Global politics has been in a tailspin since US President Donald Trump stopped in Europe to meet Nato and G-7 allies on his way home from Saudi Arabia and Israel. It’s not premature to believe there’s been a seismic shift in trans-Atlantic relations. The fear that the White House’s new occupant might be changing the template of global politics forever if he’s allowed to have his way can’t be shaken off lightly. Not without reason has German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the US, under Mr Trump, can no longer be the trusted ally and partner Germany and Europe leaned on in the decades after World War II. This is how emotive Mr Trump’s comments on a range of issues — Nato, Russia, climate change and balance of trade — have left his European allies. German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel even attacked Mr Trump for “weakening the West”.
Mr Trump is said to be considering withdrawing the US from the landmark climate deal, which his predecessor Barack Obama hammered out after protracted talks over years. In his 100-plus days in office, Mr Trump has not earned a reputation for studying the intricacies of policies. Some of the world’s largest corporations are in favour of the climate accord, but some conservatives in Team Trump simply refuse to accept the science behind the warnings on global warming. The US President’s decision on this is, however, likely to impact the entire world. It may be pertinent to note here that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier pointed out that it would be “morally criminal” not to act on climate change. India may not be a player in the G-7 league, but for what it’s worth Mr Modi also expressed his moral support to Germany while praising Chancellor Merkel.
When Mr Trump spoke of “America First”, the world may have tended to dismiss it as election rhetoric. He has walked the talk in treating the Saudi Arabia visit as a means to market American businesses, landing contracts potentially worth $350 billion over 10 years for just arms manufacturers. The intention to prolong the region’s religious wars is also clear, that means peace in Europe would be even more at risk with the persisting refugee problem. If a sense of drift is evident in Europe, the sole cause is the change in the White House. While wars erupting around the world may be a common enough phenomenon for Washington, what is really worrisome is where Mr Trump’s predilections are taking the US, as he is challenging the very fabric of the alignments of Western democracies, of which Nato is a key instrument. The world will be changing more in the near future if Mr Trump’s first overseas trip to Saudi Arabia, Israel and Europe can shake it up like this.
