Wednesday 1 February 2017

US: With friends like these...

President Trump's first few days in office have surprised many, and he has managed to delight and dismay in fairly equal measure, but his first task as Commander in Chief is not an easy one.

Gone are the days when America's adversaries would test the mettle of her newest leader, and today it is her allies lining up to confront or dupe their powerful 'friend'.

We see the "President" of the European Council declaring that America is now an existential threat to Europe, although I don't recall ever voting for a European President, so the opinions of this Tusk chappie may serve little purpose, except to demonstrate why over 17 million British voters chose to leave the EU in last year's referendum.

Of much greater concern, is Poroshenko's push into Eastern Ukraine.

For all the mellowing tone towards Putin from the new administration, these latest attacks - coinciding with the largest deployment of NATO troops to Russia's border in recent years - demonstrates just how difficult it could be to reverse some of Mr. Obama's more insidious handiwork.