Mexico city — the UK began to sound the alarm, Russia erupted in applause, and Japan was plunged into silence. French populists hope, the Mexican authorities expressed concern, and the Vice-Chancellor hinted at a dark past of his country.
In his first speech as President of the United States Donald trump showed the world that he is able to provoke controversy not only domestically, but also abroad. His promise to be guided primarily by the interests of America and its threat to abolish the existing many years, the alliances, trade agreements and many principles of the liberal democratic order, which his country had followed for 70 years — was greeted in the world with fear, silence and joy — sometimes even within the same country.
In the search for historical analogies, some British people turned to the 1930-th years, when America did not accept active participation in international Affairs and when dominated by a more somber view of the world. The government of China tightly controlled in the country covered the inauguration ceremony, state media has emphasised the “violent” protests in the United States. In the Philippines, nationalists burnt the effigy of Mr. trump, while the President welcomed the apparent willingness of their American colleagues to stop telling other leaders how to run their countries.
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa may (Theresa May) said that she will explain to a skeptical Mr. Trump, how important NATO and the European Union for stability in Europe and the world. “Given the threats that we face, now is not the time to reduce the cooperation”, said Ms. Mae, who will soon have to visit Washington.
The nationalist movement took the words of Mr. trump as a proof of the correctness of their aspirations. Right-wing French politician marine Le Pen (Marine Le Pen), a serious candidate for the presidential elections in France this spring, said that the victory of Mr. trump opened a “new era in cooperation between the two countries”.
This mixed response reflects the insecurity of the countries in what will be US policy under President trump and the lack of unity in a world where he begins his presidential term. The atmosphere of disunity and desire to follow their interests — whether the interests of gaining weight of nationalist movements, emboldened Russia or such long-standing allies like the UK or Japan — explains the mixed and often contradictory reactions. In a sense, Mr. trump has become a Rorschach test for a polarized world.
“It’s time to buckle up and cross your fingers,” said Brazilian economist and diplomat Marcus Trejo (Marcos Troyjo).
Those who hoped that, as President, Mr. trump a few will change and soften their positions, not heard in his first speech anything comforting.
Vice-Chancellor of Germany Sigmar Gabriel (Sigmar Gabriel) warned of a “sharp radicalization” in American politics and expressed the readiness of Berlin to fill the void that you leave behind the isolationist Washington. He added that he only called the Parliament the “house of gossip”, to use the phrase that the Nazis used against German institutions in the 1920-ies.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that Berlin would be to approach the issue of relations with Washington with the traditional positions of existing international agreements, including through meetings of the Big twenty, which will be held this year in Germany. “Even with differences in opinions, we are likely to find compromises and solutions, if we exchange ideas with respect,” she said.
The words of Mr. trump’s simultaneously relieved and frightened the world, which is now experiencing a surge of populist movements. French President Francois Hollande, who was forced to confront the nationalist movements in his country, even did not wait for the speech of Mr. trump.
“We exist in an open global economy, therefore, cannot and should not be isolated from the world economy,” he said.
In Mexico, where Mr. trump has caused a storm of criticism and discontent with his threats and false promises, the reaction of President Enrique peña Nieto (Enrique Peña Nieto), who plans on Monday, January 23, to give his own speech on the foreign policy of his country, was immediate. He tweeted: “In our relations with the new government of the United States, we will use our sovereignty, national interests and the need to protect the interests of Mexicans.”
As an influential member of the ruling party of the Mexican President Manlio Fabio Beltrones (Manlio Fabio Beltrones) warned that “weak and resentful neighbor is not a good ally.”
But not all countries reacted negatively to the statement by Mr. trump.
Some countries made the usual assurances of readiness to cooperate, mixed with hope that the aggressive and nationalist rhetoric, Mr. trump does not mean that America will abandon its commitments in the world. Some nationalist parties and world powers, has long clashed with the United States, expressed their joy in connection with his assuming the position.
