US can leave European security to the Europeans. Europe free-riding on US security guarantees, while necessary in the 1940s and 50s, is long past sustainable.

I’m struggling to see any national security objective involving Greenland that can’t be better achieved under existing agreements.

reason.com/2026/01/15/s...

Trump may be continuing to try to cut out Exxon. Ultimately 10’s to 100’s of billions investments will be needed.

Disinformation fatigue caused cynicism is a whole discussion on its own. Back to the original thread, WSJ and others are reporting the Trump-brokered sales of Venezuelan oil (under what authority???) is likely to benefit refiners more than producers?

That too. But I am just more interested in living in and discussing reality, rather than the fantasies concocted by those petty narcissists.

I think it’s just a negotiation tactic meant to apply political pressure on Exxon. Exxon knows he need them more than they need him. They are correct that Venezuela is uninvestible without serious reform.

We could beat them, just for one day.

What did he lie about today?

Everything is going exactly according to plan, I would say.

And I have little confidence in the current regime to run its own country wisely and professionally, to say nothing of nation-building in another country that it’s ideologically inclined to view in racist tones, and to denigrate as inferior or incompetent.

Transitioning the nation to a new government, while ensuring a stable environment for foreign and domestic investment, will be much more challenging, and the US’s track record here is very poor.

Arguably Russia would do more if it weren't completely preoccupied by it's "special operations" in Ukraine.