Althouse: "We're going to be working very closely with our friends in the Muslim world, which are all at risk for violent attacks.... This has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us. It's no longer one way, it's two way."

April 27, 2016

"We're going to be working very closely with our friends in the Muslim world, which are all at risk for violent attacks.... This has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us. It's no longer one way, it's two way."

Said Donald Trump in his big, scripted foreign-policy speech just now.

30 comments:

David said...: Way too sensible for American politics.; 4/27/16, 12:27 PM
Michael K said...: Muslim allies means anyone but Iran.

A good start, as they said when the bus full of trial lawyers went off the cliff.; 4/27/16, 12:35 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: derp derp let the muslim invasion derp derp

The lack of Althouse thought of Islam is Islam's only beauty.

Althouses's world view is Christian and she hates it.

Christianism has allowed for bad stuff.; 4/27/16, 12:38 PM
Fernandinande said...: our friends in the Muslim world,

There's an extraneous letter in the second word of that phrase, either "s" or "r".; 4/27/16, 12:42 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: NOt funnty, but worth a bullet int he brain...

Islam....

Oh the many wonders to relate.

Relate to civilized unbarbarians but only because ignorent slothful swarmy-ugly wannabe-cunts ain't done killed themselves enough yet.

For them or Althouse. But the killing will be seen/.

Derp derp it's only offspring so who cares.; 4/27/16, 12:44 PM
Sebastian said...: Opposing the "false song of globalism" is just the way to stop O's retreat.; 4/27/16, 12:45 PM
Nyamujal said...: How presidential. I expect this to last for a day before he sends out a barrage of tweets making fun of someone's face or engages in juvenile banter.; 4/27/16, 12:56 PM
Anonymous said...: Trump killed it. Also called out globalism full stop. All Trump had to do was show his nuanced side. The trucons banked everything on him not having one.

Say goodbye to your glorious conservative globalist trade deals, neocons. China and most other countries do not play fair, and you just ignore it, and expect us to shrug and go along with you, because you're very smart people.

It's been a bad year for the predictions of the smart set. Maybe not so smart after all?; 4/27/16, 12:57 PM
mikee said...: I remember when George W. Bush presented a well-nuanced, thoughtful foreign policy speech early in his first campaign, and everyone in the media either ignored it or pooh-poohed it as a speech well read but written by staff.

Foreign policy took up an awful lot of 43's presidency.

May the Donald be faced with a world so troubled by intra-border issues there is little extraterritorial squabbling. Millions may die, yet peace be maintained.

Of course, if Hillary is president millions will die, definitely, but she won't be blamed for it.; 4/27/16, 1:06 PM
Birkel said...: Any speech to suggest less federal government?; 4/27/16, 1:13 PM
rhhardin said...: This has to be a two-way street.

Metaphor drives its points home on a two-way street.

- Richard Harvey Brown, A Poetic for Sociology; 4/27/16, 1:15 PM
David Begley said...: Major plus. Trump said global warming is not our biggest threat.; 4/27/16, 1:45 PM
hombre said...: Guild: "Althouses's [sic.] world view is Christian and she hates it."

Either "Christian" or "worldview" or both mean something other than what you think they mean.; 4/27/16, 2:02 PM
Rosalyn C. said...: It's interesting that even though Trump is the leading contender for the Republican nomination, and this speech is a total overhaul of American foreign policy for the 21st century, all the major media outlets are leading with Cruz picking Fiorina as his VP pick. Maybe mainstream media is in shock?; 4/27/16, 2:36 PM
MAJMike said...: Regardless of who wrote the speech, The Donald nailed every issue I care about. There was absolutely nothing in that speech with which I could find fault. I favor Cruz because of his consistent Constitutionalism. Trump's foreign policy speech today should appeal to anyone who is appalled by the multiple failures of Obama-Clinton diplomacy.; 4/27/16, 2:36 PM
mockturtle said...: Say goodbye to your glorious conservative globalist trade deals, neocons.

Exactly! Hooray! The other welcome nugget, for me, was the long-overdue observation that we cannot impose Western democracy in the Middle east and we should not be trying. He could have added that only contractors like Halliburton have benefited from our efforts but he tempered any direct criticism of the George W. Bush administration.; 4/27/16, 2:39 PM
jimbino said...: It appears that the English language will suffer degradation if Trump is elected:
...our friends in the Muslim world, which are all at risk for violent attacks....

In English, one says "...our friends..., who are all at risk of violent attack...."; 4/27/16, 3:09 PM
n.n said...: That sounds about right. Fix the problems over there. At least get their leaders to publicly acknowledge them. Don't create, exacerbate, and shift them through anti-native (e.g. progressive wars, impulsive regime changes), liberal immigration (e.g. mass exodus, refugee crises), and selective-child (i.e. reactive and planned parenthood) policies.; 4/27/16, 3:49 PM
Gusty Winds said...: I thought it was a good speech. Plato would have loved it!

