abonnement Unibet Coolblue Bitvavo
pi_220653398
twitter
pi_220653412
Whehehe wat een sjappie. :P
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:09:02 #128
496707 HowardRoark
Tacticalized!
pi_220653569
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 18:51 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:

[..]
Hier zeker overheen gelezen?
[..]

Nee, dat geef ik letterlijk aan in mijn post:
quote:
14s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 18:49 schreef HowardRoark het volgende:

[..]
Hier staat nergens wat jij beweerde, dat de VS onze grootste en gevaarlijkste vijand zou zijn. Hier wordt slechts aangegeven dat er terughoudendheid is, wordt ingezet op meer Europese samenwerking en er minder informatie wordt gedeeld met de Amerikanen. Dat is dus iets total anders dan wat jij ervan maakt.
Nergens wordt is er echter een bevestiging van de claim dat de VS onze grootste en gevaarlijkste vijand zou zijn.
'I moved to Peru and shaved half my head and wrote for Teen Vogue. If I can come back from the depths of leftism, trust me, anyone can.' - Gina Florio
pi_220653592
quote:
14s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:09 schreef HowardRoark het volgende:

[..]
Nee, dat geef ik letterlijk aan in mijn post:
[..]
Nergens wordt is er echter een bevestiging van de claim dat de VS onze grootste en gevaarlijkste vijand zou zijn.
Die uitspraak is al genuanceerd, beste man. Maar hoe zit het met al die uiterst progressieve linksen hier? Dat was ook nogal een beschuldiging.

Een gevaar voor onze democratie lijkt mij waarschijnlijker.
pi_220653594
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:00 schreef Since2003 het volgende:
[ x ]
Joh snap dat nou, hij bedoelde John Travolta van Grease.
pi_220653634
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:00 schreef Since2003 het volgende:
[ x ]
Al die MAGA gekkies die er als de kippen bij waren om de geestelijke achteruitgang van Biden te benoemen zullen nu ook wel weer stil blijven.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:25:00 #132
496707 HowardRoark
Tacticalized!
pi_220653673
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:11 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:

[..]
Die uitspraak is al genuanceerd, beste man. Maar hoe zit het met al die uiterst progressieve linksen hier? Dat was ook nogal een beschuldiging.

Een gevaar voor onze democratie lijkt mij waarschijnlijker.
Hoezo zou dat nogal een beschuldiging zijn? En waarom een gevaar voor onze democratie?
'I moved to Peru and shaved half my head and wrote for Teen Vogue. If I can come back from the depths of leftism, trust me, anyone can.' - Gina Florio
pi_220653684
Marco Rubio has been assigned so many roles in the Trump administration that his job description has become an internet meme: the Secretary of Everything.

But, with two of Washington’s most powerful jobs, the secretary of state and national security adviser has been conspicuously absent from Donald Trump’s biggest international crisis: the war in Iran.

On Friday, the US president once again dispatched his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Pakistan for negotiations. Earlier this month, it was vice-president JD Vance who led talks in Islamabad.

Notably absent from either trip was Rubio, America’s top diplomat.

The former Florida senator, whom Trump had derided as “Little Marco” when they competed in the 2016 election, has impressed supporters and critics alike during Trump’s second term for his unfailing loyalty to the president — even if it means taking a back seat to the US’s most consequential foreign policy under Trump.

But for Rubio, who like Vance harbours presidential ambitions, there might also be strategic advantages to keeping some distance from an unpopular war.

“Rubio may already sense that Iran is a complete loser, and the less he is associated with it, the better,” said Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University.

As Vance emerged this month from 21 hours of negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad with no breakthrough to show for it, Rubio was with Trump in Miami attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship match.

The paradox of Rubio’s dual responsibilities, coupled with his low profile on big issues, has been the source of both mockery and confusion.

Only one other person has worked as secretary of state and NSA at the same time: Henry Kissinger. But that is where the comparison ends.

“Everything was his portfolio,” Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, said of Kissinger. “Rubio: it seems like nothing is his portfolio outside of Latin America.”

But other experts say the diminished public role for the secretary of state is symptomatic of the president’s preference for lightning military interventions versus the grand-strategy alliance-building typical of past Republican secretaries of state, such as Kissinger and James Baker.

