I echo sdskins note on football vs politics, and I know that this will fall on deaf ears, or even be called a cult or trumpettes or whatever makes you guys feel better but at some point enough IS effin enough.
I am kind of sick and tired of listening to all the clap trap about Putin and Trump. IF we look at the FACTS, not innuendo, not the wheelbarrows full of c**pola that the media casts about to see what will stick. You mention Ukraine looking like the bad guys (which everyone agrees the previous Ukraine administration WAS corrupt as hell), or giving Russia a foothold in the Middle East (I think you mean Syria, which is and has been a Russian proxy since before any of us were born). Nothing you want Trump admonished for is any different than where we stood under Bush 1, Bush 2, Clinton or Obama.
And in fact we stand better in the following areas.
ISIS - in 2015 - 2017 their caliphate area in Iraq/Syria had up to 282000 sq kilometers. In 2016 the State Department labelled ISIS
"The greatest threat globally" by 2019 they were down to 200 sq kilometers.
Syria - when Trump took office, with ISIS spread throughout and multiple factions vying for land. agree or not Trump made the strategic decision not to get enmeshed in a russian proxy country's civil war, and limited military engagements to ISIS targets. The result was massively less casualties in the Syrian population
Time Period/Pro-government forces/Anti-government forces/Civilians/Grand Total (inc. unidentified)
201517,668 killed23,601 killed13,021 killed54,574 killed
201614,771 killed23,431 killed14,100 killed52,589 killed
201710,771 killed14,064 killed13,369 killed34,700 killed
20184,522 killed8,663 killed6,776 killed20,130 killed
20192,968 killed4,727 killed3,488 killed11,244 killed
Iran and Terrorism - In 2016, same article, Iran was listed as the top state sponsor of terrorism, Kerry acknowledged the some of the money that Iran got back was funneled to that terrorism. From the 2019 Global Terrorism Index
Quote:
Deaths from terrorism fell for the fourth consecutive year,
after peaking in 2014. The decline in deaths corresponds with
the military successes against ISIL and Boko Haram, with
the total number of deaths falling by 15.2 per cent between
2017 and 2018 to 15,952. The largest fall occurred in Iraq,
which recorded 3,217 fewer deaths from terrorism in 2018,
a 75 per cent decrease from the prior year. For the first time
since 2003, Iraq is no longer the country most impacted by
terrorism.
ISIL’s decline continued for the second successive year.
Deaths attributed to the group declined 69 per cent, with
attacks declining 63 per cent in 2018. ISIL now has an
estimated 18,000 fighters left in Iraq and Syria, down from
over 70,000 in 2014.
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Ukraine - AFTER the previous administration allowing/not intervening to stop Russia's takeover Crimea and refusing to send lethal aid to Ukraine's government. The Trump administration pushed lethal aid through. Ukraine's army has stood the initial invasions, and Russia and Ukraine are in talks to resolve the war. We let Ukraine down when Russia invaded them under the Obama administration. Trump has helped get more German and French aid in addition to US aid.
Trump has increased oil exports to northern Europe - a direct threat to a Russian national interest, their oil exports to Europe
Quote:
As OPEC’s efforts to balance the oil market bear fruit, U.S. producers are reaping the benefits - and flooding Europe with a record amount of crude.
...
Now, the relatively high prices brought about by that pact, coupled with surging U.S. output, are making it harder to sell Russian, Nigerian and other oil grades in Europe, traders said.
“U.S. oil is on offer everywhere,” said a trader with a Mediterranean refiner, who regularly buys Russian and Caspian Sea crude and has recently started purchasing U.S. oil. “It puts local grades under a lot of pressure.”
U.S. oil output is expected to hit 10.7 million bpd this year, rivaling that of top producers Russia and Saudi Arabia.
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NATO - in
2014 only 3 countries paid the 2%, the US, Greece and the UK. In 2019 9 countries made the 2% mark, and all but 2 countries increased their contributions substantially. Further, from 2016 to 2019 NATO defense expenditures increased by 3-5% per year while US expenditures as a percentage of our GDP actually decreased. In addition the US built two ABM complexes in Romania and Poland that specifically outraged Russia/Putin.
Bottomline
you guys whine and cry about Trump somehow making this country less safe - worse off, but ignore the reality and listen/parrot back innuendos, lies, and scare tactics.
Terrorism is down
ISIS is out of play
The US is now an Oil Exporting country
NATO is spending more on its own behalf and has strengthened allies closest to Russia.
Russia has no more land or holdings then the day Trump took office, and is held in check in the Donbass region of Ukraine by Ukrainian forces trained and armed by the US.
The US economy has continued the growth started under Obama and extended record unemployment numbers across the spectrum of the US
Thus endeth my rant.