Donald Trump's bruising return to the White House has sent many longtime foreign allies scrambling to get their distance, and according to a new piece from The Atlantic, that distance will last long after Trump is gone.

Trump's second term as president has been marked by notable and widespread disrespect toward nations once seen as close U.S. allies. Between his attempts to level massive tariffs against nearly every nation in the world and his frequent breaches of diplomatic norms, Trump has created a hostile global environment in which allies no longer feel safe trusting in the stability of the U.S.

In a new piece for The Atlantic on Tuesday, staff writer Vivian Salama argued that this new dynamic, in which the nations of the world are working to establish a safe distance from the U.S., is bound to become the new normal for years to come, even after Trump leaves office and is potentially replaced by a more traditional, dependable administration.

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[–] 48 points 1 month ago (60 children)

No Trump. Americans.

The first term was forgivable as long as they learned from it. Instead they celebrated it and cried out for more.

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  • [–] 13 points 1 month ago* (2 children)

    Try to take hybrid warfare into account. Not for nothing was Putin paying buildings full of trolls to poison internet culture for years and years. They couldn't automate it with an LLM back then.

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  • [–] 25 points 1 month ago

    It's happening in Germany. It's happening in France. It's happening in Australia and Canada and Italy and Japan and pretty much everywhere. Somehow, in spite of a proven record of failure and catastrophic consequences, right wing ideology continues to grow like a cancer across the globe.

    The US got to this point with help from foreign billionaires, as well as domestic ones. Elon Musk, Rupert Murdoch, Sundar Pichai... The grift is global and putting your vitriol toward those who might take your side will leave you friendless when it happens to you where you live.

    People gave up instead of showing up and that was a costly mistake.

    Many people mean well, even if they live in bad places. Have the grace to encourage them to keep resisting, even if that resistance is as small as protest or even voting, for your own sake.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago (31 children)

    Need to caveat this that not all Americans. The country is incredibly polarized and pissed off at itself from within. It's a hot cesspool mess inside and there are many who sympathize with the rest of the world and abhor the cancer within.

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  • [–] 23 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    And how does "not all Americans" limit the damage to the rest of us?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    Might provide a little hope that Americans from within are actually more on your side than his.

    Look, I'm sorry for all this stupid horrible shit happening because of the absolutely asinine decisions being made by fascist hopefuls elected by arrogant and ignorant sociopaths. My hate for today's reality runs as deep as yours, but it gets to be accompanied by its best friend, shame, as well.

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  • [–] 36 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    It's totally irrelevant if it's all USians or just a few of them. The US is a inherently unstable country, winner takes it all. When people elect a less idiotic president, it will just take a few years until the next Trump-Level guy wins again.

    Also the republican presidents I experienced in my life got more unhinged every cycle, Regan, old Bush, young Bush, Trump. Who will be next one? One day there will be another Republican president.

    The only way out would be a fundamental refactoring to not be a failing democracy.

    Pigs will fly through a freezing hell before that happens. So the only rational thing is to understand the empire fell, the King has no clothes and keep a wide berth around the US in all future dealings.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago

    Who will be next one? One day there will be another Republican president.

    Yes. Just look at two prominent, potential Republican presidential candidates for the next few decades: dark lord and antichrist lecturer Peter Thiel's boy JD Vance and unhinged, rabid anti-communist Marco Rubio. There are probably others of a similar caliber, but I try to forget.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago

    Yeah, the system is rotten and appears to be reaching its experimental conclusion. Technofeudal Christofascism wants so badly to hammer the final nail in the coffin of so-called American democracy (which was always a facade for corposlavery...or just straight up slavery).

    If the country ever actually gave a shit about true democracy, ranked preference voting and much more representative chambers would have existed. But it's only ever been about wealth and classism, it's just now the facade has been completely torn off to expose the rot for everyone to smell.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    Everyone ignoring that he still has a 40% approval rating. That's 137m people who like what's going on.

    Let's just lock the door and wait for the dumpster fire to burn itself out.

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  • [–] 10 points 1 month ago* (1 child)

    I can’t stand this argument. It’s the exact same logic as blurting out “not all men” when women rightfully express how they should be cautious when interacting with them in certain contexts.

    Sure, not all Americans. That just doesn’t matter in the slightest when there’s a large enough chunk of them to get the world in the mess it is now. If they get their shit together maybe people will stop generalizing as a means of precaution for the sake of sparing headaches. The problem is with them as a whole, not the people understandably steering clear.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    A clear majority of voting Americans either voted for Trump or didn't vote because they didn't care if he won. Its not just one idiot.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago* (13 children)

    As your historical enemy how many presidents do I have to go back before it becomes all Americans?

