Does the US appear to be sabre rattling suddenly?

Sapphire

What's left of the 'Obama administration' appears to be attempting to antagonise countries all over the place. Does anyone have any theories as to why this is? Why didn't Obama engage in these actions when he was in power? Doesn't seem a good idea given how increasingly unstable the world is becoming. :cool:

A_Medium_Size_Jock

IMHO it is Obama meddling again, or trying to at least.
Like he tried to meddle in our referendum and this will backfire too, as that did.
Firstly because everyone knows he's on his way out and will soon become a has-been nonentity.
Secondly because it is patently obvious that - for good or for bad - Trump will take his own path.

Whatever Trump thinks needs "smoothing over" will get placed squarely at the door of Obama, and he will have to live with that as well as achievements during his term in office.
History already looks like describing Obama as at best "mediocre"or "indifferent".

padington

Sapphire wrote: »

What's left of the 'Obama administration' appears to be attempting to antagonise countries all over the place. Does anyone have any theories as to why this is? Why didn't Obama engage in these actions when he was in power? Doesn't seem a good idea given how increasingly unstable the world is becoming. :cool:

I think he's trying to make a contrasting stance to Trumps position. To position the democrats squarely opposite trump, the bet being, when Trumps plans go to sh*t, the democrats can say - nothing to do with us, we were doing X,y or z before he came along.

vivatifosi

I have a different view on this..that it is Biden and Kerry driving the adversarial approach rather than Obama. They are both more pugilistic in their outlook and always have been, whereas now the gloves are off.

I do agree though that there is a gulf between the views of Obama and those of Trump. Definitely not two sides if the same coin as eg Blair and the Tory opposition.

The Russian situation has added to the outspoken attitude. Dems feel hard done by and cheated.

Thrugelmir

Sapphire wrote: »

What's left of the 'Obama administration' appears to be attempting to antagonise

Perceptions are created by a backroom army. Reality behind the veneer is so very different.

Shakethedisease

Hmmm. Is all kicking off with this report tonight.

Classified documents presented last week to President Obama and President-elect Trump included allegations that Russian operatives claim to have compromising personal and financial information about Mr. Trump, multiple US officials with direct knowledge of the briefings tell CNN. The allegations were presented in a two-page synopsis that was appended to a report on Russian interference in the 2016 election. The allegations came, in part, from memos compiled by a former British intelligence operative, whose past work US intelligence officials consider credible. The FBI is investigating the credibility and accuracy of these allegations, which are based primarily on information from Russian sources, but has not confirmed many essential details in the memos about Mr. Trump.


http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/10/politics/donald-trump-intelligence-report-russia/

Buzzfeed of all places has published the whole memo in full. The Ritz-Carlton presidential suite seems to have been.. well never mind. :cool:

Hintza

Burnt earth.

HornetSaver

Trump will undoubtedly cause problems on the diplomatic stage, though that does not necessarily mean he'll be a net negative.

For example it could well be that relations worsen with China, Mexico and the EU but improve with Russia, Britain, and the parts of Africa and South America which do not have the temerity to try to export things the Americans traditionally make for themselves. And as for the Middle East and North Korea, who knows? Instinctively most people would think Trump is likely to make things worse, but you can hardly say that Dubya or Obama did a good job.

In my opinion it's probably a good thing if the Democrats are antagonising people, if we take at face value Trump's overall message that he will shake things up and change just about everything. I actually really hope that they start an argument with China for Trump to solve, on the basis that if he starts his own argument it's unlikely to end well, whereas if he solves a problem Obama started then at least they're getting off to a good start.

kinger101

Can't say I'd wished for Trump, but his distaste for multilaterial trade deals at least gives us an opportunity to strike a trade deal with what will be one of our most important deals outside the EU. Those that will broker the deal will be being coached into how to play him.

Obama wanted us at the back of a queue behind a trade deal with the EU which would have no doubt collapsed again for one reason or another.