Watch this brief report, made the day before the announcement, to learn the kicker at the end, one that could mean some deep trouble ahead for the world, assuming the Orange Ogre somehow manages to remain in office.
And The Independent offers this chilling dose of reality:
By retreating from Cuba, Trump risks creating fresh space for Russia to reassert itself there. Just last month Russia resumed oil shipments to Cuba after a hiatus of over a decade – its saviour in the interim has been Venezuela. As Venezuela falls apart at the seams, Cuba needs someone else to stop it collapsing too. If not America, then Russia. Putin recently forgave 90 per cent of Cuba’s debts to his country. There are reports that Russia is in talks about opening a military base on the island again. You get the picture.Just one of the many consequences of having a tantrum-prone baby in The White House, along with a plethora of 'caregivers' enabling, aiding and abetting him.
It's not just Russia that is poised to exploit Trump's gratuitous influence vacuum. China has become rather adept at that. The two biggest foreign banks now operating in South America are Chinese and Beijing isn't missing a beat in moving into places where the US moves out. China's "Belt and Road" initiative has already swept through South Asia and on to the Middle East. It is already becoming established in Africa and, soon, across Latin America. I speak kindly of Trump when I say that I think he's just too stupid to grasp what he's doing to America now and in the extended future.
ReplyDeleteGood to write about Trump, isn't it Lorne. A sure way to pass the LPT.
Whenever we visit Cuba, Mound, the presence of the Chinese is evident. All of the modern buses are Chinese, as are the newer agricultural implements. I believe their relatively scarce wind turbine installations are also of Chinese origin. I'm sure there is much more, but those are the most obvious signs of a nation that seems unafraid of the opportunities the island offers.
DeleteContrast that, Lorne, with Trump's neo-bellicosity and it's as understandable as it is foreseeable that Cuba would welcome a new patron. I read that China is about to build a new streetcar network for Havana. It's also an ideal place for Russia to establish a military presence in retaliation for NATO's drive to Russia's doorstep.
ReplyDeleteGiven Trump's inability to conceptualize, those are consequences that seem almost inevitable, Mound.
DeleteTrump's policy is as old as the cars on Havana's streets. And he assumes that it and they can go on forever.
ReplyDeleteI guess that delusional thinking can be comforting, Owen, until reality intrudes, as it inevitably will.
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