There’s a scary vibe coming out of the US at the moment, but I suppose we need to see what the next twelve months bring in their wake rather than succumb to a knee jerk reaction. And I imagine the less right-leaning European states will adopt a more guarded approach in dealings with America while attempting to keep something of the status quo intact. America does, after all, hold NATO over our heads like a sword of Damocles. (Or maybe it would be more fitting to suggest the analogy of holding the trump card. Isn’t that nicely ironic?)
I’m going to be watching Germany where the far right is clearly gaining ground in the national consciousness. Italy (home of Mussolini, don’t forget) and Hungary have already gone some way along that road, and the whole picture is starting to look a bit messy. And then there’s the possibility of a Russia-China-North Korea axis taking shape in the not-too-distant future. As for the UK, Mrs Thatcher more or less slipped us into America’s back pocket forty years ago, so maybe we have nowhere to run.
But back to American internal politics. Even if nothing particularly drastic happens over the next five years, I find it hard to believe that Trump will simply walk away from the White House quietly in 2029 just because the rules don’t allow a third term. I imagine he will certainly want to be the puppet master if not the actual puppet. And rules can be changed anyway. And what about Mr Musk? He seems to be positioning himself to play Warwick the Kingmaker at least, and maybe even take the crown himself. I know the rules don’t allow that possibility at the moment because he wasn’t born in the USA, but rules can be changed…
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