“[It] suggests the end of the post-World War Two world order dominated by the US. Not because we’re being pushed out but just because we don’t want to do it anymore,” said Ryan Crocker, who served as US ambassador to half a dozen countries in the Middle East and South Asia.

Compared to his recent predecessors, Rubio is also spending less time overseas, according to an FT analysis of his travel schedule. During his first 15 months in office, Rubio has spent 71 days travelling — fewer than any other secretary of state this century over the same period.

Rubio was with President Donald Trump at a UFC bout in Miami while vice-president JD Vance was in Pakistan for peace talks with Iran © Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Reuters
After losing to Trump in the 2016 presidential primary, Rubio, who was regarded as a traditional Republican hawk, tacked closer to Trump’s “America First” agenda. Much of Trump’s second-term foreign policy has run headlong against things that Rubio once supported in the Senate.

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Rubio said the US should support Kyiv “as long as they are willing to fight”. Three years later, he sat stony-faced on a gold couch as Trump and Vance clashed with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

That image of Rubio has become the basis for memes: Rubio finds out he has just been named president of Venezuela; Rubio as the next supreme leader of Iran; Rubio as the new pope.

“In office, he is devoted to this sycophancy,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “But he has been very impressive, within the confines of that sycophancy, of finding ways to promote progress on issues that are important to him but fashioning them in ways that are appealing to the president.”

In his norm-busting second term, Trump has prioritised loyalty among his top lieutenants. “This is how Trump wants it,” said Colin Dueck, an expert on Republican Party foreign policy at George Mason University.

It is a strategy that, for Rubio, may be paying off. While Vance has long been regarded as the Maga standard bearer, opinion polls and focus groups show that Rubio’s star is rising. A recent straw poll of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference found that while Vance was still the preferred candidate in the 2028 Republican primary, Rubio’s share of the vote leapt from 3 per cent in 2025 to 35 per cent this year.

Rubio also remains a trusted member of Trump’s inner circle.

He has played a prominent role in trying to explain the erratic and often conflicting stream of policy decisions that flow from the Oval Office.

He was “the guy who’s often brought in to smooth things over,” said Dueck.

One constant from his Senate career has been Rubio’s focus on Latin America, as the administration has dialled up the pressure on socialist strongmen in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Rubio, centre, speaks during a meeting with the US ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel at the state department in Washington this month © Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images
“You could even argue that Venezuela might turn out to be the one bright spot, or at least partial success story in Trump’s entire foreign policy,” said Walt, of Harvard. “Rubio would like to own that and not have his fingerprints on any of the rest of this stuff.”

White House and state department officials reject the suggestion that Rubio has been sidelined on bigger issues such as the Middle East.

“Secretary Rubio is a trusted voice in every national security discussion,” Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, told the FT in a statement.

Tommy Pigott, state department spokesperson, said: “Secretary Rubio is proud to be on the team implementing President Trump’s policies,” adding that Rubio works with “the president and his team every day”.

It was not unusual for a US president to appoint envoys or other senior officials to handle delicate foreign policy portfolios in need of particular attention, said Walt. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden appointed a slew of high-profile special envoys to diplomatic efforts on crucial issues.

Rubio at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Cernay-la-Ville outside Paris in March © Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
“What’s weird about Trump is that he’s using the same tag team of Witkoff and Kushner to handle everything,” he said.

Republican Senator John Cornyn, who sits on the chamber’s foreign relations and intelligence committees, said, “President Trump prefers to have multiple options.” Sometimes that option was “Mr Witkoff and [Trump’s] son-in-law”.

Other times it is Vance or Rubio. “He’s got a number of folks on his team he can call on.”

Recommended

The FT ViewThe editorial board
The narrow path to a US-Iran deal

Rubio might ultimately consider his distance from the Iran talks a lucky break.

Success in brokering an Iran deal would be a huge win for Vance, who is still the most likely Republican contender for 2028. But few regional experts feel bullish about the prospect of success at this point.

Remember, one former senior Republican aide said, noting Rubio’s own presidential ambitions: “It’s Iran we’re dealing with.”

“And so, God forbid, what happens if talks fail? Well, then JD Vance failed. He failed to deliver,” the former aide said. “Net plus Rubio.”

https://www.ft.com/conten(...)e1f75?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Altijd interessant om te lezen wie er aan de touwtjes van Trump trekken.
  FOK!Fotograaf zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:29:37 #134
364681 over_hedge
pi_220653693
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:27 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:
Marco Rubio has been assigned so many roles in the Trump administration that his job description has become an internet meme: the Secretary of Everything.

