When you watch country after country quietly rerouting trade, signing new deals, building around the United States instead of through it… it feels like a tipping point.
But here’s where I gently push back a bit.
“Extraneous” is probably too strong.
Diminished influence?
Sure.
Less trusted?
Definitely.
Less central than before?
Yep.
But irrelevant?
Not even close.
The U.S. is still...
• the world’s biggest consumer market
• a tech powerhouse
• a financial hub
• culturally massive
That doesn’t disappear because of one chaotic political era.
What’s really happening looks more like this...
For decades - everyone depended on the U.S.
Now - everyone diversifies away from the U.S.
That’s not exile.
That’s hedging.
It’s countries saying...
“Maybe don’t put all our eggs in one basket.”
Which, honestly, is just smart risk management.
And history rarely flips like a light switch.
It drifts.
Empires don’t collapse in a week.
They slowly become… one player among many.
Less “king of the hill.”
More “member of the group.”
That’s a comedown, not a disappearance.
And the good news?
Course corrections are still possible.
Countries can rebuild trust.
They can elect steadier leadership.
They can repair relationships.
Messy? Yes.
Permanent doom? No.
We geezers have lived through enough “this is the end” moments to know… it usually isn’t. 🙂
I can only speak for myself and my circle but we ain’t never going back - we will not purchase Americkkkan products again until the cancer is completely cut out and unfortunately I can’t see that happening. Here in Canada true north, strong and free we’re moving onward and upwards! Elbows Up!
An excellent piece again and you are so correct in everything that you said. I am sure some of these people started thinking back in 2016 to 2021 Trump era that they needed to look at options. But now both him and his administration are so erratic and out of control They can't be trusted with being in charge of anything.
There was some bad feelings after the second world war, where the Americans didn't enter in the war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
History has shown there were communications between England and the United States president and some equipment transferred, but they refused to fight in a European war.
I wasn't alive during the World War II, but pretty soon after and I listened to my elders telling stories of what took place and how Canadians felt during WWII. They didn't always agree with the image the US portrait of themselves. I'll leave it that way.
It's not only about loosing credibility, it's also about making new allies and partners and loyalty to those who were there when you needed them. Why would a country sacrifice those relationships, why would they abandon partners who had their backs when the US threw a tantrum just because of an election? What happens the election after that one? The reason it will take decades and probably more is the structure is unstable and not trustworthy! Not just the current "administration" but the structure that allowed them to take charge and do what they're doing.
Unless the structure under goes significant rehabilitation, it's been proven to be a detriment and not an asset to would be partners.
I fear my country has passed the Tipping Point. The world has discovered that America is simply extraneous. Every day they're taking action
Mary… I get the feeling behind that.
When you watch country after country quietly rerouting trade, signing new deals, building around the United States instead of through it… it feels like a tipping point.
But here’s where I gently push back a bit.
“Extraneous” is probably too strong.
Diminished influence?
Sure.
Less trusted?
Definitely.
Less central than before?
Yep.
But irrelevant?
Not even close.
The U.S. is still...
• the world’s biggest consumer market
• a tech powerhouse
• a financial hub
• culturally massive
That doesn’t disappear because of one chaotic political era.
What’s really happening looks more like this...
For decades - everyone depended on the U.S.
Now - everyone diversifies away from the U.S.
That’s not exile.
That’s hedging.
It’s countries saying...
“Maybe don’t put all our eggs in one basket.”
Which, honestly, is just smart risk management.
And history rarely flips like a light switch.
It drifts.
Empires don’t collapse in a week.
They slowly become… one player among many.
Less “king of the hill.”
More “member of the group.”
That’s a comedown, not a disappearance.
And the good news?
Course corrections are still possible.
Countries can rebuild trust.
They can elect steadier leadership.
They can repair relationships.
Messy? Yes.
Permanent doom? No.
We geezers have lived through enough “this is the end” moments to know… it usually isn’t. 🙂
More often it’s just another chapter.
Not the last page.
I can only speak for myself and my circle but we ain’t never going back - we will not purchase Americkkkan products again until the cancer is completely cut out and unfortunately I can’t see that happening. Here in Canada true north, strong and free we’re moving onward and upwards! Elbows Up!
I understand the frustration.
A lot of Canadians are voting with their wallets right now.
That’s not hate... that’s reaction to uncertainty.
But I try not to frame it as “never again.”
History moves.
Governments change.
People aren’t the same as their leadership.
There are millions of decent Americans who didn’t sign up for the chaos either.
For me it’s less about punishment and more about resilience.
Diversify supply chains.
Strengthen Canadian industries.
Buy local when it makes sense.
Build partnerships that are steady.
That’s not anti-American.
That’s pro-Canada.
“Elbows up” doesn’t mean clenched fists forever.
It means protect your space… while keeping your head.
And upward is always better than backward.
DUMP TRUMP
ELBOWS UP FROM CANADA
🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦
GREAT INFO FRED.
Also European nations dumping Visa and Mastercard systems. Numerous governments in diverse nations shutting down X accounts.
An excellent piece again and you are so correct in everything that you said. I am sure some of these people started thinking back in 2016 to 2021 Trump era that they needed to look at options. But now both him and his administration are so erratic and out of control They can't be trusted with being in charge of anything.
There was some bad feelings after the second world war, where the Americans didn't enter in the war until Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
History has shown there were communications between England and the United States president and some equipment transferred, but they refused to fight in a European war.
I wasn't alive during the World War II, but pretty soon after and I listened to my elders telling stories of what took place and how Canadians felt during WWII. They didn't always agree with the image the US portrait of themselves. I'll leave it that way.
Meanwhile Papa Putin says "Good boy Krasnov, good boy!"
ps. it aint the leadership. it’s the leadership… twice you fuckin illiterate numpties.
Let’s keep it civil, folks.
Disagree all you want... that’s fair game.
But once we’re calling each other “illiterate numpties,” we’ve stopped arguing ideas and started arguing egos.
I’m happy to debate leadership decisions.
That’s democracy.
But if the conversation turns into name-calling, it’s not worth much.
We can do better than that.
It's not only about loosing credibility, it's also about making new allies and partners and loyalty to those who were there when you needed them. Why would a country sacrifice those relationships, why would they abandon partners who had their backs when the US threw a tantrum just because of an election? What happens the election after that one? The reason it will take decades and probably more is the structure is unstable and not trustworthy! Not just the current "administration" but the structure that allowed them to take charge and do what they're doing.
Unless the structure under goes significant rehabilitation, it's been proven to be a detriment and not an asset to would be partners.
You’re hitting the deeper issue.
It’s not just credibility.
It’s reliability.
There’s a difference.
Countries don’t base partnerships on “who won the last election.”
They base them on...
“Can we count on you five, ten, twenty years from now?”
If the answer is
“Depends who’s tweeting that morning…”
That’s not a partner. That’s a gamble.
And you’re right... this goes beyond one administration.
When the structure itself lets policy swing wildly every four years, allies start thinking...
“Why would we risk our economy on that?”
So they don’t “punish.”
They diversify.
They quietly make new friends.
They sign deals with Canada, Japan, Germany, South Korea…
Anyone steady.
Not because they hate the United States.
Because they can’t plan around chaos.
Businesses and governments both hate uncertainty more than almost anything else.
You can survive higher costs.
You can’t survive random rules.
So yeah... until the structure proves it’s stable again, people will hedge.
Not dramatic.
Just quiet repositioning.
Which honestly is how power really shifts in the real world.
Slow… then all at once.