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Rekha Dixit
Rekha Dixit

INTERNATIONAL CONCLAVE

Trump's presidency hot topic at Raisina Dialogue

INDIA-BRITAIN-POLITICS British Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson speaks during the second day of the Raisina Dialogue | AFP

The impact of Donald Trump's presidency on existing world order dominated almost every discussion on the second day of Raisina Dialogue, a conclave on international policy, in Delhi. 

The tone was set on the inauguration day itself when former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd said that 2017 would be the year of living dangerously. The top item on his danger list was Trump Presidency, followed by Brexit. 

On Day 2, Robert Blackwill of the Council of Foreign Relations, USA, noted that Trump may have an adverse effect in geoeconomics if he insisted on weakening the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). 

Michael Pillsbury, consultant at the Department of Defense, USA, noted that the most certain bit about Trump policy was the uncertainty of his actions. However, he said that recent actions by Trump, could not bode well for relations with China. He mentioned how Trump had not toed the official line on the One China policy while accepting congratulations from the Taiwanese prime minister. “The relations with China will also be impacted by the sale of arms to India [though this was started by the Obama regime]''. Largely, he said, India would not be affected by his presidency because he would not bother about India.

The Chinese, for their part, wondered how Trump saw China as an impediment to his endeavour to 'Make America Great Again'. “We can actually help the US maintain its supremacy; why is the US worried about us?'' said Shen Dingli, professor at China's Fudan University. 

Lisa Curtis, senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, US, however struck a reassuring note when she said that American democracy was a 240-year-old institution which had evolved its set of checks and balances. She also said that Trump's call for America First should not be considered isolationist. He understood the feelings of Americans betrayed by Washington, which had been increasingly focussing more on the international perspective than the domestic one, she noted. Curtis said that while changes were likely in the US policy to protect American workers, “you can put America First, but to keep it first you need alliances and coalitions.'' 

Curtis also hinted that Trump seemed interested in rebuilding American military, which meant he might not back out from existing commitments. General Sir Chris Deverell, commander of UK's Joint Forces Command said that while he would not prejudge Trump's military stance, the UK would not withdraw troops from Afghanistan anytime soon. 

The evening session was entirely devoted to discussing how Trump's policies would impact Climate change commitments.

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Topics : #Donald Trump

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