 |
| "I am the greatest - Trust me it's real" |
And many diplomats stationed in Washington, although they are not openly saying it, consider the British Ambassador hit the nail right on the head.
Mr. Trump’s order to attack Iran recently in retaliation for its downing of a spy drone, and his abrupt reversal
minutes before American forces carried it out, have intensified global
doubts about the president’s judgment and the power wielded by the
United States.
The
appearance of erratic decision-making “adds to the confusion of his
allies and adversaries,” said Nigel Sheinwald, a former British
ambassador to Washington who once conducted hostage negotiations with
the Iranian government. But it is also part of “a continuing picture
of American uncertainty about the use of power,” Mr. Sheinwald said.
“It is the leitmotif that runs throughout U.S. history.”
If leaders of Britain, France and Germany — America’s main European allies — saw Mr. Trump’s aborted attack as a point of no return for his own reputation, or for the United States’ global standing, they did their best to hide it.
The public response of Western politicians has been largely cautious, sometimes confused — but only implicitly critical..
Another sore point for the EU is that the United States is also intensifying its trade fight with the European Union over aircraft subsidies, proposing new tariffs on EU goods worth $4 billion.
The tariffs, announced late Monday by the United States Trade Representative, cover 89 products including meat, cheese, pasta, fruits, coffee and whiskey.
They could be added to a list of EU exports worth $21 billion that the USTR said in April would be subject to tariffs.
The threat to target more European goods comes just days after the United States and China agreed to resume talks on a trade deal. President Donald Trump said he would hold off imposing new tariffs on China.
Washington has also been locked in a dispute with the European Union for years over two of the world's biggest airplane manufacturers — Boeing (BA) and Airbus.
It is high time the EU starts calling a spade a spade and, starts playing hard-ball with the US. They have a lot of cards they can play and should not scare away from doing so.
The Digest Group
Almere-Digest
EU-Digest
Insure-Digest
Turkish-Digest
For additional information, including advertising rates - e-mail: Freeplanet@protonmail.com
