Making America Alone Again: History Offers Few Parallels for Washington’s Repudiation of Its Own Alliances – Foreign Affairs

Making America Alone Again

History Offers Few Parallels for Washington’s Repudiation of Its Own Alliances

By Margaret MacMillan, July 21, 2025

MARGARET MACMILLAN is Professor Emeritus of International History at Oxford University and the author of War: How Conflict Shaped UsandThe War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914. More by Margaret MacMillan

Henry Kissinger once compared himself to the lone cowboy who rode into town to sort out the bad guys. But the U.S. secretary of state, who also served as national security adviser, knew different when it came to dealing with major powers. His hero was the Austrian statesman Klemens von Metternich, who somehow brought together the unlikely combination of Austria, the United Kingdom, Prussia, Russia, and a number of even smaller allies and their incompatible leaders into the alliance that finally defeated Napoleon in 1815. As Kissinger understood, even lone rangers need friends.

It is an insight that appears to be lost on U.S. President Donald Trump. Since returning to office in January, Trump has called the United States’ closest allies cheaters and freeloaders. Japan and other Asian trading partners, he insists, are “very spoiled”; immediate North American neighbors stand accused of exporting drugs and criminals. He freely and publicly labels the leaders of some of the United States’ most important democratic partners as has-beens, weak, or dishonest, while heaping praise on autocrats he finds easier to deal with, such as Hungarian President Viktor Orban (“a very great leader”), Salvadoran strongman Nayib Bukele (“a great friend”), North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un (“a smart guy”), and—at least until very recently—Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he has called “a genius” and “very savvy” in attacking Ukraine.In what would have been unthinkable in previous administrations, including Trump’s first, the United States in February even sided against its own democratic allies and with Russia and other authoritarian states, such as North Korea and Belarus, in voting against a UN resolution that condemned Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and upheld the latter’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Perhaps most baffling, at a time when Washington is trying to contain China and shore up U.S. defenses in the Indo-Pacific, the administration is preparing punitive tariffs on South Korea and Japan, the United States’ closest Asian allies, as well as on a sweeping list of European partners it is trying to keep away from Beijing. U.S. allies around the world are also rattled by the public musings of Trump and members of his cabinet that the so-called nuclear umbrella under which the American nuclear deterrent was a guarantee for their defense is no longer a sure thing. Such is now the level of doubt that in July, France and the United Kingdom announced a new agreement to begin providing extended nuclear deterrence in Europe for themselves, and allies such as South Korea, Poland, and even Japan have begun to contemplate acquiring their own nuclear weapons.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Making America Alone Again: History Offers Few Parallels for Washington’s Repudiation of Its Own Alliances

#2025 #Alliances #DonaldTrump #ForeignAffairs #Health #History #Isolationism #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #NationalSecurity #Politics #Resistance #Science #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates

Seeing Things – Trump’s Games – by Liza Donnelly – July 21, 2025

Trump’s Games, Don’t fall for them, by Liza Donnelly, Jul 21, 2025

As we rightfully obsess about the Jeffrey Epstein files, and whether or not the uncovering of that whole story will lead to the take-down of Trump, I fear the masterminds of Project 2025 are working to disrupt midterm elections. I am sure they are. Trump is trying to distract all of us, but particularly his base, by throwing stuff out, calling for the renaming of football teams and other stupid ideas. Trump is hoping his base is will be lured away.

Here is a NY Times article which is very informative on Epstein and Trump, I highly recommend it. An Epstein accuser told the FBI years ago to look into Trump for behavior she witnessed. Maria Farmer was among the first women to report Epstein sexual crimes back in 1996 when, according to a new interview with the Times, she also identified Trump among others close to Epstein as worthy of attention. I know more will come out.

In the meantime:

Republicans are attempting to redraw the voting map for Texas as the state is recovering from the devastating floods.

“It is more than redistricting. It’s really theft,” said Democratic representative Al Green, whose Houston-area congressional district is likely to be one targeted by Republicans in a redrawn map. “It’s the kind of election theft that you use when you realize that you can’t win playing with the hand that you’ve been dealt. So, you decide that you’ll just rearrange the cards so that they favor you.”

Opponents of redistricting launched a website, StopTheTexasSteal.com, which accuses the Republican majority of using the flooding for partisan gain and is raising money.

Trump is eyeing other states for possible redistricting.

Trump is laser focused on the races for 2026. He is using money to fund Republican candidates and looking to recruit new ones. The administration is traveling to key battleground states to try to sell (and lie about) his recent bill, which is very unpopular at the moment, even with his base.

He is promoting those candidates who he thinks will win and do his bidding, and punishing those members of the GOP who have crossed him.

Is this a distraction, as well as a horrific implementation of Project 2025? Immigration officals are going to escalate arrests in New York and other cities. Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said, “Sanctuary cities are now our priority. We’re gonna flood the zone.” A week or so ago, there was a story about how ICE went to a ball park in NYC to interogate young little league players.

Editor’s Note: Read the rest of the story, at the below link.

Continue/Read Original Article Here: Trump’s Games – by Liza Donnelly – Seeing Things

#2025 #America #DonaldTrump #Health #History #Libraries #LibraryOfCongress #LizaDonnelly #Politics #Resistance #Science #SeeingThings #Substack #Trump #TrumpAdministration #UnitedStates