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Wednesday, January 29, 2025

Standing up to a bullying US President

Standing up to a bullying US President

 Daily Mirror 29 January 2025 

US President Donald Trump is back in the White House and is creating a monstrous cacophony of noise. He is so-to-say, upsetting the ‘apple cart of the ordinary man and woman on the street in lands as far away from the US as in little Sri Lanka. 


In addition to the noise the present US President is threatening all nations, small and large to fall in line with US diktat or else…? One of the first acts in his second term as president, was to call a temporary halt to all US aid programmes worldwide. These programmes cover a wide range from relief measures to development assistance, support for civil rights protection, education and technology to health and medical assistance.

Under agreements signed in 2022, Lanka also receives military assistance in terms of military training, military technology, intelligence, special training in counter-terrorism, and direct monetary assistance for military development.

The US is also our country’s biggest export destination -valued at approximately $3.52 billion. The next biggest being India at $ 1.12 billion, the UK at $ 1.04 billion, Germany at $ 881 million and Italy at $662 million. The US is therefore a very important market for our country. But can we afford to offend the new president?

It is understandable therefore, why President Dissanayake before he was elected to power, visited the US and was seen on stage bedecked with US and Lankan flags. The reason - we cannot afford to annoy the US- especially when despite claims to the contrary, regarding state of bankruptcy, our external debt stands at a whopping US $ 56.6 billion. 

Even worse, the Hamilton Reserve Bank -which holds a big chunk of one of Lanka’s now-defaulted bonds- has been suing for immediate repayment. The demand hangs like ‘the swords of Damocles’ over our collective heads. It is only a US court order which has paused Hamilton’s demand for immediate repayment.  

We all know how fast this situation can change in the event administration decides to back the claims of Hamilton Bank in the event of government ruffling the US President’s feathers. 

Just days ago, President Trump imposed economic sanctions on Columbia after the Columbian president refused to accept two flights carrying deported  migrants to land in Columbia. Hours later the Columbian president was forced to agree to accept the migrants including those arriving on US military aircraft - “without limitation or delay” to avoid ‘a looming trade war with the US’.

On another front, on Saturday, Trump called for the clearing of Gaza of its Palestinian residents -the victims of Israel’s genocidal attacks. 

Over forty-six thousand Palestinians including approximately 17 thousand children have been killed in Israeli attacks on the civilian population. According to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), more than 85 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced by Israeli ground and air offensive. Al Jazeera reported that at least 346 schools have been destroyed or damaged. 

Yet Trump is calling on Egypt and Jordan to take in these displaced people. Not demanding Israel pay reparations or be charged before the International Criminal Courts (ICC) for Crimes against Humanity.

Lanka has always backed justice for Palestine and condemned Israel’s genocidal policies against Palestinians. Our present government, before it came to power were strong defenders of Palestinian rights.

Will our present government -which organised rallies world-wide- protesting Israeli atrocities in Palestine prior to coming into power- now stand against an even greater injustice the present US President is attempting to foist on the people of Palestine? Or will they cave in, casting principles aside?

The new US President (Trump) is also threatening to forcibly take over the Panama Canal. He is demanding Canada give up its independence and become the 51st US state. Additionally he demands that Greenland should become part of the US. 

It will take a huge balancing act to negotiate the acquiescence demanded by the new US regime of all countries big and small. A number of countries have entered the BRICS-led initiative. Does our NPP-led government have the backbone to stand up to unjust US demands? Or, will we, like the Columbian regime, fold up like a pack of cards? ⍐

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