Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "Walk softly, but carry a big stick." Americans understand one thing very clearly. If you want to deal with a bully, you get a bigger, more determined brute. Bullies shrink away very quickly. Kindness is still often viewed as a weakness in many parts of the world.
And this is where the US remains ignorant of the truth, all you are doing is replacing one tyrant for another. Tyrants must be broken through the actions of multiple nations coming together, not by empowering another. The grand project of the civilized world is removing the capacity for one person or one country from rising to power over the others. Multilateralism is imperative, and unilateralism must end if we want to ever see lasting peace.
I agree with this,bullies do not like it when they are confronted,to keep safe we must remain strong.Hitler only gained power,because other countries allowed themselves to be bullied.I think if Trump had been president,the war in Ukraine would not have started in the first place The Russians took advantage of a weak president
Roosevelt actually wrote, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." He didn't say we have to insult, threaten and be a worse bully than the other. He even clarified: "If you simply speak softly the other man will bully you. If you leave your stick at home you will find the other man did not. If you carry the stick only and forget to speak softly in nine cases out of ten, the other man will have a bigger stick."
@@tulak2004 And equally as, if not more, important: "Patriotism means to stand with the country. It does not mean to stand with the president." - Theodore Roosevelt
This election was like the 'two paths meme'. During every election everyone says "this is the most important election of our lifetimes", and it's true every single time, because things are getting more and more serious and consequential.
Exactly correct and Trump called Kamala a marxists during the debate and she never denied it. She did not even lie and deny it, and I give her credit for that.. nevertheless I don’t want a communist president because we’ve seen enough of that for the past four years with Joe running as uncle Joe and actually being progressive socialist fascist Joe. We are sick of weekend and feckless leader ship and corruption.
Giving Putin part of what he wants is not real peace but a pause until he, or someone else from his ilk as successor, is strong enough to return for more. This is not moral purism but experience dictated by experience: Putin and Russia have violated every agreement they have ever signed.
This is a bold statement coming from an American. Most politiceans violate every agreement they have ever signed, and Americans are definitly among those circles. And the claim of the person in the video is not that we should elect one strong leader who stops Putin once and everything turns out well from that point onwards. Electing strong leaders should be something that is done regularely. That way that the pause will be much longer. Also it is much easier to do peace talks when there is no active war at the moment where people loose their life on both sides and where grudge is growing as time goes on. And it is much easier to do peace talks when you are at least trying to understand the other perspective and don't just come in with the intention to never give an inch. What is the alternative that you propose? Remove the whole russian population from the realm of the living through a proxy war that is not faught by your own family members and nighbours?
This comments thread is proof positive about the videos point. Trump was the one who insisted NATO bolster its militaries and stop trading so much with Russia before the invasion. And he was the only president in the 21st century to reign over a period in which Russia did not invade anyone at all If you think that is a coincidence you're fooling yourself Obama presided over the annexation of Crimea and dispatched strongly worded letters and sanctions Bush presided over Georgia trying to join NATO before being invaded by Russia and cancelling it Biden Presided over the invasion of Ukraine Trump presided over the bombing of Syria, a Russian ally, and telling Putin in no uncertain terms that if he invaded Ukraine he would bomb Moscow Peace through strength, not platitudes
Agree with the polite roast. I'm an American living in Europe and am always amazed at how much Europeans don't understand Americans. Moral purism without any action is just cowardice and Europeans hate any actions that will make them appear unkind or lacking compassion. Everyone exploits this cowardice including Americans.
@@Prometheus100110 as an European I agree, too many people and even politicians here believe in the "end of history" myth. But I think recent events (Russia, Trump's return, etc...) will change our behavior, the sooner we'll wake up the better.
@@freedomloverusa3030 The top levels of their governments are bad, yes. But European stock must be preserved in order to secure western culture. They are also under invasion. Only Giorgia Meloni supports them.
@@freedomloverusa3030 The EU is irrelevant. The people (masses) are not being represented. It is from the people that the great cultural milestones emerge and are established. When the people are replaced, the culture will collapse. And then you have to bring in the U.S. Army / National Guard to patrol the subways (like New York).
As a European (Czechia), i agree with your points, but especially the last one. Europe has some conservativism, but atleast in my country its often done with secular approach, when most of the population does not really like radical leftism, but they also crap on Christianity and some values which we have directly from it. When people dont really believe in anything anymore, conservativism is mostly "i dont like the new thing" or they try to appeal to a common sense, which is always shifting in time. I think in Czechia, for example, we sometimes tend to be rather cynical about stuff. I does not matter if you try to promote conservative Christianity or radical LGTV ideology, the same people will laugh at both. We tend to not think about the higher things, but that is my and partially anecdotal opinion.
French here, I agree too. The "right" sinks reactionary while the "left" shove radical, and in between the "center" tries to maintain the status quo (no longer sustainable) and its power over it. A real ménage à trois ironically.
@@mirekzawada7586 You probably don't even realise how lucky you are without the Catholic Church leeching on the state, extorting land for ridiculously low prices, like in Poland, for example. It is a cancer that has been corrupting the politics after the fall of communism. Not to mention the pedofile mafia within the Church that has been abusing children and covering it up for decades. It's has only begun to slowly change now. Religion in politics is pure evil.
Nowadays its more like lies, injustice and proto-fascism. Might makes right, justice system is by the rich for the rich. And it is all led by a narcissistic moron.. that makes the US look more and more like Russia threatening its neighbours left and right.
*Truth:* Trump has countless lies on public record. *Justice:* A convicted felon gets away Scotts-free because his expensive attorneys and his Kangaroo Supreme Court postponed his sentencing until after he got elected president. *The American Way:* Being born on American soil guaranteeing citizenship is under attack following Trump's inauguration. *Life:* Trump announced an incoming increase of death sentences. *Liberty:* Trump is planning on increasing the punishment part of justice over the rehabilitation part of justice. That means more prison sentences. *The pursuit of happiness:* Trans people won't be able to work in the military anymore and marriage equality is on the verge of being revoked. Structural racism and sexism won't be addressed that much anymore either. Trump's new billionaire administration is bad news for the majority of people - which is ironic because the majority of people elected Trump.
Unfortunately it feels like many European nations are suffering from a similar situation to Rome in late antiquity. The residents in the Eternal City were convinced they were still the center of politics despite no longer being involved in policy or military affairs. Constantinople became the new center of power while Rome became practically irrelevant. European countries haven’t realized that they are not the center of global politics but instead a chess piece in a game with two dominant players.
He will never stop, because the moment he does, he is dead, his family is dead, his doubles are dead, his pets are dead and his oligarchs are dead, the russians have no mercy, and if they did, in this case, just not merited, for him personally.
Well, eventually Putin will no longer be alive, and he may wind up relegated to a dacha sooner than that. However, until then, Putin is indeed relentless.
Putin and his ilk will stop soon as they lose their grip on power or simply die of old age. Think of what a post war Russia looks like. Their future is very bleak.
He will never be pushed back either, his country has nukes which means its sovereignty is secure All we can do is play the game of realpolitik to coerce him to behave himself
Very, very well said...thank you. And sadly, this applies to many Brits...The BBC's US correspondents seem incapable of understanding Trump or US politics in general. Thank you for the video.
The complete inability of the BBC to understand anything about the US but just repeat democrat propaganda is one of the main reasons I stopped watching the BBC many years ago. It made me mistrust what they said on everything else.
3:00It seems to me that the author misunderstands this. Many Europeans, or rather most, perceive current wars and conflicts as the result of Trump's inept policy, only its effects were delayed in time by the pandemic. Politics is planning actions for more than one term, and the effects of one government's actions are usually visible only in subsequent terms. Of course, today's situation is not only Trump's fault, but also to a large extent Obama's, who did a lot to reduce American influence in the world, but Trump then contributed greatly to the presentation of America's status through his haoric presidency. I dare say that it was then that China and Russia came to the conclusion that changing the world order in their favor was possible. It is also hard to agree with the statement that American elections are not just about politics but a matter of life and death when only about 3% of surveyed Americans believe that the topic of foreign policy in the elections is important to them. Far fewer Americans care about their country's foreign policy than any European country, by an order of magnitude less. So don't tell me Americans know better.
You must be a Brit. You have my sympathy. When Elizabeth II was on the throne I could see reasons to keep the British monarchy going. Someone should stand it as a personal representative of the nation. But under Charles the Dim, good sense suggests that the royal family be given modest pensions and their palaces turned into tourist destinations. That said, Britain is not my home, so my opinions are just opinions.
@@Inkling777Im American, but I disagree. If anything, Queen Elizabeth proved that turning over powers to a Parliamentary body is an absolute disaster, especially for England. Elizabeth may have had a kind soul, but she utterly failed her country and refused to perform her duty. She was, in short, probably the worst royal in English history. Her inaction led to the destruction of England as a world power, and much worse, led to its destruction as an identifiable nation and people. If anything, the Parliamentary body should be dissolved, and the Royal family remain the sovereign and sole authority over the nation, not excluding the various local bodies.
@@Inkling777 As a Brit, I'd agree. I get the idea of a nonpartisan figurehead (wish the President was that), but we have an over-bloated family expecting all sorts of benefits, when the executive head of my government lives in a not-overly large house with his chancellor and office workers, which is a nonsense.
Most of Europe including France and Britain paid the Barbary Pirates tribute to leave their ships in the Meditaranian unmolested or returned when the tribute was raised without notice until the US starting with Jefferson said absolutly not and declared war on them. Sweden joined us in that endever, and by 1814, we prevailed despite the war of 1812 with Britain.
The exit from Afghanistan was very badly handled, but it wad Trump who agreed with the Taliban - over the heads of The Afghan government - that NATO forces should leave.
And Biden changed the date of withdrawal, in central asian cultures going back on an agreement is a matter of life and death, it turned the afghan government into a "western puppet" in their eyes and it was their death knell
Actually, one could say that leaving Afghanistan was embedded within going there. Never at any time was an effort made to settle American warlords there, something I actually suggested to Bush if he really wanted to win that war.
Trump had an agreement with the Taliban leadership to withdraw at a certain date while the Taliban would no longer attack US/NATO troops and not conquer the parts of Afghanistan that the US/NATO troops would be leaving. One must understand that Afghans have an honour-culture where keeping true to one's word is vital for the respect you will get. The only times Afghans will break their word is if the other party broke their word first. Trump gave the word of the US to withdraw on a certain date. As Biden out of political virtue-signalling delayed the date of withdrawal he broke the word of the US which meant that the Taliban leader was no longer bound by his word not to conquer the rest of Afghanistan or not attacking the troops. Combine that with leaving behind billions of dollars of military hardware and you see the mess Biden made of the withdrawal Trump arranged. Had the agreed timetable been followed, the hardware could have been withdrawn over a period before that date without fear of attacks and the troops - including possibly important Afghan allies - could have been withdrawn without casualties.
