Trump has an opportunity to beat Reagan; system change in North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, China, and maybe Russia, without firing a shot
Posted by John T. Reed on
A historic thing is happening, but no one is talking about it. America has a chance to defeat a whole lot of our long-time enemies. The enemies in question are horrifically weakened and ripe to be thrown out of office by their people:
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They are:
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North Korea
Cuba
Venezuela
Iran
China
and maybe Russia.
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Trump could replicate and exceed Reagan’s winning the Cold War.
.
Shots probably need to fired in Iran.
.
But in the rest of them, just demand they clean up their act and behave like peaceful, non-threatening, good neighbors. Cut them no slack. Make them behave like Switzerland or Japan or Canada.
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How can anyone complain about that? Another way to put it is to demand that the nations in question abide by international law. Until they do, deny them access to whatever we can deny them with sanctions, freedom of navigation patrols, ending diplomatic relations, free trade with the US.
.
I oppose tariffs when the freedom of Americans to buy from whom they want is the issue. But here, we have a historic opportunity to change the world for the better, a new Pax Americana not created or enforced by force of arms—although that exists as a background, potential decisive force—but by the quiet, moral, legal power of the US market and the recent dependence of so many dictatorships upon the US.
.
The original Communist dictators realized the danger of becoming dependent on the US or the other Western democracies and the adverse effect that could have on them or potentially have on them if the US used its economic power.
.
The USSR, China, and North Korea were all hermit kingdoms of sorts. Ditto Cuba which has lived off communist regimes like USSR and Venezuela.
.
The obvious way for Cuba to prosper is for them to do as much business as possible with the US and to a lesser extent, Canada, the other Latin American countries and the developed European and Asian countries. Their selling loyalty of Communist nuclear powers and repression to Venezuela for their daily bread and oil was an outrage enabled by wimpy American presidents.
.
Enough. Stop helping their dictators delay their demise. Sell them what they need, but demand cash for it. US cash.
.
The axis of evil is weak is weaker than perhaps ever before. They cannot survive a nouveau lack of American leniency.
.
We already saw the USSR collapse. They almost took Cuba and North Korea with them. Russia is too much a reincarnation of the USSR, but much smaller and poorer. These thin reeds will try to lean against each other, but that is what is sounds like: a drowning man grasping at straws.
.
China raised the expectations of a billion people dramatically—too much—they now risk the unrest in Hong Kong spreading to mainland China if the mainland has to start issuing pink slips because of iPhones moving offshore, Huawei losing contracts, food prices rising as China retaliates against US farmers.
.
How can the nations in question survive America getting really tough? Their systems—murderous, central planning, Big Brother—do not work to do the basic things of government, mainly get out of the way of free markets and thereby provide food and medical care and clean water and opportunity.
.
We Americans and other nations have to spend much time and money dealing with their hostility against us: increased defense spending, probing attacks like Crimea, cyber attacks, assisting each other evading US and UN sanctions for misbehavior.
.
All Trump would need to do is a sort of diplomatic, but at bottom, iron, tough love.
.
They are:
.
North Korea
Cuba
Venezuela
Iran
China
and maybe Russia.
.
Trump could replicate and exceed Reagan’s winning the Cold War.
.
Shots probably need to fired in Iran.
.
But in the rest of them, just demand they clean up their act and behave like peaceful, non-threatening, good neighbors. Cut them no slack. Make them behave like Switzerland or Japan or Canada.
.
How can anyone complain about that? Another way to put it is to demand that the nations in question abide by international law. Until they do, deny them access to whatever we can deny them with sanctions, freedom of navigation patrols, ending diplomatic relations, free trade with the US.
.
I oppose tariffs when the freedom of Americans to buy from whom they want is the issue. But here, we have a historic opportunity to change the world for the better, a new Pax Americana not created or enforced by force of arms—although that exists as a background, potential decisive force—but by the quiet, moral, legal power of the US market and the recent dependence of so many dictatorships upon the US.
.
The original Communist dictators realized the danger of becoming dependent on the US or the other Western democracies and the adverse effect that could have on them or potentially have on them if the US used its economic power.
.
The USSR, China, and North Korea were all hermit kingdoms of sorts. Ditto Cuba which has lived off communist regimes like USSR and Venezuela.
.
The obvious way for Cuba to prosper is for them to do as much business as possible with the US and to a lesser extent, Canada, the other Latin American countries and the developed European and Asian countries. Their selling loyalty of Communist nuclear powers and repression to Venezuela for their daily bread and oil was an outrage enabled by wimpy American presidents.
.
Enough. Stop helping their dictators delay their demise. Sell them what they need, but demand cash for it. US cash.
.
The axis of evil is weak is weaker than perhaps ever before. They cannot survive a nouveau lack of American leniency.
.
We already saw the USSR collapse. They almost took Cuba and North Korea with them. Russia is too much a reincarnation of the USSR, but much smaller and poorer. These thin reeds will try to lean against each other, but that is what is sounds like: a drowning man grasping at straws.
.
China raised the expectations of a billion people dramatically—too much—they now risk the unrest in Hong Kong spreading to mainland China if the mainland has to start issuing pink slips because of iPhones moving offshore, Huawei losing contracts, food prices rising as China retaliates against US farmers.
.
How can the nations in question survive America getting really tough? Their systems—murderous, central planning, Big Brother—do not work to do the basic things of government, mainly get out of the way of free markets and thereby provide food and medical care and clean water and opportunity.
.
We Americans and other nations have to spend much time and money dealing with their hostility against us: increased defense spending, probing attacks like Crimea, cyber attacks, assisting each other evading US and UN sanctions for misbehavior.
.
All Trump would need to do is a sort of diplomatic, but at bottom, iron, tough love.
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