Intro LO: On Monday, there was a rare moment: “Trump admits Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from his tariffs, but it will be ‘worth the price’ “ (eg, Forbes, Fortune, the Hill, WaPo). The WSJ article below is about (not) “worth the price”. Next in line are Europe and the UK (eg, BBC, CNBC, EuroNews, the Guardian). The above reminds me of a quote by American...
Europe
Trump’s game of chicken
29 Jan, 2025
“The White House claimed victory in a showdown with Colombia over accepting flights of deported migrants from the U.S. on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump threatened steep tariffs on imports and other sanctions on the longtime U.S. partner.” (AP, 27 January 2025). Trump’s psychological game is also known as game of chicken. Its essence is simple: who will...
De tolerantie van intolerantie
10 Jan, 2025
In 1945 waarschuwde Karl Popper ons reeds voor de paradox van tolerantie in zijn boek The Open Society and its Enemies. Hij wordt “algemeen [] beschouwd als een van de grootste wetenschapsfilosofen van de 20e eeuw.” “Minder bekend [dan andere paradoxen] is de paradox van de tolerantie: onbeperkte tolerantie moet leiden tot het verdwijnen van...
Trump’s Revenge & Retaliation
28 Nov, 2024
In March 2017, I started writing on The Trump-Bannon Revolution: Disruption, Chaos & Destruction. Five more parts followed in this blog series. In 2018, it ended with Trump’s revolution of disruption, chaos and destruction (6). I suppose the 2025 Trump Administration will continue with its disruption, chaos and destruction by his most controversial (nominated)...
Every country has the government it deserves
21 Nov, 2024
My blog title is an English translation of a French saying (ie, “Toute nation a le gouvernement qu'elle mérite”) by French philosopher Joseph de Maistre (1753–1821). That French saying is getting relevance considering the (very) remarkable choices for the forthcoming 2025 U.S. Administration. I suppose such choices reveal their priorities. If not, those choices seem...
Dutch PM: migrant integration failed
13 Nov, 2024
Monday, the Dutch PM said something that (very) many people (probably) believe as well: migrant integration has failed (eg, Volkskrant). In my view, not only in the Netherlands but also in Europe and in USA. Blaming Angela Merkel’s 2015 comment (“Wir schaffen das”) is relevant though too simple. The context of the PM’s remark is relevant: the Amsterdam soccer riots....
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