It'll play well. He just has to learn to put the right hand down every now and then when reading from a teleprompter.; 4/27/16, 3:56 PM
Gusty Winds said...: Trump: "We went from mistakes in Iraq to Egypt to Libya, to President Obama’s line in the sand in Syria. Each of these actions have helped to throw the region into chaos, and gave ISIS the space it needs to grow and prosper.

It all began with the dangerous idea that we could make Western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interest in becoming a Western Democracy."

He takes out everybody. Hillary. Obama. And then links them to a continuation of the neocon nation building that they supposedly opposed.; 4/27/16, 4:18 PM
sean said...: The problem is, the people who say that we can't export democracy are the same people who in odd-numbered years say that we shouldn't be supporting dictators. (Of course people overseas hate us, because we support dictators.) So then we withdraw from our commitments, until we are attacked on American soil, whereupon we head out again, either supporting dictators or exporting democracy, since those are the only two options.

And the seasons, they go round and round,
And the painted ponies go up and down.; 4/27/16, 4:46 PM
elcee said...: "It all began with the dangerous idea that we could make Western democracies out of countries that had no experience or interest in becoming a Western Democracy."

Actually, with the Saddam and Taliban regimes, we went to war because of the threat to American national security. Winning a war requires securing the peace in the post-war - once the enemy was deposed, no one argues that we should have imposed a dictatorship in Afghanistan having liberated the country. Similarly, America the leader of the free world wasn't about to impose a dictatorship in Iraq having liberated the country.

To set the record straight on the grounds of the Iraq intervention, see:
Answers to "Why did Bush leave the ‘containment’ (status quo)?" & "Why not free a noncompliant Saddam?";
Answers to "Did Iraq failing its compliance test justify the regime change?" & "Was Operation Iraqi Freedom about WMD or democracy?" & "Was the invasion of Iraq perceived to be a nation-building effort?";
Answer to "Was Operation Iraqi Freedom a strategic blunder or a strategic victory?".

Gusty Winds:
"And then links them to a continuation of the neocon nation building that they supposedly opposed."

Actually, the Obama administration's failings largely stem from President Obama's course change from President Bush with Iraq despite that the peace operations were crucial to "secure peace and security in the area" (UNSCR 687) and succeeding when Bush left office. See:
Security Council Takes Action to End Iraq Sanctions, Terminate Oil-For-Food Programme as Members Recognize ‘Major Changes’ Since 1990 (December 2010) by VP Joe Biden on behalf of the UN Security Council;
Withdrawal Symptoms: The Bungling of the Iraq Exit by OIF senior advisor Rick Brennan;
How Obama Abandoned Democracy in Iraq by OIF official and senior advisor Emma Sky.; 4/27/16, 5:09 PM
sean said...: Actually, there's an odd point implicit in what elcee says: Most Trump supporters despise Obama. But most of the American policies that Trump criticizes are the policies of Bush I and II. It certainly isn't the case that Obama has been trying to export democracy (he's made it clear that he is very willing to get cozy with dictatorships) or doing unilateral favors for our Muslim friends (we don't have any Muslim friends any more). In fact, our recent foreign policy seems to consist of an alternation of drone strikes, i.e., cheap and nasty military action, and doing deals, which is pretty much what Trump wants to do. (I know, I know, he'll do it much better.); 4/27/16, 5:22 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: sean said...
Most Trump supporters despise Obama.

I like Obama, can tolerate Trump, and have come to the view that the Bush's were destructive maniacs.; 4/27/16, 6:43 PM
Nichevo said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 4/27/16, 6:52 PM
sean said...: ReasonableMan: That kind of hateful rhetoric really degrades our civic discourse. Why do you want to spew hatred and venom? Do you really think that your capacity for either vituperation or actual violence exceeds that of your opponents? Think again, dude.; 4/27/16, 8:44 PM
Paul said...: "We're going to be working very closely with our friends in the Muslim world, which are all at risk for violent attacks.... This has to be a two-way street. They must also be good to us. It's no longer one way, it's two way."

AMEN! I hope Trump turns out to be another Reagan. Maybe... just maybe.; 4/27/16, 9:29 PM
Nichevo said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 4/27/16, 9:42 PM
Achilles said...: I look forward to seeing the Europeans decide if they are willing to defend themselves. They have been on welfare too long and have grown weak.; 4/27/16, 9:47 PM
Unknown said...: "AMEN! I hope Trump turns out to be another Reagan. Maybe... just maybe."

Yes. And maybe monkeys will fly out of my butt :-)

Reagan was already who he was when he became President. Trump is Trump and 70 year old guys don't magically morph into someone else.

That's why we always hear the same things "he'll hire good people. Top. Men.", "this is all an act. Wait till you see the real Trump". Etc.

If you like Trump now, vote for him. If you don't, don't. But don't expect someone other than Trump if he's elected.; 4/28/16, 6:38 AM