Republican and former president Donald J Trump made a historic comeback to the White House as the 47th President of the United States of America following the November 5 elections. His previous bid was unsuccessful as Democrat candidate Joe Biden defeated the incumbent president in 2020.. While there has been much discussion within America about the consequences of Trump’s election for the Middle East, the Russia-Ukraine war and the like, not much has been discussed about the impact of a second Trump presidency on the Subcontinent. Here is what the press from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka have to say on the matter.
According to Dawn (November 7), some of the domestic reasons that can be attributed to Trump’s success are high inflation and the “Democrats’ hubris” with President Joe Biden having called Trump supporters “garbage”. On the international front, Biden’s unwavering support towards Israel stands out as a major reason “to punish Mr Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.”
To the point about Trump’s policy towards Pakistan, the editorial says, “As for Pakistan, the last few American administrations have maintained lukewarm ties with this country, and there is little to suggest an improvement in relations under the new Trump set-up.”
Bangladesh
The Daily Star (November 7) mentions the margin of electoral votes wherein Harris secured 226 and Trump was at 292 (until the time this editorial was published — by now, that number has been revised to 295), “thus taking control of the Senate and possibly the House of Representatives.”
The country expects “potential ripple effects on issues covering trade, political dynamics, climate change, and Bangladesh’s relations with regional powers.” In particular, Trump’s mention of “barbaric violence” against Hindus, Christians, and other minorities in Bangladesh sparked unease in some quarters about the US “view[ing] Bangladesh through India’s lens”. The other two main areas of concern raised by the editorial are trade and Trump’s dismissal of climate change that could affect a vulnerable nation like theirs.
However, there is a modicum of optimism as the editorial concludes saying: “It remains to be seen how the relations between our interim government and the upcoming Trump presidency shape up, however. For his part, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has been quick to congratulate the president-elect, expressing optimism for strengthened bilateral ties and future cooperation. Going forward, we hope the government will properly engage with its US counterpart to ensure that our interests are protected.”
Nepal
The Kathmandu Post (November 9) begins with a slight at American voters saying, “The opposition’s message that Trump harboured fascist tendencies, that he was openly misogynistic, that he had no concrete plan besides the vacuous ‘Make America Great Again’ slogan — they all fell on deaf ears. On election eve, most Americans said the economy was their top priority and they seem to have voted accordingly — never mind that the US continues to be the best performing rich economy, by a long shot.”
This editorial also talks about President Joe Biden’s handling of the Gaza crisis as a potential cause for Harris’s defeat. More surprisingly, however, it says that this “reinforces the message that voters are far from rational creatures and tend to vote with their hearts”. Introducing the example of some first-time male voters having voted for Trump after watching 30-second Republican TikTok reels, it says that “in this age of social media, hard logic alone is insufficient.” What also worked in his favour was his ability to appeal to the “baser instincts” of people.
Comparing Nepal’s political situation to the US, The Kathmandu Post comments on the dissatisfaction of the youth with an old guard that they feel “cheated” by and newer parties that “have also failed to gain their trust”. However, it warns the people against a “strongman” leader whose narrative will be “simple” yet “easy to gulp down in a world increasingly drowned in confusing online chatter.”
As opposed to analysing the impact of Trump’s election to the White House, the editorial issues a warning: “If the US, with its strong history of check and balance, is struggling to manage a single man’s challenge to democracy, a country like Nepal with its weak institutions will be a lot more vulnerable to despotism.”
Sri Lanka
On account of his convictions, spelling out the alternative had Trump lost this election, The Island (November 8) establishes its contempt by saying, “If he had not been able to re-enter the White House, he would have had to go to prison.” Pointing out the “irony” of its President Anura Kumara Dissanayake congratulating Trump, the editorial likens the 2021 Capitol riots to the Dissanayake mob that attempted to capture the Parliament. While both were “in vain”, they “amounted to attacks on democracy and the rule of law, but Dissanayake and Trump have been elevated to the highest positions in their countries”.
Discussing at length the potential trade, immigration and foreign policy for this term, The Island focuses on the Gaza conflict, the Ukraine war and the former president’s “antipathy towards NATO”.
Even so, on the overall expectation of Trump’s presidency, it concludes by saying: “Whether the world, or at least the US, will be a better place during Trump’s second term, one may not know, but his presidency surely won’t be worse than Biden’s. One can only keep one’s fingers crossed.”
adya.goyal@expressindia.com
