The Faces of Change in the United States of America
Hello everyone. It’s been a while since I wrote here, but as we approach the US mid-term elections, I wanted to elaborate on what has been happening in the United States and the world perception of the United States.
Being Canadian, the highlight so far this year are the failed negotiations with the USA on the review of the Free Trade Agreement (CUSMA). The US Government, aka Donald Trump is getting a little too greedy. This administration will be labelled as the most corrupt in US History and that is only what is said publicly. They want to take everything and leave everyone in the dust. Canada did a good thing to step away from the negotiation table, which I think naively took the Americans by surprise. Now the same thing is happening with Mexico. They are on the brink of signing an agreement when everything fell apart because the American Greed. Like what happened with Canda However instead of speaking about this, more time is spent about the mid-terms and how bad it will be if the Democrats control the house and senate (Republican Point of View). How did the American Dream become so divisive? You would think that in 2026 you would be governing by consensus and not by division.
Since when did allies become enemies and enemies become an ally? I am sure if the US would of have a friendly approach with Canada to get some of our resources, some type of agreement could be achieved. Trump keep saying that Canada charges 400% Tariffs on dairy products. The portion that he leaves out is that the US needs to hit a certain quota and only then they get charged with the 400% tax. However, the US never had to pay it. It is to protect our Canadian Dairy Market. Making statements out of context has become a constant with this administration,
Then you have the war in Iran and the Russia / Ukraine War that is still ranging on. I believe the US could end it tomorrow, but they choose to make it linger. I am sure someone somewhere is making money off the backs of these wars. There is a reason why a war with Iran was not done in the past. For the very reason that it’s a regime that do not care about their people, so you can bomb it out of the sky and kill as many people you can, they will survive and keep fighting. It is a different culture, religion. The USA were not prepared for this resistance, and they look bad in all that especially when you add the rising price f fuel that is directly linked to this war. Then Trump taking Putin's side, who clearly is the aggressor in Ukrainian War, should not be surprising since he has been hinted towards that since his first administration.
All this leads me to the credibility of the United States. Tariffs on one day and off the next day, threats to the allies and NATO and not abiding by a signed agreement does not help the US credibility. The Americans have this idea that everyone wants to live in the USA. Maybe that was the case 50 years ago, but the reality is that the USA were tolerated throughout the world because of the good they brought to third world countries or protecting those who had no defences. Many people find them arrogant, disrespectful and condescending. That American perception has been emphasised with this administration. The way that this administration is acting is forcing the world to look at alternatives and not rely on the USA as much. By doing this, the habits are changing. A good example of that is the Canadians traveling much less to the USA than in the past and it’s been going on now for the past two years. I know many that are done with the US. This administration did not look at the entire picture and the consequences of their actions. Now you are starting to see some nations like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey come to a defense agreement which was unimaginable a few years ago.
Fareed Zakaria sums us this quite nicely in this CNN Report "This is how Great Powers Decline" and discusses the Iran threat.:
Whether we like it or not, we are living through historical world changes that will shape our future for generations. Change brings much uncertainty and we can not only see it but feel it globally. As we go though these changes, we need to stay optimistic and hope that these changes are for the best. I truly believe that we are on the brink of seeing a new World Order and a new dominant force. That will be a subject for another day.
Despite the world looking like a bleak place, keep on smiling. Give it time, it will get better.
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