https://arab.news/yavzj
Listening to the speeches of US President Donald Trump leaves one with the impression that the man is convinced he can change realities he does not like.
Theoretically, this conviction could be well-founded. He is the absolute ruler of the most powerful country in the world. I use the word “absolute” deliberately; over the past few months, since assuming office on Jan. 20, Trump has managed to seize control of institutions through executive orders, marginalized the opposition and personalized the national interest. He has diminished international relations in ways that remind us of the famous phrase “L’Etat, c’est moi” (“I am the state”), widely attributed to France’s Louis XIV, who ruled from 1643 to 1715.
Since he came to shape the course of events, everyone (rivals before allies) has acquiesced to playing the role of mere spectator.
Among them are the major competing powers: China and Russia, NATO and other countries that have long convinced themselves they are “friends” of Washington.
