A challenge that calls for action

‘Donald Trump can be frightening. This fear can be beneficial in pushing European leaders to put aside their differences and work together’, says Letta. This bold analysis suggests that, faced with a potentially hostile US administration, European countries could be forced to step up their cooperation.

Towards a European defence

One of the most significant consequences could be the acceleration of the integration of European defence. Letta proposes three fundamental avenues: firstly, the creation of a common defence market. Letta made it clear that this would be a common market, not a single market, because defence cannot be subject to the rules of the free market like other sectors. Secondly, to finance this Europe of defence, he advocates the use of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM). This instrument, created during the financial crisis but little used, has substantial funds at its disposal that are currently without a precise destination. Lastly, it proposes agreements between the main defence industry producing countries to undertake common initiatives aimed at putting an end to the current fragmentation of this industry and thus reducing dependence on American military equipment. Picture: @European Union

Boosting Europe through a stronger single market

Letta stresses the importance of reforming and extending the European single market, with particular emphasis on the telecommunications, energy and financial services sectors. Greater integration in these areas would bring many benefits. It would reduce the current fragmentation, resulting in 27 separate national markets, and stimulate investment in research and innovation. Better use of European savings would also help to finance local businesses, while facilitating the resources needed for the green and digital transitions. This reform would also strengthen Europe’s competitiveness towards the United States and China, while creating jobs and stimulating economic growth.

An opportunity for European unity

Although the possibility of a Trump presidency raises concerns, Letta sees it as an opportunity for Europe to pull itself together. ‘If we act like this, we play into the hands of the Americans, the Chinese and the Indians. Whereas if we get together, we’re stronger, and we’re capable of creating jobs, of having growth at home’, he asserts.

In conclusion, Enrico Letta’s message is clear: faced with the potential adversity represented by a new Trump administration, Europe has the opportunity to transform this challenge into a driving force for unity and progress. It is by putting aside their differences and working together that the countries of Europe will not only be able to face up to this situation, but also emerge stronger on the international stage.

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Last weekend Roger Vendam, a former Belgian Ambassador, organised in Brussels the EU launch of his 250-page book about the foreign affairs aspects of the US President. In 29 chapters, he describes and analyses chronically the consequences of this erratic personality on the world during his first years in office.

Difficult to remember on what subjects and in how many parts of the world he started lighting a fire (incomplete list in alphabetical order): climate, Brexit, EU, Germany, Iran, Jerusalem, Latin America, Korea, Libya, Mexico, Middle East, multilateralism, Qatar, Refugees, Russia, Syria, UN,  Venezuela.

The intention of this book is obvious: to show especially to the US-American public that their new President is not only annoying for their own country but a danger to stability and peace around the globe.

Roger Vendam: Donald J. Trump, a chronicle, the first year of a failing and chaotic Presidency. New York: Page Publishing 2018

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This is dysfunctional behaviour. The USA has many natural friends and allies in Europe and given the importance of the EU market for US exports and the strategic importance accorded to the capital of Europe by most leading US multinational Corporations, I cannot accept that the transatlantic relationship is not worth investing in. These diplomatic appointments are important, and they should be filled as soon as possible.

At his inauguration the President promised to “make America great again” and he committed to “drain the swamp” by radically reforming the way Washington worked. It was always clear that his focus would be on internal and domestic issues, and that accordingly foreign policy would be of lower priority.

However, within his first year he has not delivered any improvements in respect of delivering better healthcare or better education services to US citizens, which are the classic policy areas deserving priority on any domestic agenda.  Where are the big domestic reforms? He can claim one major tax reform, but the corporate tax reductions approved are not funded in the budget and it remains to be seen what the impact on the economy will be in practice. We have a 30% increase in the Dow Jones Stock Exchange Index over the past year, but was this due to domestic US policies, or global economic growth?

Rather we have had a constant morbid obsession on the part of the media with the President’s personality. Whether intentional or not, this fascination continues to distract public attention from what the President may actually be achieving or not, and how he may be really performing in terms of strategic advantage for the United States.

As a long term friend of the United States, there are two elements in this first year of office for President Trump that have dismayed me. The first is the fact that his personality cult has been constantly the subject of derision in social media; comedians like Randy Rainbow and others have mercilessly mocked the President.

