When Trump blows hot and cold

Donald Trump has been blowing hot and cold. When he was on a tour to the Middle East recently, mixing his business with official work courting the Sheikhs and Emirs, he snubbed close ally Israel right next door by not visiting the country. Prime Minister Netanyahu was miffed that Trump may strike a nuclear deal with Iran and preempt Israel’s plans to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Within a couple of weeks, Trump did a U-turn. The US is reportedly weighing its options on using the bunker-buster bombs to hit Iran’s underground nuclear facilities. Trump said he knew the location of Ayatollah Khamenei but added that the Supreme Leader was safe for now.

He cut short his visit to Canada for the G7 summit and said he has to return to deal with the Iran-Israel conflict. On landing, he told the press he may attack next week, or the next day – he has been clear on one thing, that he doesn’t himself know what he’s up to next. He has been shifting positions; he initially distanced himself from the West Asia conflict, only to later give a tacit go-ahead to Israel. True to form, Trump is keeping the world on the edge.

He has retained this unpredictability even while engaging with his government or the private sector, cocking a snook at the courts, pressuring the Federal Reserve chairman to keep interest rates low, usurping powers of elected representatives on budgetary matters, and trampling on the autonomy of universities. He has deployed the National Guard against its own citizens and by befriending Putin, turned on its head the traditional US foreign policy on Russia. He announced that Apple should manufacture iPhones in the US and not in India. There was also a word of caution – comply or face tariffs – even amid consensus and advice that America will need a few years to build that kind of manufacturing capability. Clearly, in this game of uncertainty, he has kept everyone guessing – his cabinet and cronies are no exception.

Foes are friends. Allies are enemies. So when Trump snubbed Modi by not meeting him on the sidelines of the G7 summit earlier this week, rushed back to the US, and hosted a lunch at the White House for Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, it took everyone by surprise, including the BJP. The Congress, expectedly, ridiculed Modi for repeatedly calling Trump his “friend Donald”.

It is not common for a US president to host the army chief of another country. Meanwhile, it is reported that the Trump family has invested in cryptocurrency in Pakistan.

Trump said after the lunch that he was honoured to meet Munir. Asked earlier what he planned to achieve from meeting Munir, Trump told reporters, “Well, I stopped a war... I love Pakistan.” He also praised Modi as a “fantastic man” in the same breath.

Modi called Trump soon after the G7 visit, making it clear that India agreed to a ceasefire only on request from Pakistan. Munir made a statement after the meeting, thanking Trump for helping end the war through mediation. He also recommended Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump is doing what is in the interest of the US and his family business, overlooking the much-hyped backslapping bonhomie between him and Modi. He is astute and is pandering to his voter base like any political leader. He finds Pakistan useful while dealing with the Middle East region. Pakistan offers its base like it did in the past for the American military as it wields enormous influence and often does the dirty work covertly for Western powers. Its army has allowed Islamic terrorist outfits to operate from its soil and unleashed them selectively to destabilise its inimical neighbours, despite Pakistan itself being a victim of terrorism.

Trump’s actions are par for the course. India must be unfazed by his tantrums. The US president is one of a kind. He likes attention to himself. And is a big bully. One must stand up to a bully. To recall Benjamin Disraeli – “Courage is fire and bullying is smoke.”

(Capt G R Gopinath (Retd.) builds bridges, sometimes by tearing down walls. He is a soldier, farmer, and entrepreneur)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.