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In his farewell address, the first American president, George Washington, warned his compatriots to avoid what he called “entangling alliances”. Washington believed that while his country should treat all nations fairly, it should guard against both permanent friendships and permanent enemies. Perhaps Donald Trump has taken that advice to heart. Certainly his recent behaviour has had many of his European allies wondering about the depth of America’s friendship.
But Washington failed to mention that without French help, he may never have been president at all – and the United States may have found it far more difficult to throw off British rule.
As it is, that titanic struggle for independence has left America with a deep and lasting distrust of the monarchy. So it’s no wonder so many people were upset when Trump referred to himself as a “king”. Even in jest, surely this is unpalatable for citizens of the proud republic? But jest or not, there’s no doubt that the 47th US president is pushing to use his powers more directly. The big question is whether the U.S. constitution can keep him in check.
Trump’s opposite number in the Kremlin must be cock-a-hoop at the events of the past week or so. Vladimir Putin has always bemoaned the collapse of the Soviet Union and the loss of superpower status. Now, thanks to the new U.S. administration, he is back at the top table deciding the fate of nations.
Meanwhile Volodymyr Zelensky, has been frozen out. U.S. national security adviser, Mike Waltz, says it’s the Ukraine’s president own fault for rejecting Trump’s offer of a peace deal in return for U.S. access to Ukraine’s resources, including its rare minerals the U.S. president particularly covets. So it’s worth finding out more about Ukraine’s resources and the part they are likely to play in negotiations.
Greenland’s melting ice may have brought its abundant natural resources into play, attracting avaricious interest not just from the U.S., but from China and Russia as well. But the melt brings with it some serious environmental threats that all of Greenland’s fabulous mineral wealth will not mitigate.
Elsewhere, Germany heads to the polls this weekend. Be sure to follow our coverage of this crucial vote. Is Nigeria in danger of a coup? One of Africa’s pre-eminent political scientists explains what steps the country could take to safeguard its democracy. And for armchair Egyptologists, the discovery of the tomb of Thutmose II, the first such tomb to be unearthed in more than a century, is sure to thrill.
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