There was no win there. We held that nation for 20 years. Trump agreed to having us pull out and it was the right thing to do. The WAY we pulled out was because of Biden throwing a tantrum. @TacShooter
I've recently begun to analogize the current political dichotomies with "The Trolley Problem". In short, the question posed is whether one takes action to do a positive good, or sits back and lets events proceed without interference. It is posed as a choice about who lives and who dies: if you do nothing, 5 lives on the tracks are lost, but if you do something and switch tracks, only two lives are lost. (Numbers and exactly who dies/lives depend on how the question is posed.) Trump is the guy who will switch tracks to save the 5 lives, even if 2 on the other tracks now die. Europeans (in the context of this video ) would instead prefer to make no choice at all and blame Trump for killing 2 people, and excuse their inaction because they would prefer to let 5 people die through inaction rather than being blamed for the deaths of 2 people. This mindset (choose inaction because the alternative isn't reducing harm, but avoiding blame of harming) explains all sorts of liberal/leftist attitudes, such as being lax about crime, choosing to not maintain forests in favor of "environmental" concerns (in quotes, because the resulting fires kill off endangered species and profligately emit CO2), and not enforcing laws against illegal immigration. It's kind of "laissez-faire", except instead of "laissez-faire" economics, it's "laissez-faire" crime. They don't want to be blamed for harming criminals, so they favor not enforcing the law.
This well defines their moral code. Protect LBGT...at the expense and elevation of less than 2% of the population (in reality, not trends), we should trouble all 340 million+ of us. This is their logic, or lack thereof. They just lack that kind of old bestial energy. Nature isn't kind. If they love nature as they say they'd understand no animal mourns killing to eat. By comparison it's plenty civil to toss weight. Bears don't even want to fight other bears.
To be fair, treating Europeans as a broad band of one culture is fundamentally flawed. Even in recent cosmopolitanist push for everyone think as "European not countrymen", it largely only impacts a minority... and a centrally empowered political elite. In fact the exact same political group breeds yet another strata which doesn't recognize themselves as European at all. A lot of countries in Europe instead hate Russia and would love to send troops to the war if: 1. Russia wouldn't be a nuclear power with warheads ready to ruin cities, 2. they have any significant military forces to begin with. Each country's support for the war is different. French is purely moral and geopolitical. German is a mix, albeit the non-political aspect is certainly inflamed by media hysteria which now generates fatigue. Poland and the Baltic states have all reasons to fear Russian invasion. Same for Scandinavia. Denmark is a secret darkhorse of NATO which always does their best to contribute. Scandinavia also wants to weaken Russia because unlike anyone else they see the consequences of Russian expansion in the Northern Sea. Of course, the politics of Brussels is another aspect and I somewhat lined this out already. EU wants a piece of the post-war Ukrainian development pie. They also use Ukraine as a beating stick to impoverish the eastern region which suffers the largest consequences of the war. They quickly hasten the progression towards an empire and for that a cause like Ukraine which has diverse interests in Europe yet can be forced down on the throats as "moral" can benefit their agenda a great deal. Thanks to this, even conservative leaders who were very much in favor of EU turned to classic Euroskeptic rhetoric as of late. Orban of Hungary, for example, was all aboard for the "European United States" and the "Federal Army of Europe" alongside championing EU membership as the best state for his country. Now he regurgitates the same words as some of the more "radical" groups, barring secessionist views.
@@willyvereb though observing the EU bureaucracy and the leading politicians it's really easy to be EU-skeptic, Orbán is a special case. The allegations that he and his government is an actual Russian asset aren't baseless.
@ Seems to be a different conversation entirely. Point being Orban is a conservative, and one of the oldest ones. His stance was often spun as Euroskeptic yet until recently his rhetoric was pro-EU and he still campaigns for "saving" EU instead of the usual "[insert country]-xit" which defines a lot of prominent conservative voices in Europe.
Great comment, as a European conservative seeing the destruction of our nations by the short sighted moral vanity and surrogate-religions like "diversity", "climate", "nature", "gender", "equality", "self-hate", I can only agree with the analysis.
I agree with you,but all this has been planned,it has not just happened,the import of so many Muslims has not been by chance,it is to destabilise the western countries with people who have nothing in common with the existing population,divide and rule.This is very evident in Britain with Starmer,he does not care what is said about him,he openly supports mass migration,he lied to get into office.I think he does not expect there to be another General Election,because if there is a war,elections will stop,as happened in WW2.I am very pleased that Trump won ,the west needs someone like him,we can,t let them win
I have no idea how you people come out will all these silly ideas. It looks like that the EU remains the only power in the world which still values democracy.
Destruction of our nations, eh? You should've lived here during, I dunno, any time up till and including the second world war. Europe and nationalism go hand in hand and lemme tell you: It. Ain't. Peaceful.
They live close to older cities but bear very little in common with the cultures that built those cities. The real peasant heart of Europe decamped to American 100-200 years ago. 200 million of us now.
"They live close to older cities but bear very little in common with the cultures that built those cities." We built those cities. They where all demolished in WW2 and we build them again. Meanwhile americans in peacetime buldozed their historic cities to make room for highways, parking lots and shoping malls, what high culture "The real peasant heart of Europe decamped to American 100-200 years ago. 200 million of us now." The numbers alone proove you wrong. 200 million europians in europe vs 500 million europians in Europe. Can you go outside and name every edable bery and mushroom? I whos farmer ancestors have lived in roughly the same place for 3000 years can.
This is a very good video and it is very nice to hear someone finally say this. I have also noticed, which feeds into your third point very well, that European conservatives tend to just want to go back to the pre-Islamization period and tend to not care too much about other important things. Of course this isn't literally every conservative in Europe, but it's something I have noted, examples such as allying with gays against Muslims as if being gay is now conservative. Point two was also very good. In my opinion, I think the only way European conservatives can actually go deep and have positive visions for a future is to reject that moral purism. Will they do that? I won't hold my breath anytime soon.
Thank you. I'm not too optimistic either, but we'll see. And your point that non-conservative things now seem conservative, because of how far things have gone, is an important one, I think.
What islamization are you talking about? Europe's fertility rate fell bwlow replacement since the 1990's and had to import workers to keep thier economies afloat, the increase in % of muslims in Europe is an unintended consequence of that, i believe some time into the future when Africa becomes the primary source of immigration, conservatism will shift from being anti islam to being anti black
@@Muhammad_Ahmad_ Are you being obtuse intentionally or are you genuinely stupid? Given, with your name being Muhammad Ahmad, I'm sure you're being obtuse. "What Islamization?" The one where there are more Muslims who aren't native to Europe making their own ghettos and not assimilating into the cultures. "Unintended consequence" no, it was fully intentional. What the fuck are you even talking about in regards to "anti-black" or even "anti-Islam"? There is really no historic foundation for you to even insinuate that Europe was "anti-black" Europeans are allowed to have their own lands like everyone else is. Foreign people and their ideals do not need to be appeased just because that's what you want.
As a European/Nordic, I find myself agreeing with most of this. Only thing I would say concerning the war in Ukraine though, is that there is also the aspect of as long as Ukraine wants to fight, the rest of Europe benefits from Putin loosing troops, material and corroding the Russian economy. As an unchecked Russia under Putin, could from a position of strenght, cause a whole lot more wars of expansion and death across Europe in the future. From a pragmatic standpoint, a war that depletes Russia's ability to wage further wars, and the uncertainty of the scale these could involve, I would argue it is also morally justified. While many countries in Europe are finally building up their militaries to a defensible strenght, wich hopefully will ensure a bette chance for stability in our region of the world. All of that being said, hopefully a peace agreement will be reached, but it should be ultimately up to the Ukranian people, not the US and not the EU.
Democracy was under threat says Joe. And then he was removed by his own party and his replacement was appointed, not elected. Then she tried to explain the significance of the passage of time.
As a Eurpean I totally agree with this statement. There are still some for king and country conservatives, but indeed even most conservatives fail to see what you call the naïvity of american conservatives. For Europe I do think the greatest problem as this moment is it EU bureacracy, but also on a national level. It sucks the live out of any initiative and has in its very nature no positive view. The islamization is just a logical consequence of that. Many Europeans understand the danger of it all, but the higher you go in hierarchie the lesser aware they seem. The left is morally "superior" they fail to any problem. For them only the right wing is a danger. The real suprise for me is that not only the left but also many of the right see Trump as a danger. Sometime in analyse they have to admit, he has done at least some good, but by thinking to deep they have to confront that.
I don’t know why even conservatives would see Trump as a threat . However, he’s not the status quo politician because he’s a businessman first and a politician second. He’s not gonna take any BS from terrorist but wanting 5% of GDP from European countries in NATO is a lot now because so many of them are economically stripped and a lot of it has to do with Ukraine, COVID-19 and energy. As far as the Nordstrom pipeline as a moderate conservative American, which many Americans pretty much are we immediately thought when we heard about it, Biden definitely had something to do with. I could be wrong, but I know he’s a control freak and I think he wanted to ensure by control that sanctions remained on Russian oil and if Europeans got desperate and especially Germany and they could not get oil and gas from Russia.. Joe is extremely vindictive and controlling person and I know that about him because he’s been impossible for 50 years and he’s extremely corrupt. That’s not uncommon in DC and especially with people who have been been there a long time with their influence peddling, but Joe had family business going on with Ukraine and especially your Chinese energy company and that’s something that people in the left are blind to in the United States and they keep believing Trump is the because that’s all they listen to. Trump used to be a center left Democrat and left the party in the 1990s because they were going socialist. they had this thing goes morality and the past four years regarding morals with the White House in the USA has been absolutely lacking.USA Conservatives were always more conservative than Europe. I remember in the 1980s and 1990s when certain drugs were legal over in Amsterdam and some other countries and we had a war on drugs here. After the Obama and Biden administration, you wouldn’t know that. It’ll take time, but people will see it. It’s terribly heartbreaking to see people who they have enable to live on the street and enabled to use drugs, even though it’s against the law.
It really is funny how the leftists never consider any Muslim as far-right, as if though it was a whites-only thing. This only shows how authoritarian, illiberal and down right racist they truly are.
Seeing Trump as a danger is partly justified. There are comments about buying/taking Greenland, but where is the line between mere comments and serious? America at times kicks Europe in the knees, like with Biden's AI chip sanctions, Trump's tariffs, or the AUKUS subamarine deal(aimed at sabotaging France). With friends like these...