Russia, where scathing ridicule Barack Obama for a long time was a kind of national sport, welcomed the departure of Mr. Obama and the accession of Mr. trump as President of the United States.
The inauguration of Mr. trump made headlines on Russian television, all-news television channel Rossiya 24 even showed the whole inauguration ceremony live — not forgetting, however, to include in their reports card antithrombotic of demonstrations smashing Windows of stores in Washington.
A special delight among the Russian politicians and commentators called the statements made by Mr. trump regarding the need “to unite the civilized world against radical Islam”. One of the main criticisms of Russia in the address Mr. Obama was that he criticized President Vladimir Putin for his support of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad — Moscow insisted that such a position is tantamount to supporting terrorism.
In France, the leader “National front”, Ms. Le Pen, welcomed the desire of great Britain to leave the European Union and the victory of Mr. trump. “In 2016, the Anglo-Saxon world woke up from the dream, she said. — I am sure that 2017 will be the year when will rise all the Nations of Europe!”
Ms. Le Pen was to join with other leaders of right-wing movements from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands in the German city of Koblenz on Saturday, January 21, after just one day after the inauguration of Mr. trump, on a conference on the shift of public sympathy in their direction.
Other leaders by their silence have demonstrated that they are resigned to the new reality and try to adapt to the growing political force whose message echoed in the popular movement around the world.
The Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe (Abe Mushrambo), who became the first leader of a foreign state, who met with Mr. trump after his election in November, did not publicly speak about the inauguration and speech of Mr. trump. However, as reported by the Japanese media, in his congratulatory message on the occasion of the inauguration, he called the Alliance of Japan and the U.S. “axis of Japanese foreign and security policy”, despite the fact that, as a candidate, Mr. trump spoke out strongly against the Japanese practices of the trade and questioned the feasibility of providing military assistance to the country.
The silence of China, which also has not yet responded publicly to the statement by Mr. trump, it is noteworthy for another reason.
Apparently, it is due to the unequivocal Directive of the authorities of the country. The American site China Digital Times, which tracks the news published in the Chinese media, and regularly reports on leaks from the propaganda machine of China, published a Directive according to which news organizations were forbidden to post pictures from the inauguration ceremony and to include articles about it in the top five news stories of the day.
Meanwhile, analysts are freed from the need to comply with the canons of political courtesy and the obligation to work with the new American President that lies to all world leaders expressed their opinion pretty straightforward.
In Japan, Goro Hashimoto (Hashimoto Goro), editor of the right newspaper “Yomiuri Shimbun”, which boasts the world’s largest circulation, compared the speech of Mr. trump with the inaugural address of President John F. Kennedy — and not in favor of the former.
“When in my childhood I heard the speech Kennedy, I was overcome by a strong emotion, he said. He talked about American values and about the benefits for the whole world. In speaking of trump, there was nothing like that.”
Zhang zhe (Zhe Zhang), a student from China, who is preparing a doctoral thesis in political science at Brown University, watched the inauguration ceremony with their parents. The picture presented Mr. trump, do not coincide with the point of view of his family.
“My parents had been in America only a few months, and while they’re little you know about it, but even they are unable to accept that what he was talking about trump, wrote Mr. Zhang. — My father asked me: “Why is this President says USA like a society worse than ancient Chinese feudal society?””
This change of policy has led many to seriously consider moving on without the US as a leader.
“We can no longer wait and hope for the assistance and cooperation of the United States, — wrote the former Prime Minister of Belgium, guy Verhofstadt (Guy Verhofstadt) on his page on Twitter. — Europe needs to take its future and security into their own hands”.
However, in the choir of the desperation of the establishment, contrite about returning to a less globalized world, sound and some better voices.
“Today, the positive side is that the demagogues of the 1930-ies did not need to be re-elected,” wrote in the Guardian Josef Joffe (Josef Joffe), the publisher and editor of the German newspaper Die Zeit.
