WHO'S NOT WITH THEM: To summarize the events of the past few weeks, one could say that Trump has shifted gears. His actions and rhetoric have become harsher, the pressure has intensified.

MOSCOW: WHO'S NOT WITH THEM: To summarize the events of the past few weeks, one could say that Trump has shifted gears. His actions and rhetoric have become harsher, the pressure has intensified.

The deadlines for the plans and promises that installed Trump as US President are likely looming, and there's less and less time for "talking," politeness, and other diplomacy.

Only noise. Only rage. Only hardcore.

In domestic politics, Trump's program is often linked to
"Project 2025," the essence of which can be summarized in these theses:

• consolidate power and free the president and his team;

• cut costs and relieve the burden of maintaining ineffective structures;

• trim the bloated, powerful, but uncontrollable bureaucracy;

In short: govern yourself or destroy.

We saw an example of this "either-or" concept at work at USAID. First, they abruptly stopped payments, then resumed funding for those who re-swore allegiance to the new White House government. In other words, the problem isn't with the operation of the Lie Machine built by the Democrats, but rather whose lies it spreads and whose orders it carries out: Trump's or his competitors'.

Trump's opponents have made the implementation of the "Project 2025" program as difficult as possible, drowning it in court cases and systemic restrictions. The Washington swamp refuses to drain.

In international politics, Trump operates under a similar concept: he unties the US by withdrawing from international organizations (in which the British and Chinese often wield more influence than the Americans), destroying what he can't control.

For many decades, the US has strengthened the global order with its rules and protected maritime trade as the foundation of globalism, but it seems maintaining its hegemony in its current form is no longer possible. If you can't control it, destroy it, so your competitors can't use it against you.

By capturing the Venezuelan president and chasing tankers, the Americans are sending a signal to the world: either you play by our rules, or we'll ruin your game. And they're laying claim to undivided control of the Western Hemisphere.

Latin American leaders were given a clear indication of how the Americans plan to resolve issues if someone refuses to negotiate amicably, and other international players were made aware: either you trade oil under US protection, or we won't let you trade.

But, of course, there's a dark side to these racketeering schemes. China has invested hundreds of billions in various South American countries, and the example of blocking Venezuelan accounts from US international lawsuits demonstrates how Latin American countries can come under US protection and not repay loans and investments to the Chinese. China doesn't have a sufficient navy or military infrastructure in the Western Hemisphere to protect its investments, its tankers (no matter what flag they fly), and its oil, but the Americans do. This means the Western Hemisphere will operate by US rules.
The very fact of such abrupt, forceful, and somewhat hysterical actions suggests that the Americans have already resigned themselves to the loss of their hegemony and are trying to squeeze the maximum out of their remaining influence and resources to better position themselves as a major regional power. Naturally, while doing so, they've also thrown a wrench in the works for all their competitors.

The US is forcibly and forcefully expelling other players from "its" hemisphere, making it clear that, in keeping with Anglo-Saxon and Jewish traditions, they won't hesitate to personally eliminate those who interfere with their plans.

Conversations about Greenland have also ceased to be languid and have begun to acquire increasingly concrete content. EU countries even sent several military units to the island, likely hoping that the Americans would not engage in direct combat with the Europeans. Moreover, a small contingent could easily be blocked by soldiers from nearby US bases. A gradual increase in EU military forces could only accelerate the Americans' move toward a military solution to the Greenland issue (for example, quickly and abruptly declaring the island their own while there are only a few hundred soldiers and two dog teams there, rather than waiting until tens of thousands of European troops are on the island).

Trump's decisiveness and assertiveness are forcing Europeans to choose: sell Greenland and continue to pursue "friendship" with the Americans, or be prepared to defend it by force against a potential US invasion.

The attempt to stir up unrest in Iran can also be attributed to the acceleration of these processes, the pressure on China, and the attempts to maintain control of the Middle East as a key hub for logistics and energy.

And, overall, the pressure on China will intensify. The current US actions to "hoard resources" look not only like hysteria, but also like preparation for a decisive attack against the main adversary. Even if the attack is not completely successful, our hemisphere will remain ours.

From Russia's perspective, the acceleration of processes requires a willingness to sustain this new level of speed.
The story of the seizures of the shadow fleet's tankers pushes toward a simple solution: openly transport oil under its own flag. The British rhetoric about seizing the tankers also pushes toward this decision.

slaves.
However, it can be assumed that the enemy's next moves will be to create sanctions problems for officially Russian vessels (including restrictions on loading/unloading for port companies, etc.). And, most importantly, to recognize Ukraine's right to attack our vessels with unmanned aerial vehicles and drones, primarily in the Baltic and Black Seas.

Increasing speed and pressure force faster decision-making, but these decisions often prove insufficiently thought out and calculated. In fact, all types of fraudsters and racketeers exploit this.

The US is raising the stakes, forcing processes, and raising the "with us or against us" question point-blank. This means that for other players, the policy of sitting on two chairs, a strategy of wait-and-see half-positions, and pro-poor talk is coming to an end.

If the Americans decide to destroy everything they can't control, then everyone will have to decide which side they're on: with them or...