Two forgotten issues: First, Europe remembers how trying to make deals with Adolf Hitler didn't work, as Hitler had no intention of keeping such deals. And Putin has repeatedly shown how he works the same way: Agreements are only valuable as long as they work to his strategic advantage, but further than that they're not worth the paper they're written on. Furthermore, this experience is what makes Europe so reluctant to go to war: We have a better knowledge of what wars are really made of, so chest thumping "heroism" is put to the side and saved for real conflicts. Second, a war is not fought merely on a battlefield but also through economics. And while Russia has successfully reshaped its economy for war, this comes at a huge long terrm cost as there's not enough workers to maintain infrastructure. This is why Ukraine prioritizes attacks on oil depots, refineries, factories and even railways: Russia is not really an industrial nation but an exporter of raw materials, and while they can do basic metalwork and assemble components bought abroad, their educational system has fallen apart and they can not get hold of anything resembling modern tooling equipment, nor modern electronics, without importing it from abroad. Much is being imported from China, but there's much they can't buy there. Additionally, China treats Russia as a pawn and is slowly taking over their country. Also, Russia may have a fairly well off central area around Moscow and St. Petersburg, but has plenty of more distant colonies just waiting for the central powers to get weak enough for them to revolt and gain their independence, so Russia can't afford to grind down their power all the way. This is why the defense community in support of Ukraine does not primarily look at who gains land where. It's sad to see, true, but the real fight in this war is for who can hold out the longest. This is at the core of what Europe has against the US: Their self-obsessed illusion that they actually understand what goes on in this world.
A very interesting point of view. UA-cam is full of Trump’s impact on America but this gentleman refreshingly gives Trumpism a European context. Excellent.
Great analysis. In a sense We the people and the consent of the governed were liberal ideas at the time. They were not King and Country or various forms of Marxism which came about 75 years later. The religious aspect could not be more important. The first great awakening in America animated the revolution and separation from Great Britain. Even today, Americans have a sense of of those religious concepts whether they are religious or not. Robert E. Lee when asked what were his rules for the young men at Washington College when he became president of that college. He stated that he had no rules except that they behave as Christian Gentleman. Unfortunately, since the Cold War the US has been trying to social engineer us away from those concepts fortunately for us and the world we push back and truth cannot be destroyed.
This analysis was awesome. As a European (Libertarian) myself I'm deeply troubled seeing the demented behavior my fellow Europeans so often exhibit, of which the hate towards Trump is one telling example. What I'd add to the picture is the rampant cowardice, among people and politicians alike to face actual problems and to call things their names, all while compensating with the mentioned moral grandstanding. I could go on and on. We desperately need a European Renaissance but we indeed lack the principled vision for it. That's why conservatism and actual liberalism cannot fight the decay. Edit: regarding Ukraine, in my view the problem isn't Europe's moral purism about the invasion but that it's all just words and it's cowardice that drives the actual policy. While calling Russia evil, politicians are simultaneously trying to appease (not piss off too much) Putin. A good case could be made for Ukraine's complete vicotry on realistic terms too but that would require some clear and courageous thinking. We haven't seen such for a long long time around here.
Thank you, and yes, I agree, even with your last point. I'd say that moral purists rarely live up to their own purism, and deep down are as opportunistic as everyone else, which fits with your analysis re. Ukraine.
I would say that the invasion of Ukraine was a pivotal turning point for us Europeans. Even though the change doesn't manifest itself very clearly yet, at least we in the East have finally had enough of our complaisance. Our leaders may be cowards but the people are definitely not.
As an European, it is true that most of the leaders have been either ignorant or corrupted & do not look at the writing on the walls to prevent instability or personal money loss.
Your Points are well spoken concise and air tight Bravo sir. I don't like the global consensus that Merika is some how beholden to all of the people suffering worldwide when they don't pay it taxes or send their sons to die for the stars and stripes, with all due respect fukall and lucky we don't expidite our interest with ruthless force and prioritize zero US casualties with Air and Naval long range ordinants and zero troops the ground.
This sounds like someone who might have actually read "The Art of the Deal". What all Democrats and too many other Americans don't understand is that Trump's election is a big FU from the working class. It's nice to see that someone does understand that.
As an european i fail to understand where you got these quotes and ideas about us. I dont understand who you are adressing this video to, i like to think the majority of my fellows dont think the way you think they do.
A excellent talk! Your remarks about "moral purism" apply particularly well the efforts of the International Court of Justice to demand that Israel suspend its military actions in Gaza. Based in the Hague, the ILJ has no neighboring enclaves (Gaza) that recently murdered some 1400 of its own citizens. Nor does it live in a region surrounded by tens of millions of people who believe that as Jews they have no right to exist "from the river to the sea." *Those who do not live with that reality day-to-day have no right to dictate to those who do.*
Rules of war were drafted by western countries post WW2, and Israel violated that by using starvation as a weapon of war. People in the west aren't protesting the Israeli government, they are protesting western support for Israel. If trump is truly America first, why is he so commited to Israeli expansionism?
One thing people on Europe fail to understand is that the world is growing smaller every day. Year long trips and distances two generations ago are now only hours for us. The world is getting smaller it is easier to travel and easier to affect others. Humainity needs to grow with it. A big event like WW3 is inevitable. What matters is who is gonna take the wheel and make order in this chaotic unstable world.
I believe this misunderstanding of Trump is applicable to many Americans as well. There is more to Trump than what his critics can see. I'm impressed with your reasoning - subscribing.
3:12 Europeans have more experience with dictators than americans, Mussolini and Hitler where rough, Ceaușescu was a narcissist. Franco and Salazar were traditionalist. The visceral disgust of some europeans towards Trump, comes from this past history. I hate to see America doing the same mistakes as us. Maybe America has power now but it hasn't the political wisdom of centuries or milenia of history.
Fine example of European superiority complex. Europe's trajectory doesn't support any claim of supposed political wisdom. Also, the disgust you mention comes purely from adopting the American leftist propaganda, not the result of some insightful historical analysis.
Oh, drop that superiority bullshit. You claim to know better, yet by your own admission you're the ones who keep choosing dictators. You claim to have more experience, yet our political system is older than any of yours.
Only because you believe Trump is Hitler. Trump has never started any wars or invaded another country. What are you on about? His posturing about Greenland and Panama Canal are negotiating tactics. No one here in the USA is concerned about invading Greenland
But Europeans had "the political wisdom of centuries or millennia" in 1939, in 1914 in (I forget the years of all the Balkan wars), in 1870, und so weiter...
Let’s not pretend the people alive today had the same “experience” and therefore “wisdom” that peoples living under harsh regimes did back in the past; that simply doesn’t exist in modern Europe just as it doesn’t in the US. Europe was powerful, eventually recognized its faults, but was unable to move past its own guilt. America has stayed quite powerful and had a fair amount of guilt to supplement it, but hasn’t damned power entirely. This is why conservative Americans often view Europeans as a generally weak people- wiling to be protected by a stronger foreign power but arrogant enough to curse the methods that preserve their own peace. I don’t intend to say that every method America has used to “protect peace” has been morally justifiable, but I will point out the hypocrisy that Europe has when it complains against such methods while doing nothing to secure itself under new ones.
Very thoughtful analysis, Ben .Thank you .I write not only on the day of the inauguration of the 47th President of the USA but of the commencement of the trial in the UK of the Southport murderer of 3 little girls ,numerous injured other children and the alleged possessor of ricin .At the same time ,the Government is concerned about 'Islamophobia' and the 'Far Right'. If only Europeans could cut the Gordian knot with the same honesty and bluntness of Mr .Trump .Who knows maybe even they have enough of the punishment meted out by their own mid-wit politicians?
Thank you! And yes, I think the UK will necessarily be obliged to go in the same direction eventually, but the question then will be if it’s not already too late, primarily because of the demographic changes.
When Germans act in Germany’s self-interest, it’s ok. When the French act in France’s self-interest, it’s ok. But when Americans act in America’s self-interest the world gets its knickers in a twist.
Germany has not acted in any form of self-interest since 1945 - after all Germany is not a sovereign nation, the German consitution was written by the Allies in 1948 and Germany is as of today governed by secret decrets from the allies. This will only change by war, which again Germany is not capable of pulling off. So America has a politically primitv country to the disposal (destroyed without even a peep from the German government the gas-pipline between Germany and Russia in the Baltic sea). So Germany is there to specifically assist the US bidding of geopolicial dominance, like with the genocide in Palestina,
As a matter of fact, european countries never act in their own interests. Leaders are scared because they know the people of Europe want to "make Europe great again", so they make silly anti-Trump/Musk propaganda, just like the American left does. But believe me, we've had enough, and a lot of Europeans (like me) are very pleased with the turning of events in USA!
I don't think the situation in Ukraine suggests that a Russian victory is inevitable. While it's true that Russian forces are making small territorial gains, the cost to Russia in terms of men and equipment losses is catastrophic. The economic situation in Russia is also becoming more dire. It's quite possible that if the Ukrainians are properly equipped and financed, Russia will simply run out of resources, resulting either in a battlefield defeat, a political coup, or both. This is how Germany lost WWI, despite having had considerable success on the battlefield.
Agreed, and I don't suggest that a Russian victory was inevitable. "Russian forces are making small territorial gains" is approximately what I mean by "increasingly tilting in Russia's favor" - that the costs to them for these gains are staggering is, I think, beyond dispute.
@@Hakar17 But only because it had to. Russia lost WW1, despite having a huge numerical superiority. WWII was a fight for Russia's survival, so catastrophic losses were unavoidable, given that the only available option was to attempt to overwhelm the Germans by sheer numbers. By contrast, the war against Ukraine is a war of aggression that Russia could end at any time of their choosing. Their losses in men and material are unsustainable, and its economy is in free fall. Ukraine doesn't have to win the war militarily. Russia is a gangster state where Putin's reign will end the moment his inner circle comes to view him and his war as a liability.
@@heyitsme1618 You appear to be reversing the statistics. For every Ukraine casualty somewhat greater than three Russians die. Since Russia has roughly three times the population of Ukraine, that aspect of this war of attrition is basically, if cruelly, balanced. And that statistic is not surprising. Under the Czars, the Soviets, and Putin Russia has always fought cannon fodder wars, ignoring their own death tolls. But that no longer works. Russian no longer has a prolific peasant population and it is currently fighting with the exceptionally low birthrate of the 1990s. And in practice, the relative sizes of the population matters little. Russia does not dare institute a nationwide draft. If it did, large numbers of educated young men from Moscow to Leningrad would take their skills to other countries. To fill out their ranks, Russia must to pay huge sums to men in Russia's poorer, more rural regions. And many of those are old men in poor health who make poor soldiers.
I had to look up "Oikophilia", thanks for putting a name on the concept/mindset/worldview. This not only fits right in with the discussion of the election of DJT, but the post Communist Russian embrace of Tradition and rejection of Modernism as well. Thanks for the info, subbed.
