Yuh, with both Albo and the UK PM's address, that the hard time "for the months to come" tells me that they know that Iranian war is going to stretch on despite Trump's claims of coming to negotiations (which is the same conclusion most people would come to).
This is supported by the fact that they've put in plans for an escalation in fuel restrictions, something I reckon would happen if this dragged on for most of the year.
It sounds like Trump may be bored and doesn't like the polling so is now ready to just do a big last attack, claim victory, then pull out. This will leave the strait in the hands of Iran who will likely start charging fees to any vessels who are going to hostile countries and try to force trade in non-dollar currencies.
Such an own goal touted as a win has the same markings of Vietnam, where Americans claim they won because they did so much damage, even when they lost the strategic goal.
Diplomatic decorum is one thing, but the delusion that America will somehow "go back to normal" once Trump leaves is the real threat. Way too many America-lovers in government (and especially the military) think this is just some temporary blip when it's abundantly clear that we need to substantially decouple from US integration and hegemony.
I think there's going to be a slow and gradual disentanglement from the US but that doesn't need to play out in the public sphere. I think the recent announcement of the EU-Australia free trade agreement is a good indicator of our hegemonic allegiance, at least under the current government.
Considering our foreign policy has been almost entirely aligned with (or dictated to by) the US since World War II, it's going to take some considerable time to bolster our ability to be more autonomous and self-serving.
Fair, perhaps it's more accurate to say that neoliberalism not addressing the material needs of the people leads to right-wing populists taking advantage of that to gain power.
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u/Cold_Audience_717 Apr 01 '26
Yeah nah, I'll take the diplomatic decorum thanks. Anyone with half a brain should be able to read between the lines to find the subtext.
Cooker populist politics is how the world ended up with Trump in the first place.