By Abiola Olawale
In the wake of Donald Trump’s historic return to the White House, a flurry of experts drawn from various fields across the globe have begun to analyze the potential implications of his leadership.
Trump, a former President of the US and the Republican presidential candidate defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in a keen presidential race.
He achieved a remarkable milestone with his victory in the US poll. This development is notable as he became only the second individual in history to secure non-consecutive presidential terms, and he made headlines as the first-ever criminal defendant to emerge victorious in a presidential election in the United States.
This development has prompted numerous experts to closely examine Trump’s previous policies and advocacy, exploring new potential policies and how these may impact on international relations across the globe.
During several campaign rallies, Trump had promised to tackle issues like immigration and inflation.
He also advocated for a policy he termed “America First”. Trump had explained that his policy seeks to put the US’ interest first before any other country, a stance that has been interpreted by many diplomats as a sign of a shift towards “isolationism and less international collaboration.”
During campaigns, Trump also declared that he knew how to end the Russia and Ukraine war within “24 hours”.
Trump said: “If I’m president, I will have that war settled in one day.”
While he failed to give specific details of how he would achieve that the US President-elect said he plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, respectively.
According to him: “They both have weaknesses, and they both have strengths and within 24 hours, that war will be settled. It’ll be over.”
Although Trump failed to give additional details of what he intends to do during the meeting with the two leaders, analysts have opined that he is expected to strike a deal with the two countries.
On the Isreal vs Iran war, analysts expect project that Trump might continue his support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu had once described Trump as the “best friend that Israel has ever had in the White House”.
During his first tenure as the President, Trump ordered that the US embassy be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The move generated elicit reactions with some parts of Israel applauding Trump while some Palestinians denounced the move.
Trump, during his first tenure as brokered the Abraham Accords, a series of agreements that formalized diplomatic and economic relations between Israel and some Arab countries.
Trump had in the past maintained a hard line against Iran. In his first stint as US President, Trump withdrew US from a 2015 agreement that saw Iran scale back its nuclear program in exchange for a lifting of international sanctions against its economy.
In the aftermath, his administration heaped crippling sanctions against Tehran and allegedly authorized some serious actions and attacks which fuelled tensions across the region.
Speaking during campaign rallies Trump had said: “When I was president, Iran was in total check. They were starved for cash, fully contained, and desperate to make a deal.”
Also, all eyes will be on the continued stay of US in NATO.
NATO, has much to worry regarding a Trump’s return to the White House. This is because Trump during his first tenure had floated the notions of either not militarily supporting NATO’s European nations if they were attacked or leaving the alliance altogether.
Trump was quick to berate NATO’s European allies for not spending enough on defence. The implications of a Trump presidency may only be felt across the world when he assumes office in January, 2025.