I think you miss one important angle on the moral purism you raise. Pushing back on wars of conquest is more, I would argue, from an European point of view about upholding a security architecture where sovereignty and independence must be respected and countries can choose their own security arrangements. We have learned too much from history that we must avoid opening that Pandoras Box of war and chaos again. So pushing back on aggression hard avoids future conflict, nips the aggressor in the bud and also conforms with the international legal system set in place after WW2 under US leadership. This system has - generally - served us well, and we should think carefully before rewarding aggression and replacing it with a Machiavellian might-is-right system that have been plaguing Europe (and the world) for centuries, before being replaced with the world order we currently have. And we need the US to defend it together with us in Europe, as it would serve our national interests to do so and strengthen our alliance.
Preventing Russia from getting encouraged to increase the scope of this war (by getting rewarded with a piece of Ukrainian territory) is not "moral purism", but the sign of understanding how Russians think and behave. Had Hitler failed to conquer Poland in 1939, he would not have started WW2.
When you live 20 miles off the border of Russia, it's hardly a question of morality when every once in a while you have to contemplate your possible future on a Siberian penal colony. This is if you want to walk a mile in my shoes.
"Had Hitler failed to conquer Poland in 1939, he would not have started WW2..." Wait, and how would he have been prevented from conquering Poland? Assuming he's determined to try, the only way to prevent it would be military action, which itself may have started WWII.
In a dialog solely between Russia and Ukraine, "Might makes right" means one thing. When the intermediary is Trump as President of the US, he might interject "...and I have more might than either one of you". That frames the negotiations in a very different way.
@@tadasdovii8262 those nukes were Soviet, and Ukraine not only did not own them themselves, but also lacked the resources to maintain them at that time. Now, in the 2020s, is a different story.
what about the gestures of Mr. Musk at the inauguration? It seems that he is having a considerable influence in the new administration. In Germany his salute would have legal consequences, just as a reminder.
Maybe half the men in Europe are conservative and would agree with you. But, half the men (or more) being conservative still locks in power for virtue signaling left wing politicians when you factor in how women vote.
Hello Benedict, are you personally a Christian? If so, what denomination do you hold to? I am Orthodox Christian and your talk aligns well. Although, I disagree with you assessment of Ukraine based on geopolitical considerations for the US.
Well, the problem of Europe is that is downing in Socialism, what you call "Moral Puritanism" is not moral at all, given the spread of Intifadas across Western Europe.
I am a Nigerian and fully agree with your forthright and balanced analysis. But over here in Nigeria, many of my friends, relatives, and colleagues, while agreeing with Trump's social policies, dislike him as a person. I find it frustrating because I am keenly aware of the dangers of the Woke Leftist agenda. Thank you for shedding light on this topic.
Human nature dictates that we constantly focus on our differences. Our desire for control, and certainty, preclude our need for understanding, instead of pressumptive "knowing". Differences are an 'alert' notice to beware, this is a 'threat'! We have much more in common, than our information oligarchs will have us believe. Constantly fanning flames of conflict, and atomizing the populations of one country, or culture, against another. Forums, and alternative information sources, are shedding light onto these paradigms. However, it's still requires us to have a calm equanimity of mind, to discern the perceptive from the deceptive.
The differences between USA and Europe is USA uses agression, Europe uses diplomacy, that takes more time, but takes les casualties! From the American vieuw point agression works, but realisticly seen agression doesn't work! 🤔
No the USA uses diplomacy, coercion, or aggression depending on what will work. Diplomacy and coercion are tried first and then followed by aggressive consequences.
I think you have a very good speech, however I think you should have defined "post-historic" in the beginning because I'm a little confused on it's connotation within your speech.
Fair enough, but I didn't want to get too off course. But if you're interested in that, check out the article links in the video description, where I've written more about that.
"Practicality", as you word it, understands that if the USA cut their help to Ukraine, Ukraine will have to resort to destroying the Russian oil fields, which would result in soaring oil prices on the world markets. For the USA, this would be far more expensive than helping Ukraine. All their drilling would not counterbalance that. Whether you like it or not, the Americans are stakeholders of what is happenning in Russia, let that sink in... So, you see, choosing the path of honor does not necessarily goes against your interest.
Very good analysis. Most of the Europe and progressive America forgot to use common sense and pragmatism. To the extent Europe is under invasion from Islamic populations and it’s hard to stop that tide as they have population growth on their side along with myopic approach by politicians
Well our quality of life speaks for its self, right? Human rights, worker rights, environment etc are protected and in USA are not. It is a pretty shitty place to live in tbh.
@aodriseu Have you ever been to the United States ? Of course those things are valued and part of our way of life. While there are terrible places to live in the U.S. there are also undesirable places in Europe as well. As an American I resent Europeans who look down their noses at us and chide us for not having all the wonderful social programs and health care they enjoy. What most Europeans don't realize is we don't have enough taxpayer money for those things. We are too busy paying for enormous military and naval bases to protect Europe and police the world and the oceanic trade routes. I wish we would get out of Nato and close most of our bases in Europe. If you can afford all these wonderful programs that we can't, surely you can find the money to defend yourselves.
As a child growing up in the Episcopal Church, I grew up a moral purist. Fortunately, I made some decisions that helped me toward a more realistic take. Being a sensitive mama's boy was really not the best strategy. Europeans had better understand that, though it seems our government manipulated the Ukraine war into being, Americans are not interest. Not interested in what happens there. Not interested in having our children intervening there. Really not interested in Europe at all. If they want to go down with their purity in tact, that's cool with us. Best of luck.
@@GaryVR No, it just means that Europe became irrelevant after centuries of colonialism, imposing their will on everyone else, and destroying the world twice in the first half of the 20th century. Europe fouled its own nest. I don't care about criticism from failed states.
@@GaryVR I know , right ? It's like children laughing at their parents ! " look at those old sillys . They put a roof over our heads . Fed us . Taught us how to care for ourselves out of hard one lessons from lived exlerience . Helped protect us when bullies would take us down and take our resources . What a bunch of old rubes ! " Adults : " In spite of your shameful disdain - you are welcome "
You two are aware of the fact the early United States was made up of the Native Americans and EUROPEANS. Meaning, the “Parents” were just taking care of themselves, then eventually deciding they were better off on their own. They might have had help from France to beat up big bad Britain but after that they were their own thing, not a child. From that point on they became an economic and cultural empire, keeping English relevant after Britain was reduced to the British Isles. That’s right, a little bit of history and a bit of Geography ( I am bilingual and do know geography) from an American of all things, guess you’re seen it all.
Theodore Roosevelt famously said, "Walk softly, but carry a big stick." Americans understand one thing very clearly. If you want to deal with a bully, you get a bigger, more determined brute. Bullies shrink away very quickly. Kindness is still often viewed as a weakness in many parts of the world.
Exactly so, yes.
And this is where the US remains ignorant of the truth, all you are doing is replacing one tyrant for another. Tyrants must be broken through the actions of multiple nations coming together, not by empowering another. The grand project of the civilized world is removing the capacity for one person or one country from rising to power over the others. Multilateralism is imperative, and unilateralism must end if we want to ever see lasting peace.
I agree with this,bullies do not like it when they are confronted,to keep safe we must remain strong.Hitler only gained power,because other countries allowed themselves to be bullied.I think if Trump had been president,the war in Ukraine would not have started in the first place The Russians took advantage of a weak president
Roosevelt actually wrote, "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." He didn't say we have to insult, threaten and be a worse bully than the other. He even clarified: "If you simply speak softly the other man will bully you. If you leave your stick at home you will find the other man did not. If you carry the stick only and forget to speak softly in nine cases out of ten, the other man will have a bigger stick."
@@tulak2004 And equally as, if not more, important: "Patriotism means to stand with the country. It does not mean to stand with the president." - Theodore Roosevelt
This election was like the 'two paths meme'.
During every election everyone says "this is the most important election of our lifetimes", and it's true every single time, because things are getting more and more serious and consequential.
Yes, I agree with that. Looking back I think there are some elections that proved even more disastrous than others, but I think you're broadly right.
Exactly correct and Trump called Kamala a marxists during the debate and she never denied it. She did not even lie and deny it, and I give her credit for that.. nevertheless I don’t want a communist president because we’ve seen enough of that for the past four years with Joe running as uncle Joe and actually being progressive socialist fascist Joe. We are sick of weekend and feckless leader ship and corruption.
Let's hope the next time around the Americans didn't have to choose between the giant douche and the turd sandwich.
The two party system is basically two flavors of getting screwed over by corporations. No wonder we regulate the shit out of them in Europe.
All i can say, most of us Europeans are out of touch.
Yup
Giving Putin part of what he wants is not real peace but a pause until he, or someone else from his ilk as successor, is strong enough to return for more. This is not moral purism but experience dictated by experience: Putin and Russia have violated every agreement they have ever signed.
Exactly, this is where all the European powers are more clear eyed than the United States.
This is a bold statement coming from an American. Most politiceans violate every agreement they have ever signed, and Americans are definitly among those circles.
And the claim of the person in the video is not that we should elect one strong leader who stops Putin once and everything turns out well from that point onwards. Electing strong leaders should be something that is done regularely. That way that the pause will be much longer. Also it is much easier to do peace talks when there is no active war at the moment where people loose their life on both sides and where grudge is growing as time goes on. And it is much easier to do peace talks when you are at least trying to understand the other perspective and don't just come in with the intention to never give an inch.
What is the alternative that you propose? Remove the whole russian population from the realm of the living through a proxy war that is not faught by your own family members and nighbours?
Hmm, have a look at Angela Merkel's comments about the Minsk agreement and tell me that again.
What did Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel said OH YEAH, YOU WANT EVERYONE TO FORGET THAT
This comments thread is proof positive about the videos point. Trump was the one who insisted NATO bolster its militaries and stop trading so much with Russia before the invasion. And he was the only president in the 21st century to reign over a period in which Russia did not invade anyone at all
If you think that is a coincidence you're fooling yourself
Obama presided over the annexation of Crimea and dispatched strongly worded letters and sanctions
Bush presided over Georgia trying to join NATO before being invaded by Russia and cancelling it
Biden Presided over the invasion of Ukraine
Trump presided over the bombing of Syria, a Russian ally, and telling Putin in no uncertain terms that if he invaded Ukraine he would bomb Moscow
Peace through strength, not platitudes
This is the most polite roast against Europe😂
Ha ha, this gave me a chuckle.
Agree with the polite roast. I'm an American living in Europe and am always amazed at how much Europeans don't understand Americans. Moral purism without any action is just cowardice and Europeans hate any actions that will make them appear unkind or lacking compassion. Everyone exploits this cowardice including Americans.
@@Prometheus100110 as an European I agree, too many people and even politicians here believe in the "end of history" myth.
