Cause and effect is defined as the direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result.
You’d think that’d be easy to understand. That when we listen to people talk about this idea or that plan, we’d immediately extrapolate to the obvious question of “What happens next?” But, too often we don’t do that, and that omission occurs in our politics as much as pretty much anywhere else.
Let’s look at the Republican nominee for president – four-time indicted, twice impeached, sexual assaulter, tax fraudster, convicted felon, wannabe fascist Donald Trump – on a subject that’s easy to overlook in the tsunami of campaign rhetoric – foreign policy.
Trump is a fascinating case study. A man who’s displayed stunning weakness while trying to convince us that he possesses superior strength over his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. The problem with that is Trump has shown us that he’s no more than a little boy trying to deal with men when it comes to his interactions with powerful dictators from around the world.
The United States must lead when it comes to world affairs. It must do so not only because it’s the richest and most powerful nation on the globe, but because it’s in our best interest that it takes a leadership role as opposed to gravitating to the isolationist position endorsed by Trump and his ilk.
Cause and effect. What would be the effect of putting Trump back in the White House for four more years? What happens next? The prediction here is the possibility of World War III in Europe resulting from his handling of the Russian-Ukraine war, and increased hatred of Jews in our country because of what he does concerning the Isreal-Hamas conflict.
Let’s take a look.
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CNN reported back in February that Trump said he would encourage Russia to do “whatever the hell they want” to any NATO member country that doesn’t meet the organization’s spending guidelines on defense.
That’s an amazing admission that a U.S. president would simply turn his back on another NATO member if it’s attacked. Here’s what that would look like:
Trump’s subservience to Russian President Vladimir Putin has been well-documented, as has his attempt to strongarm Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into investigating then-presidential candidate Joe Biden by threatening to withhold vital arms shipments to his country.
So, Trump has a track record of not giving a damn about what happens to Ukraine. Add that to Putin’s seeming control of him, and it’s easy to see him cutting off military aid to Ukraine, all but ensuring a Russian victory.
Here’s the thing, four NATO countries border Ukraine – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. With Russia taking over Ukraine, it’ll have direct access to these nations if Putin wants to extend its military action.
This would trigger NATO’s Article 5, which says an attack on one NATO country is treated as an attack on all of them. Still, it’s easy to see Trump refusing to join the fight, significantly weakening the military opposition Putin and Russia would have to face. Remember, he’s already said that’s a possibility.
That gives us World War III in Europe, while we sit on the sidelines. And remember, this is a war in which multiple participants have nuclear weapons. That’s a pretty scary proposition.
If dictators like Putin, China’s Xi Jinping, and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are convinced they don’t have the United States to worry about, the possibility of multiple conflicts grows exponentially.
There are folks in this country who’ll say, “Who cares? It’s their fight. We shouldn’t get involved.” For one thing, we’ve made a commitment to do so. For another, the effect of such a war on things like the world economy is going to be felt everywhere, including here. And once you turn your back on your allies, don’t expect them to be there for you when you need them.
You may think this is far-fetched, but do you really want to cross your fingers and take the chance of making Trump commander in chief and hope it all works out?
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Trump to be our next president. It’s no wonder, the Washington Post reported that Trump has told Netanyahu to “Do what you have to do” in its wars with Hamas and Hezbollah.
Netanyahu so far has shown little concern about the tens of thousands of Palestinian citizens who’ve been killed in that conflict. It’s easy to see that this man couldn’t care less about how many of them die.
It’s this slaughter that’s caused so much unrest in this country as we continue to supply Isreal weapons that it in turn uses to create this carnage. Biden hasn’t been tough enough with Netanyahu in this regard.
What do you think happens as more innocent Palestinians are killed? The unrest already present in this country will grow, the disgusting antisemitism will increase, and the hatred of Isreal will fester.
Not only that, Netanyahu is opposed to a two-state solution, which, while admittedly a complicated endeavor, is the only real answer to what’s going on in the Middle East.
Add to that Isreal’s conflict with Hezbollah and Iran and you have a real powder keg. The United States has a responsibility to itself and the world, not to commit American troops to theses wars, but to constantly use its influence to try to limit and hopefully end them.
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In his latest book, “War,” Bob Woodward tells how after Putin set the stage for the attack on Ukraine on the pretext of recognizing the independence of two Russian-backed separatist regions in the eastern part of the country – Donetsk and Luhansk – Trump was effervescent in his praise, declaring “This is genius. … How smart is that?”
Genius? Attacking a sovereign county and killing tens of thousands of civilians is genius?
Look, Trump doesn’t care how many Ukrainians die, or how many Palestinians die. Hell, he didn’t care how many Americans died from Covid as he lied over and over again about the seriousness of the virus.
Can you really make critical foreign policy decisions when human lives mean so little to you? Should this guy command the most powerful military in the world and have the nuclear codes to boot?
There’s a saying that “If you’re not the lead dog the view never changes.” When it comes to the world, we’re talking about a view that’s a lot bigger than a dog’s ass.
To some “America First” means the hell with the rest of the world. That’s an idiotic view. The world is too big, too complicated, and too intertwined to ignore. America First will only lead to America Last.
There’s another old saying that goes “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.” Trump’s inclination to get out of the way would be a disaster. His personal corruption would make any foray beyond our borders more about what’s best for him than what’s best for us.
The world is complicated, but this is simple: A Trump presidency would be a disaster for our country and the rest of the world.
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