International Politics

[Woodsey]

getting a tad defensive for someone who "isnt a fan of Trump"

Nah I just think it’s quite funny that some people could never say a good word about him, they are so one eyed it’s hard to take them seriously to be honest.

Like I said above, Obama would be getting massive praise from those same people probably.

I don't know enough about it to have a strong view but I agree with you. We don't know how much influence he has had or even if it was by design but it does seem to me that he's had a positive effect in this. Still an abysmal human o/c but credit where it's due.

Wtf? I can’t be having this, disagree ffs!! 

[Marky147]

getting a tad defensive for someone who "isnt a fan of Trump"

Nah I just think it’s quite funny that some people could never say a good word about him, they are so one eyed it’s hard to take them seriously to be honest.

Like I said above, Obama would be getting massive praise from those same people probably.

I don't know enough about it to have a strong view but I agree with you. We don't know how much influence he has had or even if it was by design but it does seem to me that he's had a positive effect in this. Still an abysmal human o/c but credit where it's due.

Wtf? I can’t be having this, disagree ffs!! 

[Doobs]

getting a tad defensive for someone who "isnt a fan of Trump"

Nah I just think it’s quite funny that some people could never say a good word about him, they are so one eyed it’s hard to take them seriously to be honest.

Like I said above, Obama would be getting massive praise from those same people probably.

I don't know enough about it to have a strong view but I agree with you. We don't know how much influence he has had or even if it was by design but it does seem to me that he's had a positive effect in this. Still an abysmal human o/c but credit where it's due.

Wtf? I can’t be having this, disagree ffs!! 

Can just imagine Donald Trump saying this to Kim Jong-un.

[MintTrav]

I think it was Tillerson. Remember when Trump publicly reprimanded him and said he was wasting his time trying to negotiate with NK and should stop? That was only about six months ago. Then Pompeo went there secretly around Christmas. Trump has obviously gone along with it but I don’t think the breakthrough has happened because of his bombast - his favourable influence has probably been to stay out of the way and not obstruct what was happening.

Overall, I think Trump’s instincts are much less hawkish than his rhetoric suggests. He always told us he was non-interventionist and has largely been so this far. When he did sanction bombing recently in Syria, the action was very small and contained compared with what he threatened. Pompeo and (particularly) Bolton will push him towards more hawkish positions than Tillerson and Masterson, who were pushing in the opposite direction, so it is hard to predict how he will act in future.

[MintTrav]

Excellent Commons debate on Turkey currently live on BBC Parliament. Really clear discussion without any political game-playing. MPs from opposing parties working together. Worth catching on iPlayer later.