What Actually Mattered This Week: Trump vs. the World
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WHAT ACTUALLY MATTERED THIS WEEK
In the Oval Office today, Trump scolded Zelenskyy and told him to “make a deal with Russia or we’re out.”
I've never seen a public beating by the American president to a wartime ally like this before.
Three years of bipartisan US and coordinated NATO support for Ukraine was decisively rejected by the President.
Putin doesn’t need to engage directly with Zelenskyy—the Americans are doing the lifting for him.
It's the best day for Putin since the war started. And worst for the NATO alliance.
Trump announcing tariffs on Canada/Mexico will begin on March 4th, plus an additional 10% added onto China.
Markets have been overly complacent on this.
Canada’s Liberals had zero chance, according to months of polling.
So what’s behind the incredible turnaround?
President Trump whacking our northern neighbors.
The United States is no longer condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: a dramatic about face that aligns the country with Belarus, Sudan, North Korea, and other failed states.
This abrupt change in policy should be a wake up call for all US allies.
TRUTHS, DAMNED TRUTHS, AND STATISTICS
Share of the global population that lives in a full democracy as of 2024: 6.6% (new low for ~20 years of tracking...until next year).
2 in 5 people living under authoritarian rule.
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THE GZERO WORLD WE’RE JUST LIVING IN
THE GRAPHIC TRUTH
YOUR GZERO WORLD
Three years into the war in Ukraine, what does the future of European security look like without the United States? That’s the question European leaders and NATO officials at this year's Munich Security Conference asked themselves after announcing a 90-minute phone call between President?Donald Trump?and?Vladimir Putin?and a blistering speech from Vice President?JD Vance?criticizing European allies. On GZERO World,?I spoke with US Senator?Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, in Munich about Europe’s security, the war in Ukraine, and America’s role in an increasingly multipolar world.
Senator Slotkin warns that maintaining Ukraine’s defenses is critical, not just for beating back Russian aggression but also for sending a message to countries like China that the US will stand up when democracies are invaded. But while Slotkin believes it's important to defend US allies, she also agrees with the Trump administration’s view that Europe needs to do a lot more in maintaining its own security.
For a longer, wider-ranging version of my interview check out the GZERO World podcast.
MY QUICK TAKE
Germany’s election results are in, with the far-right AfD party surged their vote share to second place. This week, I look at what the outcome means for the future of Europe and the transatlantic alliance.?
DIG DEEPER: TED EXPLAINS THE WORLD WITH IAN BREMMER
I stand by the assertion that the United States isn’t in danger of becoming an autocracy. In the coming years we’re going to have (mostly free and fair) midterm and presidential elections, run by the states.
Now a kleptocracy on the other hand…
I explain how the United States is unwinding its own global order in an hour-long sit down with my friends at TED.
Do you like what you’ve seen??Sign up for GZERO Daily by Ian Bremmer
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BECAUSE THE INTERNET
I’ve been looking at all these German electoral maps and no one getting down to the real issues:
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WHAT TO READ THIS WEEK
“Chokepoints” is essential reading to understand the modern reinvention of American foreign policy. Edward Fishman’s expertly unravels the world of economic warfare, exploring how the United States weaponizes its dominance in global finance to confront its adversaries. Sound familiar?
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DEEP THOUGHTS
You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand new ending. — James R. Sherman
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Thanks for reading!?Please subscribe to GZERO Daily for coverage of global politics. And make sure to read my latest book?The Power of Crisis?for a roadmap of this decade's great crises and how they might help us build a better world.
I am president of Eurasia Group and GZERO Media and foreign affairs columnist at TIME. I currently teach at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and previously was a professor at New York University. You can follow me on?X, Bluesky, Threads, TikTok,? Instagram, and Facebook.
Hydraulic Technical Specialist
6 分钟前This interview was a farce. Donald didn’t even have the guts to face Zelensky on his own. He had to make sure he had an audience and his sicafant JD with him so he could be brave enough just to face one man who was isolated and all alone in a foreign country. This is the true epitome of a bully not a diplomat. Trump goes even further to defend Putin (the aggressor) and he even makes up excuses on behalf of Putin and blames his fellow Americans for treating Putin poorly in the past. Donald and his side kick JD definitely do not want to help Ukraine in this conflict, he wants to help Putin (I think Donald may be in love).
Director Of Business Development at Magenta Inc.
10 分钟前Today, I was embarrassed to be an American ??
Senior Executive and Charter Member: ??US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 2002-2013 ??USSTRATCOM Joint Information Operations Warfare Center (JIOWC) 2005 (Joint with DHS) ??Defense Investigative Service 1972-1975
26 分钟前The Ukrainian Parliament calling for the impeachment of Zelensky for refusing to sign the Deal the Ukrainian Parliament had already ratified.
Social Engineer TREE(3).0
30 分钟前https://snyder.substack.com/p/five-failures-in-the-oval-office