Thanks for your article. People had associated so many things to Trump or to Biden administration that has been misguided.
One thing I wanted to clarify. Trumps rhetoric is so dangerous for undocumented immigrants and immigrants by pitting people groups against each other. But placing immigrants in cages, I’m not sure if you were referring to the holding area. I read that the placements were first started by Clinton or bush. And then there were issues with extreme temperatures and no way to separate children and gender. I think Obama had to find a quick solution and had to put dividers which we now see as cages. Trump has negatively spoke about it, but I don’t think it started with trump. I’m not defending him, I just try to see things as neutral as possible and I remember looking it up one time because of something my boyfriend said. So just wanted to check on this statement.
It’s a scary time for the next 4 years…. Praying people will be able to have more conversations in the midst of disappointment and anger to be able to move towards peace and unity.
My partner and I made the decision to leave the United States well before the elections - it wasn't necessarily because of what we perceived/feared of the outcome, we just realized what we wanted of a country's cultures and values couldn't be found here (right now, Taiwan is actually our top choice). And while I do have more concerns about the incoming administration than what Harris/Walt'z position would've likely been, especially as it pertains to Taiwan, its true that other elements seem to be conspiring against an immediate invasion from China (for now).
Trump and his loyalists are largely transactional, with the entirety of their focus on building more power, wealth, and influence. To that end, he is largely predictable - if it benefits him in some way, he'll pursue that particular policy; it's a loyalty that can be tracked and bought. Elon Musk isn't any different in that regard (i.e., I imagine that Musk will advocate for some areas in green technology mostly because it benefits himself). If nothing else, I imagine that the next foreseeable future will be largely defined by corporate interests - and to that end, Taiwan is integral to many of the growth businesses of the future.
"pro-Taiwan voices can access a more friendly international media and many more platforms to get their stories heard"
I thought this part was highly ironic. You sure that getting your story heard would actually help your cause? As an American, your essay basically convinced me that Americans should *not* die to defend Taiwan.
"Many of the staunch defenders of Taiwan in his first administration are out—Pompeo, Bolton. Both admittedly, are **troglodytes**..."
"The post-9/11 projection of American power has been a **force of evil** throughout much of the world..."
"Well, the United States for decades has clung to a somewhat **hypocritical** policy, commonly referred to as “strategic ambiguity.”..."
And of course, Trump getting just about 50% of the popular vote represents a "complete repudiation" of the Obama years, which means the US "always just wanted us for our chips". Forget about the fact that Taiwan was barely an issue in the 2024 election campaign. Forget the fact that your photo of Eisenhower is from 1960, and TSMC was not even *founded* until 1987, much less an important strategic asset.
I think the reason isolationism is becoming popular in the US is because Americans have realized there's no way to win. If you intervene, you'll be called imperialist. If you don't intervene, you'll be called complicit.
No one is ever happy, thankful, or satisfied.
No one ever even *considers the possibility* the US does anything except out of cynical self-interest.
Why should American sons, fathers, and brothers die for a country that barely seems willing to sacrifice its own sons, fathers, and brothers?
Maybe it's better to just let the rest of the world deal with their own problems, and eliminate the expectation that the US will ever help, since clearly it's not getting anyone anywhere.
We'll try and keep our evil, murderous, lying, hypocritical, troglodyte imperialism to ourselves from now on. You're welcome! PS: Peace with China will be an awesome bonus.
Thanks for your article. People had associated so many things to Trump or to Biden administration that has been misguided.
One thing I wanted to clarify. Trumps rhetoric is so dangerous for undocumented immigrants and immigrants by pitting people groups against each other. But placing immigrants in cages, I’m not sure if you were referring to the holding area. I read that the placements were first started by Clinton or bush. And then there were issues with extreme temperatures and no way to separate children and gender. I think Obama had to find a quick solution and had to put dividers which we now see as cages. Trump has negatively spoke about it, but I don’t think it started with trump. I’m not defending him, I just try to see things as neutral as possible and I remember looking it up one time because of something my boyfriend said. So just wanted to check on this statement.
It’s a scary time for the next 4 years…. Praying people will be able to have more conversations in the midst of disappointment and anger to be able to move towards peace and unity.
My partner and I made the decision to leave the United States well before the elections - it wasn't necessarily because of what we perceived/feared of the outcome, we just realized what we wanted of a country's cultures and values couldn't be found here (right now, Taiwan is actually our top choice). And while I do have more concerns about the incoming administration than what Harris/Walt'z position would've likely been, especially as it pertains to Taiwan, its true that other elements seem to be conspiring against an immediate invasion from China (for now).
Trump and his loyalists are largely transactional, with the entirety of their focus on building more power, wealth, and influence. To that end, he is largely predictable - if it benefits him in some way, he'll pursue that particular policy; it's a loyalty that can be tracked and bought. Elon Musk isn't any different in that regard (i.e., I imagine that Musk will advocate for some areas in green technology mostly because it benefits himself). If nothing else, I imagine that the next foreseeable future will be largely defined by corporate interests - and to that end, Taiwan is integral to many of the growth businesses of the future.
"pro-Taiwan voices can access a more friendly international media and many more platforms to get their stories heard"
I thought this part was highly ironic. You sure that getting your story heard would actually help your cause? As an American, your essay basically convinced me that Americans should *not* die to defend Taiwan.
"Many of the staunch defenders of Taiwan in his first administration are out—Pompeo, Bolton. Both admittedly, are **troglodytes**..."
"The post-9/11 projection of American power has been a **force of evil** throughout much of the world..."
"Well, the United States for decades has clung to a somewhat **hypocritical** policy, commonly referred to as “strategic ambiguity.”..."
And of course, Trump getting just about 50% of the popular vote represents a "complete repudiation" of the Obama years, which means the US "always just wanted us for our chips". Forget about the fact that Taiwan was barely an issue in the 2024 election campaign. Forget the fact that your photo of Eisenhower is from 1960, and TSMC was not even *founded* until 1987, much less an important strategic asset.
I think the reason isolationism is becoming popular in the US is because Americans have realized there's no way to win. If you intervene, you'll be called imperialist. If you don't intervene, you'll be called complicit.
No one is ever happy, thankful, or satisfied.
No one ever even *considers the possibility* the US does anything except out of cynical self-interest.
Why should American sons, fathers, and brothers die for a country that barely seems willing to sacrifice its own sons, fathers, and brothers?
Maybe it's better to just let the rest of the world deal with their own problems, and eliminate the expectation that the US will ever help, since clearly it's not getting anyone anywhere.
We'll try and keep our evil, murderous, lying, hypocritical, troglodyte imperialism to ourselves from now on. You're welcome! PS: Peace with China will be an awesome bonus.
Would love the zoom link to the book club on dec 7!