Make America great again

Tuesday 18th June 2019 17:44 EDT
 

“Make America Great Again” was the slogan under which President Trump was elected. True to his slogan as soon as he grabbed the power, he started to dismantle or threatened to do so for most alliances and agreements which in his view were disadvantageous to the USA.

Trump declared that climate change is a hoax and withdrew from the climate change agreement which was reached during COP 21 at Paris in 2015. He also signed two Executive Orders in April 2019 to speed up the construction of pipelines and other projects to enhance the production and transport of oil and natural gas between states and across international borders. 

This is done to increase the production and sale of oil and gas using new technique of fracking. Fortunately, the effect of climate change will not selectively spare the USA.

Trump also withdrew from NAFTA, TPP, the Nuclear Agreement between Iran and the P5+1, imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum and cancelled Generalised System of Preferences programme for countries like India. Handling of border wall and migrants from the border with Mexico shows his strong arm tactics disregarding other’s welfare. 

He is wielding tariffs and sanctions as weapons on many countries all over the world. It is all to make “America Great Again” –read “Richer”. These tactics has made many UN organizations like the WTO irrelevant.

Petroleum products related sanctions on Venezuela and Iran are creating misery for the innocent people. Venezuela has the world’s highest reserve of these products but the common people cannot get the basic necessities of life and hence are leaving the country in droves. 

Iran is situated at a pivotal location and hence created a state of affair which may adversely affect the whole world. Let us hope the present oil tanker attacks do not get out of control.

The USA is a superpower the like of which the world has never seen, especially with an egoistic and uncaring man at the helm. It seems international organizations and other prominent countries have not figured out how to react to this new phenomenon.

Yes, he will make America richer and will get re-elected in 2020 but civility values developed after World War II will be pushed back by decades. It seems, human rights, equality, decency, diplomacy, fairness, free trade, etc. have no place in Trump Administration.

Narsibhai Patel, 

New Malden


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