Mohammad Amjad Hossain :
Since assuming presidentship on 20 January of 2017 of the United States of America, oldest democracy and global leader in the world, there has been any one like 47th President Donald Trump, who is on record constantly attacking news media as fake news while ignoring authentic investigating reports by powerful intelligence agencies of USA while western leaders do not trust him any longer as has been reflected at his participation in France to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. On arrival President Trump picked up quarrel with French President Emmanuel Macron on a piece of garbled press translation, which said Macron wanted a European army as protection against the USA. In fact, French President Macron is reported to have said such a force would reduce Europe’s reliance on USA. President Trump also scrapped a planned visit to a cemetery for American war dead during first world war in France. Around 1,800 American soldiers lost their lives to protect France from Nazi Germany’s attack. Both French President and German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid their respects to war dead while Russian President Vladimir Putin paid respect alone. President Trump paid tribute at American cemetery next day following criticism. French President also criticized President Trump’s “America First “politics in his speech. The slogan: America First appears to harks back to the isolationist policy of 1940.
In January,2018 Chinese President Xi Jinping has turned out to be global leader which has been reflected at World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland who spoke for free trade concept wherein he was received by the rich and powerful business magnates and experts as well. It is interesting to note that Canada, a close door neighbor of USA, joined Chinese floated regional Development bank in 2015 while Australia, UK, Germany and France were among the founding members of the bank. Regional Development Bank is likely undermining the authority of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund established after world war 11 by the United States. Japan, a close ally of the United States after second world war, and Europe agreed on a free trade deal as an alternative to the Trans-Pacific Partnership floated by President Obama, but President Trump unceremoniously abandoned. President Trump also pulled out of Paris climate treaty when his administration warned of devastating impacts following climate change and the Iran nuclear deal-the two international pacts European leaders worked hard on.
President Trump never missed opportunity in criticizing NATO members for failing to spend enough on their militaries. President Trump also shared with Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO was an obsolete organization. USA Today’s editorial on 16 July following summit in Brussels of NATO from 11 to 12 July of 2018 pinpointed that” US President’s truculent attacks on close friends risk serious damage to the greatest alliance America has ever known-to the great delight of Russian President Vladimir Putin who wants to weaken and splinter the west.”
At a press conference on 16 July of 2018 having one to one meeting at Helsinki with President Vladimir Putin, President Trump told the world that he continued to harbor doubts that Russia interfered in 2016 US presidential election while he argued that the US is as much at fault as Russia for” tattering relations between two superpowers”. Special counsel Robert Muller’s investigation about explicit connections between Trump and Russia before Presidential election were revealed by” a flurry of bombshell court filings in the first week of December this year.
While conducting foreign relations President Trump announced on 23 December to pull out US troops from Syria which provides Russia and Iran free rein in the Middle East. His decision to mover US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in violation of international law also received criticism from leaders from around the world while President received scathing attack from bipartisan lawmakers for siding with Saudi Arabia for killing Saudi journalist in Istanbul at Saudi consulate in October this year.
Internally, President Trump is pushing for sweeping changes to US immigration law, closing down visa lottery system and greatly reducing the ability of current US residents while plans to build up big wall around US-Mexico border to stop immigrant’s entry illegally while he imposed banned entry into USA from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen plus travelers from North Korea and certain government officials from Venezuela.
Facing a growing wave of national outrage, President Trump signed an executive order in mid-June of 2018 halting his administration’s policy of separating migrant families detained at the Southern border.
It is interesting to note that as many as 37 officials, including 3 Chief of Staff either have been resigned or fired from the administration of US President Trump while his first Secretary of State quit the post following disagreement with President on some international issues, including the Middle East. Present Defense Secretary is also departing the administration in February,2019. According to the Washington Post, over seven thousand false or misleading claims have been made by President Trump during his two year in power. President Trump shut down Federal administration during December of 2018 on the pretext of non-providing fund for $ 5 billion for wall on US-Mexico border while he made secret trips to US bases in Iraq exposing secret of SEAL (a Naval special warfare unit) and Germany to exchange Christmas greetings with US soldiers. Both incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Minority leader in the Senate Chuck Schumer on 31 December on record by saying if leader of the Senate Republican McConnell and Senate Republicans refuse to support spending bill, then they are complicit with President Trump in continuing the Trump shut down and holding the health and safety of the American people and worker’s paychecks hostage over the wall.
By and large, the situation in the United States of America is not healthy under the presidentship of Donald Trump.
(Mohammad Amjad Hossain, retired diplomat from Bangladesh who writes from Virginia).