Whether you find this satire humorous or not, the fact is that it has been incessant. It has distracted from the real policy issues at stake by mocking the behaviour of the President, and more importantly I believe that it has demeaned and eroded the status of the office of the President of the USA in the eyes of young people.  Everybody is waiting for the next gag to be posted on facebook or twitter.

In other words the promotion of a cult of personality of the individual above the promotion of debate about policy issues has had the effect of dumbing down democracy and eroding support for this fundamental pillar of the beliefs and values of our society.

The second area which has dismayed me in respect of the President’s first year of office relates to immigration policy. This is entirely a US domestic issue, but I allow myself to make this observation, because I honestly believe that sensitive immigration policies for the USA can only make the country great. Also I have family relatives who have benefitted from benevolent US immigration policies, including my late great uncle James Wilson (who left Saint Andrews in Fife in Scotland to go to Philadelphia 6 generations ago in the 1700s) and became one of the founding fathers and authors of the American constitution.

There is strength in diversity. Blind and restrictive immigration policies will cause long term damage to the image, reputation and economic prospects for the USA. On the Statue of Liberty in New York is inscribed “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” These liberties are vital symbols of hope and principles upon which this mighty country has been established.

If the President of the United States wishes to keep his country great and if he wishes to prove his genius, then he would do well to promote the country’s diversity. He has another 3 years to serve his term, and he has shown so far that he is not above changing his mind from time to time.  Let us review his progress next year. Until then, I keep an open mind.

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They discussed US-Philippine relations. They discussed trade. They discussed North Korea. And many other things. But there was no mention of Duterte’s brutal drug war and human rights issues.

The Philippine President has been leading an all-out anti-drugs campaign that has resulted in extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.  According to reports, at least 7,000 people have been killed by police authorities and vigilantes as a consequence of the Duterte administration’s flagship policy. The president himself has bragged several times about personally participating in the killings.

A futile question

We were fools to even wonder if Trump would raise the controversial issue. That perhaps even just behind closed doors, Trump might say something like, “Rodrigo dude, about your drug war. Thousands dying. That’s huge. But very bad. Not nice.”

But it was obvious from the start that they weren’t going to talk about it.  Duterte has been rabid about defending his drug crusade from any outside interference. He even called former U.S. President Barack Obama and European Union leaders, “sons of bitches” for trying to meddle.

And Trump, for his part, has expressed from the get-go that he doesn’t care. Under his “America First” campaign and his brand of foreign policy, there will be no interfering with the domestic affairs of America’s allies and strategic partners. What matters is to get them aligned with U.S. national interests – even if that meant ignoring human rights abuses.

The same thing happened in the past few days. Before coming to the Philippines, Trump came face-to-face with other Asian leaders with poor human rights records during his first official trip to Asia. The Cambodian government’s crackdown on media and political dissenters. The persecution of the Rohingyas in Myanmar. The countless human rights violations in China. But Trump was mute to all that.

A different Uncle Sam

This is the first for the Philippines, for Asia, and for the rest of the world: an American President who disregards and almost condones the violation of certain basic democratic principles. We may not always love the U.S. We may often abhor its double-standard foreign policy. But at least, in history, the U.S. has always been the staunch champions of human rights and other fundamental values of democracy.

But not anymore. Not in these times. Ever since Trump, the U.S. has miserably fallen off its democratic high horse. So much so that even if Trump were to speak up on human rights, he would no longer appear and sound so credible. 

In a way, we Filipinos should rejoice. As a former colony of the U.S., we’ve often struggled to free ourselves of Uncle Sam’s interference and influence. We’ve often resented Uncle Sam’s intrusion into our domestic affairs. Now finally, here is an American president who is willing to back off and leave us to our own problems.

But there is something horribly wrong with the picture when a Big Brother who has always been the first to rein you in when you stray from the democratic path suddenly ignores your most blatant transgressions. As if the message were, you can now get away with anything so long as you cater to Big Brother’s interests. Isn’t it ironic. Just when the Philippines could use some of that usually unwelcome U.S. meddling to address a life-and-death issue, suddenly the country isn’t getting any.

