The first major visit abroad of the new US President was supposed to be a great event both personally and diplomatically. Nevertheless, launched on Friday a trip Donald trump begins to resemble a nightmare as due to acute psychological drama that unfolds in the last days in Washington and undermine its mandate, and because of the personality of the President himself.
The most optimistic observers thought that after nearly four months in the White house Donald trump has gone the way of “normalization” under the influence of the key representatives of his entourage, the generals, and son-in-law Jared Kushner (Jared Kushner). Nobody expected (unpleasant) surprises, especially in the course of the next week meeting with European leaders from the countries-members of NATO, as the President no longer considers it “obsolete” the main military Alliance of the United States.
However, recent events like the resignation of the FBI Director James Komi (James Comey), transmission the trump of classified information to the Russian visitors and the appointment of a special Prosecutor to investigate the influence of Russia on the elections of 2016 has put Washington on its head.
Thus, a trip is sent to the “lame duck” (lame duck, because in America, commonly called the President at the end of the mandate): trump is forced to take a defensive position, and he potentially faces impeachment if the Republican majority will stand against him. In such circumstances, the opinion of the President be confined to Washington, where in the coming months will decide its fate, and it may distract the small share of attention, which he is still able to pay international issues.
Longing for dictators
Trump with his simple ideas in the first place goes to the East, and “East — a delicate matter”. The task would be difficult even for the head of state, which negotiates with all advisors. But Donald Trump is characteristic of incivility and lack of understanding of their own limitations, which makes it dangerous or at least unpredictable.
In Europe, the situation is certainly easier than in Saudi Arabia or Israel, but, oddly enough, it was there attitude to his visit is most restrained.
Surprisingly, Donald Trump is much easier to communicate with dictators and authoritarian leaders, heads of democratic States and governments. He became the best friend of the all-powerful head of the Chinese Communist party XI Jinping after a weekend at his residence in Florida, the Egyptian dictator, Abdul-Fattah al-Sisi after a meeting in Washington, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, despite the scale of repression in his country…
At the same time, he’s not too confident feel canadian neighbor Justin Trudeau and Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel. He did not try to develop relations with old Europe, which obviously doesn’t like, as shown by the enthusiasm for Brexia and activity groups who supported marine Le Pen in France, including through the dissemination of false news rough.
What can we dialogue?
The summit in Brussels could become the basis for a “new beginning”, as it happens in love stories and disappointments, but he, no doubt, will be only courteous, and not of particular interest to the meeting: no one will say no harm and will not offer anything substantial.
Judge for yourself: is it possible today to conduct (clearly needed) discussion about the relations of NATO countries with Russia under Putin’s leadership, if in the USA there are suspicions that the President won the election thanks to the support of Moscow?
Besides, how can you discuss with the President the fight against jihadist terrorism if he gave secrets to the allies, to show off in front of the Russian delegation? The situation is absurd.
Finally, what kind of serious conversation at all can be discussed if European heads of state and government were warned that their statements should be short, because the President of the United States cannot long concentrate on them…
The new French President is to procure a few beautiful phrases in the spirit of the much-loved trump’s U.S. reality show if he wants to keep his attention…
2017 — the year of Europe?
Today, Europe’s interest is to establish peaceful relations with the United States and to prevent overreacting to the antics of Donald trump. Once again the world is unpredictable and dangerous, and Europe is too fragile and fragmented to act in it alone.
At the same time, the Europeans would have behaved irresponsibly, if not draw conclusions from what is happening in Washington and decided that it was time to take their common destiny in their own hands. So far they have not done so in the field of security, as most of them had been lulled by the presence of “big brother”, the defender in the United States.
In January, I “thanked” Donald trump for what he gave of a common enemy has lost the unity of Europe… Since then much has changed, and the examples of the Netherlands and (even more revealing) of France was given to understand that we are not doomed to populism.
The formation of the first government of the Macron this week only confirmed the idea that the hour counter of old Europe, perhaps, has come. This counter-attack should be directed first and foremost against itself and against the idea of its decline and obsolescence.
A new French government was openly Pro-European painting with such symbolic figures as the MEPs Sylvie Gular (Sylvie Goulard) at the head of the Ministry of defence and Mariel da Sarno (Marielle de Sarnez) as Secretary of state for European Affairs. Not to mention the renaming of the Ministry of foreign Affairs to the Ministry of European and foreign Affairs, which underlines that Europe is no longer abroad. All this should be stated Emmanuel Macron logic in the course of the campaign.
A trip to Berlin, who barely had time to take office of the President demonstrates how Franco-German tradition, and a strategic desire not to waste time on this front. If this momentum will start to really work, “2017 could be the year of Europe,” writes Roger Cohen (Roger Cohen) from The New York Times, not a European newspaper.
For the awakening of the continent have only one, and meeting Donald trump in Brussels, may contribute to this: the disappearance of a reliable and stable ally on the other side of the Atlantic…
