The Lone Deranger

So, we are finally seeing the real consequences of putting a bush league New York real estate huckster in charge of the country.  Trump is so far out of his depth that he doesn’t even perceive how feckless his childish tantrums are.  He fancies himself a history maker, but makes a joke of himself (and the US with him) all over the world.

     Trump’s performance at the G-7 was nothing new.  His response to any situation in which he is not getting his way is to throw a tantrum—insults, threats, proclamations of his own greatness.  I’m sure this sort of behavior is quite effective against some greed-driven mark.  But the world leaders that Trump now confronts are quite accustomed to making decisions of moral and political consequence, and to being held accountable for their decisions.  Acting like an asshole is not likely to be a very effective negotiating technique in the world of global politics.  Trump has done his very best to alienate our best and most valuable allies; don’t be surprised if the G-7 becomes the G-6.

     And, of course, Trump never wants to miss an opportunity to lick Putin’s boots.  Our intelligence agencies all report that Russia interfered in the 2016 election, but Trump insists that he believes Putin’s denial and resists any call to investigate.  Putin annexes Crimea, and Trump blames Obama.  Putin wants to disrupt the G-7, so he dispatches Trump to throw a hissy fit.  Trump is a crude weapon for achieving any sort of subtle political goals, but Putin does seem to wield him with some success.

     And soon, we will get to watch Trump go head to head with Kim Jong-un.  Trump has said that he doesn’t plan to prepare for the meeting with Kim; it’s all about his “touch” and his “feel.”  So I am guessing that he really doesn’t know that the Kim regime has run this same con on every US President since Carter.  First, they ramp up the level of belligerence—nuke tests, or missile tests, or attacks on South Korea.  Then they back off and indicate a willingness to negotiate.  As a sign of good faith, they release a couple of Western political prisoners—they always keep a few on hand for just such occasions.  They agree to all sorts of things, get what they can in the way of aid, and then renege on their commitments.  

     Trump and Kim are two of a kind.  Trump is desperate to be taken seriously as a world leader.  Kim is desperate to be recognized as the leader of a nuclear power.  It will be interesting to watch them play each other, especially after Trump’s display of weakness at the G-7.  My money is on Kim.

     There has always been a segment of the US population who believe that we can stand alone in the world, without allies and without any inclination to cooperate with anyone else.  I think this is manifestly ridiculous.  And it looks like the Trump administration is going to provide an empirical demonstration of just how ridiculous.