But, with two of Washington’s most powerful jobs, the secretary of state and national security adviser has been conspicuously absent from Donald Trump’s biggest international crisis: the war in Iran.

On Friday, the US president once again dispatched his son-in-law Jared Kushner and special envoy Steve Witkoff to Pakistan for negotiations. Earlier this month, it was vice-president JD Vance who led talks in Islamabad.

Notably absent from either trip was Rubio, America’s top diplomat.

The former Florida senator, whom Trump had derided as “Little Marco” when they competed in the 2016 election, has impressed supporters and critics alike during Trump’s second term for his unfailing loyalty to the president — even if it means taking a back seat to the US’s most consequential foreign policy under Trump.

But for Rubio, who like Vance harbours presidential ambitions, there might also be strategic advantages to keeping some distance from an unpopular war.

“Rubio may already sense that Iran is a complete loser, and the less he is associated with it, the better,” said Stephen Walt, a professor of international relations at Harvard University.

As Vance emerged this month from 21 hours of negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad with no breakthrough to show for it, Rubio was with Trump in Miami attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship match.

The paradox of Rubio’s dual responsibilities, coupled with his low profile on big issues, has been the source of both mockery and confusion.

Only one other person has worked as secretary of state and NSA at the same time: Henry Kissinger. But that is where the comparison ends.

“Everything was his portfolio,” Daniel Drezner, professor of international politics at The Fletcher School at Tufts University, said of Kissinger. “Rubio: it seems like nothing is his portfolio outside of Latin America.”

But other experts say the diminished public role for the secretary of state is symptomatic of the president’s preference for lightning military interventions versus the grand-strategy alliance-building typical of past Republican secretaries of state, such as Kissinger and James Baker.

“[It] suggests the end of the post-World War Two world order dominated by the US. Not because we’re being pushed out but just because we don’t want to do it anymore,” said Ryan Crocker, who served as US ambassador to half a dozen countries in the Middle East and South Asia.

Compared to his recent predecessors, Rubio is also spending less time overseas, according to an FT analysis of his travel schedule. During his first 15 months in office, Rubio has spent 71 days travelling — fewer than any other secretary of state this century over the same period.

Rubio was with President Donald Trump at a UFC bout in Miami while vice-president JD Vance was in Pakistan for peace talks with Iran © Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Reuters
After losing to Trump in the 2016 presidential primary, Rubio, who was regarded as a traditional Republican hawk, tacked closer to Trump’s “America First” agenda. Much of Trump’s second-term foreign policy has run headlong against things that Rubio once supported in the Senate.

After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Rubio said the US should support Kyiv “as long as they are willing to fight”. Three years later, he sat stony-faced on a gold couch as Trump and Vance clashed with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office.

That image of Rubio has become the basis for memes: Rubio finds out he has just been named president of Venezuela; Rubio as the next supreme leader of Iran; Rubio as the new pope.

“In office, he is devoted to this sycophancy,” said Jeremy Shapiro, research director of the European Council on Foreign Relations. “But he has been very impressive, within the confines of that sycophancy, of finding ways to promote progress on issues that are important to him but fashioning them in ways that are appealing to the president.”

In his norm-busting second term, Trump has prioritised loyalty among his top lieutenants. “This is how Trump wants it,” said Colin Dueck, an expert on Republican Party foreign policy at George Mason University.

It is a strategy that, for Rubio, may be paying off. While Vance has long been regarded as the Maga standard bearer, opinion polls and focus groups show that Rubio’s star is rising. A recent straw poll of attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference found that while Vance was still the preferred candidate in the 2028 Republican primary, Rubio’s share of the vote leapt from 3 per cent in 2025 to 35 per cent this year.

Rubio also remains a trusted member of Trump’s inner circle.

He has played a prominent role in trying to explain the erratic and often conflicting stream of policy decisions that flow from the Oval Office.

He was “the guy who’s often brought in to smooth things over,” said Dueck.

One constant from his Senate career has been Rubio’s focus on Latin America, as the administration has dialled up the pressure on socialist strongmen in Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua.

