Trump administration’s mixed messaging on foreign policy leaves world guessing (www.bbc.com)
from MicroWave@lemmy.world to world@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 18:00
https://lemmy.world/post/25663602

Summary

Mixed messages from the Trump administration on foreign policy have left the world uncertain about U.S. strategy, particularly on Ukraine and Russia.

Defense Secretary Hegseth’s controversial comments—suggesting major concessions to Russia—sparked backlash and subsequent retractions.

This internal disarray, whether by design or disorganization, reflects a pattern of conflicting statements from Trump’s team.

This raises concerns about miscalculations in high-stakes international negotiations and potentially undermining U.S. credibility.

#world

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SarcasticMan@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 18:21 next collapse

Confusion is the point. They will gaslight Europe as much as possible so that when they do mother fuck them, Europe will say shit like “Oh wow we didn’t see that coming.”

cosmicrookie@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 19:02 next collapse

I think Vance made it pretty clear to Europe. The question is if Europe has the time and the will to reorganize

random_character_a@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 19:03 collapse

Those asshats are too stupid to gaslight.

ShellMonkey@lemmy.socdojo.com on 16 Feb 19:09 next collapse

Should clarify that you mean the Trump admin, otherwise people might get the wrong idea.

SarcasticMan@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 22:50 next collapse

I don’t believe that. They know exactly what they are doing and the stupid face is just another form of gaslighting. Trump may or may not be stupid but the people running him are not. In my line of work, I have known a lot of very intelligent sociopaths that have convinced a lot of people that were stupid as shit.

Zorque@lemmy.world on 17 Feb 00:08 collapse

They put the idiots out front so you don’t pay attention to the truly malevolent ones.

cosmicrookie@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 19:00 next collapse

“…potentially undermining US credibility”

If it wasn’t undermined before, it is now. Nothing potential about this… it has been done already a few weeks in

ininewcrow@lemmy.ca on 16 Feb 19:08 next collapse

Confusion, chaos, disruption and disinformation only works for a while … once you do it long enough, everyone eventually realizes that you don’t mean anything you say and nothing you say can be trusted or taken seriously. Then everyone starts to figure out that they have to work around you and without you in order to get things done.

corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca on 16 Feb 19:31 collapse

Working without the largest collection of complacent consumers is gonna be a difficult little pill to swallow. I think countries like ours are building half-assed contingency deals and still half hoping some effort will reign in the stupid in time.

ininewcrow@lemmy.ca on 16 Feb 19:39 collapse

“The largest collection of complacent consumers” is becoming less and less of a reality as time goes by …

<img alt="" src="https://lemmy.ca/pictrs/image/924ef68c-9562-4cf2-a765-6336fffc2de5.jpeg">

DogPeePoo@lemm.ee on 16 Feb 19:19 next collapse

Trump has been under Pooty’s thumb for decades. Pooty is now harvesting.

LaminatedDenim@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 19:26 collapse

Pooty Spencer here!

meowmeowbeanz@sh.itjust.works on 16 Feb 19:45 next collapse

The Trump admin’s foreign policy circus is a masterclass in strategic ambiguity—or maybe just chaos. Rubio’s grounded plane was a fitting metaphor: grand ambitions stalled by brittle infrastructure, both mechanical and diplomatic. Hegseth’s Munich blunder—preemptively surrendering Ukrainian leverage—smacks of either naiveté or calculated appeasement. Either way, it’s a gift to Putin wrapped in Fox News talking points. Trump’s “madman theory” isn’t genius; it’s a toddler smashing chess pieces while adults pretend it’s 4D chess.

Loyalty trumps competence, as always. Hegseth, a weekend pundit turned Pentagon chief, exemplifies the administration’s fetish for yes-men over statesmen. Vance contradicting him hours later? Just another Tuesday. Europe’s scrambling to decode mixed signals while Trump floats Gaza real estate ventures. Predictable unpredictability isn’t strategy—it’s performance art for a base that mistakes turbulence for strength.

SlopppyEngineer@lemmy.world on 16 Feb 21:38 collapse

At best it´s throwing things at the wall and if nobody responds with threats of bodily harm to the one flinging things they go forward. More likely it´s a bunch of hotheads that can´t agree on anything so do whatever they want.

PortoPeople@lemm.ee on 17 Feb 01:03 next collapse

The Kremlin dictates U.S. policy. It’s not complicated, folks.

Corngood@lemmy.ml on 17 Feb 04:20 collapse

One not very bright, but very pervy real estate investor versus the Russian intelligence services. He never stood a chance, and now we’re all paying for it.

technocrit@lemmy.dbzer0.com on 17 Feb 15:54 collapse

The problem with genocidal empires…