1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Trump hikes price tag for US forces in Korea almost 500% as Seoul questions alliance

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by AleksandarN, Nov 14, 2019.

  1. AleksandarN

    AleksandarN Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2001
    Messages:
    4,444
    Likes Received:
    5,860
    https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/11/14/po...-price-hike/index.html?r=https://www.cnn.com/

    Who benefits from this? I wonder.
    It is crazy to think how Trump has been siding with authoritarian regimes across the world. Russia, Turkey, North Korea. Who’s next?
     
    FrontRunner likes this.
  2. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,732
    Likes Received:
    36,182
    America's enemies.

    Trump is a literal traitor to his country.

    His aidors and abettors are too.

    This is just life in 2019. These are the facts. No need to wonder. It's who he is and has always been. Will we keep letting him do it? Obviously the entire GOP will.

    What will you do to stop it? This is what we should all ask
     
    RayRay10, FrontRunner and tmoney1101 like this.
  3. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Messages:
    26,917
    Likes Received:
    2,259
    Sam - serious question: how will you react when he’s re-elected?
     
    dachuda86 likes this.
  4. Amiga

    Amiga I get vaunted sacred revelations from social media
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2008
    Messages:
    21,708
    Likes Received:
    18,485
    So we can cut US military funding, correct? 500% cut - sounds like a good number.
     
  5. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    23,888
    Likes Received:
    19,692
    Serious question: how will you react if he’s not re-elected?

    Probably the same as you’ve always acted and stay in woah is me ignorance fantasy land. If he’s re-elected it just means that blue collar people in the key swing states feel good about where the economy is and don’t want to take any risk in changing direction. The key swing states also are demographically more likely to vote for trump based on racially motivated issues as well. It’s just the truth. The border issues play more to Wisconsin than they do in Texas, Cali, or Arizona... because of the fear of the unknown. If you know the border area and immigrants are a part of your community, you don’t fear it. The constant immigrant bashing is racist and morally repugnant, but it is a politically crafted formula to win the electoral college at least for now.

    So how will we react... probably not that surprised, but certainly disappointed in the ignorance that most Americans have to the importance of this election and what it means going forward in term of setting a pathway for what’s next and setting precedent.

    I also believe it’s a clear vote by millions of Americans like yourself on foreign policy to sanction an autocratic form of government and a reversal of our post WW2 strategy of western alliances to promote democracy and stable world order. It’s clearly a vote to get out of NATO, allow Russia to expand, and China to dominate APAC unchecked. If that’s what the Americans who watch FoxNews in the Midwest want than that’s what we have to deal with, but don’t expect the majority of Americans who don’t live in those 5 states who still believe in Democracy to not fight back. With Trump winning elections by alienating the majority of Americans, there are consequences to that as well.

    Even you have to admit that much even if you do obviously agree with the Trump minority line of thinking on race, immigration, and the need to move away from post WW2 foreign policy to favor autocracy here and globally.
     
    FrontRunner likes this.
  6. dobro1229

    dobro1229 Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    23,888
    Likes Received:
    19,692
    To the point of the thread, Trumps play here to weaken South Korea militarily on its face looks like it’s just about Trumps fixation with serving Kim Jung, but it’s really about China.

    It severely affects Japan and the other APAC countries who rely on the US’s presence in SK to ward off Chinas aggression in the region. It’s unclear if Democracies in the area could still function normally without that stabilizing presence. You’d see more countries feel the need to themselves toughen up with strongmen autocrats in response and the risk of war goes through the roof.

    Trump is lucky as hell already that he hasn’t started a war yet, but he’s certainly laying the ground work for it.

    For Trump personally though (it’s always about him of course) it’s so obvious why he’s obsessed with serving Kim Jung. Even he knows that NK is notorious for their hacking capabilities. If you think he isn’t also at least winking and nodding to Kim Jung to help with 2020 election meddling you are not paying attention.
     
    RayRay10 and FrontRunner like this.
  7. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2001
    Messages:
    43,148
    Likes Received:
    25,188
    S. Korea is not poor, and I don't think the 500% ask is set in stone.

    I don't like cash freebies and arms packages to Israel either, but no way in Gehenna Trump will mess with that deal.
     
    RayRay10 likes this.
  8. dachuda86

    dachuda86 Member

    Joined:
    May 3, 2008
    Messages:
    16,308
    Likes Received:
    3,580
    You mean make others pay up instead of us? Ok. Is that really a problem?
     
  9. Amiga

    Amiga I get vaunted sacred revelations from social media
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2008
    Messages:
    21,708
    Likes Received:
    18,485
    WTH is this... let's make the number works guys. Who wouldn't be concern that Trump is acting out for his interest and not that of the US?



    In the US, congressional aides and Korea experts familiar with the talks say the President's $4.7 billion demand came out of thin air, sending State and Defense Department officials scrambling to justify the number with a slew of new charges that may include Seoul paying some costs for US personnel present on the peninsula and for troops and equipment that rotate through.

    ...

