SLD
Contributor
Or why Donald Trump's Presidency could lead to disaster for the nation in unexpected ways
Trump's presidency could end ugly, very ugly. Trump is not a fascist like Adolf Hitler, but he is much like an autocrat, particularly Kaiser Wilhelm. I’ve been reading Catastrophe, 1914: Europe Goes to War, by Max Hastings. It is amazing how suddenly the crisis came upon them. We look back and think it was all inevitable, that the drift towards war was unstoppable before the July Crisis. But to the participants it never seemed that way, and while the seeds had been set for awhile, it didn’t have to end in catastrophe. At several points along the way, different decisions would have led to very different outcomes, even as late as July 1914. But they didn’t because of poor leadership at the very top by Kaiser Wilhelm. The same is true today. The seeds of future conflicts are all around us, and we have a President whose leadership skills are extremely lacking. Like Trump, the Kaiser changed his mind a lot. On July 5th he told his foreign minister Bethmann to use all means to prevent the crisis from exploding into an International conflict. Yet the next day he gave Vienna the famous "blank check," that spurred them towards war with Serbia and of course with the rest of the world ultimately. His comments on state dispatches show his instability. "Fool yourself Mr. Sazonov!" (Russian Foreign minister). "British insolence!" He loved the exclamation point. This is like Trump's Twitter. When he heard of the Serbian response to the ultimatum on July 27th, he figured it was good enough to avert war. But on the 28th he wrote, the ball is rolling and it can no longer be stopped. Hastings compares him to an amateur actor struggling to pay a monarch's role, and always missing his cue and saying the wrong lines while all the time being uncertain what his role should be. The other actors marched around him, and kept the ball going towards the catastrophe that was unfolding. And so it could be with Trump. He seems to be similar to the Kaiser, out of his depth and erratic i his behavior. As of yet, he has not been tested. But he could be. The seeds of conflict with Iran are there. They could spread to Russia if not contained properly. The seeds of conflict are sown as well with China and directly with Russia in other contexts. If they get out of control how will Trump react. What will his Twitter show. Will he say something impulsive that can’t be taken back? Will he back a dictator like Kim, or the Mullahs, into a corner where there is no way out but to attack?
And how does he handle a serious crisis within the US? Will he snap if Dems block his scotus pick, or shut down the government over the budget? I truly fear that his erratic behavior and the people around him like Pompeo and Bolton who could push him towards drastic action even against his instincts. As long as there are no serious cris, we will get through this. But this could end badly, very badly, if not.
Trump's presidency could end ugly, very ugly. Trump is not a fascist like Adolf Hitler, but he is much like an autocrat, particularly Kaiser Wilhelm. I’ve been reading Catastrophe, 1914: Europe Goes to War, by Max Hastings. It is amazing how suddenly the crisis came upon them. We look back and think it was all inevitable, that the drift towards war was unstoppable before the July Crisis. But to the participants it never seemed that way, and while the seeds had been set for awhile, it didn’t have to end in catastrophe. At several points along the way, different decisions would have led to very different outcomes, even as late as July 1914. But they didn’t because of poor leadership at the very top by Kaiser Wilhelm. The same is true today. The seeds of future conflicts are all around us, and we have a President whose leadership skills are extremely lacking. Like Trump, the Kaiser changed his mind a lot. On July 5th he told his foreign minister Bethmann to use all means to prevent the crisis from exploding into an International conflict. Yet the next day he gave Vienna the famous "blank check," that spurred them towards war with Serbia and of course with the rest of the world ultimately. His comments on state dispatches show his instability. "Fool yourself Mr. Sazonov!" (Russian Foreign minister). "British insolence!" He loved the exclamation point. This is like Trump's Twitter. When he heard of the Serbian response to the ultimatum on July 27th, he figured it was good enough to avert war. But on the 28th he wrote, the ball is rolling and it can no longer be stopped. Hastings compares him to an amateur actor struggling to pay a monarch's role, and always missing his cue and saying the wrong lines while all the time being uncertain what his role should be. The other actors marched around him, and kept the ball going towards the catastrophe that was unfolding. And so it could be with Trump. He seems to be similar to the Kaiser, out of his depth and erratic i his behavior. As of yet, he has not been tested. But he could be. The seeds of conflict with Iran are there. They could spread to Russia if not contained properly. The seeds of conflict are sown as well with China and directly with Russia in other contexts. If they get out of control how will Trump react. What will his Twitter show. Will he say something impulsive that can’t be taken back? Will he back a dictator like Kim, or the Mullahs, into a corner where there is no way out but to attack?
And how does he handle a serious crisis within the US? Will he snap if Dems block his scotus pick, or shut down the government over the budget? I truly fear that his erratic behavior and the people around him like Pompeo and Bolton who could push him towards drastic action even against his instincts. As long as there are no serious cris, we will get through this. But this could end badly, very badly, if not.
