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36 comments
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Jose Gros
2017-02-06 at 21:36 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Trump is doing Germany a favor because Germany doesn´t need a weak euro to increase competitiveness, just check if its trade surplus suffered when the euro was above 1,40 back in the 00´s. If a weak euro was in Germany´s interest, its finance ministry Schauble wouldn´t be constantly calling for higher interest rates and for an end of the QE, politics implemented by the ECB and on which Germany has no control. The main countries who are benefiting from this weak currency are Italy, Spain and maybe France, and of course, the US banks.
Azijn Seikert
2017-07-06 at 07:04 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/studie/158303/umfrage/deutsche-exporte-und-importe-2010-nach-laendergruppen/
Now you know why.
Emile Malafa
2017-02-07 at 01:39 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
00:00
Joker
2017-02-07 at 02:42 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
As s supporter of brexit, I'd be really interested to hear more about George's views on the UK's future
Nathan Watson
2017-02-09 at 16:02 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
He has written some articles on it. His main view was that as the EU moves towards disintergration it would bind itself up with the USA
Eagle Force
2017-02-07 at 12:03 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I love you George Friedman. I wish we could clone you or upload you to the cloud.
Moon Sonate
2017-02-28 at 07:39 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
is that an irony?
JP
2017-02-28 at 18:26 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Sarcasm. Has to be.
Lance Winslow
2017-06-16 at 01:18 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Maybe some day they just might???
Carol May
2017-02-07 at 22:50 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Thank you all so much for what you do! I have long been an admirer of George Friedman and frequently share his articles and interviews. If you don't mind a suggestion: Since the content of these interviews is superb I think it would be helpful if the headlines here at Maudlin had less of a tabloidy click-bait feel to them. Instead of " The Real Reason that Trump blah, blah, blah," which seems to have an aura of bias about it, how about a more neutral "Rationale for Conducting Foreign Policy in Public" or something to that effect….?
Just my two cents. :-).
Peter J. Andros
2020-01-16 at 21:46 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Money wasted…
trev moffatt
2017-02-26 at 03:17 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Trump is going hard on China – but soft on Russia; so he's applying a similar policy just switching the targets. Which might be underpinned by realpolitik – or it could be just down to racism and anti-communism. White Christian solidarity with Putin – opposed to the Yellow Peril.
But Trump is letting his prejudice override his business sense – in that China has a billion strong market; whereas Russia by comparison only holds 170 million people.
Moreover, Russia is self sufficient in oil and gas; China is resource poor – hence the US holds more leverage over China than over Russia
Plus if the US falls in with Russia to fight ISIS and other enemies , such an alliance begins to look like a White Christian carve up – with the potential of alienating the non White; non Christian countries. The latter being the vast majority of people living in the World Island.
Moon Sonate
2017-02-28 at 09:23 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
My dear, you point a finger at the wrong apple. Trump has no choice. He has to start a war with either China or Russia. The military-industrial complex has all the power, blame them. He is under the pressure to get removed if he will not start the war. If he will be removed, then Pence will start the war with Russia. China will get involved in the war, no matter, who stay in power. If NATO provokes Russia by killing ethnical Russians in Eastern Ukraine, Russia will be force to get involved in the war with NATO and US. White NATO will attack white Russia. White Ukraine is killing white Russians, although they both Slavic. They have the same language, history, culture. Ukraine did not exist until the collapse of Soviet Union.
Your assertion, that Trump is picking on China because he is a bigot, is wrong. A Race has nothing to do in coming war.
trev moffatt
2017-02-28 at 10:00 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
There's no need for any war with China or Russia – or anyone for that matter. Neither China or Russia have done much to warrant the flak they are receiving from Trump and Clinton respectively.
The real enemies to global peace at the moment are Saudi Arabia; Israel, Turkey; and America it self. They are the aggressors. So you are right – the real danger lurks in the US
Moon Sonate
2017-02-28 at 20:07 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
You are absolutely right, but try to tell this to people, like George Friedman, who is considered an AUTHORITY in foreign affairs. He keeps saying every chance he has, that neither Russia nor China has any real power and they should not be considered as the equals. This assertion gives the opportunity for war mongers to influence Media, Congress and the public, that it is OK to deal with Russia and China in the interests of some very powerful groups, which wants to take advantage of Russia and China. President Trump does not have much power to go against these powerful group. They just will remove him from the Office, which they are trying to do NOW. Just watch MSNBC and CNN how they plan and implement Impeachment process already. If they succeed, then the WWW3 will start.
Gerald O'Hare
2017-03-10 at 15:39 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
trev moffatt , China is weak but Russia is even weaker and only has a couple of years left as a regional power. Economic and demographic problems are past the point of corrections. So go soft on Russia and let it consume itself. China on the other hand has economic decline and competition from other countries but will take a littler longer to collapse from internal strife. So that is why we need to be tough on China until it is no longer a threat.
Gerald O'Hare
2017-06-15 at 22:53 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
@Urankartoffel , One word, "paragraphs ".
John Trevor Berger
2017-03-05 at 23:41 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Whether you agree with him or not, it must be admitted that Donald Trump knows exactly what he's doing. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate. But he is not flying by the seat of his pants: his actions and statements are strategic.