Rubio, centre, speaks during a meeting with the US ambassadors from Lebanon and Israel at the state department in Washington this month © Oliver Contreras/AFP/Getty Images
“You could even argue that Venezuela might turn out to be the one bright spot, or at least partial success story in Trump’s entire foreign policy,” said Walt, of Harvard. “Rubio would like to own that and not have his fingerprints on any of the rest of this stuff.”

White House and state department officials reject the suggestion that Rubio has been sidelined on bigger issues such as the Middle East.

“Secretary Rubio is a trusted voice in every national security discussion,” Olivia Wales, a White House spokesperson, told the FT in a statement.

Tommy Pigott, state department spokesperson, said: “Secretary Rubio is proud to be on the team implementing President Trump’s policies,” adding that Rubio works with “the president and his team every day”.

It was not unusual for a US president to appoint envoys or other senior officials to handle delicate foreign policy portfolios in need of particular attention, said Walt. Both Barack Obama and Joe Biden appointed a slew of high-profile special envoys to diplomatic efforts on crucial issues.

Rubio at the G7 foreign ministers meeting in Cernay-la-Ville outside Paris in March © Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
“What’s weird about Trump is that he’s using the same tag team of Witkoff and Kushner to handle everything,” he said.

Republican Senator John Cornyn, who sits on the chamber’s foreign relations and intelligence committees, said, “President Trump prefers to have multiple options.” Sometimes that option was “Mr Witkoff and [Trump’s] son-in-law”.

Other times it is Vance or Rubio. “He’s got a number of folks on his team he can call on.”

Recommended

The FT ViewThe editorial board
The narrow path to a US-Iran deal

Rubio might ultimately consider his distance from the Iran talks a lucky break.

Success in brokering an Iran deal would be a huge win for Vance, who is still the most likely Republican contender for 2028. But few regional experts feel bullish about the prospect of success at this point.

Remember, one former senior Republican aide said, noting Rubio’s own presidential ambitions: “It’s Iran we’re dealing with.”

“And so, God forbid, what happens if talks fail? Well, then JD Vance failed. He failed to deliver,” the former aide said. “Net plus Rubio.”

https://www.ft.com/conten(...)e1f75?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Altijd interessant om te lezen wie er aan de touwtjes van Trump trekken.
mand
Don't worry about the future. Or know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:32:49 #135
38496 Perrin
Toekomst. Made in Europe.
pi_220653713
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 18:35 schreef tesssssssss het volgende:
[ x ]

Ik snap het niet.
If they want to talk, all they have to do is call!! Please call!

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
pi_220653718
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:29 schreef over_hedge het volgende:

[..]
mand
Had het belangrijkste al voor de 'mand' lezers vetgedrukt, joh.
  FOK!Fotograaf zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:36:07 #137
364681 over_hedge
pi_220653742
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:33 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:

[..]
Had het belangrijkste al voor de 'mand' lezers vetgedrukt, joh.
Nu je het zegt :P Viel me niet op. My bad
Don't worry about the future. Or know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.
pi_220653745
quote:
14s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 12:15 schreef HowardRoark het volgende:

Integendeel. De user @:UitStraling is een van de weinige users die hier niet links is en dit topic niet gebruikt als een vergaarbak voor anti-Trump en anti-VS retoriek.

Als men op basis van dit topic moeten concluderen dat FOK! een echoput zou zijn geworden kom op hele ander conclusies dan dat het een 'rechts' forum zou zijn.
Uitstraling is net als jou 1 van de weinigen hier die nog in propaganda trappen en volop die leugens rond spuwen.
Dus ja logisch dat jij voor hem opkomt terwijl de rest van het forum wel een beetje klaar is met al die onzin van hem.

Ah, 1 topic waar geen racisme in voorkomt maakt FOK! ineens niet extreem rechts volgens jou?
Beetje gekke manier van kijken.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 19:48:40 #139
24533 ACT-F
Onmeunige gaspedoal emmer
pi_220653806
Iraanse propaganda :')

twitter
Bekijk de webcam via UStream. Luister naar Gutter FM
pi_220653851
quote:
10s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:48 schreef ACT-F het volgende:
Iraanse propaganda :')

[ x ]
regime change?
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:03:19 #141
24533 ACT-F
Onmeunige gaspedoal emmer
pi_220653894
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:56 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:

[..]
regime change?
No.
Bekijk de webcam via UStream. Luister naar Gutter FM
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:03:52 #142
458878 -XOR-
highbrow marxist
pi_220653900
quote:
14s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 18:49 schreef HowardRoark het volgende:

