The headline in The Sunday Times today is that Sir Keir Starmer, the UK's Prime Minister, is angry after Trump imposed more tariffs against the UK: 10% (on all goods?) to climb to 25% in June unless Starmer agrees to support Trump in his desire to own the world's largest island: Greenland.
You might remember the time when Starmer arrived at the White House Oval Office and presented to Trump King Charles's handwritten letter inviting the president to the UK for a state visit (his second). The intention of that special gift was to encourage Donald Trump to go easy on the UK regarding tariffs because at that time the President was setting up tariffs for pretty well every country on the planet because he regards himself as the tariff king. Note: Trump may be constitutionally unable to impose tariffs by executive order - more on that to come in the news media I suspect.
I remember Starmer acting like a poodle to the president in a very obsequious manner as mentioned. It was nauseating to see. But Starmer was naïve. You don't behave like that towards a bully with an ego as big as a house.
You have got to stand up to him and thereby gain his respect. And if in standing up you suffer tariffs then so be it. You have to stand up and be independent-minded and have dignity and self-respect. You can't kowtow and become a poodle on a lead to American's current president. Because you'll be jerked around as we are seeing at present.
And the latest development proves my point. Trump has simply ditched the concept of being friends with Starmer and imposed fresh tariffs which will hurt the UK economically.
He's also imposed the same tariff barriers on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Finland. But I don't recall the Prime Ministers of those countries going to the White House and begging more or less, cap in hand on bended knee, for lower tariffs. At least they maintained their dignity.
Starmer, for me, is an idiot. He is a week idiot actually. He's not a leader. He needs to show leadership and strength. He cannot regard the USA president as a friend. The special relationship between the UK and the USA which has been so lauded over decades, no longer exists at this moment.
We have to deal with the USA as a potential partner and negotiate from a position of strength.
President Trump blindsided his NATO allies yesterday when he announced these tariffs. And he announced them on his True Social website. Of course, the European leaders are also annoyed or perhaps furious as well and they must be. But they don't have egg on their faces and look stupid.
Donald Trump has embarked on a ridiculous escapade of trying to own Greenland - it has logic but it is still absurd. Trump should be entering into partnerships with the Greenlanders, Denmark and Europeans to defend the territory and in respect of mining for minerals.
He is trying to bully the world into allowing him to OWN it, in its entirety. He can't take it militarily because it is simply impossible because the island is owned by Denmark and the Greenlanders and Denmark is a NATO ally.
It said that he wants to buy it at a price of around $700 billion. That was a valuation made by academics and former US officials. It is a gross undervaluation in my view.
After the Second World War President Truman offered Denmark $100 million in gold to buy the island which equates to about $1.7 billion today.
I would say today, bearing in mind its critical strategic position and its mineral wealth, that its value is 10 times the $700 billion quoted i.e. $7 trillion. I'm thinking long-term as the ice is melting and Greenland will become more and more valuable going forward.
It may be an island which is critical actually to the survival of humanity if global warming precedes as it is. It may become a place where the climate is amenably pleasant in a hundred years time. There could be mass migration from the south of the planet to Greenland! And if America owns it you can imagine the wealth that they could generate under those circumstances.
I also believe that Trump, personally, wants to own Greenland because he wants to make money for himself out of the mineral deposits on the island in terms of rare earth et cetera. He has accrued quite a lot of personal wealth during his term as president. He sees the office as an opportunity to increase his wealth which is probably unconstitutional but does he care? Not at all.
Update (Politico.eu): "McLarty Associates, an international strategic advisory firm based in Washington has said that "Resisting a new attempt at humiliation and vassalization is the only way Europe can finally assert itself as a geopolitical actor." No more acting like a poodle please.
---------------
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your comments are always welcome.