Sunshine97
2018-10-30 at 01:06 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Absolutely!! This man is con man all his life ! Every word he says at the moment he already calculated in many steps , ways, reactions and responses..
Which is makes him very dangerous.
Because prosperity and safety of America is not on his agenda …
Brett Chambers
2019-01-04 at 18:27 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Respectfully, there is truth in what you're saying, but you give him too much credit in being a deep, strategic thinker. All too often it's clear he has no clue what he's doing.
shepherdsknoll8
2019-10-20 at 00:15 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
N. W. Flitcraft , I can’t say I disagree with Trump’s agenda, we have put these geopolitical issues off for 30 years. I don’t agree that Trump is a deep thinker , it very much comes across that he is “winging it “.
Lance Winslow
2017-03-14 at 22:24 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
George Friedman is correct. We cannot act like wimps and still remain a super power. Without some level of toughness we will continue to be walked on.
Lance Winslow
2017-06-14 at 04:06 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Urankartoffel, Well, personally I wouldn't be so hard on America or its foreign policy, and the USA needs to start doing what's in its best interests as all other nations do, and stop pretending. And filling the so-called VOID won't happen, and the UN, EU, China, won't be able to do it, they've proven that already. The USA isn't going anywhere, we will be top dog for quite a while in the future. And, if we get our act together, that's best for us and the people of Earth.
Lance Winslow
2017-06-15 at 06:35 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
I think your comment about "rich" countries doing whatever they want is interesting because so do poor countries like: Iraq, Syria, Libya, Venezuela, Bolivia, North Korea, Cuba, Sudan (both), Yemen, just to name a few.
Trump won't get us into WWIII, but if there is one, we need an SOB like Winston Churchill leading us, Trump reminds me of him in so many ways, even hires the same mindsets as Patton, etc.
The US has put the world on notice, no more taking advantage of us. I think that is very fair to a world based on human motivations.
Abu Ansar Al-Britani
2017-03-15 at 01:51 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Regarding Trump's public spats with foreign leaders: here's an alternative theory – what if both sides understand that it's for show? They could be playing off each other for votes but still having the same friendly relations in practice. An international version of a WWE wrestling match, a show rather than a real fight.
rey sotomayor
2017-07-22 at 23:29 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
bla bla bla …
Count Rufus
2017-10-24 at 16:55 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Iran is about Caspian sea and Oil and Gas there.Nothing else.Whole war on terror was about resources.
Chocolate truffles
2018-08-07 at 22:56 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Count Rufus wrong Iran is ruled by a reactionary clergy who wants to dominate the region and export it's medieval nasty ideology
michael12991
2018-03-30 at 10:11 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
ISIS is funded by Saudia Arabia not Iran. Saudi practices the extreme form of Islam and is funding mosque all around the world to push the extreme form of Islam. No government seems to be doing anything about this.
Count Rufus
2018-11-29 at 03:51 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Stop obsessing about the World and worry about ur own darn self and ur own darn neighborhood.
lawrence mcdonell
2018-12-13 at 04:21 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Friedman looks different in every video … this stuff would make me age rapidly, too
kamran kam
2019-02-05 at 16:38 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
A long explanation trying to apply logic to a man everyone knows as self loving short sighted idiot.
George we the world know that Trump is only a tool and a very blunt tool and we will treat him as such.
Global Mask Penguin
2019-07-14 at 10:03 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Friedman is so wrong about trump on the hindsight of course. This puts him into question of his ability to predict the future of global geopolitics
Gerald O'Hare
2019-08-01 at 19:57 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Europeans underestimate the USA and they really underestimate President Trump. That is because Europeans forget that the political makeup and institutions of the US are very very different from Europe. We are designed to have a weak executive and a weak federal government. Power is not in Washington but spread throughout the nation and Europeans simply don’t see this. The electoral college inured that spread of power. That’s why smart politicians make sure they also campaign outside of the major cities. Iowa is a farm state but it has important electoral votes. Mrs. Clinton only campaigned in the east and west coasts. She considered Iowa to be a fly over state. Trump knew better and he hit all the important areas.
President Trump is a business man and sees the world as an open market. He is quick to bellow and bluster but will always be ready to do business and negotiate with anyone. He sees no profit in war so that is off the table. He seems crazy but his actions are very sane. This may really be the beginning of a business empire not a military empire for the world.
RAY LEFEBVRE
2019-08-14 at 02:14 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
President Trump uses Twitter because he is a modern day President. Twiter only became a useful entity and ability to reach every human being on the planet at the same time. If twitter was available 50 years ago all previous Presidents would likely have used it probably as much as President Trump uses twitter but it simply did not exist. President Trump is trying to tell us what is going on and he has a tool few Presidents ever had before. When Trump Tweets he is telling the world and all of America what is on his mind and what he wants to get out without spin direct and honestly to the public. I think he is doing a good thing by tweeting and more future Presidents are likely to use it as well because now it exists.
Mind & Qi are One
2019-12-08 at 17:17 (UTC 2) Link to this comment
Can't wait to read Friedman's newest book, "The Storm Before the Calm". I'm the first person in line to get it from my library!