[..]
Hier staat nergens wat jij beweerde, dat de VS onze grootste en gevaarlijkste vijand zou zijn. Hier wordt slechts aangegeven dat er terughoudendheid is, wordt ingezet op meer Europese samenwerking en er minder informatie wordt gedeeld met de Amerikanen. Dat is dus iets total anders dan wat jij ervan maakt.
Ik zeg nergens dat daar staat dat de VS onze grootste vijand is, dat is mijn analyse. Maar het is duidelijk dat men overal in Europa het gevaar van de VS ziet.
Il mondo apre le porte
Pace totalitaria
Solo l'odore della morte.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:09:12 #143
171727 StateOfMind
Ancient Astronaut
pi_220653930
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:03 schreef -XOR- het volgende:

[..]
Ik zeg nergens dat daar staat dat de VS onze grootste vijand is, dat is mijn analyse. Maar het is duidelijk dat men overal in Europa het gevaar van de VS ziet.
Vijand niet direct, maar het is wel heel duidelijk dat ze ook zeker geen vriend zijn.

De VS heeft sowieso geen vrienden, alleen belangen.
Perhaps you've seen it, maybe in a dream.
A murky, forgotten land.
pi_220653947
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:03 schreef -XOR- het volgende:

[..]
Ik zeg nergens dat daar staat dat de VS onze grootste vijand is, dat is mijn analyse. Maar het is duidelijk dat men overal in Europa het gevaar van de VS ziet.
Trump is niet de VS. Wel is zijn politiek bedreigend voor de democratische rechtsstaat van westerse landen, als het zo makkelijk is om die rechten te omzeilen en de VN en alle internationale afspraken te negeren kunnen er meer landen die taktiek gaan volgen. Even een paar decreten, hoop rechters ontslaan, media de mond snoeren en weg is een democratische rechtsstaat.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:14:12 #145
264415 Jahr00n
Fakkelteit
pi_220653969
Het bloedt een beetje dood deze oorlog.

Straatje weer open en door met de orde van de dag wat mij betreft.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:15:05 #146
458878 -XOR-
highbrow marxist
pi_220653977
quote:
1s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:09 schreef StateOfMind het volgende:

[..]
Vijand niet direct, maar het is wel heel duidelijk dat ze ook zeker geen vriend zijn.

De VS heeft sowieso geen vrienden, alleen belangen.
Er zijn twee landen voor wie EU-landen serieus rekening houden op een invasie: de VS en Rusland.
Il mondo apre le porte
Pace totalitaria
Solo l'odore della morte.
pi_220653998
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:15 schreef -XOR- het volgende:

[..]
Er zijn twee landen voor wie EU-landen serieus rekening houden op een invasie: de VS en Rusland.
Sorry, moet even lachen. EU is helemaal geen bedreiging voor die twee.
  zaterdag 25 april 2026 @ 20:19:33 #148
458878 -XOR-
highbrow marxist
pi_220654010
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:17 schreef Firuze60 het volgende:

[..]
Sorry, moet even lachen. EU is helemaal geen bedreiging voor die twee.
Andersom, landen van de EU hebben voorbereidingen getroffen voor een invasie van Rusland en voor een invasie van de VS, omdat serieus gedacht werd/wordt dat deze landen EU landen zouden binnenvallen.
Il mondo apre le porte
Pace totalitaria
Solo l'odore della morte.
pi_220654025
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 20:19 schreef -XOR- het volgende:

[..]
Andersom, landen van de EU hebben voorbereidingen getroffen voor een invasie van Rusland en voor een invasie van de VS, omdat serieus gedacht werd/wordt dat deze landen EU landen zouden binnenvallen.
Zolang ze met de EU kunnen handelen is er van een invasie geen sprake.
pi_220654037
quote:
0s.gif Op zaterdag 25 april 2026 19:17 schreef Breekfast het volgende:

[..]
Al die MAGA gekkies die er als de kippen bij waren om de geestelijke achteruitgang van Biden te benoemen zullen nu ook wel weer stil blijven.
Arme George Clooney ;(
´ Just remember, there's a thin line between being a hero and being a memory´
abonnement Unibet Coolblue Bitvavo
Forum Opties
Forumhop:
Hop naar:
(afkorting, bv 'KLB')