I think you conflate the profits made by arms manufacturers and the horrors done on the people in Syria by Asad and others Foxy. No doubt all sorts of people win and lose with war. Many UN ngo's had benefited greatly as 'peace keepers' while pillaging and raping. Even with your dislike for Trump you could not really believe that he would get any enjoyment out of watching this suffering inflicted by barbarians.

cont'd ...

I forgot to add that Trump can't use either carrots
or sticks without the approval of the Congress and
the Senate and the support of his allies.

Putin is another story.

As one reader put it on the web:

" Trump changes his tune by the minute, incredibly
inconsistent with his views and statements. All
traits of a pathological liar!"

Foxy,

I get that you don't like Trump, but already China has blinked:

"Chinese President Xi Jinping has heralded a new wave of “openness”, pledging to allow foreign companies greater access to China’s financial and manufacturing sectors, and signalling lower tariffs on cars in a move to neutralise a damaging trade war with the US.

Mr Xi, speaking publicly yesterday for the first time since the trade dispute erupted between China and the US, championed globalisation and China’s plan to continue improving access for foreign interests.

China had announced late last year it would take measures to raise foreign equity caps in the banking, securities and insurance industries. “We will ensure that these measures are materialised,” Mr Xi told the Boao Forum for Asia conference yesterday.

The Chinese leader, considered the most powerful president since Mao Zedong, said the communist nation had already effectively opened up the manufacturing sector, other than for cars, ships and aircraft. “These industries are now in a position to open up. Going forward, we will reduce as soon as possible limits on foreign investment in these industries, cars in particular,” Mr Xi said."

To some extent, Trump has achieved what Obama, Bush and Clinton had not.

Australia is all upset that China wants to establish friendly military relations with Vanuatu, if you don't know where Vanuatu is, they are our near neighbors to the north east, out there in the Pacific Ocean, lovely people. Been there a few times, and like so many of the Pacific Island nations, its a case of happy, but poor people, living in paradise.

For China to establish a military presence in the country, it will be in exchange for much need aid. I don't want to see militarism develop in the Pacific, but for Australia and New Zealand to get all indigent about it, it would be wise for us to look at the amount of aid we give to these poor countries, its not a lot. In the case of Vanuatu its under $70 million. Australian foreign aid has been cut to an unacceptable level in recent years. Now many of our poor neighbours who have suffered because of that, are looking elsewhere for assistance, who can blame them

Dear Shadow Minister,

You need to look at just more than one side of the coin.
When you get out the "big stick" as far as trade with
China is concerned, you also need to consider how this
will affect your own country's economy and your own
American people.

The link given below shows how - in the event of an all
out trade war, prices will rise and Americans will lose
their jobs.

Ron Kirk, the top trade negotiator under former President
Obama stated, "I am concerned." "Ultimately the cost of
increases in tariffs are borne by American business and
consumers that use those products."

We're told that "If Trump continues his hard nose approach the
worst case scenario looks increasingly possible."

http://time.com/5231193/trade-was-trump-china/