More "Diplomacy"

Our President has advised us that we can "sleep well tonight" because "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea."  Presumably, that means he will ignore entreaties from John Bolton and refrain from a first strike: there never was any threat that North Korea would begin a war with the US.

While Tr*mp is deciding where to display his Nobel Peace Prize, most of the world is trying to figure out just what the US may have gained from the strikingly nebulous Singapore agreement.  Kim achieved his primary objective: China and Russia now can gracefully back out of the US imposed sanctions regime.  As a surprise added bonus, he got an end to the annual joint military exercises the US has conducted with the South.  (Tr*mp accurately described those as "war games.")

As for the "Great Negotiator," one more opportunity to strut across the screens of Fox News viewers seems hardly worth the trip.  One wonders whether North Korea's famously skilled hackers may have penetrated Russian computers and secured a copy of the Piss Tape.  And wouldn't it be wonderful if Canadian, French, or German hackers could do the same?

Bully Diplomacy

I hate bullies; but even more, I despise those who succumb to bullying.  Now that bullying is America's official, default foreign policy, I only can hope that its intended victims have the courage to resist.

Iran, of course, has no choice but to resist: it is not about to "negotiate" regime change, and nothing less than that will satisfy the Tr*mp gang (which includes Bibi and MbS.)  The courage will have to come from Europe, and how much courage European leaders can muster remains to be seen.

Despite the easing of sanctions under Obama, US investment in Iran was minimal following the nuclear agreement: US companies continued to be limited by other sanctions protocols, and benefits to the Iranian economy fell far short of what Rouhani and his moderates hoped to see.  Europeans were less restrained, so the impact of US withdrawal from the deal depends on European willingness to go along.  It still remains to be seen what secondary sanctions the Tr*mpistas decide to impost on European companies that remain in Iran.

While secondary sanctions against US "allies" would be economically damaging, Macron and Merkel might be willing to endure them for the political advantage that might entail.  Anti-Americanism is a tried and true means of garnering nationalist support, so a "principled" stand against the Tr*mpians well might draw away supporters of the National Front in France and the AfD in Germany.  Suing the US at the WTO would be a good start, but withdrawing their ambassadors to the US in protest would be a sure bet for solidifying voters behind them.

If any diplomatic intelligence remains in the Tr*mp administration, secondary sanctions against the Europeans will be minimal, and the denuclearization of Iran can continue.  If the yahoos prevail, though, we only can hope Europe finds the courage to resist.

Short subjects

Cruz

Don't worry about Ted Cruz ever becoming your president.  Just look at him.  He was the kind of kid who got jammed into his locker over and over, and was voted "biggest brown-noser" in his high school yearbook.  Yesterday and today, he was brown-nosing the Tea Party idiots with his idiotically long speech that was not a "Mr. Smith" filibuster.

Personally, I'm not really sure the ACA will work.  The probable premiums released by the exec today seem kind of high to me.  Really, we need single payer — and Obama, as we've observed, is not on board.

Dilma

How happy I am with Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff!  She basically ripped Our President a new asshole.

I recently finished Mark Leibovich's "This Town," a book that helps you understand how it doesn't much matter who allegedly is "in control," but how the "Club" remains in control no matter what you think.

I guess the NSA will have to find ways to invade our privacy without leaving tracks.  Fuck them all.  Fuck the NSA, fuck Obama, and viva Dilma!

Iran

As you know, I couldn't care less whether or not Iran gets the bomb.  Being of a certain age, I tend to believe in MAD (mutually assured destruction).  If the Iranians are willing to limit their nuclear enrichment programs to ease the US led sanctions that are destroying their economy and their currency, that's fine too, of course.

US officials like to say that "humanitarian" goods like medicines are not blocked, but that's actually not true.  Since Iran has little or no access to foreign currencies now, it is unable to buy such goods abroad.