SO… TRUMP WON! NOW WHAT?

Well, the one thing I will not talk about tonight is the question that was asked at least a thousand times on every major news network all day long. “ How did this happen”? but If I was going to talk about that topic, I would answer it in one easy sentence. You cannot ignore the opinions of 85 percent of the landmass of a country for years and not believe there will be repercussions.

Okay. Off of that dead-end street!

Donald Trump is the inbound President of the US! What does that mean to the rest of the world? Let me take a very simplistic approach to what most would love to turn into a complex conversation. The talking heads are probably already on chapter five of their latest books on Donald Trump and his rise to power. There is money to be made and time is wasting for the so called “experts”.

What does Trump mean for international relations? Let’s take a trip around the world and see if we can nail down a few cornerstone issues.

EUROPE:

Yep, the Liberal leaders of Europe seemed to be in a near panic as events unfolded in the US yesterday. For months, all the US has heard is how Europe was against Trump coming into power and how disastrous it would be for the world, the world as in Europe!  Well, if that is true, then their reality is here! Why? Why were the Liberal leaders of Europe so frighten of Trump? Now, most of the major new network experts in the US and Europe would tell you it’s about trade, economic stability and the real buzzword in Europe now days, immigration! Here’s my reaction to those concerns? Hogwash! That’s not what has the Liberal Leaders of Europe upset. What has caused their panic is the fear of further momentum! Yes, momentum! Some have come close to the real issue by referencing BREXIT and how Trump’s election might mean a BREXIT round two for Europe. Why, because Trump campaigned on fair trade, a topic that is foreign even evil to Liberal Socialist. But again, that is not the core issue of the panic in Europe. What the Liberal of Europe truly fear is the momentum a Trump victory may give to the Conservative and yes even some of the Nationalist movements in Europe. Does anyone really believe for a minute the French are worried about trade with the new US President? Nope. What France is worried about and perhaps rightfully so, is a young lady by the name of Le Pen! What Europe fears is President Trump adding momentum to the 2017 elections throughout Europe. So, in the end, it’s not about what Trump says about trade or Europe paying their fair share for its own defense, a noble idea in my book. It’s about staying in power, something every Politician sets as their first goal the second an election is over. Yes. Europe has every reason to worry. The title wave that drowned the Clinton quest for power is the same wave that is building in Europe. The problem for Europe will be, their inability to mitigate the wave’s impact. The US still has a balancing capability with its structure of governance. That cannot be said for much of Europe! Le Pen. She may be about to come to the front of the race in France and that will scare the Liberals of Europe more than Trump.

THE MIDDLE EAST:

For over a year, many of my friends in that region have expressed to me time and time again how Trump will be bad for the Middle East. How Hillary was a better choice. Yes, Hillary had struck a deal with the Saudis. The Clinton’s would strike a “deal” with anyone willing to donate funds to the “foundation”! But, the question I have always responded with is, “why”? Why would Trump be bad for the region? Is he “pro-Israel”? Yes. What American political leader isn’t? Had Trump made comments about what the US should have done in Iraq? You know, keeping the oil after getting rid of Saddam? Yes, that sounded rather ruthless, at least to the Arabs in the region. But, let me ask a question? Didn’t the US already accomplish this task? Whose companies are pumping that oil? Where is it going? Even the funds the Iraqis do receive go towards topic the US would be paying for anyway. If the Daesh didn’t believe this oil was supporting the “West”, then why would they attack it? Is Trump less willing to spend money on the region’s conflicts? Yes. Is Trump most likely amenable to letting the Russians take the lead in Syria? Most likely. Will Trump not work to address the Palestinian issue? Well, his statement was he might take a different approach to working the issue. I would say, let’s wait to see what the different approach might be. In the End, is President Trump going to change the US’s stance towards the region? I would say yes, but think of it this way. Can the US’s policy towards the region get any worse? The US foreign policy ship for the Middle East is lost at sea. Perhaps President’s administration will run aground. So, to my friends in the region, I say this. Let us see what takes place in the next year. In-shal-la!

