US soft power will decline, and regional powers and China will fill the vacuum. Europe can slow the US fall by actively welcoming China to bid on US port access, thus making everyone play nice a few more years, but we need to look for a soft line of Chinese power in the Philippines around 2050. Saudi Arabia can still collapse into a caliphate at some point, but Israel will remain a propped up power blocking Iran no matter what. If trump sold nuke secrets to SA that will be a really tense area, and Europe and Israel will have to keep them from any uranium from Iran or others.
China should definitely push space partnerships in the coming years with Europe and Russia, and while SpaceX will be hard to beat, they will face subsidized competition to keep them from being the only game in town, requiring you to drink a cup of US crazy with every launch. So space launch costs will go down (by SpaceX continuing and other countries subsidizing), ISS will deorbit, China will build a moon base, America will talk about how dumb that is because they didn’t do it.
China will become a co-leader of research with Europe, it will become common for US grad students to leave the country to go to good schools in their field.
I’d like to apologize to all Ukrainians on behalf of 50% or so of all people here
Sorry, but you don't have the authority to do that. You're just a "one US citizen".
Anyway, we have already heard too many sorries, condolences and concerns. They are worthless. Please try to do something more real if you really care. And it would be in your best interests too: Trump will hurt US citizens too.
I am literally jealous that Ukraine has a strong backboned leader who doesn't lose his moral compass and won't be pushed around.
Meanwhile, we get a leader so weak that he looks over paperwork drafted by himself 6 years ago, calls it a disgrace, and says whomever drafted it should be ashamed. Not remembering it's HIS paperwork from his 1st term!
Now granted, I'm not jealous of the war with Russia. My heart goes out to every Ukrainian. I just wish Biden would have had the spine to send troops in, and I'm completely embarassed on every level that HE represents my country/me.
Trump is an absolute spoiled brat. When things don't go his way, he yells, name calls and throws people out. This is the leader of the free world, being manoeuvred by his Russian masters.
The west may be the “freest” part of the world, but I don’t buy into the “free world” propaganda bullshit. There is so much heirarchy and oppression in our “liberal democracies”, sure, it’s far better than the authoritarian regimes in other places, but IMO, “free world” is a stretch.
Now that doesn’t take away from the fact maintaining Ukraine’s “freer” political system over a neofacist imperialist Putin is an absolute necessity to fight for the right of Ukrainians and their right to self determination.
At this point I think a clean break from the US is probably one of the best outcomes. Don't give these degenerate cretins anything, they will use whatever position they have to crowbar in more and more exploitation until they have everything. No calls, no visits, no deals. Make us a pariah.
I'm starting to get the feeling that world leaders are starting to learn how to play trump like a fiddle. Macron with his sexy french accent, starmer pulling out the kings invite, and zelensky making trump pull out of the stupid deal by using the press against him, then having trump kick him out.
True in the sense that he's acting in Russia's interest, but I don't think he consciously working for them.
Rather I think that Russia won the cold war using information warfare.
Zelensky asked Vance if he'd been to Ukraine himself to see the problems the country faced.
"I've been... I've actually seen and watched the stories," Vance said.
At one point when Zelensky began to respond, Trump said: "You've done a lot of talking. Your country is in big trouble. You're not winning this."
"We are staying, Mr. President, we are staying in our country, staying strong. From the very beginning of the war, we've been alone. And we are thankful. I said thanks in this Cabinet," Zelensky responded.
"You are not in a good position. You don't have the right cards right now," Trump said.
"I'm not playing cards," Zelensky responded.