    Klingner is one of several Korea experts who suggest that Trump pulled the figure out of thin air. Officials at the relevant agencies and aides in Congress who follow Asia are similarly perplexed. "I have no idea where the President pulled this number from," said the congressional aide.
    "It seems pretty clear ... that State and DOD were working to figure out how to justify the $5 billion figure... it's not like, 'We were developing a new concept that includes the following 17 categories and this is what it comes to.' It was a backwards process," said the aide characterized the reaction to be one of shock, " 'the President wants $5 billion and how do we justify that to the Koreans?' They were throwing everything in there that allowed them to argue with a straight face that this covers the burden-sharing costs of the alliance."

    ...

    Military officials have told CNN they are distressed about the request and that they have been concerned the President's foreign policy decision making could increasingly be shaped by his concerns about the 2020 election campaign or impeachment pressure.

    The congressional aide said Pentagon officials are expressing their discomfort on Capitol Hill as well. "The career professionals and career military: they're beside themselves," the aide said, "but [Trump is] the commander in chief, so they're in a box."


     
  10. Andre0087

    Andre0087 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2012
    Messages:
    8,256
    Likes Received:
    11,207
    We know you'll get ghost real quick if he loses. Might be worth it just so I don't have to read your shitty troll posts anymore.
     
  11. HTM

    HTM Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2013
    Messages:
    6,464
    Likes Received:
    4,706
    Lets leave entirely
     
  12. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    20,941
    Likes Received:
    12,824
    Let’s have an actual plan first.... and not pull another Syria where we withdraw and then come back for the oil...

    That’s was a pretty big blow to #endlesswars
     
    RayRay10 likes this.
  13. Space Ghost

    Space Ghost Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 1999
    Messages:
    14,947
    Likes Received:
    6,152
    Another "We must cut military spending" ... unless it serves an ulterior motive.
     
  14. justtxyank

    justtxyank Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jul 7, 2005
    Messages:
    42,653
    Likes Received:
    39,216
    The most frustrating thing about the new Trump reality is that suddenly conservatives think we are doing OTHER countries a "favor" by deploying our troops there.

    These deployments are about our own national interest. We don't deploy troops to protect countries that serve no purpose for us. There are plenty of countries that devolve into mindless killing and we just yawn and clutch pearls. We station troops in strategic locations where we can project power to keep our interests safe and check our adversaries.

    Conservatives used to not only KNOW this but ADVOCATE for it. All it took was electing Trump and suddenly the conservatives don't care about surrendering KOREA????

    Gdamn.
     
    hashmander, jiggyfly, B-Bob and 8 others like this.
  15. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 14, 2003
    Messages:
    58,732
    Likes Received:
    36,182
    The party of Reagan is now the party of Russia.

    It's sick and sad how quickly it happened, and for what?

    They don't even get anything out of it, other than the fleeting satisfaction of pwning the libs on facebook feeds while everything disintegrates around them.
     
  16. bigtexxx

    bigtexxx Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Messages:
    26,917
    Likes Received:
    2,259
    You're lost, and don't understand people's motivations. It's easy for you to just simply call the other side a bunch of racists. It's lazy as hell, but it's what CNN deliberately feeds you every single day. Newsflash - racists are a tiny percentage of Americans, and they exist on both sides of the aisle.

    Most people care about the economy. Trump gets high marks on this, and Bernie and Warren scare people with their proposals.
     
  17. Rashmon

    Rashmon Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2000
    Messages:
    19,155
    Likes Received:
    14,304
  18. Deckard

    Deckard Blade Runner
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2002
    Messages:
    56,793
    Likes Received:
    39,077
    It is clear who benefits from trump's sudden demand that South Korea pay roughly 400% more in 2020 that she did this year. Our enemies benefit. Russia, China and, of course, the brutal rogue state North Korea. This, like trump's sudden withdrawal of the small number of US Special Forces in Northeastern Syria that was a gift to Russia, Turkish strongman Erdogan, and the Syrian dictator, Assad, came as a complete surprise to the Pentagon, our forces in South Korea and the region, and the State Department.

    Yet again, trump does something that surprises our own government, as well as our allies and partners across the world, that makes him look like an agent of Vladimir Putin. South Korea, of course, is furious and questioning our commitment to support and defend their country, something we have been doing successfully for over 60 years because it is in our national interest and our security to do so. Russia, China and North Korea? They are delighted.

    This is madness.
     
    #18 Deckard, Nov 15, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2019
  19. Space Ghost

    Space Ghost Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 1999
    Messages:
    14,947
    Likes Received:
    6,152
    Its a contrarian view.

    Most arguments made in a public forum are disingenuous. Anyone who attempts to be at least somewhat genius knows cutting back military spending has its consequences, just as they would know our deployment strategy is not for altruistic purposes and only to serve our greedy selfish American ways.

    For every thought or view, the opposing side will take the opposite position, regardless of how silly or extreme. Again, most already know this, thus why I find it absolutely comical how there are those who present a fake outrage over nonsensical outrageous ideas.

    This is why little changes from administration to administration. The big changes happen from generation to generation.
     
  20. dmoneybangbang

    Joined:
    May 5, 2012
    Messages:
    20,941
    Likes Received:
    12,824
    It’s ignorant populism.
     

Share This Page

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now