Quote (InsaneBobb @ 18 Feb 2025 13:25)

2021 included 3 years worth of sanctions and trade cutoffs.

2016 included none of the above. And new lines of trade were not established. The price of crude, LNG, fertilizers, iron, lead, and many, MANY other raw elements are still WAY over 2016 prices, because Russia was a primary supplier.

You don't understand how trade operates. You're attempting to claim, "Well, all that matters is money in, money out." Wrong. VERY wrong. What the US purchased from Russia was needed to fuel US Production. The overwhelming majority of what the US "imports" from the EU is end product to be sold to consumers that is sidestepping tariffs by having one "assembly plant" in the US.

Meanwhile, US-produced products are tariffed to hell in the EU. Which is why we have such an incredible trade deficit. Europeans are forced to pay more for American goods because the same US product that sells for $50 in the US costs $350 in the EU. Not because of corporate markup. Because of EU tariffs.

You sound EXACTLY like the Canadians scrambling to justify their 289% milk tariff when they started crying about a 25% general tariff.

Trump's recipricol tariffs are going to destroy the EU. And you still don't even understand why. Russia understands why. China understands why. And BOTH of them are EAGER to continue doing business with the US without EU interference. And life will IMPROVE for the US once we kick all the EU fronts out of our nation, and get back into the business of production and sale, and out of the business of licking the ball sacks of nations who couldn't survive if we weren't taking their tariffs up the ass without response.

We will not bow to you, and without the US, the EU is NOTHING. You do not meet your own military needs. You do not meet your own energy needs. You do not meet your own healthcare needs. The EU dies tomorrow if the US and China cut off trade. And why would China cut off trade? Who do you think China benefits trading more from, the EU, or the US? :)

Quote (BaHgerAUT @ Feb 18 2025 01:44pm)

I get your stance, the US can hurt all partners harder than they can hurt you in return. But all you're doing is cutting yourself, celebrating that you cut your allies deeper. For now you get the feeling of strength, but you you'll lose on the long run. The USA will be in a much worse state than now after this presidency. At least Trump will control all media after that 4 years to blame guilt on someone else. China is already starting to replace the vaccuum USA is leaving behind, because they're smarter than your current government and they actually know the value of influence and can assess the worth of their expenses.

I understood that europe is losing with the current strategy. You're still needing to realize that the same applies for USA. I guess that's what you get when you apply "common sense A->B" politics to a much more complicated world.

Quote

„Aufklärung ist der Ausgang des Menschen aus seiner selbst verschuldeten Unmündigkeit. Unmündigkeit ist das Unvermögen, sich seines Verstandes ohne Leitung eines anderen zu bedienen. Selbstverschuldet ist diese Unmündigkeit, wenn die Ursache derselben nicht am Mangel des Verstandes, sondern der Entschließung und des Mutes liegt, sich seiner ohne Leitung eines anderen zu bedienen. ‚Sapere aude! Habe Mut, dich deines eigenen Verstandes zu bedienen!‘ ist also der Wahlspruch der Aufklärung.“

Quote (babun1024 @ 18 Feb 2025 14:21)

We, the Europeans, should get our shit together, unite and create our own army for deterrence.

Quote (babun1024 @ 18 Feb 2025 06:21)

What you fail to get is the US cannot afford the "influence" it had before. Sustaining military presence overseas costs money, a lot of money. They cannot do that anymore, all of their infrastructure is rundown. They have to pull back at some point. Trump is doing that for selfish reasons but he is consolidating while the US is still somewhat strong. We, the Europeans, should get our shit together, unite and create our own army for deterrence. I mean not talk but a real army. The US is a decaying empire, they will be relegated to a regional power with time but you don't want to be a loser on the receiving end. Same applies to East Asians who are not China. They need to get their shit together and unite to counter a very strong China in the future without a US presence.
I don't know whether you speak German but that phrase applies here:

Immanuel Kant

Quote (Goomshill @ Feb 17 2025 11:51pm)

Its pretty weird to see the republican party taking a full charge at supporting civil liberties and free speech while democrats and world neoliberals form a new confederacy in support of censorship and banning speech. Its lost the premise in specific causes, they ship weapons to Nazis while saying those politically opposed to supporting Nazis must be silenced because they are Nazis. They want to arrest people for every open ended form of being disruptive, they don't even care about hate speech or threats they are the party of luigi mangionis.

Its now just censorship for censorships sake

Quote (BaHgerAUT @ Feb 18 2025 05:35am)

Absolutely, i've repeated that a few times in my replies. But iam also convinced that can be done in a beneficial way for both sides without creating a void to be filled by our strategic adversaries.

Quote (thesnipa @ Feb 18 2025 09:18am)

Maybe the real fascists are the Nazis we made up along the way.

Quote (thesnipa @ 18 Feb 2025 10:18)

Maybe the real fascists are the Nazis we made up along the way.

Quote (InsaneBobb @ Feb 18 2025 11:27am)

I feel like there was a great big "WHOOSH!" sound when you made that post.

Quote (thesnipa @ 18 Feb 2025 10:53)

Why?