(12-24-2024, 06:58 PM)TDOSS Wrote:

(12-24-2024, 03:44 PM)flsprtsgod Wrote: So, back to the Canal. 1. Re-open the Neutrality Treaty for negotiation. 2. Find and offer the strategic and practical incentives to convince the Mulino Administration to consider the offers. 3. Negotiate to achieve the ultimate end goal of all this, lower the toll costs charged to the USA for passage by 30% to bring them back to the 2019-era rates. Again, no one is saying that we're going to war, the idea, as always is to get a better deal for the USA. In the case of the canal, we hold treaty rights to keep it open, now Trump wants to address the costs we pay.

Panama says “no”. What’s happens then?

We have no say in the costs we pay. They have a monopoly on the canal. It’s their property. If we don’t like the costs, we are free to build a canal across America.

That's the point of international negotiation, to get to a place that's beneficial for both parties. There's plenty that we can offer Panama to make it in their interest to work with us on this including infrastructure investment and trade benefits that only the America market can provide. I get that you're already convinced it can't be done. You likely were also convinced just a few months ago that Joe Biden was going to win re-election and we see how that turned out. I'll enjoy watching the next few years to see how things go, I'm sure Trump won't get everything he shoots for, but I also see value in moves like this one to reassert our superiority abroad.

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(12-24-2024, 07:07 PM)TDOSS Wrote:

(12-24-2024, 03:47 PM)flsprtsgod Wrote: Frankly, I'm quite content to let Ukraine and Russia kill each other. We've seen that Russia is relatively toothless and Ukraine, like you, is merely a useful idiot for corrupt US politicians to launder their stolen US tax dollars. I'd rather have Russia control Ukraine than keep Ukraine as the Federal Laundromat.

So you want Russia to get stronger and be able to challenge the US. Not very America First of you.

Russia taking Ukraine doesn't make them a threat to the USA. It's actually more of a threat for us to continue A. our corrupt relationship with Ukraine and B. dumping billions of dollars into their failed state. Russian taking Ukraine matters no more to us than Nigeria taking Benin, Russia isn't a threat and Ukraine isn't a friend.

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