But I think recent events (Russia, Trump's return, etc...) will change our behavior, the sooner we'll wake up the better.
@ Ive never met anyone who believes in the end of history. Live just keeps going on indefinetly.
You dont understand politeness...
Europeans are an indigenous people that must be protected. Period.
They are totally irrelevant.
@@freedomloverusa3030 The top levels of their governments are bad, yes. But European stock must be preserved in order to secure western culture. They are also under invasion. Only Giorgia Meloni supports them.
Note that they would never pull this sh!t in China or India.
@@freedomloverusa3030 The EU is irrelevant. The people (masses) are not being represented. It is from the people that the great cultural milestones emerge and are established. When the people are replaced, the culture will collapse. And then you have to bring in the U.S. Army / National Guard to patrol the subways (like New York).
Not by Americans. We are done with that
As a European (Czechia), i agree with your points, but especially the last one. Europe has some conservativism, but atleast in my country its often done with secular approach, when most of the population does not really like radical leftism, but they also crap on Christianity and some values which we have directly from it. When people dont really believe in anything anymore, conservativism is mostly "i dont like the new thing" or they try to appeal to a common sense, which is always shifting in time. I think in Czechia, for example, we sometimes tend to be rather cynical about stuff. I does not matter if you try to promote conservative Christianity or radical LGTV ideology, the same people will laugh at both. We tend to not think about the higher things, but that is my and partially anecdotal opinion.
Thank you, and I appreciate reading about the Czech perspective.
Čekija is one of the best countries in the world so clearly people should follow your example.
French here, I agree too.
The "right" sinks reactionary while the "left" shove radical, and in between the "center" tries to maintain the status quo (no longer sustainable) and its power over it.
A real ménage à trois ironically.
@@mirekzawada7586 You probably don't even realise how lucky you are without the Catholic Church leeching on the state, extorting land for ridiculously low prices, like in Poland, for example. It is a cancer that has been corrupting the politics after the fall of communism. Not to mention the pedofile mafia within the Church that has been abusing children and covering it up for decades. It's has only begun to slowly change now. Religion in politics is pure evil.
If they were moral leaders, they would not allow the Turkish occupation of Cyprus.
Give me the power and the occupation would end.
truth, justice, and the American Way. life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
E pluribus unum, Liberty, in God we trust!
You mean lies corruption and exploiting your "allies" for profit while giving nothing in return.
Nowadays its more like lies, injustice and proto-fascism. Might makes right, justice system is by the rich for the rich. And it is all led by a narcissistic moron.. that makes the US look more and more like Russia threatening its neighbours left and right.
*Truth:*
Trump has countless lies on public record.
*Justice:*
A convicted felon gets away Scotts-free because his expensive attorneys and his Kangaroo Supreme Court postponed his sentencing until after he got elected president.
*The American Way:*
Being born on American soil guaranteeing citizenship is under attack following Trump's inauguration.
*Life:*
Trump announced an incoming increase of death sentences.
*Liberty:*
Trump is planning on increasing the punishment part of justice over the rehabilitation part of justice. That means more prison sentences.
*The pursuit of happiness:*
Trans people won't be able to work in the military anymore and marriage equality is on the verge of being revoked. Structural racism and sexism won't be addressed that much anymore either.
Trump's new billionaire administration is bad news for the majority of people - which is ironic because the majority of people elected Trump.
Yea you dont value the truth...
Unfortunately it feels like many European nations are suffering from a similar situation to Rome in late antiquity. The residents in the Eternal City were convinced they were still the center of politics despite no longer being involved in policy or military affairs. Constantinople became the new center of power while Rome became practically irrelevant. European countries haven’t realized that they are not the center of global politics but instead a chess piece in a game with two dominant players.
What you don’t understand is that Putin will never stop.
He may never stop, but depending on who sits in the office he will be more aggressive or less aggressive.
He will never stop, because the moment he does, he is dead, his family is dead, his doubles are dead, his pets are dead and his oligarchs are dead, the russians have no mercy, and if they did, in this case, just not merited, for him personally.
Well, eventually Putin will no longer be alive, and he may wind up relegated to a dacha sooner than that. However, until then, Putin is indeed relentless.
Putin and his ilk will stop soon as they lose their grip on power or simply die of old age. Think of what a post war Russia looks like. Their future is very bleak.
He will never be pushed back either, his country has nukes which means its sovereignty is secure
All we can do is play the game of realpolitik to coerce him to behave himself
Yeah, we tried hugs. Back to old school brash Americanism. Look how poorly things went when everyone went soft.
Predictably very similar to the way they went the last time the USA went soft in 1976.
@nonyadamnbusiness9887 yeah, it's a cycle.
And never tried to understand each other.
Trump is way beyond "old school brash". He is outrageously rude & offensive & irresponsible.
What the hell are you talking about? Us Empire has always been forceful and violent
Very, very well said...thank you. And sadly, this applies to many Brits...The BBC's US correspondents seem incapable of understanding Trump or US politics in general. Thank you for the video.
My pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
bbc has severe tds.
US politics is actually quite simple:
both parties are bought and paid for
and donald trump is like every other US president:
a puppet
We don't understand why the chose a criminal and sex offender as their president. That is true
The complete inability of the BBC to understand anything about the US but just repeat democrat propaganda is one of the main reasons I stopped watching the BBC many years ago. It made me mistrust what they said on everything else.
I’m not surprised by the rude comments you are getting from the Europeans.
3:00It seems to me that the author misunderstands this. Many Europeans, or rather most, perceive current wars and conflicts as the result of Trump's inept policy, only its effects were delayed in time by the pandemic. Politics is planning actions for more than one term, and the effects of one government's actions are usually visible only in subsequent terms. Of course, today's situation is not only Trump's fault, but also to a large extent Obama's, who did a lot to reduce American influence in the world, but Trump then contributed greatly to the presentation of America's status through his haoric presidency. I dare say that it was then that China and Russia came to the conclusion that changing the world order in their favor was possible.
It is also hard to agree with the statement that American elections are not just about politics but a matter of life and death when only about 3% of surveyed Americans believe that the topic of foreign policy in the elections is important to them. Far fewer Americans care about their country's foreign policy than any European country, by an order of magnitude less. So don't tell me Americans know better.
Hard to think For King and Country when a Christmas present from one’s own King was a lecture on the irrelevancy of morality.
The intellectual rot and moral degeneration applies of course also to those born from a queen.
You must be a Brit. You have my sympathy. When Elizabeth II was on the throne I could see reasons to keep the British monarchy going. Someone should stand it as a personal representative of the nation.
But under Charles the Dim, good sense suggests that the royal family be given modest pensions and their palaces turned into tourist destinations. That said, Britain is not my home, so my opinions are just opinions.
@@Inkling777Im American, but I disagree. If anything, Queen Elizabeth proved that turning over powers to a Parliamentary body is an absolute disaster, especially for England. Elizabeth may have had a kind soul, but she utterly failed her country and refused to perform her duty. She was, in short, probably the worst royal in English history. Her inaction led to the destruction of England as a world power, and much worse, led to its destruction as an identifiable nation and people.
If anything, the Parliamentary body should be dissolved, and the Royal family remain the sovereign and sole authority over the nation, not excluding the various local bodies.
@@Inkling777 As a Brit, I'd agree. I get the idea of a nonpartisan figurehead (wish the President was that), but we have an over-bloated family expecting all sorts of benefits, when the executive head of my government lives in a not-overly large house with his chancellor and office workers, which is a nonsense.
😑😑😑
Very biased take
Most of Europe including France and Britain paid the Barbary Pirates tribute to leave their ships in the Meditaranian unmolested or returned when the tribute was raised without notice until the US starting with Jefferson said absolutly not and declared war on them. Sweden joined us in that endever, and by 1814, we prevailed despite the war of 1812 with Britain.
The exit from Afghanistan was very badly handled, but it wad Trump who agreed with the Taliban - over the heads of The Afghan government - that NATO forces should leave.
And Biden changed the date of withdrawal, in central asian cultures going back on an agreement is a matter of life and death, it turned the afghan government into a "western puppet" in their eyes and it was their death knell
And Trump freed 5,000 Taliban,while drawing down 2,500 US Troops.
Actually, one could say that leaving Afghanistan was embedded within going there. Never at any time was an effort made to settle American warlords there, something I actually suggested to Bush if he really wanted to win that war.
Trump had an agreement with the Taliban leadership to withdraw at a certain date while the Taliban would no longer attack US/NATO troops and not conquer the parts of Afghanistan that the US/NATO troops would be leaving. One must understand that Afghans have an honour-culture where keeping true to one's word is vital for the respect you will get. The only times Afghans will break their word is if the other party broke their word first.
Trump gave the word of the US to withdraw on a certain date. As Biden out of political virtue-signalling delayed the date of withdrawal he broke the word of the US which meant that the Taliban leader was no longer bound by his word not to conquer the rest of Afghanistan or not attacking the troops. Combine that with leaving behind billions of dollars of military hardware and you see the mess Biden made of the withdrawal Trump arranged. Had the agreed timetable been followed, the hardware could have been withdrawn over a period before that date without fear of attacks and the troops - including possibly important Afghan allies - could have been withdrawn without casualties.
There was no win there. We held that nation for 20 years.
Trump agreed to having us pull out and it was the right thing to do. The WAY we pulled out was because of Biden throwing a tantrum. @TacShooter
I've recently begun to analogize the current political dichotomies with "The Trolley Problem". In short, the question posed is whether one takes action to do a positive good, or sits back and lets events proceed without interference. It is posed as a choice about who lives and who dies: if you do nothing, 5 lives on the tracks are lost, but if you do something and switch tracks, only two lives are lost. (Numbers and exactly who dies/lives depend on how the question is posed.) Trump is the guy who will switch tracks to save the 5 lives, even if 2 on the other tracks now die. Europeans (in the context of this video ) would instead prefer to make no choice at all and blame Trump for killing 2 people, and excuse their inaction because they would prefer to let 5 people die through inaction rather than being blamed for the deaths of 2 people.
This mindset (choose inaction because the alternative isn't reducing harm, but avoiding blame of harming) explains all sorts of liberal/leftist attitudes, such as being lax about crime, choosing to not maintain forests in favor of "environmental" concerns (in quotes, because the resulting fires kill off endangered species and profligately emit CO2), and not enforcing laws against illegal immigration. It's kind of "laissez-faire", except instead of "laissez-faire" economics, it's "laissez-faire" crime. They don't want to be blamed for harming criminals, so they favor not enforcing the law.
@@uumlau that's a very good obsevation
This well defines their moral code. Protect LBGT...at the expense and elevation of less than 2% of the population (in reality, not trends), we should trouble all 340 million+ of us.