MEXICO:

Okay, here comes a hard hitting analysis of the issues Mexico may now face with a President Trump. Let me keep this one real, real simple and it’s not a politically correct stance! If Mexico wants to solve its issue of illegal immigration into the US, then form a government in Mexico that is actually responsive to the needs of its people. If Mexico doesn’t want to keep the non-Mexican waves of people in Mexico after the US truly shuts its borders, then figure out a way to close their Southern Borders.  Does anyone in the Mexican government really believe the good people of Mexico who are willing to walk hundreds of miles, run the risk of being kidnapped, raped and or murdered look forward to doing so? Does anyone in Mexico City believe the people of Mexico don’t want to stay in Mexico with their families, on the land their ancestors grew up on? It’s time to speak the truth. Until Mexico has a form of governance that actually cares for the people of Mexico and not just for the gated subdivisions in Mexico City, the Immigration crisis with the US will not be solved. Imagine if President Trump sits down at a table with the Mexican President, a shady person to say the least, and has the following conversation. “Okay, I will not build the wall on your border and I will not end NAFTA if the following two things happen. One, you close Mexico’s Southern Borders and anyone that does make it in to your county is kept in your country. No more train rides to the US border. Second, you will begin to invest in the parts of your country other than Mexico City and your tourist cities. You will take care of your people and show them your government is willing to fight corruption and represent the people of Mexico. Along with taking care of your people, you will no longer line your pockets with drug money and I will help you do this by providing you and the media a list of Mexican leaders who are being bought by the Drug Lords. If you need more jobs, we will work with you on creating those jobs brought to you by other nations, but I will not transfer US jobs to your country”! The bottom line. President Trump needs to tell the Mexican government it needs to become responsible for its nation and its people or the US border will be visible from miles away in all directions. Is there a danger in this approach? Well, from the Mexican government standpoint, absolutely! Mexico’s leaders understand the price they will pay if the border wall is built. They completely understand that if people who have no future cannot leave Mexico, they will march on Mexico City and tear down the walls the Mexican elitist government hides behind. Yes. A wall on the US border will lead to a yet another revolution in Mexico. Their choice! As for the rest of the people walking out of Central and South America, the Mexican government needs to figure that one out. It’s their problem.

CHINA:

If there is one nation that will not panic with the election of Trump, it will be China.  A patient people controlled by an enduring government. When the time comes to sit down with the Trump Administration and talk about trade and the issue of imbalances, the Chinese will have a very detailed plan ready for execution. A people as methodical as the Chinese already have a “Trump Playbook” ready to bring to the table. It will be interesting to see this first round of talks. My bet is, this happens in the early stages of the first year of Trump’s Presidency. The Chinese know, the faster Trump can show progress on the topic, the faster they can move on to other issues such as the South China Seas and the real goal of the Dragon, Littoral lanes in the Pacific. This one will be complicated, but it will be well scripted on their part. It’s going to be fun to watch.

RUSSIA:

Well, here is one of the topics Trump took a real pounding on. To hear the Democrats tell the story, Trump and Putin and practically BFF! Most rational people understand there is not a lot of substance here, but then again, most voters in the US don’t care anyway. What will be the relationship between Putin and Trump? I can absolutely guarantee you one thing. It will be far….far better than what would have taken place between the Tsar and Hillary! Just two days ago, I was considering drafting the post for tonight based upon Hillary’s victory and how the Tsar was going to test her resolve as soon as he felt necessary. If she would have won the US election last night, tonight’s post would have been a story on the potential for the second Cuban Missile Crisis lie event for the US and Russia. Some people in the US government understand Putin based on the briefings they have been given. Some even take the time to study his actions. Some study the Tsar like the anomaly that he is. I am in that category and have been for years. I mention that fact for one simple reason, I am convinced Putin was prepared to push the Russian / US  / confrontation to the most dangerous level the world has witnessed since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Does the election of Trump mean this may not take place now? Yes, at least it has delayed the odds of it happening! Like the Chinese, the Tsar has developed a playbook for the contingency of Trump becoming the next US President. Like the rest of the world, Russia was most likely well down the road of executing the Clinton playbook when Trump supporters shocked the world! Late last night, the Trump book was placed back on the table in Moscow. How soon its first chapter is executed is hard to estimate, but it could be the Tsar may let Trump get his feet under him before the game begins. Will Trump call for a meeting of the two or will the Tsar? That is when we will know the game is underway. I will assure you this topic is a key discussion point from my perspective for months to come and I will enjoy every minute of it.

Now, as I have said in the past, this is not the complete list of issue that a Trump administration will have to deal with and over the next few days, I will readdress, as I did two months ago, the other less critical world topics President Trump will have to address. The past eight years of complete US foreign policy malaise has created challenges for Trump he is not even aware of yet. I will address some of those topics in the coming days.

Trump is in! Trump is different than anyone that has been in the White House in US history. What that means to the US, its Allies and the rest of the world, well, we will just have to wait to see! It’s not going to be boring. Trump is anything but boring!