Once Dominant, the United States Finds Itself Isolated at G-20

[CousinIT]

HAMBURG, Germany — For years the United States was the dominant force and set the agenda at the annual gathering of the leaders of the world’s largest economies.

But on Friday, when President Trump met with other leaders at the Group of 20 conference, he found the United States isolated on everything from trade to climate change, and faced with the prospect of the group’s issuing a statement on Saturday that lays bare how the United States stands alone.

. . .

Ms. Merkel also pointed out that most of the countries supported the Paris accord on climate change, while Mr. Trump has abandoned it. “It will be very interesting to see how we formulate the communiqué tomorrow and make clear that, of course, there are different opinions in this area because the United States of America regrettably” wants to withdraw from the pact, she said.

Mr. Trump seemed to relish his isolation. For him, the critical moment of Friday was his long meeting with the Russian president, Vladimir V. Putin, which seemed to mark the reset in relations that Mr. Trump has been desiring for some time. It also provided Mr. Putin the respect and importance he has long demanded as a global partner to Washington.

Where previous American leaders saw their power as a benevolent force, and were intent on spreading prosperity through open markets and multilateral cooperation, Mr. Trump has portrayed himself as a nationalist, a unilateralist and a protectionist, eager to save American jobs.

What recent events have underscored, though — and especially at the G-20 — is that no nation is today large or powerful enough to impose rules on everyone else. In advancing his views, Mr. Trump has alienated allies and made the United States seem like its own private islan

d.


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/world/europe/trump-g-20-trade-climate.html?smid=tw-share

[Wellstone ruled]

1. Here is a positive take away for someone.

Jerry Brown was there in force hawking California. Remember,his States GDP is greater than Russia's. Every nickel of new growth here in Nevada is a direct over flow from California and it scares the crap out of the Tea Bagger Republicans.

[CousinIT]

3. I love Jerry Brown. SO glad he was there! n/t

[cilla4progress]

2. Who's surprised that tRump found

as his bestie Putin? I'm sure he expressed much gratitude to him.

I believe it is going to take the sane people around the world - in other countries - to take down this current plague of fascism.

[lunasun]

6. Yes thank you Netherlands, France and hope it keeps going away. uKIP has lost seats and is fading

even though conservatives won it was not UKIP etc

[Tanuki]

4. This photo speaks volumes

At an event like this in the past, world leaders were jockeying for position to have a word or a photo op with the U S. President. Trump is irrelevant and ignored.

[Wellstone ruled]

7. So lost!!!

[lunasun]

5. Isn't isolation what his voters wanted? America first , second and third will MAGA?

His voters will view this as a leader who is strong and standing up to the rest of the world Imo

If he is reelected in 2020 expect us to be even more isolated by the rest of the world or seen as one of Putin ' s puppet nations. Putin and friends are about expansion and dominance not isolation

[oberliner]

8. CNN actually said the same thing about Obama after the 2016 G20 summit

Obama suffers the slings and arrows of a restive world

(CNN) President Barack Obama bade farewell to G20 leaders in Hangzhou, China, on Monday by reminding them they're living in "turbulent" times -- and he wasn't kidding.

His valedictory Asia tour, which moved on to Laos later in the day, is unfolding amid diplomatic slights and great power rivalries that reflect the unstable nature of the world Obama will bequeath to his successor in January.

The controversies reflect the way international politics is now a stew of many competing, rising or resurgent powers that see fewer reasons to simply fall into line behind the United States than was the case following World War II and the Cold War. And it may suggest that foreign leaders are now just as interested in who will sit in the Oval Office next as they are in Obama as he heads for the exit.

Obama is not only confronting regimes in Russia, China and North Korea that are at times openly hostile to Washington -- or at least willing to make clear they don't want to play by its rules -- but over the long weekend, he got headaches from allies as well, notably Turkey and the Philippines.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/05/politics/obama-putin-duterte-xi-erdogan-g20-reception/index.html