This is their logic, or lack thereof. They just lack that kind of old bestial energy. Nature isn't kind. If they love nature as they say they'd understand no animal mourns killing to eat.
By comparison it's plenty civil to toss weight. Bears don't even want to fight other bears.
To be fair, treating Europeans as a broad band of one culture is fundamentally flawed. Even in recent cosmopolitanist push for everyone think as "European not countrymen", it largely only impacts a minority... and a centrally empowered political elite. In fact the exact same political group breeds yet another strata which doesn't recognize themselves as European at all.
A lot of countries in Europe instead hate Russia and would love to send troops to the war if: 1. Russia wouldn't be a nuclear power with warheads ready to ruin cities, 2. they have any significant military forces to begin with. Each country's support for the war is different. French is purely moral and geopolitical. German is a mix, albeit the non-political aspect is certainly inflamed by media hysteria which now generates fatigue. Poland and the Baltic states have all reasons to fear Russian invasion. Same for Scandinavia. Denmark is a secret darkhorse of NATO which always does their best to contribute. Scandinavia also wants to weaken Russia because unlike anyone else they see the consequences of Russian expansion in the Northern Sea.
Of course, the politics of Brussels is another aspect and I somewhat lined this out already. EU wants a piece of the post-war Ukrainian development pie. They also use Ukraine as a beating stick to impoverish the eastern region which suffers the largest consequences of the war. They quickly hasten the progression towards an empire and for that a cause like Ukraine which has diverse interests in Europe yet can be forced down on the throats as "moral" can benefit their agenda a great deal. Thanks to this, even conservative leaders who were very much in favor of EU turned to classic Euroskeptic rhetoric as of late. Orban of Hungary, for example, was all aboard for the "European United States" and the "Federal Army of Europe" alongside championing EU membership as the best state for his country. Now he regurgitates the same words as some of the more "radical" groups, barring secessionist views.
@@willyvereb though observing the EU bureaucracy and the leading politicians it's really easy to be EU-skeptic, Orbán is a special case. The allegations that he and his government is an actual Russian asset aren't baseless.
@ Seems to be a different conversation entirely. Point being Orban is a conservative, and one of the oldest ones. His stance was often spun as Euroskeptic yet until recently his rhetoric was pro-EU and he still campaigns for "saving" EU instead of the usual "[insert country]-xit" which defines a lot of prominent conservative voices in Europe.
Upholding one's values and priorities is admirable. Imposing those values and priorities on others is wrong, regardless of where it is coming from.
So you think Great Britain banning slavery globaly was bad?
0:47 Tell me you dont understand Europians without telling me you dont understand Europians.
This is pretty telling of modern Europeans, even the “far-right” parties have a lot of this thought line although much less of it.
Trump started to move out of Afghanistan, not Biden
Trump chickened out of withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Great comment, as a European conservative seeing the destruction of our nations by the short sighted moral vanity and surrogate-religions like "diversity", "climate", "nature", "gender", "equality", "self-hate", I can only agree with the analysis.
I agree with you,but all this has been planned,it has not just happened,the import of so many Muslims has not been by chance,it is to destabilise the western countries with people who have nothing in common with the existing population,divide and rule.This is very evident in Britain with Starmer,he does not care what is said about him,he openly supports mass migration,he lied to get into office.I think he does not expect there to be another General Election,because if there is a war,elections will stop,as happened in WW2.I am very pleased that Trump won ,the west needs someone like him,we can,t let them win
Glad you liked it, thank you.
I have no idea how you people come out will all these silly ideas. It looks like that the EU remains the only power in the world which still values democracy.
Destruction of our nations, eh?
You should've lived here during, I dunno, any time up till and including the second world war.
Europe and nationalism go hand in hand and lemme tell you: It. Ain't. Peaceful.
@@aodriseu Do you live in the EU?
They live close to older cities but bear very little in common with the cultures that built those cities. The real peasant heart of Europe decamped to American 100-200 years ago. 200 million of us now.
I like that!! Very true!!
"They live close to older cities but bear very little in common with the cultures that built those cities." We built those cities. They where all demolished in WW2 and we build them again. Meanwhile americans in peacetime buldozed their historic cities to make room for highways, parking lots and shoping malls, what high culture
"The real peasant heart of Europe decamped to American 100-200 years ago. 200 million of us now." The numbers alone proove you wrong. 200 million europians in europe vs 500 million europians in Europe. Can you go outside and name every edable bery and mushroom? I whos farmer ancestors have lived in roughly the same place for 3000 years can.
What Europeans don’t understand is. He is 100% Serious!
This is a very good video and it is very nice to hear someone finally say this. I have also noticed, which feeds into your third point very well, that European conservatives tend to just want to go back to the pre-Islamization period and tend to not care too much about other important things. Of course this isn't literally every conservative in Europe, but it's something I have noted, examples such as allying with gays against Muslims as if being gay is now conservative. Point two was also very good. In my opinion, I think the only way European conservatives can actually go deep and have positive visions for a future is to reject that moral purism. Will they do that? I won't hold my breath anytime soon.
Thank you. I'm not too optimistic either, but we'll see. And your point that non-conservative things now seem conservative, because of how far things have gone, is an important one, I think.
@@BenedictBeckeldVery disappointing how far the window has shifted honestly; however, we must start somewhere.
What islamization are you talking about? Europe's fertility rate fell bwlow replacement since the 1990's and had to import workers to keep thier economies afloat, the increase in % of muslims in Europe is an unintended consequence of that, i believe some time into the future when Africa becomes the primary source of immigration, conservatism will shift from being anti islam to being anti black
@@Muhammad_Ahmad_ Are you being obtuse intentionally or are you genuinely stupid? Given, with your name being Muhammad Ahmad, I'm sure you're being obtuse.
"What Islamization?" The one where there are more Muslims who aren't native to Europe making their own ghettos and not assimilating into the cultures.
"Unintended consequence" no, it was fully intentional.
What the fuck are you even talking about in regards to "anti-black" or even "anti-Islam"? There is really no historic foundation for you to even insinuate that Europe was "anti-black" Europeans are allowed to have their own lands like everyone else is. Foreign people and their ideals do not need to be appeased just because that's what you want.
As a European/Nordic, I find myself agreeing with most of this. Only thing I would say concerning the war in Ukraine though, is that there is also the aspect of as long as Ukraine wants to fight, the rest of Europe benefits from Putin loosing troops, material and corroding the Russian economy.
As an unchecked Russia under Putin, could from a position of strenght, cause a whole lot more wars of expansion and death across Europe in the future. From a pragmatic standpoint, a war that depletes Russia's ability to wage further wars, and the uncertainty of the scale these could involve, I would argue it is also morally justified. While many countries in Europe are finally building up their militaries to a defensible strenght, wich hopefully will ensure a bette chance for stability in our region of the world.
All of that being said, hopefully a peace agreement will be reached, but it should be ultimately up to the Ukranian people, not the US and not the EU.
Europeans isnt a monolyth. would it surprice you if i said that many people here wanted Trump to win.
You should do one about what Americans don't understand about Trump.
Enlighten us
Democracy was under threat says Joe. And then he was removed by his own party and his replacement was appointed, not elected. Then she tried to explain the significance of the passage of time.
As a Eurpean I totally agree with this statement. There are still some for king and country conservatives, but indeed even most conservatives fail to see what you call the naïvity of american conservatives. For Europe I do think the greatest problem as this moment is it EU bureacracy, but also on a national level. It sucks the live out of any initiative and has in its very nature no positive view. The islamization is just a logical consequence of that. Many Europeans understand the danger of it all, but the higher you go in hierarchie the lesser aware they seem. The left is morally "superior" they fail to any problem. For them only the right wing is a danger. The real suprise for me is that not only the left but also many of the right see Trump as a danger. Sometime in analyse they have to admit, he has done at least some good, but by thinking to deep they have to confront that.
Thank you, and yes, agreed.
I don’t know why even conservatives would see Trump as a threat . However, he’s not the status quo politician because he’s a businessman first and a politician second. He’s not gonna take any BS from terrorist but wanting 5% of GDP from European countries in NATO is a lot now because so many of them are economically stripped and a lot of it has to do with Ukraine, COVID-19 and energy. As far as the Nordstrom pipeline as a moderate conservative American, which many Americans pretty much are we immediately thought when we heard about it, Biden definitely had something to do with. I could be wrong, but I know he’s a control freak and I think he wanted to ensure by control that sanctions remained on Russian oil and if Europeans got desperate and especially Germany and they could not get oil and gas from Russia.. Joe is extremely vindictive and controlling person and I know that about him because he’s been impossible for 50 years and he’s extremely corrupt. That’s not uncommon in DC and especially with people who have been been there a long time with their influence peddling, but Joe had family business going on with Ukraine and especially your Chinese energy company and that’s something that people in the left are blind to in the United States and they keep believing Trump is the because that’s all they listen to. Trump used to be a center left Democrat and left the party in the 1990s because they were going socialist. they had this thing goes morality and the past four years regarding morals with the White House in the USA has been absolutely lacking.USA Conservatives were always more conservative than Europe. I remember in the 1980s and 1990s when certain drugs were legal over in Amsterdam and some other countries and we had a war on drugs here. After the Obama and Biden administration, you wouldn’t know that. It’ll take time, but people will see it. It’s terribly heartbreaking to see people who they have enable to live on the street and enabled to use drugs, even though it’s against the law.
It really is funny how the leftists never consider any Muslim as far-right, as if though it was a whites-only thing. This only shows how authoritarian, illiberal and down right racist they truly are.
Despite hating his guts, I can only hope that Trump will do the right things, even if they were for the wrong reasons.
Seeing Trump as a danger is partly justified. There are comments about buying/taking Greenland, but where is the line between mere comments and serious? America at times kicks Europe in the knees, like with Biden's AI chip sanctions, Trump's tariffs, or the AUKUS subamarine deal(aimed at sabotaging France). With friends like these...
Two forgotten issues: First, Europe remembers how trying to make deals with Adolf Hitler didn't work, as Hitler had no intention of keeping such deals. And Putin has repeatedly shown how he works the same way: Agreements are only valuable as long as they work to his strategic advantage, but further than that they're not worth the paper they're written on. Furthermore, this experience is what makes Europe so reluctant to go to war: We have a better knowledge of what wars are really made of, so chest thumping "heroism" is put to the side and saved for real conflicts.
