Congress is in no mood to enact new legislation. The obstruction of Trump initiatives by both parties has disappointed many Americans.
Republicans are deeply divided as conservatives and moderate senators battle with each other. Democrats generally vote as a group on important issues, so new laws will only be possible if Republicans pull together, which is not happening.
Many Republicans are hoping that disloyal senators, who are unwilling to vote for Trump’s agenda, will lose their seats. After riding on Trump’s electoral success these traitors should be ousted by the party that they abandoned.
The Democratic Party is in shambles and led by two weak leaders. The party will not make any sizeable gains in the midterm elections because it has offered no new ideas and has no exciting candidates.
So what will the president focus on moving forward? It’s unlikely that much will change in Congress for the balance of Trump’s first term, although tax reform could gain some bipartisan traction.
The plethora of crazy leaders around the world and the decisions they are making will keep Trump busy. Acts of aggression against America and its allies are happening every day along with crimes against humanity and other atrocities.
Let’s discuss some of the most dangerous players.
North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are the most noteworthy threat to the U.S. If the madman that leads NOKO develops the technology to launch missiles with nuclear warheads that can reach the continental U.S., there will be no end to the trouble he will create.
Trump has four options aside from kicking the can down the road and subjecting the country to extreme existential risk. He can attack NOKU now and destroy the country along with all its weapons, its army and many of its citizens. He can increase sanctions and try to foment regime change. He can attempt to assassinate the leader, not knowing what kind of person would replace the current megalomaniac. He can try in the strongest manner to persuade China that it must convince the despot to give up his nuclear program.
Action must be taken before NOKO actually achieves the aforementioned capability to strike the U.S. And nearly as important, the U.S. must keep China informed about any tactics it intends to implement. And finally the U.S. must be sure that a preemptive attack destroys all of NOKO’s offensive weapons.
The Iran nuclear situation is similar to NOKO in many ways. But a few things are different. One is that Iran probably appreciates the fact that any nuclear action on its part will result in the obliteration of the country. Two, Iran has not exhibited an ability to launch a missile that would threaten any non-Arab country except Israel. Yet, a nuclear storm in the Middle East would be a devastating event for the region and the world.
Another fact is that it is likely that the U.S. and Israel have enough intelligence about Iran’s military capabilities including its nuclear program to successfully attack it preemptively and prevent a counter response.
Russia has decided to rekindle the Cold War. Many analysts are puzzled by this strategy because Russia is being decimated economically by low oil prices and rampant corruption. Moreover the cost of occupying Crimea and conducting a war in Syria along with maintaining a huge army is very costly. Putin is falling into the same trap that engulfed Gorbachev. The country does not have the economic might to be at odds with the West perpetually.
A wiser Russian leader would opt for reconciliation with the U.S. Cooperation between Russia, the U.S. and China could be the formula to deal with major threats to peace globally, including terrorism, NOKO, climate change, African discord, Middle East destabilization, etc. But this is not likely to happen until each country has a leader who wishes to facilitate peace.
The Middle East is a powder keg ready to explode. Frankly there will be no end to the animosity existing between Shia and Sunni. The only way for peace to prevail is with extinction of one of the sects. The destruction of Iran by the U.S. might end the 1,000-year struggle between the sects. But this could have other ramifications including a resurgence of new and more aggressive non-religious regimes.
And finally there is the European Union. The problems between the EU and Great Britain are growing every day. Economic alliances are being terminated. Serious issues are resulting from the diverse immigration standards throughout Europe. Great Britain is becoming more hawkish while Germany is attempting to jam its partners with a liberal immigration system. The problem is that the most receptive country enables violent immigrants to enter, and these people then can move freely to other countries in Europe to make trouble.
It is possible that Trump’s aggressive position towards NOKO, Iran and Russia will be a good thing in the long run. All three have severe and growing internal problems, which can be used to our advantage.
Congress will not be able to limit Trump’s actions internationally especially if national security is at stake. Trump can actually make a name for himself on the bigger stage with some wise diplomacy overseas.