America’s next president, who the cap fits… 2
Continued from yesterday
Closely interlinked with the abiding dream of the average American leader; presidential, cosmopolitan, municipal or any of its citizens for that matter, is the desirous power of the American dollar, which for all intent and purposes, sets the pace and internationalised standards for vast and varied goods and services on a global scale.
Of late, some have even pointed to the reputed world’s second largest and increasingly braving economy (China) along with its Yuan currency as a universe’s alternative to the American dollar. What a mocking amusement! Was this not a similar singsong about the Japanese Yen at the height of its own run-away trade surplus in the 1970s/80s?
In the end, the then-Japanese celebration was so momentary that it was likened to the raving of a sprinter comparable to an enduring marathoner. It was as in a contrasting way each year sucks all it comes in contact with; as against disposable days (knowledge). That, what the year had seen and gathered in its know-how repository, other periodic gauges might never know.
Aside the diverse trade surplus or deficits, America and its interconnected sphere of influence still call a lot of tunes and commanding dynamics, far and wide. So important is America’s input to the world’s dish (literally speaking) that, any global food worthy of its advertised taste, without America’s palatable condiments, is just another menu.
Despite all the hypes, unstable winds and emotional turbulence generated by the ongoing ‘Trump gale’ what next is there for America on the one hand and the rest of the world on the other hand to expect or fear from this irritable, cold-blooded conservative?
Going by available hints and endless permutations, Trump might go as far as picking the Republican presidential ticket to square up with his Democratic counterpart (Hillary Clinton?) and it is at this strategic decision-making moment, that what really makes America so decisive, strategic and fundamental spring to the fore.
Undoubtedly, it was for America’s freely liberated mind and egalitarian disposition that made it to vote a typical Barack Obama, a minority citizen from a very distant ethnic race from mainstream America, for two eventful terms as its President. On a global rating, so few nations, even among the so-called developed ones, have such high-setting records.
In addition, so centripetal and establishmentarian is the American entity that none…individual, corporate or otherwise, within or beyond its borders, in the event of threats to its national security or personal survival can even go far before such destabilising forces are adequately tackled.
Refreshingly, just recall the September 11, 2001 when quite unimaginable terror attacks shook the entire nation to its foundation and it took America over a decade before it could dislodge and eliminate both the root networks and leadership cadres of the daring terrorists.
At a worse scenario of a Trump electoral victory of the 2016 presidential election, ‘Donald the Commander-in-Chief’ could hardly ever cover the long mileage of the Reagan presidency because the-billionaire’s-business-logical reasoning in Trump would prejudge practically any other thing just like ‘Ron Reagan the grade-b rated actor’s rantings beclouded the entirety of his reign.
Was it for nothing, during a Reagan media rehearsal, that he enacted a make-believe scene in which America supposedly launched a nuclear war against the defunct Soviet Union? These are the series of hypes that habitually regulate sitting leaders from time to time.
As for the increasing fear of Trump being a demagogue in the event of his presidency, the sheer volume of contending issues both at home and abroad would simply humble him along with other sobering realities of the world at large.
For real, can ‘a belligerent President Trump’ afford to squander existing peace-opportunities on all fronts and at all times like freezing, once again, diplomatic relations with Cuba or launch an earth-scotched nuclear war against Asia’s over-spoilt child, North Korea?
Can he send America’s night-goggled storm troopers to dislodge Africa’s despotic dinosaurs like Robert Mugabe, Paul Biya, Yoweri Museveni, Omar al-Bashir in repeat-feat of the 90 minutes raid at Entebbe?
Coincidentally, unpredictable circumstances might present themselves as testing burners and thereby bringing the real characters out of leaders and at such inauspicious times… a war-mongering president and leader might discover that it is far cheaper to maintain peaceful coexistence than to pay highly exacted and avoidable price to recreate ‘unstable peace’.
So much has been said about America’s power as being on the decline, but for a long while to come, humanity, the global security and other interwoven issues can certainly not do without Uncle Sam’s power back-up mechanisms.
Feeding on historical cues and unlike the big powers of past ages (Athens, Rome, London et al), America as the world’s magnetising point still yearns to be the best owing to its sizeable virtues of accountable leadership, good governance, fundamental human rights, eclectic diplomatic finesse and its ubiquitous dollar on a universal acclaim.
As for Trump or any other fellow, Republican or Democrat, male or female, becoming America’s next President, the operating dynamics on the international scene, multi intra-national forces and contending issues, sheer realities vis-à-vis pecuniary multinationals are daringly beckoning such an individual to misuse America’s presidential seal of coercive power. He could better still persuasively wave the olive branch of good behaviour to mount America’s saddle of leadership!
By extension, such an envisaged world would be a rallying point toward a new order of assertive leadership and good governance, accountability, transparency and economic realignment.
• Omolade writes via gokeomolade@hotmail.com
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1 Comments
This article felt like an over-sized piece of sh*t stuck in my rectumm, refusing my laboured attempts to eject it.
Should the rest of the world be kneeling at the feet of the almighty, all perfect, and all righteous America?
If America is a paradise of angels, as this writer wants me to believe, then good for him. Pack up your “load” and move there. Permanently. (Assuming you’re not there already, which is most likely.)
Don’t forget that in 2008, many people went to church praying and fasting for Obama to win the presidential election; when he won, they called his victory a victory for Africa, God’s answer to Africa’s prayers.
How many of them are praising Obama today?
Even the Europeans who rushed to award him the Nobel Peace Prize, are regretting their premature action till this day. Try telling the Libyans and Yemenis about Obama’s peace!
The Germans in 2009 turned out en mass to greet Obama, but this week on his visit to Germany, 25,000 people turned out to protest against one of his biggest policies. Same thing anywhere he goes.
America is not your saviour. American interests will always be the priority of any US leader, whether it is in your interest or against your interest.
You call China’s currency a “mocking amusement”. The US dollar is already under attack, and has been losing its “market share” of global transactions for years now.
The Yuan is set to join the world’s basket of currencies in September this year.
The China of today is not the Japan of the ’80s. This time, the “economic challenge” is real. Japan ran out of steam when they reached saturation point, they just didn’t have the population (and other elements) to sustain that growth, so they flat-lined.
China still has 700 million people capable of still driving growth for far enough to nominally overtake America (they’ve already done that in PPP terms since 2012 or thereabout).
Just wandering my the Guardian would even publish a load of mindless praise-singing of this magnitude about a foreign country. Sounded like one well paid propagandist trying to do what he’s paid for.
Rubbish.
We will review and take appropriate action.