Second, a war is not fought merely on a battlefield but also through economics. And while Russia has successfully reshaped its economy for war, this comes at a huge long terrm cost as there's not enough workers to maintain infrastructure. This is why Ukraine prioritizes attacks on oil depots, refineries, factories and even railways: Russia is not really an industrial nation but an exporter of raw materials, and while they can do basic metalwork and assemble components bought abroad, their educational system has fallen apart and they can not get hold of anything resembling modern tooling equipment, nor modern electronics, without importing it from abroad. Much is being imported from China, but there's much they can't buy there. Additionally, China treats Russia as a pawn and is slowly taking over their country. Also, Russia may have a fairly well off central area around Moscow and St. Petersburg, but has plenty of more distant colonies just waiting for the central powers to get weak enough for them to revolt and gain their independence, so Russia can't afford to grind down their power all the way.
This is why the defense community in support of Ukraine does not primarily look at who gains land where. It's sad to see, true, but the real fight in this war is for who can hold out the longest.
This is at the core of what Europe has against the US: Their self-obsessed illusion that they actually understand what goes on in this world.
A very interesting point of view. UA-cam is full of Trump’s impact on America but this gentleman refreshingly gives Trumpism a European context. Excellent.
Thank you, I appreciate that!
As a Dutchman I say thank you!
Great analysis. In a sense We the people and the consent of the governed were liberal ideas at the time. They were not King and Country or various forms of Marxism which came about 75 years later. The religious aspect could not be more important. The first great awakening in America animated the revolution and separation from Great Britain. Even today, Americans have a sense of of those religious concepts whether they are religious or not. Robert E. Lee when asked what were his rules for the young men at Washington College when he became president of that college. He stated that he had no rules except that they behave as Christian Gentleman. Unfortunately, since the Cold War the US has been trying to social engineer us away from those concepts fortunately for us and the world we push back and truth cannot be destroyed.
Indeed, the decline of religious faith is one of the key factors in the whole nexus.
To call this an analysis would be overly generous
This analysis was awesome. As a European (Libertarian) myself I'm deeply troubled seeing the demented behavior my fellow Europeans so often exhibit, of which the hate towards Trump is one telling example.
What I'd add to the picture is the rampant cowardice, among people and politicians alike to face actual problems and to call things their names, all while compensating with the mentioned moral grandstanding.
I could go on and on. We desperately need a European Renaissance but we indeed lack the principled vision for it. That's why conservatism and actual liberalism cannot fight the decay.
Edit: regarding Ukraine, in my view the problem isn't Europe's moral purism about the invasion but that it's all just words and it's cowardice that drives the actual policy. While calling Russia evil, politicians are simultaneously trying to appease (not piss off too much) Putin. A good case could be made for Ukraine's complete vicotry on realistic terms too but that would require some clear and courageous thinking. We haven't seen such for a long long time around here.
Thank you, and yes, I agree, even with your last point. I'd say that moral purists rarely live up to their own purism, and deep down are as opportunistic as everyone else, which fits with your analysis re. Ukraine.
2014 Regime change in Kiev. By Russia? 😅
I would say that the invasion of Ukraine was a pivotal turning point for us Europeans. Even though the change doesn't manifest itself very clearly yet, at least we in the East have finally had enough of our complaisance. Our leaders may be cowards but the people are definitely not.
Ever heard about the Munich agreement leading up to WW2 maybe this is the reason European aren’t to keen on dealing with dictators
"better than a president whose weakness was matched only by her monumental cluelessness" 😂😂😂
IN Europe, not on 'doorstep' 🤔🤷♂️
that’s right 🇪🇺
As an European, it is true that most of the leaders have been either ignorant or corrupted & do not look at the writing on the walls to prevent instability or personal money loss.
Your Points are well spoken concise and air tight Bravo sir.
I don't like the global consensus that Merika is some how beholden to all of the people suffering worldwide when they don't pay it taxes or send their sons to die for the stars and stripes, with all due respect fukall and lucky we don't expidite our interest with ruthless force and prioritize zero US casualties with Air and Naval long range ordinants and zero troops the ground.
This sounds like someone who might have actually read "The Art of the Deal".
What all Democrats and too many other Americans don't understand is that Trump's election is a big FU from the working class. It's nice to see that someone does understand that.
Trump didn't write The Art of The Deal.Tony Schwartz did.He says it's his biggest regret and he donates his half of royalties to charity.
As an european i fail to understand where you got these quotes and ideas about us. I dont understand who you are adressing this video to, i like to think the majority of my fellows dont think the way you think they do.
Well Said!
A excellent talk! Your remarks about "moral purism" apply particularly well the efforts of the International Court of Justice to demand that Israel suspend its military actions in Gaza. Based in the Hague, the ILJ has no neighboring enclaves (Gaza) that recently murdered some 1400 of its own citizens. Nor does it live in a region surrounded by tens of millions of people who believe that as Jews they have no right to exist "from the river to the sea."
*Those who do not live with that reality day-to-day have no right to dictate to those who do.*
Precisely so.
Rules of war were drafted by western countries post WW2, and Israel violated that by using starvation as a weapon of war. People in the west aren't protesting the Israeli government, they are protesting western support for Israel. If trump is truly America first, why is he so commited to Israeli expansionism?
Don’t worry. In time they will come to learn what it means to have hostile people all around them. They are inviting them into Europe.
How come he hasn't mentioned the tens of thousands of people slaughtered in Gaza .
What a fascist rant.
Dont give fascists a bad name.
Good thoughts!
.
One thing people on Europe fail to understand is that the world is growing smaller every day.
Year long trips and distances two generations ago are now only hours for us. The world is getting smaller it is easier to travel and easier to affect others. Humainity needs to grow with it. A big event like WW3 is inevitable. What matters is who is gonna take the wheel and make order in this chaotic unstable world.
I believe this misunderstanding of Trump is applicable to many Americans as well. There is more to Trump than what his critics can see. I'm impressed with your reasoning - subscribing.
3:12 Europeans have more experience with dictators than americans, Mussolini and Hitler where rough, Ceaușescu was a narcissist. Franco and Salazar were traditionalist. The visceral disgust of some europeans towards Trump, comes from this past history. I hate to see America doing the same mistakes as us.
Maybe America has power now but it hasn't the political wisdom of centuries or milenia of history.
Fine example of European superiority complex. Europe's trajectory doesn't support any claim of supposed political wisdom. Also, the disgust you mention comes purely from adopting the American leftist propaganda, not the result of some insightful historical analysis.
Oh, drop that superiority bullshit.
You claim to know better, yet by your own admission you're the ones who keep choosing dictators.
You claim to have more experience, yet our political system is older than any of yours.
Only because you believe Trump is Hitler. Trump has never started any wars or invaded another country. What are you on about? His posturing about Greenland and Panama Canal are negotiating tactics. No one here in the USA is concerned about invading Greenland
But Europeans had "the political wisdom of centuries or millennia" in 1939, in 1914 in (I forget the years of all the Balkan wars), in 1870, und so weiter...
Let’s not pretend the people alive today had the same “experience” and therefore “wisdom” that peoples living under harsh regimes did back in the past; that simply doesn’t exist in modern Europe just as it doesn’t in the US. Europe was powerful, eventually recognized its faults, but was unable to move past its own guilt. America has stayed quite powerful and had a fair amount of guilt to supplement it, but hasn’t damned power entirely. This is why conservative Americans often view Europeans as a generally weak people- wiling to be protected by a stronger foreign power but arrogant enough to curse the methods that preserve their own peace.
I don’t intend to say that every method America has used to “protect peace” has been morally justifiable, but I will point out the hypocrisy that Europe has when it complains against such methods while doing nothing to secure itself under new ones.
Subscribed. I like this channel!
Thanks, I appreciate the sub! And welcome.
Very thoughtful analysis, Ben .Thank you .I write not only on the day of the inauguration of the 47th President of the USA but of the commencement of the trial in the UK of the Southport murderer of 3 little girls ,numerous injured other children and the alleged possessor of ricin .At the same time ,the Government is concerned about 'Islamophobia' and the 'Far Right'. If only Europeans could cut the Gordian knot with the same honesty and bluntness of Mr .Trump .Who knows maybe even they have enough of the punishment meted out by their own mid-wit politicians?
Thank you! And yes, I think the UK will necessarily be obliged to go in the same direction eventually, but the question then will be if it’s not already too late, primarily because of the demographic changes.
@@BenedictBeckeld 'Fight,fight,fight'.We have sleep walked long enough.
@@jebjeb1498 Definitely!
Utter rubbish. Trump is a sham, a conman and the most immoral and stupid man imaginable. You don't need to be European to see that.
@@BenedictBeckeld well maybe we have to have some deportations
I find this very succinctly and powerfully argued and it rings very true to me!
Thanks!
When Germans act in Germany’s self-interest, it’s ok. When the French act in France’s self-interest, it’s ok. But when Americans act in America’s self-interest the world gets its knickers in a twist.
Germany has not acted in any form of self-interest since 1945 - after all Germany is not a sovereign nation, the German consitution was written by the Allies in 1948 and Germany is as of today governed by secret decrets from the allies. This will only change by war, which again Germany is not capable of pulling off. So America has a politically primitv country to the disposal (destroyed without even a peep from the German government the gas-pipline between Germany and Russia in the Baltic sea). So Germany is there to specifically assist the US bidding of geopolicial dominance, like with the genocide in Palestina,
As a matter of fact, european countries never act in their own interests. Leaders are scared because they know the people of Europe want to "make Europe great again", so they make silly anti-Trump/Musk propaganda, just like the American left does. But believe me, we've had enough, and a lot of Europeans (like me) are very pleased with the turning of events in USA!
Well said my friend.
Exactly!
No we tried that and it went wrong big time
twice
there is no more Hegemony of USA
Scathing salient and astute ,Sir...
Spot on
Thank you!
A very insightful, and detailed, way of explaining that European moralism is a result of being naive and spoiled.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thank you.
Hahahahahaha, literally the opposite.
I don't think the situation in Ukraine suggests that a Russian victory is inevitable. While it's true that Russian forces are making small territorial gains, the cost to Russia in terms of men and equipment losses is catastrophic. The economic situation in Russia is also becoming more dire. It's quite possible that if the Ukrainians are properly equipped and financed, Russia will simply run out of resources, resulting either in a battlefield defeat, a political coup, or both. This is how Germany lost WWI, despite having had considerable success on the battlefield.
Agreed, and I don't suggest that a Russian victory was inevitable. "Russian forces are making small territorial gains" is approximately what I mean by "increasingly tilting in Russia's favor" - that the costs to them for these gains are staggering is, I think, beyond dispute.
According to the pentagon, ukrainian losses are 4:1 to 10:1 vis a vis russian losses. Ukraine cannot win no matter the next hyped wunderwaffe.
The issue with this analysis is that "catastrophic losses" is quite literally how the Russians have always fought.
