RE: Looks As If The WLB Did Not Fool China
April 11, 2017 at 11:17 am
(This post was last modified: April 11, 2017 at 11:17 am by Crossless2.0.)
Look, any U.S. president is going to have a hard time dealing with China, if for no other reason than because the Chinese leadership operates on a completely different timeline than a president can afford. I'm no fan of authoritarian rule, but it's undeniable that such a rule, if relatively stable, allows the leadership to take the long view of things and to take their time cutting deals. Don't like this or that U.S. administration? Wait 'em out. There will be another one in a few years. This is a brute fact of international diplomacy with which all presidents must contend.
Now couple that with China smelling blood in the water. A president who (a) is in way over his head and (b) is becoming ever weaker domestically is a guy they don't really have to deal with on any significant level -- unless there is an angle to play to their advantage. Trump thinks he's so fucking slick at cutting deals and swaggering into whatever he wants. He's never played at this level. By the time the Chinese, the Russians, and others are finished with him, he's going to look like a street-corner whore who just pulled a train.
Now couple that with China smelling blood in the water. A president who (a) is in way over his head and (b) is becoming ever weaker domestically is a guy they don't really have to deal with on any significant level -- unless there is an angle to play to their advantage. Trump thinks he's so fucking slick at cutting deals and swaggering into whatever he wants. He's never played at this level. By the time the Chinese, the Russians, and others are finished with him, he's going to look like a street-corner whore who just pulled a train.