    The good ones fled after the revolutionary war.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    If only there were some way to choose where to be born. Wasn't given much of an opportunity to flee after the revolutionary war.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (7 children)

    Historical enemy? So Russian? Glass houses, man.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (4 children)
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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

    Canada has just been under the US thumb, that doesn't mean we aren't enemies.

    The most popular example is the Avro Arrow; though Canada/US, NAFTA, CUSMA, the various wars the US forces us into, and past presidents deciding Canada's policies all show this.

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  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago (20 children)

    Almost twice as many Americans voted against Trump as people live in your entire country (assuming Canadian from the instance). That's a ridiculously ignorant blanket statement to make. I loathe our government and the assholes who support it as well, but I don't hate entire countries for having evil shitty leaders.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    hate entire countries for having evil shitty leaders.

    This is a popular thing to do on lemmy and it's honestly 50/50 if you get downvoted to hell for saying it's bad.

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  • [–] 11 points 1 month ago (10 children)

    The point, you are missing it.

    It's not that "not all Americans", it's that you inflicted him on the rest of us. If you are butthurt at the rest of the world for rejecting the US you might have a rethink.

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  • [–] -5 points 1 month ago (9 children)

    I didn't inflict him on anyone - I voted against him 3 times. Rejecting the US government is the absolute correct response, as it can't be trusted. But a country's government is not all of its people.

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  • [–] 7 points 1 month ago (8 children)

    Once again, personal responsibility doesn't mean shit. The Americans inflicted him upon us. That you personally didn't has no actual bearing on reality. You may not like it, you probably hate it, but you share collective responsibility for Trump as a nation.

    So, if the rest of the world reroutes around you as a damaged and dangerous state, that should be an expected outcome. Save your pouting, and collectively deal with it.

    Saying that, I do appreciate your helpless frustration. But we all have our own political problems in our own countries. If your country is a absolute fucking trainwreak and set to destroy all normal and reasonable order, we owe all of you nothing. And if you open your eyes real wide you can see the globe rapidly sidestepinng away from you in real time. This situation won't change an inch if you elect a jolly, sane Obama next time. Because elemental MAGA runs deep in your DNA. The only question is when will it surface next?

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  • [–] 3 points 1 month ago* (7 children)

    The rest of the world rerouting around us a damaged and dangerous state is fine, the correct course of action even. But hating an entire nation of people for their leader is an ignorant response. In meatspace people have to do what the can to protect themselves from malicious governments like ours. Online, I'm an individual, and so are you. What our governments do means fuck all here.

    I probably hate our government more than you - it almost certainly affects me more. But bigotry is not okay.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 month ago

    You will probably have to point out where I said that hating all Americans is ok? I don't think that I said anything about hating anyone. I said, more or less, that America is a damaged society. Others have pointed this out as well. It's just best to ignore them, work around them and hope for the best. This crap won't end with Trump.

    This is a cliche, fair enough, but my best friend is American, and now an Australian. Why would I hate him just for being born in a different place. I've also acknowledged that a great many Americans hate Trump. That is immaterial. He's still your representative, he acts in your name and almost 50% still vote for him. All the rest doesn't change a lived reality.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (5 children)

    We can’t change the minds of other people, all we can do is act on the situation we’re in.

    We are going to sooner or later have to take out the fucking trash.

    When the time comes and this shit rises up in other countries like Germany, these countries do not expect help from us nor will they get it.

    Because we’re busy solving our own problems for once.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    This is a basic thing that will always exist, countries with terrible governments. All I'm saying is to not judge an entire country by its government. Boycott it, hate the government, all fine. But don't hate the PEOPLE simply because of where they live. Except the ones that support the government, of course!

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    Turning their backs on us and removing all their business would be helping! Money and military force is all fascists understand, and throwing their citizens' lives away isn't an option. Unfortunately, the billionaire cabals that run the world are international, which is why it's been kid gloves so far.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    Man how cool would it be if we all came to the realization that the real issue is the Epstein class, billionaire cabals. They’re building bunkers for a reason

    Rupert Murdoch over in Australia, Felon Musk from South Africa, Zuck Fuckerberg from US, Putler from Russia

    the list goes on and on

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    I've seen it said, and it's dead wrong. Why would this be any less wrong?

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (2 children)

    Oh, yeah? Who voted for Brexit? Who voted for LePen? Who voted AFD? Who voted for Meloni? Don't be so quick to blame Americans when your own countrymen are doing the same shit.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago (1 child)

    Brits didn't vote for Brexit twice, Le Pen has never been president of France despite three attempts and AFD has never had any real power in Germany. I'll give you Italy's Meloni, but the rest are just weak whataboutisms.

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  • [–] 1 point 1 month ago*

    Brits didn't vote for Brexit twice

    Why would they? It passed.

    AFD has never had any real power in Germany.

    Won Saxony, didn't they?

    Le Pen has never been president of France despite three attempts

    Only got 8% less of the vote than Trump.

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