@@Hakar17 But only because it had to. Russia lost WW1, despite having a huge numerical superiority. WWII was a fight for Russia's survival, so catastrophic losses were unavoidable, given that the only available option was to attempt to overwhelm the Germans by sheer numbers. By contrast, the war against Ukraine is a war of aggression that Russia could end at any time of their choosing. Their losses in men and material are unsustainable, and its economy is in free fall. Ukraine doesn't have to win the war militarily. Russia is a gangster state where Putin's reign will end the moment his inner circle comes to view him and his war as a liability.
@@heyitsme1618 You appear to be reversing the statistics. For every Ukraine casualty somewhat greater than three Russians die. Since Russia has roughly three times the population of Ukraine, that aspect of this war of attrition is basically, if cruelly, balanced.
And that statistic is not surprising. Under the Czars, the Soviets, and Putin Russia has always fought cannon fodder wars, ignoring their own death tolls. But that no longer works. Russian no longer has a prolific peasant population and it is currently fighting with the exceptionally low birthrate of the 1990s.
And in practice, the relative sizes of the population matters little. Russia does not dare institute a nationwide draft. If it did, large numbers of educated young men from Moscow to Leningrad would take their skills to other countries. To fill out their ranks, Russia must to pay huge sums to men in Russia's poorer, more rural regions. And many of those are old men in poor health who make poor soldiers.
I had to look up "Oikophilia", thanks for putting a name on the concept/mindset/worldview.
This not only fits right in with the discussion of the election of DJT, but the post Communist Russian embrace of Tradition and rejection of Modernism as well.
Thanks for the info, subbed.
Thank you, I'm glad you find it useful. And welcome to the channel!
Excellent Analysis! Thanks!
I think you miss one important angle on the moral purism you raise. Pushing back on wars of conquest is more, I would argue, from an European point of view about upholding a security architecture where sovereignty and independence must be respected and countries can choose their own security arrangements. We have learned too much from history that we must avoid opening that Pandoras Box of war and chaos again. So pushing back on aggression hard avoids future conflict, nips the aggressor in the bud and also conforms with the international legal system set in place after WW2 under US leadership. This system has - generally - served us well, and we should think carefully before rewarding aggression and replacing it with a Machiavellian might-is-right system that have been plaguing Europe (and the world) for centuries, before being replaced with the world order we currently have. And we need the US to defend it together with us in Europe, as it would serve our national interests to do so and strengthen our alliance.
Very well said.
Thanks!
1st time listener. Interesting!
Thank you, and welcome!
Preventing Russia from getting encouraged to increase the scope of this war (by getting rewarded with a piece of Ukrainian territory) is not "moral purism", but the sign of understanding how Russians think and behave. Had Hitler failed to conquer Poland in 1939, he would not have started WW2.
Exactly. And Trump's team seem to understand this, judging from public comments explicitly mentioning Russia's intent to rearm during a peace deal.
When you live 20 miles off the border of Russia, it's hardly a question of morality when every once in a while you have to contemplate your possible future on a Siberian penal colony. This is if you want to walk a mile in my shoes.
@@mikitz I agree. I happen to live exactly 22.25 miles from the nearest border with a Russian-controlled territory (a.k.a. Belarus) 😂😂😂
@ Yes, this is an encouraging sign.
"Had Hitler failed to conquer Poland in 1939, he would not have started WW2..."
Wait, and how would he have been prevented from conquering Poland? Assuming he's determined to try, the only way to prevent it would be military action, which itself may have started WWII.
In a dialog solely between Russia and Ukraine, "Might makes right" means one thing.
When the intermediary is Trump as President of the US, he might interject "...and I have more might than either one of you".
That frames the negotiations in a very different way.
If its solely ukraine russia thing, why you took nukes only from ukraine?
@@tadasdovii8262 those nukes were Soviet, and Ukraine not only did not own them themselves, but also lacked the resources to maintain them at that time. Now, in the 2020s, is a different story.
@@JohnGeorgeBauerBuisas the ussr did not exist anymore: yes, Ukraine owned them
what about the gestures of Mr. Musk at the inauguration? It seems that he is having a considerable influence in the new administration. In Germany his salute would have legal consequences, just as a reminder.
Go Donald.
Maybe half the men in Europe are conservative and would agree with you. But, half the men (or more) being conservative still locks in power for virtue signaling left wing politicians when you factor in how women vote.
Hello Benedict, are you personally a Christian? If so, what denomination do you hold to? I am Orthodox Christian and your talk aligns well.
Although, I disagree with you assessment of Ukraine based on geopolitical considerations for the US.
No, I'm Jewish (albeit secular).
Well, the problem of Europe is that is downing in Socialism, what you call "Moral Puritanism" is not moral at all, given the spread of Intifadas across Western Europe.
I am a Nigerian and fully agree with your forthright and balanced analysis.
But over here in Nigeria, many of my friends, relatives, and colleagues, while agreeing with Trump's social policies, dislike him as a person. I find it frustrating because I am keenly aware of the dangers of the Woke Leftist agenda.
Thank you for shedding light on this topic.
This guy reminds me of the Architect from the Matrix...a younger version 😁. Nice video btw
Practicality understands that allowing Russia to win territory and time to re-arm will not end well.
Seems to go along well with the difference between An American who visits Europe in contrast to a European going to the U.S.
The Europeans haven't come to terms that we are not their colony anymore.
“Their colony” lmao
@@angelantayhua3096 They think their views on free speech should apply to us, NO THANKS! Europes "free speech" is literal controlled censorship.
The Europeans never thought of the US as their colony. Ever ...
That is just the most dumb comment of the year. Congrats.
@@spear8492 and yet you all still get mad we don't fall in line with your culture or systems of measurement
@@Delta5x7 hahahahahaha nice one.
Good video
Thank you for the insight and articles.
My pleasure, I'm glad you're enjoying them.
Thanks for the insight Doc. Interesting perspective.
My pleasure.
Underneath the shirt and tie there is an AC/DC T-shirt. Rock on my Dawg.
Human nature dictates that we constantly focus on our differences.
Our desire for control, and certainty, preclude our need for understanding, instead of pressumptive "knowing".
Differences are an 'alert' notice to beware, this is a 'threat'!
We have much more in common, than our information oligarchs will have us believe.
Constantly fanning flames of conflict, and atomizing the populations of one country, or culture, against another.
Forums, and alternative information sources, are shedding light onto these paradigms.
However, it's still requires us to have a calm equanimity of mind, to discern the perceptive from the deceptive.
Can people solve this crisis with our brains and not going to our animal side of who we are...
Very well put ❤ your 💯right
Thank you, much appreciated!
As a Ukrainian i totally agree.
We have been waiting for some hope for to long....
Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
Greatly said
The differences between USA and Europe is USA uses agression, Europe uses diplomacy, that takes more time, but takes les casualties!
From the American vieuw point agression works, but realisticly seen agression doesn't work! 🤔
No the USA uses diplomacy, coercion, or aggression depending on what will work. Diplomacy and coercion are tried first and then followed by aggressive consequences.
I think you have a very good speech, however I think you should have defined "post-historic" in the beginning because I'm a little confused on it's connotation within your speech.
Fair enough, but I didn't want to get too off course. But if you're interested in that, check out the article links in the video description, where I've written more about that.
Brilliant breakdown by Benedict Beckeld (try saying that 5x fast)
"Practicality", as you word it, understands that if the USA cut their help to Ukraine, Ukraine will have to resort to destroying the Russian oil fields, which would result in soaring oil prices on the world markets. For the USA, this would be far more expensive than helping Ukraine. All their drilling would not counterbalance that. Whether you like it or not, the Americans are stakeholders of what is happenning in Russia, let that sink in... So, you see, choosing the path of honor does not necessarily goes against your interest.
Very good analysis. Most of the Europe and progressive America forgot to use common sense and pragmatism. To the extent Europe is under invasion from Islamic populations and it’s hard to stop that tide as they have population growth on their side along with myopic approach by politicians
Thank you. The demographic transformation of Europe is indeed their biggest hurdle.
The FIRST thing trump ever did to "make america great again" was when he LEFT OFFICE in 2021.
Europeans think that they are better, more refined and frequently looking down on Americans.
Well our quality of life speaks for its self, right? Human rights, worker rights, environment etc are protected and in USA are not. It is a pretty shitty place to live in tbh.
@aodriseu Have you ever been to the United States
? Of course those things are valued and part of our way of life. While there are terrible places to live in the U.S. there are also undesirable places in Europe as well. As an American I resent Europeans who look down their noses at us and chide us for not having all the wonderful social programs and health care they enjoy. What most Europeans don't realize is we don't have enough taxpayer money for those things. We are too busy paying for enormous military and naval bases to protect Europe and police the world and the oceanic trade routes. I wish we would get out of Nato and close most of our bases in Europe. If you can afford all these wonderful programs that we can't, surely you can find the money to defend yourselves.
@@larryhuffman4326You would have the money if you taxed the rich and adopted a single payer(the government) healthcare scheme.
They are children.
They understand. They've had their own.
As a child growing up in the Episcopal Church, I grew up a moral purist. Fortunately, I made some decisions that helped me toward a more realistic take. Being a sensitive mama's boy was really not the best strategy.
Europeans had better understand that, though it seems our government manipulated the Ukraine war into being, Americans are not interest. Not interested in what happens there. Not interested in having our children intervening there. Really not interested in Europe at all. If they want to go down with their purity in tact, that's cool with us. Best of luck.
So the stupidity of American isolationism rears its ugly head again.
Looking at America, there is nothing to admire... Including Trump, poltics, and "greatness"
I appreciate this very much.
We in Europe feel the power of US very much
I have said to Europeans who were critical of the United States, "I quit caring what Europeans thought about America on July 4th, 1776."
That's why you're still the laughing stock of the world XD
@@GaryVR No, it just means that Europe became irrelevant after centuries of colonialism, imposing their will on everyone else, and destroying the world twice in the first half of the 20th century. Europe fouled its own nest. I don't care about criticism from failed states.
@@GaryVR I know , right ?
It's like children laughing at their parents !
" look at those old sillys . They put a roof over our heads . Fed us . Taught us how to care for ourselves out of hard one lessons from lived exlerience . Helped protect us when bullies would take us down and take our resources .
What a bunch of old rubes ! "
Adults : " In spite of your shameful disdain - you are welcome "
@@GaryVRYou should probably re-read his quote....
You two are aware of the fact the early United States was made up of the Native Americans and EUROPEANS. Meaning, the “Parents” were just taking care of themselves, then eventually deciding they were better off on their own. They might have had help from France to beat up big bad Britain but after that they were their own thing, not a child. From that point on they became an economic and cultural empire, keeping English relevant after Britain was reduced to the British Isles. That’s right, a little bit of history and a bit of Geography ( I am bilingual and do know geography) from an American of all things, guess you’re seen it all.
Very measured & insightful. Glad I found your channel.
Thank you, and welcome!