International politics: what will change with Trump?
Commentators from the European press discuss the ramifications of Donald Trump's comeback as US president for individual countries as well as global issues and crises.
Netanyahu counting on reliable support
The Israeli prime minister has high hopes for the next US president, columnist Pierre Haski observes on France Inter:
“Netanyahu has already spoken to Trump three times since his election victory, and is sending him a negotiator to discuss Iran. The second piece of news is the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to the US: Yechiel Leiter, a Netanyahu confidant with a far-right settler profile. ... The choice of this person sends out an uncompromising signal. ... The future ambassador embodies a continuation of the settlement policy, including the annexation of the West Bank, and categorically rejects a two-state solution.”
A new understanding of power
With Trump's election the current world order stands a strong chance of going off the rails, Kapital expects:
“What happens when the world's most powerful democracy elects a president who doesn't want to protect the world order but overthrow it, while a war is raging in the middle of Europe? ... Traditional alliances will begin to totter and economic rules will be rewritten. Those who don't react quickly enough will end up on the losing side. ... Trump's clear electoral victory confirms the changes that can already be felt, leading to a new world order in which America exercises its power in a new way - not so much as a model of liberalism and democracy, but as a superpower that expects to get its way.”
Turkey shouldn't get its hopes up
Trump's second term could be just as disappointing for Ankara as the first, Yetkin Report comments:
“Turkey's immediate expectations for Trump's second term include an end to support for the YPG in Syria, the lifting of the CAATSA sanctions and cooperation on regional issues. ... Ankara's disappointment over its unfulfilled expectations of Trump's first term already prompted it to pursue a more independent foreign policy. Turkey seeks a pragmatic and constructive dialogue and hopes that Trump's direct style could pave the way to resolving long-standing issues. However, Trump's commitment to prioritising American interests could make it more difficult for him to respond to Turkey's demands.”
Whose side is he on in the Kosovo conflict?
Does Trump side with Serbia or Kosovo, Politika asks:
“Even before the elections polls showed the Serbs to be the nation that most supported Trump outside of America, a fact that the new president will have taken note of. ... When he comes to Europe, the west of which he pretty much despises, he could also visit Serbia, where he would be given a warmer welcome than Putin received. But while the Serbs are in Trump fever, the Albanians are overtaking them: there, people are still analysing whether [former Kosovo president] Behgjet Pacolli really was on Trump's staff or whether the picture was photoshopped. By the time they've worked it out, Pacolli will probably have already prepared the foundations for a Trump monument, and the one that honours Clinton in Pristina will probably end up next to Tito's - in some basement.”
His stance will have global repercussions
The positions Trump adopts could change the course of the current wars, says the Cyprus Mail:
“Will he side with President Vladimir Putin and stop US support which is critical to Ukraine's defence, and what impact would this have on US relations with Europe, which considers the war an existential threat? Then there is the war being waged by Israel in Gaza and Lebanon. Will he stand by his urging to Israel to 'finish the job' and what consequences will giving a free rein to Israel have? Will this lead to a war with Iran, an attack on which Trump had supported during his first term? ... There is also the question of the future of Nato, of which Trump has not been a great supporter.”
Now the world can recover
Trud is glad that the Democrats didn't succeed with their harsh criticisms of Trump:
“They've tried to smear him in the media, calling him a fascist, a Nazi, a racist and all sorts of things, but the people have proven that no one believes or listens to this nonsense. They tried to divide Americans by saying whom women should vote for and whom Blacks should vote for. This doesn't work anymore and no one cares. They tried to shoot him, but he looked them in the face and destroyed them. The globalists fired all their bullets but Trump deflected them. The world has taken a first step towards recovery.”
Unpredictability also dangerous for the Kremlin
Radio Kommersant FM outlines why Trump's victory won't necessarily shift the balance in the Ukraine war in Moscow's favour:
“The fact that he often said things during the election campaign that were pleasant for Russia and unpleasant for Ukraine doesn't mean that the situation won't turn 180 degrees at some point. For example if Trump, as president, presents both sides with his famous plan to end the conflict in one day - and Moscow rejects it. How would the impulsive US president react to that? It's entirely possible that he would take the rejection as a personal insult and say: 'Really? Then I'll show you what America is capable of', and lift all the restrictions that the cautious Democratic administration has imposed on Kyiv.”