Then came Trump & his startling U-turns
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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com .)
Almost a decade ago, the Barack Obama administration and Iran struck a nuclear pact, but it was overturned soon after Donald Trump became the US President. The fusion was brief. Joe Biden tried to revive it, but he didn't succeed. The US-Iran relationship went from bad to worse. Then came Trump, who was now eyeing nuclear harmony. But suddenly, Israel entered the scene, creating added fission and justifying that two's company, three's a crowd. With Pakistan, the Obama administration maintained strategic ties despite tensions over some terrorist groups and even pumped in billions of dollars in aid. Then came Trump, thundering that Pakistan was lying, deceiving and 'housing…the very terrorists that we are fighting'. The Biden-led US continued with the Trump-I line of thinking — of limited engagement with Pakistan. But, in an out-of-theblue U-turn, Trump started praising Pakistan and hunting for trade across the Radcliffe Line. In fact, a top US general declared that Pakistan was a 'phenomenal counterterrorism partner'.What an incredible change of heart! That too when Pakistani handlers executed the Pahalgam terrorist attack. Closer to home, Obama's tenure strengthened Indo-US relationship and the Trump administration gave it a strategic rotation. Biden's period saw steady progress in ties in spite of a few hiccups. Then Trump reappeared. To say the least, his or his administration's actions have been embarrassing India quite frequently. It appears as if Trump wants to build relationships on shifting sands. Surprisingly, Trump's approach towards not-so democratic landmasses — West Asia, Russia, China, Hungry, North Korea, etc — has been consistent. Just a few days ago, he was seen mollycoddling Syrian interim president, a former Islamist militant with ties to Al Qaeda. Trump's praise for authoritarian leaders and his absolutist ambitions are well-documented. In this context, former US President George W Bush's remark appears so apt: 'If this were a dictatorship it would be a heck of a lot easier... As long as I'm the dictator. Hehehe.
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