I have never been a Trump fan, Ivonne, nor a fan of any politician. I merely wish to point out that contempt for Trump can sometimes cloud judgment about the importance of America as an ally or the threat posed by Iran. I am afraid that one or two people on the Forum have suggested that America is an unreliable ally and that the UK should look to forge closer ties with Europe for defence. This is a pipe dream. Even if European nations were prepared to spend huge sums on defence, (which they are not), it would take about ten years to build a sufficient force to deter potential,enemies like Russia and China. I have not suggested that you or anyone else on the Forum dislikes Americans on a personal level. The NATO alliance is only a credible force because of the contribution of America. The Royal Navy, for example, which once ruled the waves, now consists of 15 frontline surface ships : two carriers, 6 destroyers and 7 frigates, half of which at any time are in dock undergoing repairs. Do you imagine that our navy  strikes fear into Russia and China? Yes, it is true that the Iranian regime has not collapsed but its army, navy and most of its missile capacity has been destroyed. There still remains the issue of the purified uranium. Hopefully Trump will secure a deal to remove this material and stop Iran’s nuclear programme. I think it is an exaggeration to say that Trump thinks Putin is a good guy. Trump subscribes to Henry Kissinger’s view that countries don’t have friends, merely interests. He doesn’t necessarily like Putin - he just thinks it is not in America’s interest to be permanently in conflict with Russia. At the same time he is not prepared to allow Putin to have his way where it conflicts with American interests. So for example America has continued to send arms to Ukraine and shares intelligence with the Ukrainian military.

Entire Thread

Topic	Date Posted	Posted By
Trump has completely lost the plot…	14/04/26 10:12:00	Richard Carter
Reply	14/04/26 11:20:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	14/04/26 11:28:00	Gerry Boyce
Reply	14/04/26 13:24:00	Michael Ixer
Reply	14/04/26 13:56:00	Richard Carter
Reply	14/04/26 16:16:00	Steven Rose
Reply	14/04/26 16:48:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	14/04/26 16:57:00	Robert Wheeler
Reply	14/04/26 17:36:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	14/04/26 18:00:00	Robert Wheeler
Reply	14/04/26 18:11:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	14/04/26 18:14:00	Jonathan Callaway
Reply	14/04/26 16:56:00	Richard Carter
Re:Reply	14/04/26 18:39:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Reply	14/04/26 19:00:00	Jonathan Callaway
Re:Reply	14/04/26 18:20:00	Ivonne Holliday
Re:Re:Reply	14/04/26 20:27:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Re:Reply	14/04/26 20:52:00	Jonathan Callaway
Re:Re:Reply	14/04/26 22:44:00	Gerry Boyce
Reply	15/04/26 08:52:00	Richard Carter
Re:Reply	15/04/26 09:20:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 10:02:00	Michael Brigo
Reply	15/04/26 10:36:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	15/04/26 10:41:00	Jonathan Callaway
Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 11:25:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 12:18:00	Michael Brigo
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 13:10:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 14:21:00	Ivonne Holliday
Reply	15/04/26 14:46:00	Richard Carter
Re:Reply	15/04/26 15:01:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 15:41:00	Ivonne Holliday
Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 15:50:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 15:54:00	Jonathan Callaway
Reply	15/04/26 15:53:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Reply	15/04/26 18:04:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Reply	15/04/26 18:29:00	Jonathan Callaway
Reply	15/04/26 19:18:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 12:57:00	John Hawkes
Reply	15/04/26 18:00:00	Ivonne Holliday
Re:Reply	16/04/26 16:34:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 17:00:00	Sue Hammond
Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 19:29:00	Ivonne Holliday
Reply	16/04/26 20:06:00	Michael Ixer
Re:Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 20:36:00	Steven Rose
Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 21:04:00	Ivonne Holliday
Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Reply	16/04/26 21:53:00	Steven Rose

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