted about the so-called “new world order”.  I asked which new world order do we think we are in? Might is right, rules-based international order now a dead letter, global power blocs etc?  If so then we need to get closer to one of those power blocs because we are looking pretty lonely out here on the edge of Europe. The US is only interested in the Americas, from the Arctic to the tip of South America. Trump may have some residual nostalgic affection for the UK but Vance and the others around him certainly don’t.I can’t see any geopolitical alternative to getting closer to the rest of Europe, fractious and divided though the continent often is. That vision of a Global Britain is a chimera. Trade deals with distant countries just aren’t going to cut it. Long supply chains will always be vulnerable (and expensive) and anyway we no longer have the navy to protect them.Maybe there’s another new world order out there but one that retains any vestige of a special relationship with the US is surely not part of it. Trump is on a disastrous path. What is it about Greenland that he can’t already have?

Jonathan Callaway ● 1d11 Comments

It's like playing pettycake with a venimous spider. On this one Starmer can't schmooze with the White House.

Alexander MacLeod ● 1d

These are the "good guys":-https://tinyurl.com/29z26uz3It's easy enough to tell because ... umm ..

David Ainsworth ● 1d

"End of NATO if he goes ahead I guess."And then Putin does what?

David Ainsworth ● 1d

"The sooner this roller coaster, insane ride is over, the better!"True, but you/we may not like the way the end happens.

David Ainsworth ● 1d

Trump is aggressive to everyone not humouring him. Just consider his rudeness to female journalists telling them to shut up or calling them Miss Piggy. Difficult to assess, but there seems to be a significant amount of grass roots opposition and demonstrations against ICE actions and policies, deploymentof National Guard, etc, and the Trump administration is starting to lose some Federal cases. Not to mention disagreements over the Venezuelan action and the Greenland stance. Even Trump has said if the Democrats take over Congress after the midterm elections he may get impeached. ...

Michael Ixer ● 1d

From what I hear on the radio - mainly BBC World Service - Trump wants Greenland to fulfil his dream of creating a Golden Dome to protect America. Sadly his team support him in this plan. End of NATO if he goes ahead I guess.

Katrina Black ● 1d

At this stage I would be very happy if he just shut up for a while and let other things emerge, develop and occupy the news, instead of this on-going hysterical, headline grabbing frenzy of activity. He hasn’t even been a year in office and it seems like forever. Sleepy Joe was a dream in comparison. The sooner this roller coaster, insane ride is over, the better!

Gerry Boyce ● 1d

The only 3explanationsas far as I can see for Trump's aggr3ssive behaviour towards his allies is that he doesn't actyally regard the UK and the EU as worthwhile allies and that he covers Greenland's mineral resources. He may also wish t go down in History as the first president in a hundred years to extend the territory of the United States. But I don't think his blackmail will succeed.  Keir Starmer could not hope to survive as Prime Miniter if he acceded to Trump's demands. And the survival of the EU would also  be in jeopardy if European leaders went along with American annexation of Greenland.

Steven Rose ● 1d

According to Trump, it is time Denmark "pays back".  World Peace is at stake.Perhaps he sees himself as a reigning emperor who everybody must obey regardless......I agree Jonathan, there has been an agreement in place since the 1950s whereby the US can station troops in Greenland.  As far as I understanding, there are no restrictions in numbers.  This issue is perplexing, to say the least.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1d

My feeling is that domestic opposition on the Greenland issue is building. Some even in his own party are deeply unhappy about this. But none of the loyalists around Trump are going to stop him, it will take Congress and the Senate to do so. But he’s destroying Nato, ruining longstanding alliances with all of America’s friends and allies. It’s just so unnecessary. There’s simply no logic to it. The US can already deploy as many troops and ships and aircraft as it wants under existing arrangements so US national security is not at risk at all.

Jonathan Callaway ● 1d

Looking at news feeds from the US it would seem some Republican Congress members are having doubts but are too afraid to be outspoken.  There's muttering from Trump about whether there's a need for next November's elections. Is the US heading for another civil conflict?

Michael Ixer ● 1d