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In May 1789, the movement against  Louis XVI  was moving quickly toward revolution. Bernard-René Jordan de Launay, the military governor of the Bastille, feared that his fortress would be a target for the revolutionaries and so requested reinforcements. On July 12, royal authorities transferred 250 barrels of gunpowder to the Bastille, and Launay brought his men into the massive fortress and raised its two drawbridges.

At dawn on July 14, a great crowd armed with muskets, swords, and various makeshift weapons began to gather around the Bastille. Launay’s men were able to hold the mob back, but as more and more Parisians were converging on the Bastille, Launay raised a white flag of surrender over the fortress. Launay and his men were taken into custody, the Bastille’s gunpowder and cannons were seized, and the seven prisoners were freed. Upon arriving at the Hôtel de Ville, where Launay was to be arrested and tried by a revolutionary council, he was instead pulled away by a mob and murdered.

The capture of the Bastille symbolized the end of the ancien regime and provided the French revolutionary cause with an irresistible momentum. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and Louis and his wife Marie-Antoinette were sent to the guillotine for treason in 1793.

14 July 2017 – The celebrations

Every year since 1880, today’s day is celebrated as the French National Day. Every year since then festivities take over the streets of Paris. Today, the festivities begin in the morning, with the traditional military parade on the Avenue des Champs Elysées. An aerial show will also take place in the Paris sky, delighting children and adults alike. Aeroplanes and helicopters from the French army and air force will show off their skill and dexterity in the air.

In the evening, a grand concert will take place. Around 11pm, the sky will lit up with a magnificent firework display over Paris, lasting around 30 minutes. The celebrations will continue with parties at the fire stations around the city.

Final note: this year, the US president, Donald Trump, is attending the Bastille Day celebrations. The official reason appointed for this visit is that 2017 marks the 100th anniversary of the entry by the US into the first world war however it seems that President Trump is checking if the France is still in good shape.

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I am protesting President Trump because I am a proud American citizen, and I feel that his presidency poses an immediate threat to fabric of American constitutional democracy. His presidency comes at a difficult time in US history. The powers of the executive branch have grown under Presidents Bush and Obama, thus gifting the truly incompetent President Trump the power to single-handedly make decisions that affect people all over the world.

I am protesting President Trump because I am Bruxellois and he will totally mess up traffic in Brussels.

I am protesting President Trump because I am a proud Belgian citizen and President Trump has pressured European leaders to increase military spending. This dovetails with Belgium’s imminent purchase of 15 billion Euros worth of F-35 fighter planes, which I am totally against. I want my leaders in Belgium to know that they will be scrutinized for every single decision they make in cooperation with the President Trump’s government.

I am protesting  President Trump because his bigoted rhetoric has lead to an increase in violent crimes against the LGBTQ, Muslim, Jewish, Black, Hispanic, and Immigrant communities. His raw brand of dog-whistle racism has emboldened people to normalize hate.

I am protesting President Trump because I am the son of an Iranian who was once a refugee, and I am a proud Iranian. That despite her numerous diplomas, decades of experience in international development with organizations like the World Bank and the UN, and the 3 languages that she speaks fluently, my mother cannot risk visiting me in Belgium for fear that she might be denied re-entry into the US despite being a Belgian citizen and an American green card holder.

I am protesting President Trump because I am an entrepreneur, and his policies have no intention of levelling any playing field for me and my company.

I am protesting President Trump because I know that climate change is real. It is not a question of belief, it is established scientific fact. The repercussions of his policies, especially at such a time as this, are reason enough to go yell in the street.

I am protesting President Trump because protesting works. It’s not about convincing politicians, it’s about showing others who think like you that they are not alone, and that political action is needed and acceptable. Protesting exists to raise awareness about our political movements, and though I may not agree with every point of view being expressed tomorrow, I will at least find others who agree to a wholesale rejection of President Trump’s values. Protesting is how you change things in a democracy, protesting is how you make your voice heard. I implore you to ignore the sceptics in your world who think it’s a waste of time. Their fear does not have to be yours. I hope you join us.

The march begins at 5pm on the 24th at Gare du Nord – Noordstation

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