World Waits to See Whether Trump Can Make Good on Promise to ‘Lift the Gloom’
SputnikNews.com
20.01.2017
In a recent tweet, Donald Trump quite modestly reminisced that before he won the presidency, “the world was gloomy” and “there was no hope.” On Friday, as America opens a new page in its history, Rossiya Segodnya contributor Galust Sahakyan asks what changes can be expected in US policy, and whether Trump really can shake the planet from its gloom.
On Friday, the air in the city of Washington DC is electric as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. In the United States, Sahakyan recalled, “Trump has promised to abolish up to 70% of the laws passed under Obama.” Efforts in that direction have already begun, starting with the Senate proceedings aimed at repealing and replacing Obamacare.
“On the whole,” the journalist noted, “Trump has called for there to be more of a focus on the domestic development of the American economy, called for the US to stop supporting allies that don’t want to spend sufficiently on their own security, called for Washington to stop interfering in the affairs of countries that don’t threaten vital US interests, and threatened to withdraw from alliances and agreements that don’t bring in profits for the US.”
Abroad, Sahakyan added, Trump’s election in November was met with an eclectic mix of reactions, ranging from concern and outrage on one end and delight and hope on the other.
For Europe’s political establishment, the journalist noted, the reaction was mostly one of concern. “With Trump’s arrival, Europe’s biggest concern has been about the future of NATO and the risk that the US would veto the TTIP [trade pact].” In a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg soon after the election, Trump attempted to allay any fears by stressing the importance of the alliance. Still, he has since reiterated his idea that NATO is an obsolete organization.
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