Trump And The G7

Trump is an unusual President for many different reasons. Normally it is the case with politicians that you either support them or you oppose them. It is the nature of democracy that there must be both government and opposition. Trump is different. First of all he is not a politician and he has little time for politics. His style of leadership is that of the dictator. It is all about me and what I say goes, even if I said the opposite yesterday. Thus he gets on rather well with other leaders whose systems verge on or are actual dictatorships. And he quarrels all the time with all his allies, who represent a more collective notion of leadership and a more collegiate system of governing. Put simply he admires his enemies whilst his allies annoy him.

This blog therefore does not broadly oppose Trump as it does May, or broadly support him, as it does Corbyn. It has to pick and mix. So on social issues we are opposed to Trump hook, line and sinker. But on foreign policy we see some refreshing innovation. No other President has, or would have, brought so much hope to the Korean peninsular, or been willing to take a chance and meet with Kim Jon Un more or less on spec.

On the G7 the view from here is more nuanced. Yes Putin should be back there and it should be the G8 again. The business about ‘annexing’ Crimea is tripe. It has been Russian for centuries and is inhabited by Russians, 90% of whom voted to rejoin Russia on an 85% turnout. Trump, a realist who does reality TV, knows that. Europe is doing itself more harm than good keeping Russia in the cold over everything and on this Crimea issue in particular.

The reasons behind the US rust belt are more to do with lack of investment and inferior products, in the case of cars, and much less to do with unfair tariffs. The average tariff suffered by American exports is 4.5% and the average for the EU is 3.5%, so across the board this stuff about robbing the piggy bank is a delusion. What is not nonsense is the cost of NATO. Europe is not a continent bankrupt and ravaged by war any longer. It is a major, united and prosperous economic power. It should bear the costs of its own defence. Trump is right to complain. Europe now can, and should, stand on its own feet. America bankrolling military expenses is not only wrong but bad for Europe.

In the end whatever Trump wants will be the way he goes. What is in question is who and how many will follow him. At the moment this does not appear to include the G remaining 6. Maybe it is better that way. Either have America and Russia both in the deal, or neither.