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Culture War Roundup for the week of October 12, 2026

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For the record, the US is still supporting Europe and Ukraine in a big way. The only difference is that Trump's rhetoric makes it appear that support is no longer unconditional.

On the other hand, Europe has nothing but hate and contempt for the US. It's not great.

The only difference is that Trump's rhetoric makes it appear that support is no longer unconditional.

This implies that Trump is proposing a kind of deal. "I will help you like this if you help me like that". With the follow through of actually committing to help the ones that agree to his terms. Instead what we are seeing is a series of seemingly impulsive decisions and demands. Crucially, Trump does not credibly state what the consequences of breaking his demands will be, nor what it will take to reliably secure his support long term. Instead, his opinions change on a monthly basis and he seems to improvise based on what he considers an appropriate response in the moment.

"I will back out of NATO if you don't increase your spending to 5% GDP" is a statement that support is not unconditional. "Stop fighting" with no reward for doing so, and no sign that Russia will stop its aggression is not. Rate limiting Starlink out of the blue with no prior warning and dropping sanctions on Russia is not a negotiation tactic. At best, it simply shows impulsive and unreliable decision making with zero room for negotiations. At worst it is a sign that America is considering a friendly relationship with Russia while leaving Europe out in the cold.

Is the rate limiting Starlink real? This one pattern matches my hoax detector.

It is reported by Ukrainian, American, and European sources. Notably, neither Elon Musk or the American administration is denying this has happened. What they are saying is that it was not a deliberate decision to reduce aid, but rather due to some other cause. Zelensky and western Europe believe this is a lie though, and that the rate limiting is clearly punitive.