@limping In Trump 1.0 US policy was dictated by the old guard of the Dick-Chaney-gang. Trump was a little senile then, so many of his orders simply vanished, and he didn't remember what he ordered anyway.
This time Trump is more senile, but the gang surrounding him are followers and kindred spirits. Trump, as someone who doesn't have all his faculties, always blabs, always has, as his Art of the Deal ghostwriter told us in 2016.

But when it comes to imperial ambitions, Trump will be consistent.

@limping The US has been the eBay of the world with its Petrodollar. It has been creaming off the world trade to finance its deficit by selling bonds.

Trump went in with a sledgehammer, and those bonds are sold. BRICS is in a better position than ever.

At the same time, Trump drove companies out of the US. Killed the Chip-deal and thus made the US more dependent on Taiwan.

After Trump, the US is in deep shit and too busy to dig itself out again. It won't be Trump's gang.

@randahl That's pretty much the logic behind not using the EU and NATO to rein in the US.

Picking off one European country after another is already in practice with the UK since Brexit. The UK is uniquely weaker since it decided to no longer want to be a European Union member and make concessions that hurt its local farmers.