Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 10/Nov 09:21

Raking over the coals

As we contemplate the dying embers of life as we know it, fearful of the spectre of an emboldened, unorthodox President Donald Trump as the 47th US president, we should remember that day follows night, in an unending cycle, and not allow ourselves to be overcome with dread. Instead, we must take stock. On November 5, citizens of the US decided to return the world’s most important political job to a man with 91 felony counts and 34 convictions, a proven sexual predator and liar. He fiddled the books and caused an insurrection, spouts conspiracy theories, mongers fear, loathing and racism. He believes in the inferiority of the poor, under-educated, war-ravaged, lame, disadvantaged, all immigrants, women and those he feels deep down are really superior to him. He has respect only for winners. Even those who did not favour a Trump return had to admit that the writing was on the wall for a Trump victory. He campaigned on bread-and-butter issues, while late-starter Harris was unconvincing even to those willing her on. It is not hard to imagine all those desperate advisers around her, nervous of public perception of a powerful black woman, being so eager to avoid offending the Latino, Jewish, male, female, white, black, brown or green voter that they bled all the fire and guts out of her message, rendering her bland, robotic and mono-themed. They made her change her declared position on many important issues. She was also constricted by being a serving VP and obviously not in charge. Not so for Trump. He is the boss and he has that important ”killer instinct” that warrior leaders need. To give the devil his due, Trump checkmated his opponent squarely, if not fairly or graciously. But politics is the art of the impossible and his political skills turned the Republican party into his lapdog and saw off his opponents. The decisive nature of his win leaves us quaking in our boots because of his many threats while campaigning. He has promised, as president, revenge and tearing down the walls of Babylon. We should believe him, since he kept his promises on taxes, migration and tariffs last time. The big question is, how do we stay sane and safe while the promise of all hell breaking loose remains alive for the next four years and possibly more? The reach of Trump’s actions will affect us, so we must plan for what we know is coming. There are many illegal TT citizens in the US and there will be criminals among them, so how do our government and NGOs get ready for their deportation? We also suspect that the Dragon gas deal will suffer: what are plans B and C? Similarly on trade and security issues, which are very concerning. The worst thing to do in a crisis is nothing. We could start by trying to see the picture through different lenses and understanding the anxieties of those who elected Trump. We might learn something. It is also worth considering the proposition that the post-WWII juggernaut has run out of gas and maybe, just maybe, the revolution a Trump presidency promises could be a catalyst to get us onto a more sustainable track. The world has changed but expectations of the US’s role have not. For example, China now has a much bigger economy than the US, in terms of purchasing power, yet the US remains the world’s biggest foreign-aid donor, giving US$640 billion in 2012-2022. “America first” in that regard is not weird. Of course, there is geopolitical influence to consider but the US is also expected to continue being the largest donor to the world’s major institutions, when her debt as a share of GDP is over 90 per cent and threatens US living standards. WWII ended 80 years ago and Europe has been rebuilt. Those states should play a more strategic and financial role in Nato and their own security than they do. The US is right to want to redraw that map. The effect will be to reshape alliances, but maybe that is inevitable. It will be a mess, but you can’t make an omelette without cracking eggs, the adage goes. The current wars in the Levant and Europe are shocking for their sheer injustice, wrongness and political dishonesty. We feel hopeless, useless, and the double-speak and expected coercion of public opinion is an affront. It has shattered our belief in world leaders. A two-state solution in Palestine has been unachievable for a long time and the Hamas-started war lifted the lid on that can of worms. Israel will prosecute the war to its logical conclusion. Devastating but true. Russia will do the same and eventually Ukraine will have to cede territory if the US withdraws support, as is expected. The over-dependent Nato is unable to undertake Ukrainian military support without the US. We can do nothing about any of that, but we can watch and learn a simple lesson – a vote is an important thing and we must use it to defend what is important to us. The post Raking over the coals appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.